Instructional Web Development Center

Creating a Public Page using WebCT

Overview

All files that should be accessible to the general public must go in a special folder, called "Public Files". WebCT then allows you to select a single file in that folder to be your "Course Preview Page". That file will be linked to the WebCT Course List on the WebCT home page.

You can select a single file, such as your syllabus. If you wish to share multiple files, you can have as many files as you like in this folder. Since you can only select one page as a Course Preview Page, that page should link to every other file you wish to make available.

WebCT does not have any special tools to share multiple files, like you would for your class content. You must instead use HTML to create links to other pages. WebCT's HTML Creator can help you with this.

Upload the Public Files

  1. From the Build tab, click on "File Manager":

  2. Click on the "Public Files" folder:

  3. Click "Get Files" to get files from your computer using the standard WebCT file browser dialog:

    If you have already uploaded files to WebCT that you wish to make publically accessible, you can use the File Manager to copy them to the Public Files folder. You can also use Create File to create an HTML file.

    If you have a website with relative links (i.e. every link and image path starts with a folder name or file name - no http, server name, or "/"), you can upload your entire site intact without changing anything, and select the index page as the Course Preview Page.

  4. Preview the file that will be the Course Preview Page, to make sure all files that should be publically accessible are correctly linked:

Select a Public File

  1. Click "Manage Course":

  2. Click "Course Preview Page Setup":

  3. Click "Browse for Course Preview Page":

  4. Select the entry point for your public files, and click OK:

View your Public Page

  1. Close your web browser, to be sure that you are viewing the Preview page as a non-student would

  2. Go to the WebCT login page, and click "View Course List":

    From this page, you can see a list of every class that has used WebCT since Summer 2006.

  3. Click on the subject of your class

  4. Click on the green arrow next to your course name

  5. Find your course offering for this term -- it will be listed as "Year Quarter Instructor". If you have correctly set up your Course Preview Page, it will be a link to the page you selected above; click that link

    Make sure that all your links work, and you are done!