About Uonline
This document gives an overview of the Uonline system. For details, Before you register for an online course, please make sure you read the online help guide and FAQUonline is part of the regular University of Utah course system. The URL (Web address) for Uonline is http://uonline.utah.edu. All courses run through the Uonline program are sections of university courses, sponsored by individual departments, that are for-credit and semester based, i.e. they follow the university calendar. In other words, the only difference between regular courses and Uonline courses is the fact that you do not need to come to campus for these fully online courses.
For specific statistics and infomation about Uonline and the courses given now and in the past, please go to the Uonline statistics pages [click]
Because the nature of Uonline courses involves no actual physical interaction, certain functions of normal courses need to be taken care of. The Uonline program exists to take care of these services. Uonline consists of a staff and some computer services, and is funded by the online course fee of $30 per online course. The Uonline program takes care of coordination and communication between students, faculty and administration that are normally taken care of in the classroom and provides some administrative and course services. One such service is examination proctoring.
Currently there are seven of us who work for Uonline, full-time and part-time, funded totally or in part from the online course fee. We work in the Marriott Library, in the Technology Assisted Curriculum Center (or TAC Center) on the second floor of the library.
The computer systems that support the Uonline system include three primary servers:
1) The main Uonline administrative server: uonline.utah.edu, a Apple Dual G5 X Serve based system running an Apache Tomcat web server. This system serves the basic Uonline administrative and student services.
2) The WebCT server: a Sun Solaris system that runs the WebCT system, a course delivery system for most of the Uonline courses. The URL for WebCT is http://webct.utah.edu [click]
3) The former Uonline server: uonline.tacc.utah.edu, an Apple Macintosh G4 Cube running Mac OS X with its built-in web server. This system ran the basic Uonline sdministrative and student services prior to Summer Semester 2003 and currently serves as a backup system and provides some information web pages and functions.
Some Uonline courses do not use the WebCT system and run using servers from other departments. These are under the control of those departments. Students in those courses use Uonline administrative and students services in general, but go to the other servers to do their coursework and communicate with their instructors.
Contact the Uonline office by calling (801) 585-5959 [usual weekday business hours, or leave a message] or send email to info@uonline.utah.edu.
Last updated 15 December 2005 - gag