How Does It Work?

CourseStreet differs from most other courseware applications in that it's a hosting service rather than an on-site service. This means there is no software to install at the university or home. Anyone can establish an online course in a matter of minutes.

CourseStreet Professor

STEP 1: Professor registers at CourseStreet and creates a new course site.

First, the professor creates the initial site design and prepares the content. To begin, the status of the site is set to CLOSED — meaning it is hidden from searches and students may not yet join.

STEP 2: Professor edits content and prepares for a new semester.

The professor makes any necessary changes to the syllabus (and other pages) to prepare for the new semester. The professor changes the status to OPEN so that students may join.

STEP 3: Students join the site, or professor automatically enrolls students.

The professor announces the Web address in class and the site password, if desired. Students go online, register, and join the course site. This builds a user database for the course.

Or, the professor may choose to enroll students by adding their email addresses to the course so that when they register anywhere on the CourseStreet network they are automatically added to the course.

STEP 4: Professor sets the site status to CLOSED.

Once students have registered with CourseStreet, the professor changes the status to CLOSED to prevent new users from joining. However, the professor also could choose to keep site OPEN.

STEP 5: Semester continues, and CourseStreet is put to work.

During the semester, the course Web site becomes an online meeting point for everyone outside of the classroom. The professor posts announcements, assignments, and grades. Students may post to the message board and participate in live chat — including the online office hours feature.

STEP 6: Professor resets the site at semester's end.

At the end of the semester, the professor renews the course and sets the status to CLOSED. Additions made throughout the term — such as the user database and comments on the message board — are cleared. The syllabus and other original material remain in place, eliminating the need to start from scratch. The site will look just as it did before classes began, ready for the professor and a new batch of students to start at Step 2.