Tutorial:  Email and Bulletin Board Tools in WebCT

Below is an explanation of how to use the basic features in the email and bulletin board/discussions tools in WebCT. 

Email Email in WebCT is an internet email tool.  You can only send and receive messages from other participants in the particular WebCT site.
Here are some useful utilities inside the email tool:
  • Send messages by clicking on the Compose Message button.
  • Create folders into which you can organize messages by clicking on the Create Folder link.
  • Organize your messages into folders:
    1.      select messages you wish to move (click on box next to message title)
    2.  drop down menu at  the bottom of screen next to the "move to" option
    3.  choose the folder to which you want to move the messages and click on GO.
  • The Inbox folder holds all of incoming messages.  Click on it to see messages.
  • The Outbox folder holds copies of all sent mail.  Retrieve messages by clicking on it.
When you click on the Compose Message button on the first screen, you will see this dialogue box.  Click on the Browse button to find the name of the person to whom you want to send a message, as in this picture. 
 
 
  • Click inside the subject box to type in your subject.
  • Click inside the message box to type your message.
  • When you are finished writing your message, click on the send button at the bottom of the screen.
  • TIP:  It is a good idea to draft your message, if it is a long one, in MSWord.  You can then take advantage of spell-check.  But more importantly, you will not be as likely to loose the message.  WebCT is notorious for finding ways of eating up your message right before you are ready to send it :-)
  To read messages, follow these steps:
 
  • Click on Update Listing to show messages that might have been received since logging on.
  • Click on All to see messages that you have already read.
  • Click on Unread to see messages that you have not read yet.
  • Click on Threaded to see original messages.
  • Click on Unthreaded to see original messages, as well as messages that are replies to original messages.
  • Click on the subject heading to read a message.
 
  • Reply to a message without including the original message by clicking on Reply, or click on Quote to include the original message in the reply.
Bulletin Board

The Bulletin Board (often referred to as the discussion tool) works very much the same as email.  The difference is that you post messages to the bulletin board when you want all participants to read your message. 
  Click on Compose Message to post a message.  This is the screen you will see:
 
  • Drop down the Topic menu to post to a specific topic, fill in the subject heading, and type in your message.  A participant can post messages to specific topics to keep conversations threaded.
  • Click on the name of a topic to see messages posted to that topic. 
  • Post your message by clicking in the Post button found at the bottom of the screen.
  • All/Unread and Threaded/Unthreaded work the same as in email.
  • Read and reply to messages the same as in email.
Green Arrows in Email and Bulletin
Board		 When you read messages in email and bulletin board, you may get confused by the green arrows off the left hand side of the messages.  Here is an explanation of how to navigate using the green arrows:
  Default Setting:  Unread and Threaded:

When you first click into email or bulletin board, the default setting will be Unread and Threaded.  You will see a blue arrow and a subject heading.

You won't immediately see any message to click on.  You must click on the blue arrow to open up the subject.  The arrow will point down after you click on it, which will allow you to see the message. Click on the message to read to it.  As you (and others in the bulletin board) reply to this same original message, it will "thread" responses all under the same subject heading.
  You can also view messages in an 'unthreaded' mode.  Click on the Unthreaded button and you will see the same messages, but without any blue arrows to click on.  The messages will be listed in chronological order, not organized into threaded conversations.  

TIP:  When you are getting used to the bulletin board, you will sometimes find that you 'loose' a message.  Click on All and Unthreaded and all messages will appear in a given topic.