The following is a brief description of Catalyst tools English
faculty may find useful. For more information on how to use these tools,
see the Catalyst
site. Not only does the Catalyst tools page contain in-depth descriptions
of each tool, but it also includes links to interviews with instructors
who have successfully used the tools in their courses. For profiles of English
faculty who have used Catalyst's tools in their courses, go to our faculty involvement page.
- Collect It
Collect
It allows
you to create electronic dropboxes where students can submit course assignments
and you can return graded work. Students receive immediate visual confirmation
of successful assignment submission. Instructors can
use Collect It's
management page to quickly see who has turned in an assignment. They can
also download all submitted documents in a single ZIP file.
- GoPost
GoPost allows
you to create a Web-based discussion board that students can access anytime
from any computer with an internet connection. The tool also facilitates
collaborative research projects.
- Peer Review
Peer
Review is a Web-based system that allows students to post essay drafts
and comment on each other's work.
- Portfolio/Portfolio Project Builder
Portfolio provides students an opportunity to post and annotate a variety
of “digital artifacts” to the Web. Students can use the portfolio
to highlight work they’ve done in a single class or over the course
of their tenure at UW.
Using Portfolio, students may organize their artifacts and reflections as
they wish. Instructors who want students to use a uniform structure may create
and distribute portfolio templates with Portfolio
Project Builder. Catalyst has provided the CIC Program with sample templates for 100-level writing classes, one organized by course outcomes and the other by paper assignments. Click on the images below to view a sample of each template. If you would like a copy of the templates to edit with the Portfolio Project Builder, please email the CIC staff .
Outcomes Template
Papers Template
- QuickPoll
QuickPoll lets
you easily create a one-question survey on your course Web page.
- SimpleSite
In a recent survey
of educational technology use, 77% of UW students contended that all
instructors should have course Web sites. SimpleSite makes
Web authoring easy, offering templates for home pages, syllabi, course schedules,
and other pages common to course Web sites. Instructors insert course information
into the templates; SimpleSite transforms the template into a published Web
page. The
process of creating a site with SimpleSite typically takes no longer than
one hour.
- UMail
With UMail,
you can create an anonymous feedback form linked to your course Web page.
Students can use the form to offer suggestions for the course.
- WebQ
WebQ helps
you create Web-based quizzes or questionnaires that employ a variety of
question formats, including short answer, long answer, and multiple choice.
Instructors may consider using WebQ in lieu of a print midterm evaluation.
