Does an Interactive WebCT Site Help Students Learn?

We examined whether students with access to a supplemental course Web site enhanced with e-mail, discussion boards, and chat room capability reacted to it more positively than students who used a Web site with the same content but no communication features. Students used the Web sites on a voluntary basis. At the end of the semester, students using the enhanced site earned more points in the class than students using the basic Web site. Additionally, students using the enhanced site reported using it more often and reported higher satisfaction with the Web site, course, and instructor. We discuss practical implications of these findings.