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NDNU Online (WebCT) Courses Student Orientation
Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome! If you're enrolled in a Notre Dame de Namur University online course, this page has the information you'll need to log-into your course and get started. NDNU employs WebCT, the most widely used online course delivery system.

Prior to the beginning of the Summer 2004 term, the NDNU Office of Information Technology  installed WebCT Campus Edition 4.1, the latest version of WebCT CE. The interface has improved, but has changed considerably. For instructions on using WebCT Discussions and Mail, click the WebCT Orientation icon on your course homage.

How do I know if my NDNU course uses WebCT?

Not all NDNU courses have an online component. Ask your instructor if your course uses WebCT, or click Course Listing on the online.ndnu.edu page, then choose the "Category" (Department) from the dropdown menu.

How do I add myself to an NDNU course using WebCT?

Students cannot add themselves into NDNU courses using WebCT.

An NDNU student enrolled in a course using WebCT will be automatically added to the online class list if he or she is on the official class list. If you encounter difficulty logging-on following the username and password conventions detailed below, confirm with your instructor that your name does appear on the regular class list. If it does not, you'll need to contact the Registrar.

How can I find out my NDNU WebCT Username?

NDNU WebCT student usernames are created by combining the first letter of the first name with the last name. All letters are lower-case.

For example, Jane Smith's username would be jsmith.

Any apostrophes in last names are omitted. For example, the WebCT ID for Mary O'Leary would be "moleary."

For two-part last names with a hyphen or space between the two part last name, the complete two-part last name is included, however the hyphen or space  is omitted. For example, David Clayton-Thomas would be dclaytonthomas. Maria Lopez Garcia would be mlopezgarcia.

How can I find out my NDNU WebCT Password

Passwords are created by combining the first two letters (lower-case) of the student's last name with the last four digits of his or her NDNU ID number. The two letters included in default student usernames are lower-case.

If John Smith's NDNU ID #  is 261234, his default password will be sm1234.

For a two-part last names, the first two letters of the first part of the two-part last name will be used. So if David Clayton-Thomas' NDNU ID # is 261234, his password will be cl1234.

It's a good idea to change your password to one that's easier to remember (such as the password you use for Email) once you've logged-on (see directions below). Do not use dashes or other symbols; use only letters and digits. Directions for changing your password appear below.

Note that these same conventions for Username (first initial of first name plus last name) and Password (first two letters of last name plus last four digits of NDNU ID#) are used in the NDNU PC Computer Labs.

How do I log-into an NDNU course that uses WebCT?

  1. Point your browser to http://online.ndnu.edu
  2. Click “Log on to myWebCT.”
  3. Type your username (WebCT ID) and password, then click OK. Your myWebCT page will open.
  4. Click the blue link name of your course on the left side of your myWebCT page. Your course homage will open.
Once you're in the course, click the “WebCT Orientation” icon on your Home page. You'll find a series of pages that have information and instructions for using WebCT Discussions and Mail

Do I need to install software on my computer to use WebCT?

No. WebCT is Web based software, meaning that you don't need to install WebCT on your own computer. You do need:
  • Access to a computer 
  • Internet Connection
  • Web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, or Netscape Navigator)
There are minimum computer and browser requirements, meaning that if you have a very old computer, or have an older Web browser, you won't be able to access the course. Please see the next section.

How can I tell if my Internet Browser works with WebCT?

If you're having problems accessing your course, or if you get an error message that your Internet Browser won't work with WebCT, point your browser to the WebCT Support Browser Tune-up page:
http://www.webct.com/tuneup
The browser tune-up will ensure that you are using a supported browser, and also includes step-by-step instructions to make sure your browser settings are optimized for the WebCT. To tell what version your browser is:
  1. Open your browser 
  2. From the browser menu bar, select Help 
  3. Select About. If there are several, choose the one about your browser. A screen will appear that shows your browser name and version. 
NDNU is running WebCT CE 4.1.

WebCT browser support falls into three categories:

    • Validated: These browsers have been tested extensively and have been validated for use with WebCT.
    • Non-Validated: These browsers have not been tested extensively. They may or may not work with WebCT
    • Unsupported: These browser are known to have significant issues in operation with WebCT and are not supported for use with WebCT. 

Click here to visit the WebCT site to view the current listing of validated, non-validated and unsupported browsers in WebCT 4.1.

What Computer Skills do I need?

     To participate  in an online course, you should be comfortable performing the following tasks with your computer:
    •  Accessing the Internet and using a web browser.
    •  Creating and editing documents in a word processing program such as Microsoft Word.
    •  Copying and pasting text from one document to another.
    •  Receiving and sending e-mails with attachments.
    •  Downloading and opening attached files.


I can't access the Chat room.

Most problems with the chat room are browser or firewall related. 
    • To make sure your browser is ready for WebCT, visit the WebCT browser tune-up. 
    • Make sure you are not trying to access the chat room from behind a firewall. If you are unsure if your network uses a firewall, ask the person who takes care of the network. If it's an Internet Service Provider (ISP), call your ISP. 



 

If you have technical questions or cant log on, contact NDNU Academic Technology Manager Merle Mason (mmason@ndnu.edu; 508-3739).
 
 

Page maintained by NDNU OIT Academic Technology Manager Merle Mason