University Technology

Webinars & Events

Click on one of the  Register Now! links anywhere on this page to register for these webinars and training. We look forward to seeing you!   


*New* End of Semester Checklist

Dates & Times: Self-Guided Training
Location: via Western Online

Description: The End of Semester Checklist self-guided training module provides online and hybrid course instructors a step-by-step reference of items that must be finalized as they near the end of the semester. The module covers topics such as releasing final student grades, requesting cross-listing, preparing for next semester’s courses, providing a link to the course evaluation, and many more! This guided training is equivalent to an OTL webinar in terms of attendance. Instructors who complete the training module will receive a certificate and a webinar credit for retention. Participants can complete this short module at the pace that's right for them.

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*New* Copyright and Teaching Online @ WIU

Dates & Times:  Self-Guided Training
Location:  via Western Online

Description:The Copyright and Teaching Online self-guided training will provide instructors with information on how to follow copyright law when using materials in an online course. Participants will test their knowledge of the material covered to complete the module. This guided training is equivalent to an OTL webinar in terms of attendance. Instructors who complete the Copyright and Teaching Online module will receive a certificate and a webinar credit for retention. Participants can complete this short module at the pace that's right for them.

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*New* Structure Content in Your Course with the Creator + Layouts Tool 

Dates & Times: 10/29 11 AM
Location: via Zoom
Facilitator: Joan Nkansaa Nkansah

Description: During this workshop, participants will learn about the Creator + Layouts tool. Brightspace Creator + tools are available to instructors to create highly desirable, engaging, and delightful learning experiences on Western Online. The Layouts tool enables creators to create panels that add structure and help organize course content. Layouts make configuring content easier, and faster, as creators can arrange text, media, and even Creator+ Elements into panels. Thus, Layouts can be used with any element that is part of Insert Element.

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Improve Presence and Student Engagement using the Western Online Video Note and Capture Tools

Instructor Presence and Student engagement are areas of concern for many faculty teaching online courses. The Video Notes tool is very easy to use and can help improve engagement for students and instructors. Video Notes can be recorded within the Western Online/Brightspace Editor in announcements, assignments, quizzes, discussions, and more. The Capture web tool lets you capture full presentations from your Chrome browser. Using Capture Web, you can create both screen and mixed camera presentations. Capture Web eliminates the need for an external recording application and the necessity to upload your file to YouTube and then embed it into Western Online. This tool will simplify the process by meeting your needs, including automatic captioning within Western Online.

Dates & Times: 10/31 11 AM
Location:
via Zoom
Facilitator:
Joan Nkansaa Nkansah

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Western Online "AhHa" Moments & Other Discoveries! Vol. 1

Join us as we explore a variety of the most common questions OTL staff get from instructors regarding their Western Online courses.  We will explore solutions to some of the most common challenges faced by instructors within D2L.  Questions range from “I accidentally created my quiz questions at the quiz level, now I want to create a randomized quiz?” to “ How can I see all of my student’s discussion posts and participation in one place ?” and everything in between!

Dates & Times: 11/4 9 AM
Location: via Zoom
Facilitator: Dawn Sweet

Register Now! 


*New* Structure Content in Your Course with the Creator + Layouts Tool 

Dates & Times: 11/4 10 AM
Location: via Zoom
Facilitator: Joan Nkansaa Nkansah

Description: During this workshop, participants will learn about the Creator + Layouts tool. Brightspace Creator + tools are available to instructors to create highly desirable, engaging, and delightful learning experiences on Western Online. The Layouts tool enables creators to create panels that add structure and help organize course content. Layouts make configuring content easier, and faster, as creators can arrange text, media, and even Creator+ Elements into panels. Thus, Layouts can be used with any element that is part of Insert Element.

Register Now! 


Western Online “AhHa” Moments & Other Discoveries! Vol. 2

Join us as we build our series with this sequel to Western Online “Ah-Ha” Moments & Other Discoveries Vol. 1! In this webinar, we will continue to explore various questions commonly asked by faculty regarding their Western Online course. We will explore solutions to some of the most common challenges faced by instructors such as, “Why are my students able to work beyond the end date of my exam?” to “Why aren’t my grades for group projects transferring to the grade book?” and everything in between!

Dates & Times: 11/6 2 PM
Location:
via Zoom
Facilitator:
Dawn Sweet

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*New* Western Online "AhHa" Moments & Other Discoveries! Vol. 3

We are back to provide a third installment on our series with Western Online “Ah-Ha” Moments & Other Discoveries Vol. 3! In this webinar, we will continue to explore various questions commonly asked by faculty regarding their Western Online course. We will explore solutions to some of the most common challenges faced by instructors such as, “How can I grab my students’ attention in online discussions? ” to “ My course includes graduate and undergraduate students. How do I keep my undergrad students from seeing graduate only assessments and grades ? ” and everything in between! 

