End-of-Quarter Procedures

The End-of-Quarter Procures are designed to assist you in preparing the course for upcoming quarters, to help you in saving desired course information such as grades, discussion board and e-mail messages, student records, and creating a backup of the course.  These steps are not a requirement for designers, rather they are to be seen as helpful tips in preparing to re-use any WebCT course.

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Step 1:  Create and Download a Course Backup

It is recommended that you Create and Download a Course Backup before you make changes for the next quarter, remove or reset the course.  Creating a backup will allow you to have a copy of course and to Upload and Restore the backup if it is needed in the future.

Step 2:  Saving Grades from the Gradebook

You may want to save a copy of the grades that are within the WebCT.  If you remove students from the course, the grades within the gradebook are removed as well.  If you Download Grades from the WebCT Gradebook, you will have a copy of the grades in an Excel format.

Step 3:  Downloading Discussion Board and E-mail Messages

You may want to keep a copy of particular, or all, discussion board and e-mail messages from a class.  This will allow you have a copy of these messages, in the event that you want to re-post messages for future students.  You can keep a copy of messages by Compiling and Downloading Discussion Board and E-mail Messages.

Step 4:  Removing Links from the Course Menu

If you have removed/hidden files from the course homepage, you will need to remove/hide the files from the Course Menu.  This is done by clicking on the Control Panel > Course Settings > Edit Course Menu.  Students will be able to access old files from the course menu even if you have removed/hidden them from the course homepage, so make sure to clean out the Course Menu.

Step 5:  Removing Students or Making Them Inactive

Students will always have access your WebCT course unless you remove them from the course.  Removing them from the course will erase all student data such as quiz and assignment submissions, students homepages, and tracking. 

If you wish to keep all student information intact, then you have the option to make students inactive.   The option to make students inactive will remove your course from the student's view, but will leave all student activity in the course. This option is preferred by instructors who wish to leave the course intact.

The below steps are how to either remove students from the course or how to make students inactive.

1. Click on the Control Panel
2. Click Manage Course
3. Click Manage Students
4. Below Options: Advanced select Delete all records (remove the students) or Make students inactive (hide the course from students)
5. Click Go

If deleting all students, you will be warned that all students will be removed. If making students inactive, a table will list all students that will be made inactive, click Make inactive to continue.

Step 6:  Clearing the Course

The option to Reset the Course is useful once you have finished teaching a course and want to. among other things, clear out old student records and submitted assignments, discussion board and e-mail postings, calendar entries, and students submitted assignments and quizzes.