Webster University: Faculty Login

How do I get started?
What is my password?
My Login and password are right, but nothing happens!
I'm logged in, now what?
Why doesn't my text stay formatted?
Why do my email addresses run together?
What if I forget my password?
What if I still have problems?

You can print this document for reference, it is about 4 pages long.

Overview

The syllabi system uses a database that stores the syllabi for easy access through the Internet from anywhere in the world. The system allows Instructors to create new or modify existing syllabi online and allows Academic Reviewers to edit, if necessary, and approve syllabi online and then publish them. This system means that the most up-to-date syllabi will always be available to everyone. Office personnel will not need to mail syllabi to potential students, nor trash outdated copies of printed syllabi.

Instructors can create completely new syllabi by filling in the form, which follows the standard design set by Webster University, or if they already have an electronic version in Word or WordPerfect for example, they can cut and paste into the form and have a finished syllabi in minutes.

Syllabi are either in Review status or View status. When an Instructor creates a syllabus it is in Review status and can only be seen by the Instructor that created it or by the Academic Reviewer.

When the Instructor is finished with the syllabus he must notify the Academic Reviewer who reviews the syllabus. When the Academic Reviewer is satisfied with the syllabus he moves it from Review status to View status. At this point it is visible to the general public from the campus Web site.

We recommend that you use standard sentence punctuation in your syllabus. Do not capitalize every word, only the first in each sentence.

The basic steps are:

Login to the system for the first time, set your new password.
Fill out the information concerning the term, year, course name and number, your name and how to contact you.
Fill each block of the form with the appropriate information, or copy it from an existing electronic document and paste it into the form.
When you are satisfied with your work click on the Submit New Course at the bottom of the page. This saves what you have done.
At this point your syllabus is in Review status and only you and the Academic Reviewer can see it. If you are done with it contact the Academic Reviewer so he can proof your work.
It is not necessary to add the statement concerning cheating or plagiarism, it is added automatically to every syllabus.

Note: After you have submitted your work you can login anytime to edit it, however once the Academic Reviewer has reviewed a syllabus and released it for public view you cannot access that syllabus any longer to edit it. Should you need to make a change for any reason contact the Academic Reviewer and ask that the syllabus be put back in Review status. Once it is in Review status you can edit it again. When it is ready, contact the Academic Reviewer so he can proof it and release for public view again.

Warning: Once you login and start to work you have 60 minutes to finish before the server will close your connection and log you out. This happens transparently and is not obvious to the user, and means that you will lose your work. To avoid this, fill out at least the fields highlighted in red, then click on the Submit New Course button to save your work. You can then reopen your syllabus and continue.

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How do I get started ... ?

Regardless of whether you are an Instructor or an Academic Advisor you must log in to get started. You must login using the login name provided to you by the Office Manager. For example, John Doe may get the e-mail address jdoe@webster.edu, then John logs in using jdoe, ignoring the @webster.edu suffix or the Office Manager can create a login called johndoe with the password jdoe.

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What is my password ... ?

When the Office Manager creates your login he will set your password to 'password'. The first time you actually login you will have to change this to whatever you want. Your new password can be alphanumeric and any length. Keep this in mind: Even though the only syllabi that you will be able to see are the ones that you are currently working on and are still incomplete, you should pick a password that is relatively secure. Your e-mail address is common knowledge, you don't want someone guessing your password and accessing your syllabi without your permission.

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My login and password are right, but nothing happens!

This has been an issue with Internet Explorer 6. The simplest solution is to go to Tools, Internet Options, Security, click on the Trusted Sites icon then the Sites button. Add "http://www.webster-info.org" (without the quotes) in the box labeled "Add this Web site to the zone", then click the Add button. Make sure the checkbox concerning server verification is not checked.Close your browser, open it and try to log in again.

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I'm logged in, now what... ?

If this is a new syllabus:

In order to create the first instance of a syllabus, click on Add New Course. This brings up the syllabi form that you can fill out or cut the information from another document and paste into it. The form does not automatically save your data as your type, if you are concerned about a power failure or some other interruption causing you to loose the work you have done then click on the Submit New Course button at the bottom of the form, then reopen it.
The following fields are in red and must be fill out before submitting.

Choose a Term, i.e., Term 1

Fill in the Term Year,i.e. 2002

Fill in Course # & Section, i.e. BUSN 5000 (section number is optional)

Fill in Course Title, i.e., Introduction to Business

Fill in Instructor First Name, i.e., John

Fill in Instructor Last Name, i.e., Doe

Fill in E-Mail(s), i.e., jdoe@webster.edu

Fill in Phone #(s), i.e., H: 501-555-1111 / W: 501-555-2222 / Fax: 501-555-3333

Fill in Campus Site, i.e., Little Rock Metro

If this is a syllabus that you started earlier and submitted:

To bring up a syllabus that you have already started to work on, click on View Instructor Courses. This brings up all syllabi that you have submitted and are still in Review status. At this point you can continue to edit or add to the form as needed. You can submit the form and return to it as often as you want.