Computer tool a 1.5-million “hit”

Apr 18, 1997

Computer Science instructor Murray Goldberg has designed an interactive
tool that allows teachers without technical expertise to create
sophisticated presentations of their courses on the World Wide Web.
Called WebCT, the tool is being tested by more than 500 institutions
around the world. “Distance education used to be a solitary experience
revolving around paper, textbooks and a telephone number,” says
Goldberg. “Technologies like WebCT create a sense of community akin
to a virtual classroom.” Goldberg’s WebCT server routinely draws
1.5 million “hits” a month.

  • Contact: Murray Goldberg, Computer Science Dept., 604.822.3153

First-year students get up close and personal

Organizers of the university’s first campus-wide welcome will make
sure that the inaugural day of classes for 5,000 new students will
be a memorable one. Students from the same faculty who share a course
or seminar will meet in groups of 20 on the morning of Sept. 2.
Third and fourth-year students will be assigned as group leaders
to initially greet newcomers and usher them to a mass rally at MacInnes
Field.

  • Contact: Prof. Neil Guppy, Assoc. Dean, Faculty of Arts,
    604.822.6700

UBC health books cited as among best

Books by three UBC faculty members have been ranked among the year’s
best health sciences books by Doody’s Rating Service: A Buyer’s
Guide to the 250 Best Health Sciences Books, 1997. The books
are: Critical Thinking: Understanding and Evaluating Dental Research,
by Donald Brunette, professor in the Dept. of Oral Biological and
Medical Sciences; The Effects of Drugs on the Fetus and Nursing
Infant: A Handbook for Health Care Professionals, by Jan Friedman,
professor and head of the Dept. of Medical Genetics; and the
Five-Factor Model of Personality: Theoretical Perspectives,
by Jerry Wiggins, a professor emeritus in the Dept. of Psychology.

  • Contact: Gavin Wilson, Public Affairs Office, 604.822.2130

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