WebBoard

Description
WebBoard is used to facilitate threaded discussions. Password protected boards are created where users can create messages with attachments and can have postings to the board e-mailed to them. Live chat sessions and whiteboard features can also be activated.

Key Advantages
For instructors:

• Allows you to record students’ interactions as they brainstorm ideas for a group project, review each other’s individual efforts or work collaboratively to produce a group-authored document. Transcripts can be posted to the Web or e-mailed and reviewed at a later date
• Allows you to efficiently manage and coordinate administrative tasks, freeing up classroom time for more teaching and learning activities

For students:

• Allows students access to course materials anytime, anywhere
• Allows collaboration with other students
• Allows students to engage in course related activities in a single environment
• Teaches students new technology skills

Key Features

• Provides ‘recorded’ detailed information about which students read and commented on what material
• Conversations are not limited by space and time. Talkative students cannot dominate and quiet students can participate at their own comfort level
• Moderate, prompt, edit or even rearrange discussions, post assignments and evaluate student’s participation in class

Getting Started
Determine if your WebBoard is closed (private) or open. If it is a closed board, new users will not be able to login and you will have to use the "Add Users" wizard to add users manually. Determine a name for your board, for example, "Cooking Board." The name will be displayed on the welcome page and in the e-mail welcome message. Decide on a unique alias for this board, for example, cooking. The URL would appear as http://webboard.ltc.arizona.edu/~cooking. You can also decide what Web address to use when users sign off the board. They can be sent to your home page, for example.

To request a WebBoard account, complete a Service Request Form.