WebBoard Newsgroup Access
Turning on newsgroup access support for a WebBoard conference
enables students to access your WebBoard through popular newsreader software,
such as Outlook Express and Netscape Messenger. Accessing the WebBoard in
this way is generally much faster than using the traditional web interface.
Additional benefits include: messages are automatically marked as read as the
user accesses them, and the powerful features of newsreader software are accessible.
This tutorial guides instructors through the process of adding newsgroup access
to both new and existing WebBoard conferences.
Creating a Conference with Newsgroup Access
STEP 1
Click on More... in the WebBoard toolbar.
STEP 2
From the list of options that appears, click on Manager Menu.
STEP 3
Click Add Conference.
STEP 4
In the Conference Name section of the Add Conference page,
give your new conference a name and description. (These steps MUST be completed every time you create a new conference in WebBoard.)
STEP 5
Scroll down to the Newsgroup section of the page, click
on Add Newsgroup Support, and give your newsgroup a name.
Note: You MUST use a
unique naming scheme that (1) will help your students identify your class newsgroups,
and (2) will be unique for ALL of the courses on the WebBoard. The best way
to accomplish this is to use the hierarchical naming scheme consisting of your
course rubric followed by a period and an identifier for the conference.
Using your course rubric as the first portion of the name will also keep all
of your newsgroups together in the list that your students see. Your newsgroups
will NOT be accessible by people who do not have access to your WebBoard.
STEP 6
Complete the rest of the Add Conference page. (You
may want to consider enabling the mailing list options. See the tutorial on the Mailing List Feature on how to do this.) When you are finished, scroll to the
bottom and click Create.
Adding Newsgroup Access to an Existing Conference
STEP 1
Click on More... in the WebBoard toolbar.
STEP 2
From the list of options that appear, click on Manager Menu.
STEP 3
Click Manage Conferences.
STEP 4
In the list of conferences that appears, click on the Edit link next to the conference that you want to add newsgroup access to.
STEP 5
Scroll down to the Newsgroup section of the page, click
on Add Newsgroup Support, and give your newsgroup a name.
Note: You MUST use a
unique naming scheme that (1) will help your students identify your class newsgroups,
and (2) will be unique for ALL of the courses on the WebBoard. The best way
to accomplish this is to use the hierarchical naming scheme consisting of your
course rubric followed by a period and an identifier for the conference.
Using your course rubric as the first portion of the name will also keep all
of your newsgroups together in the list that your students see. Your newsgroups
will NOT be accessible by people who do not have access to your WebBoard.
STEP 6
Scroll to the bottom and click Save.
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