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Extract from the
"State of the University" by President John Waterbury:
"We have begun to restructure our curriculum and teaching methods
in a variety of ways. The academic review prompted the
updating of course materials, the elimination of seldom-taken
courses, and, in at least one instance, the elimination of a
department. Simultaneously we created the Academic Computing
Center and initiated a faculty-led program in teaching excellence.
The speed with which our faculty has embraced new technology and
informatics in teaching has been astounding. Since 2000-01, the
equivalent of 1,119 faculty members have undergone training in WebCT
course software, web page design, and other computer applications.
Currently 118 courses out of 836 are using WebCT software and over
2,400 students took WebCT-based courses in fall 2003. Two hundred
faculty members have built their own web sites.
WebCT Use at AUB
|
Faculty/School |
WebCT Courses |
All AUB courses |
Percentage |
|
FAFS |
08 |
71 |
11.27% |
|
FAS |
39 |
423 |
9.22% |
|
FEA |
56 |
162 |
34.57% |
|
FHS |
06 |
44 |
13.64% |
|
SB |
07 |
78 |
8.97% |
|
FM |
02 |
58 |
3.45% |
|
Total |
118 |
836 |
14.11% |
As our faculty and students become more familiar with this technology we can expect more 'asynchronous' learning and
student-faculty contact. This means that students and faculty interact at times that most suit them, using the web as the vehicle for debating, submitting written work, and asking questions. Asynchronous learning has the potential to greatly
relieve pressure on existing classroom space. Moreover, WebCT allows the readings for a course
to be posted on the web, thereby reducing pressure on the reserve rooms of the
libraries and, as well, the need to purchase costly reading materials. Where this technology
has been tried elsewhere, faculty have found that students actually write more
than in conventional course settings because they are writing at times during the day
and night that better suit them. They become more intensely engaged with their fellow
students as well as with their professors."
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