WebCT Activity #4
Chat Rooms

[2 points]
 

The Chat Room is where you can have real-time, or synchronous, conversations with your instructor and other students in your class. Online instructors frequently use chats for office hours. You may use the WebCT Mail to make an appointment with another student to meet you in a Chat Room on a certain date and time.

 
pointing finger
When you use a chat room…

Remember this is an educational environment and you are expected to treat others with respect.You might want to discuss with another classmate (or several other classmates) such issues as …

  • Time management
  • Computer lab usage
  • Getting hands-on help
  • Online successes and difficulties
  • How to study and manage a family
  • Class assignments
 

Preparing to use a Chat room

1.Ask your instructor for a Chat Room appointment date and time via WebCT Mail or check the heading message on the Chat Room page for a schedule. Ask also for a discussion topic.
2.When ready to enter the Chat Rooms, click on the Communications Tools on the homepage (if you don't already see the Chat Rooms),Communications Tools icon
 and then click on the Chat Rooms iconChat icon
There are three types of areas in the Chat feature:
  • Rooms 1-4 for Team Project planning in which conversations are recorded.
  • General Chat for your course - not recorded.
  • General Chat for All Courses - not recorded.
You may make appointments to meet others in these areas.
WebCT chat rooms
 

Using Chat rooms

1.Click on a Room or General area to enter it. (To get credit for this activity, you must enter the assigned Chat Room 1, 2, 3, or 4 at the specified date and time.)
2.After entering the 'room', click in the small box beside the words 'Entry Chime' in the lower right corner of the screen. Whenever you are waiting for someone to enter the Chat Room, you may continue doing other work on your computer. The chime will announce the arrival of another person.
Chat window showing where to check Entry Chime.
3.Pointer to where to enter your messages in the Chat window.For the Chat Room activity points, discuss learning expectations for this course. Make at least three contributions to the discussion. When you are finished, type goodbye and click on Quit. (Activity points = 2)
4.After each of your contributions, watch for the other person's message to appear (this is presuming you have made an appointment to meet someone in a Chat room).
Chat window with pointers to Output Interaction Box where conversations appear and Users Logged on.
 
 

When you are ready to do WebCT Activity #5

  • If you have a printed booklet, click on the Home link (in the upper one-third of the screen), then turn the page in booklet to WebCT Activity #5. (As you have seen, the WebCT Activities in the booklet are also online, but it may be easier to do them from the printed booklet.)

  • If you do not have a printed booklet, click on WebCT's Next link (in the Action Menu) to go forward to WebCT Activity #5.