About WebCT

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About WebCT at UCSF

WebCT is an online course management system (CMS). Faculty at UCSF can use WebCT to develop online courses, either as supplements to in-class instruction or as completely online courses. WebCT contains a comprehensive set of tools you and your students access from anywhere via the web. At UCSF, WebCT is being used by all the professional schools. WebCT at UCSF is managed centrally for the campus by the Center for Instructional Technology, which is based in the Library and Center for Knowledge Management.

WebCT is a major provider of integrated e-learning systems. According to the WebCT web site, over 148,000 faculty members at 2,800 colleges and universities are using WebCT’s products and services to instruct more than 5.8 million students. WebCT is available in 10 major world languages and a quarter of the company’s installed base is located in more than 80 countries outside of North America. WebCT was initially developed by computer science faculty under grant from The University of British Columbia in Canada.

Why WebCT? In early 2000 the Library convened a group of interested faculty and staff to help evaluate and chose a course management system for the new Center for Instructional Technology. After meeting with vendors and consulting with colleagues at other institutions that had already acquired a CMS, it was decided that WebCT came closest to meeting UCSF's diverse set of needs.