Only students registered in a course for which the instructor has chosen to use WebCT Vista may access the course. Check with your instructor for confirmation.

Is there a student guide available?

WebCT Vista Student Guide
Word format
PDF format

Where do I find my WebCT Vista course?

Point your Web browser to the WebCT Vista home page:

http://boston.umassonline.net

Use the Web CT Vista login boxes.

What ID and password do students use to login?

Your WebCT User Name is your Student ID (which looks like UMS1234567890) and your initial password is boston (without the quotes). You should login and change the password as soon as you receive confirmation that your account has been created. All students who are registered in online only courses or web enhanced courses will receive an email notification on their UMB student email. To get a UMB student email, or to reset your password if you already have an account, please go to the Customer Service Center located in the second floor of the Quinn Administration Building.

I am receiving a "You have entered an incorrect user name or password" error when I try to log in.

WebCT account passwords are case sensitive. Be sure that you have not hit the Caps Lock button on your keyboard by mistake.

If you are still having difficulty, click on the "Forgot your password" link from the login page - http://boston.umassonline.net - If an e-mail address is specified for your account and you set up a secret question and answer, enter the e-mail address in the text box. If you correctly answer the secret question, your user name and a new password will be e-mailed to your UMB student email. If you did not set up a secret question and answer, please send an email to bostonsupport@umassonline.net to request that your password be reset. Please include your full name and your student id (which looks like UMS1234567890) Your new password will be sent to your UMB student email.

What software do I need to access a WebCT Vista course?

See WebCT Vista Technical Specifications for basic requirements and links to the most popular browser plug-ins. Your instructor may include material in the course that requires a browser plug-in.

What web browser should I use?

See WebCT Vista Technical Specifications for basic requirements

Your browser must have both cookies and Javascript enabled. Pop-up blocking software must be disabled for WebCT to function properly. For more information on Web browsers supported for use with WebCT Vista, visit the Where can I get help?

UMassOnline Support for all WebCT courses:
WebCT Vista ("Vista") support is available 24x7 to both students and faculty via any one of the following methods:

email to bostonsupport@umassonline.net
phone 1-800-569-6505
live text chat

Is there a WebCT orientation session I can take?

Some instructors schedule an introductory class to prepare students to use WebCT. Check with your instructor to determine whether such a session is available to you.

There is a tutorial that students can access from the webct login page. Enter the following in the

WebCT login boxes:

username: demo
password: welcome

Does WebCT work in all labs on campus?

All the Windows PC labs on campus support WebCT. Some of the labs which have Mac OS 8 computers do not support WebCT, however the new Mac OS 10 and above are supported. Check with the consultant on-duty if the computer you are using supports WebCT or not. For a listing of labs, visit the Technology for Students page.

Can I connect to my WebCT course from home?

If you have a computer and an Internet connection at home, you can access your WebCT course. After logging info your account, click on the Browser Check link in the upper right corner of your My UMassonline page to be sure you are using a supported browser and that it is set up correctly. Make sure you also to a browser check and a tune up as explained above.

Can I connect to Library databases from home?

Students enrolled in a UMB online course are eligible to receive a barcode for access to Healey Library resources located at http://www.lib.umb.edu. UMB library is a rich and valuable academic online resource which will allow you to do most of your research work off-campus. To access most of the resources there campus, you will need your barcode number found on the reverse of your student id card.

If you don't have a student ID card or are unable to read the bar code number you can send an e-mail request to: library.circulation@umb.edu. Your request should include your first and last name, Social Security number (or student ID number), course name and number and semester. You will receive address of the library web site. Barcode access terminates at the end of the semester. (Note: This service is available Monday - Friday 9 - 5 PM)

I can't access Discussions and/or Quizzes in my WebCT course.

If you have a personal firewall security program installed on your computer, it may be performing content filtering that is affecting your access to WebCT. Try disabling the firewall or contact your firewall software provider.

The Chat and/or Whiteboard tools are not functioning - what's wrong?

The Web browser that you use must have Java (J2SE Runtime Environment) installed and enabled in order for the Chat and Whiteboard programs to function properly.

To download the latest version of the J2SE Runtime Environment (JRE):

Windows users visit http://www.java.com/en and click Download Now button and follow the onscreen instructions.
Macintosh OS X users can install the latest version of Java by visiting http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/java/ and clicking on the java link.

Your Internet Service Provider may also be blocking access to the ports that the Chat/Whiteboard programs run on. You may need to contact them directly for information.

Why can't I view the Welcome Video for my course?

You need to install Real Player to play video in your course.

Real Player software is required to view streaming media. Look for the free Real Player link at http://www.real.com/

I can't view PowerPoint files.

Please be sure that you have PowerPoint installed on your machine. If not you will need to download the free PowerPoint Viewer application.

Microsoft Office Viewers
Users that do not have MS Office installed on their machines will need to download MS Word Viewer (.DOC format), MS PowerPoint Viewer (.PPT format), MS Excel Viewer (.XLS format) Look for free Microsoft Viewers) at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/

If you are using Windows XP there is a known issue with PowerPoint 2002 files. You'll need to update to at least Service Pack 2. Visit the Microsoft Windows Update web site to get the latest updates and patches. Note: You need to use Internet Explorer to access the Microsoft Windows Update.

If your course uses Breeze for the presentations, you will need to have the Flash Player plug-in installed for your browser. This occurs automatically the first time you go to a flash enhanced page, you will be asked to install the plug-in for your specific browser.

How do I logout of a WebCT Vista session?

For courses on WebCT Vista, click the "Log out" link in the upper right hand corner of your screen. Vista sessions will timeout automatically after 2 hours.

If you are accessing your WebCT course from a campus computing lab, make sure you close ALL web browser windows as well as the authentication window when you leave.