Catalyst Web Tools

The Catalyst Web Tools are a set of Web-based communication and collaboration applications designed for use in teaching, learning, research, and everyday work. Use of the Catalyst Web Tools is free to anyone in the UW community. To access the Catalyst Web Tools, click Web Tools Login and log in with your UW NetID.

Learn more about the tools:

 Collect It

      File dropboxes

 CommonView

      Class or project workspaces

 File Manager

      Web-based file management

 GoPost

      Discussion boards

 GradeBook

      Track and publish grades

 Your Groups

      Participant groups

 QuickPoll

      One-question polls

 ShareSpaces

      Spaces for file sharing

 UMail

      Web-based email forms

 WebQ

      Surveys and quizzes



How the Catalyst Tools Are Built

To develop flexible and usable software, the UW-IT team follows a user-centered design and development process. Understanding the needs and experience of our users is key to this process, and design decisions are guided by user feedback, usability studies, and user research. Learn more.

The Catalyst Web Tools are built using Solstice, a Web application development framework created by the UW-IT team. Solstice is available open source, as are many of the tools, such as WebQ, GoPost, CollectIt, QuickPoll, FileManager, and ShareSpaces. The Solstice framework allows the development team to quickly build and release software, new features, and new functionality. Learn more about the latest releases.

Web Tools for Teaching?

Help Center Teaching Guides have suggestions on how to best integrate the Web Tools into your class.

Profiles of Technology Use
Stories of innovation about educators who are using technology in creative, effective ways.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do the tools work?

You can create and use the Tools with only a Web browser. Most tools have two distinct interfaces: one for owners (faculty, staff, librarians, and teaching assistants) and one for participants (students, research subjects, etc).

What Web browser should I use?

View the recommended Web browsers for use with the Catalyst Web Tools.

How much space do I get?

You get as much space as you need.

How long will my stuff stay around?

Your data is only accessible as long as you have a UW Net ID.

Can students use the Web Tools?

Yes. Students are invited and encouraged to use the Web Tools.

Continuous Improvement

For new releases and regular maintenance, Web Tools are offline Wednesdays, 5-7am PT.
Learn more.

Client/User Engagement (CUE) Team

CUE was created in order to give users a voice in our development process. By joining CUE, you can help design tools that better meet your needs.