• Introduction
• What is iROCKET?
• What is the goal of iROCKET?
• How do I access iROCKET courses?
• How do I log into WebCT?
• What is available to students through the iROCKET courses?
• What materials can I provide for my Essential Core sessions
  • Basic Tools
  • Advanced Tools
• How do I develop an advanced iROCKET module?
• How can I communicate with my students through iROCKET?

Introduction

This guide provides you with an overview of the Essential Core's iROCKET courses. The iROCKET development team can help you develop iROCKET content for your Essential Core sessions. This document contains information on:

• The scope of iROCKET.
  
• Access to iROCKET.
  
• Learning tools available in iROCKET.
  
• How to develop advanced online learning modules.
  
• How content gets put into iROCKET.
• Links to sample online learning materials developed for iROCKET.
  

What is iROCKET?

iROCKET is the name of the School of Medicine's new digital curriculum. All Essential Core and Clinical Core courses will have iROCKET components. All iROCKET courses are delivered through the campus WebCT online courseware system. iROCKET courses are available over the internet, through any standard Web browser, but require users to authenticate through the Library's GALEN Account system.

What is the goal of iROCKET?

The Goals of iROCKET are to:

• support learning and teaching anytime, anywhere.
  
• allow learners and teachers to drill deeper into course content.
  
• remove the burden of administrative details, by centralizing the who, what, where and when of the curriculum.
  
• teach and foster advanced learning skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, and lifelong learning.
  
• encourage collaboration between students and faculty.
  
• present course content through various learning modalities to accommodate different learning styles.
  

How do I access iROCKET courses?

You can access the iROCKET Prologue course on WebCT through the Essential Core drop-down box on the medstudent portal or by visiting the Center for Instructional Technology home page at http://cit.ucsf.edu and logging into WebCT.

How do I log into WebCT?

Your WebCT user ID and your password are the same as your Library GALEN Account. If you have forgotten your password, go to a Library service desk with your picture ID to establish a new password. If you know your password and want to change it go to the Library's GALEN accounts page.

What is available to students through the iROCKET courses?

We welcome you to provide us with information and learning materials we can provide to students. The centerpiece of iROCKET courses is a weekly calendar. When students click on a session title in the calendar they are presented with a Session Organizer Page. This page can provide them with all of the materials they need for that session. In addition, materials such as required/recommended Assignments, Cases, and Independent Learning Modules (ILMs) are ALSO linked from the corresponding tool on the iROCKET course homepage. Interesting Web sites are entered into the MissingLink database also accessible from the iROCKET course.

What materials can I provide for my Essential Core sessions

Essential Core iROCKET courses have both BASIC and ADVANCED online learning tools.

How do I develop an advanced iROCKET module?

The iROCKET team is able to do very basic formatting of materials and place them inside the iROCKET courses - this includes all of the BASIC tools described above. The team is also responsible for daily maintenance of the Essential Core iROCKET courses. The team is available to advise faculty on more advanced projects such as assignment development, case development, multi-media libraries, quizzes, self-tests and interactive learning modules. All iROCKET project proposals should be presented to the iROCKET team for assessment and a project plan can be developed. In some cases development assistance can be provided.

How can I communicate with my students through iROCKET?

The online threaded discussion tool described under the "Basic Tools" section above allows all teaching faculty, including all small group leaders to communicate with their group of students directly. Discussion groups have been created for the Essential Core Small Groups, FPC Groups, and PBL Groups. When students and leaders log into their Essential Core iROCKET course and click on "Announcements and Discussions" they will see only the groups they participate in and the general announcements.