Dates & Times: 11/7 9 AM
Location:
via Zoom
Facilitator:
Dawn Sweet

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Western Online Tools for Connecting with Your Students

This session will provide an overview of the tools used to connect with your students from within your Western Online Course. Tools explored will include Announcements, Email, Discussions, and Activity Feed. This session is best for faculty, graduate assistants, and TAs who are new to Western Online and are looking for a basic introduction to the tools listed. After registering, you will receive a Google Calendar link with joining information and materials.

Dates & Times: 11/7 12 PM
Location:
via Zoom
Facilitator:
Joan Nkansaa Nkansah

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Building Final Exams in Western Online

In this webinar, we will walk through the step-by-step process of building a midterm or final exam that combines a variety of questions from previously offered quizzes and exams. Copying an exam from one course to another, importing questions from existing quizzes or exams to the question library, adding specific questions from previous assessments, and adding random question pools will be demonstrated.

Dates & Times: 11/11 9 AM
Location:
via Zoom
Facilitator:
Dawn Sweet

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*New* Create Dynamic Content in Your Course with the Creator + Insert Element Tool 

Participants will learn about the Creator + Insert Element tool during this webinar. Brightspace Creator + tools are available to instructors to create highly desirable, engaging, and delightful learning experiences on Western Online. The Insert Element tool enables creators to easily and seamlessly create dynamic content and chunk concepts following instructional design best practices. Instructors can use Insert Element to build and insert stylized, interactive HTML elements without HTML coding.

Dates & Times: 11/12 12 PM
Location: via Zoom
Facilitator: Joan Nkansaa Nksansah

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Teaching Online at WIU

This webinar is for anyone new to teaching online at Western and anyone who would like a refresher. We will explain what is required of faculty to begin teaching online at WIU. Specific topics will include Best Practices in Teaching Online (BPTO), Online Course Approval Process and Checklist, Accessible Syllabus Template, and WIU's Online Course Template.

Dates & Times: 11/14 11 AM
Location: via Zoom
Facilitator: Joan Nkansaa Nksansah


Current Online Proctoring Options in Western Online

During this webinar, we will present you with current online proctoring options available at Western Illinois University. Lockdown Browser, Respondus Monitor and Respondus Instructor Live Proctoring options will be discussed. Participants will be shown where to find information and help resources about each tool as well as the processes and procedures they will need to follow to set up these systems. 

Dates & Times: 11/15 10 AM
Location:
via Zoom
Facilitator:
Dawn Sweet

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End of Semester Checklist

During this webinar, we will walk through a checklist for faculty who teach online or hybrid format courses using Western Online to follow as they prepare to end the semester. Highlights will include setting up final exams and remote proctoring, releasing final student grades, preparing for next semester’s courses, providing a link to the course evaluation, and much more!

Dates & Times: 11/18 9 AM, 11/19 2 PM
Location:
via Zoom
Facilitator:
Dawn Sweet

Register Now! 


*NEW* Create Interactive Learning Activities with the Creator + Insert Practices Tool to Deepen Students' Comprehension

During this webinar, participants will learn about the Creator + Insert Practices tool. Instructors can use Brightspace Creator + tools to create highly desirable, engaging, and delightful learning experiences on Western Online. The Insert Practices tool deepens comprehension and reinforces concepts using formative practice questions in Content HTML topics. Instructors can use the tool to create interactive learning activities that allow learners to test their comprehension and get immediate feedback on their understanding of a topic outside of a formal assessment.

Dates & Times: 11/19 10 AM
Location: via Zoom
Facilitator: Joan Nkansaa Nksansah

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Creating Assignments with the Western Online Assignment Tool

The Assignments tool is used to create assignments in which students can submit electronic files. Instructors can see users' submission times, download Assignments folders to your computer, view submissions with the document viewer, associate Assignment folders to rubrics, and return submissions with grades and feedback. After registering, you will receive a Google Calendar link with joining information and materials.

Dates & Times: 11/21 10 AM
Location: via Zoom
Facilitator: Joan Nkansaa Nksansah

Register Now! 

 


Registrants will receive a Google Calendar invitation containing the Zoom Meeting link.
Accept the workshop invitation if you plan to attend. 
Register at least 1 hour prior  to the workshop to ensure you receive the Zoom Meeting Link and session materials.
Please contact the webinar instructor or event sponsor in the workshop description with questions.

Registrants will be added to the OTL Webinar and Events Portal in Western Online
for tracking attendance and receipt of participation certificates. They will also receive an email providing an evaluation link,
and confirming their attendance and participation after the webinar or even has concluded.

Participants will be responsible for saving a copy of their emailed receipt of participation and certificates.