Working with PDF Files in WebCT

Overview

As an instructor you may wish to include PDF (Portable Document Format) files as part of your WebCT course. PDF files allow you to faithfully preserve the look and feel of the original document with greater control of the format and page layout.

This page discusses the technical issues involved with using PDF files in WebCT courses and it will provide the procedures for uploading and linking PDF files within a WebCT course.

Access to Acrobat Reader

Both students and instructors must have access to either Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader on their PC or Macintosh in order to view PDFs. Workstations at on-campus student computing sites have Acrobat Reader installed.

Acrobat Reader is a free product and can be downloaded from: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

If you plan to use PDF files in your WebCT course it is advisable to provide a link to this download site for your students.

Uploading PDFs For Use In WebCT

Once you have created or acquired the PDF files you want to display in your WebCT course you need to upload those files to your My-Files area. To do this follow these steps:

1. Log in to your WebCT course as the course designer.
2. From the 'Designer Links' pull-down menu (left side of the screen) select 'Manage Files'.
3. In the 'Actions; Options: Files' area, select the ‘Upload’ icon.
4. Select 'Browse'.
5. Locate the PDF file on your local machine, highlight its filename, and select Open.

Use the pull-down menu to choose a 'Destination folder' to copy the file to and select Upload. The file has now been uploaded to your WebCT course and can now be linked for your students to open.

Including A PDF File As A Single Page

One method for linking your PDF file is to create a Single Page link in your WebCT course. With this method each file will have its own independent link and/or icon. This is especially useful for documents that can stand alone well, such as a syllabus. To create a single page link to a PDF file that is part of your course follow these steps:

1. Login to your WebCT course as the course designer.
2. From the 'Actions; Options: Links' menu,
    select 'Add Page or Tool'
3. From the 'Pages' column, select 'Single Page’.
4. Enter a title for your new page
5. Select Browse, locate your PDF file in your My-Files area, click the radio button for the file, and select Pick
6. Choose where you would like the links to appear in your WebCT course (course menu or organizer page (homepage).
7. Select Add

Your PDF file will now be accessible to your students through a Single Page link.

Including A PDF File As A Content Module Page

Another method for linking a PDF file in your WebCT course is to include the file as a page in a content module. This method may be preferable if the file logically belongs with another set of files, or if page tracking is important for this file.

To add a PDF file to a content module follow these steps:

1. Login to your WebCT course as the course designer.
2. From the 'Actions; Options: Links' menu,
    select 'Add Page or Tool'
3. From the 'Course Content Tools' column, select “. Open the content module to its Table of Contents and switch to Designer Options.
4. From the Options: Table of Contents menu, choose ‘Add files’.
5. Since the Add File screen lists only .html files by default you must select the ‘Show all files’ radio button.
6. Highlight your PDF file within the Filenames list.
7. Select ‘Add’.
8. Your PDF file is now added.                       

Note: you may wish to change the file’s displayed title. To do so, select the file’s corresponding radio button and from the Options: Table of Contents menu, select ‘Edit titles’.