Evaluation: WebCT and the Student Experience

This paper presents findings from an institutional online survey investigating the use of WebCT by students in their learning and teaching at a large Australian University. The survey was designed to ascertain how WebCT was being used, what support services were being utilized, and to determine what areas, if any, needed improvement. Based on anecdotal evidence, it was expected that most student comments would relate to technical and infrastructure issues, but instead, the survey elicited responses primarily on how WebCT was used in teaching and learning, indicating that quality control is a major issue for the University. Generally, students were positive about their use of WebCT and appear to have little trouble in using the technology. Student opinions appear to reflect more the use of the technology made by teaching staff - students who have experienced a well-designed unit rich with resources, timely feedback and good interaction with staff reporting a positive experience with the technology. However, there were equally negative responses from students about poorly designed sites, little or no feedback from staff, outdated information and broken links. The findings in this paper have implications for teaching and learning with technology and the way in which tertiary institutions support students using such technology.