When creating an online course, there are some key details to keep in mind in order to ensure success for both you as an educator and your students. These include clearly communicating your intentions with your students from the start, being prepared technologically, and preparing strategically for online teaching.
In order to get prepared technologically for online course delivery, familiarize yourself with the strategies and tools that can be used to create a successful online course. In addition to our guides on these resources, instructors can reach out to ATUS, CIIA, and OCE instructional designers and technologists for further help.
- Canvas Learning Management System:
- Be ready to use Canvas as your primary content delivery method.
- Canvas Help at WWU
- WWU Canvas Orientation for Faculty: This is a self-enroll Canvas course with all the information to help faculty be successful users of Canvas. See also: WWU Canvas Orientation for Students
- Videos: Canvas Playlist – collection of WWU videos to help you learn key aspects of Canvas.
- Be ready to use Canvas as your primary content delivery method.
- Online Technologies for Remote Teaching
- Explore the many tools and strategies available to you for web conferencing, audio or video recording, online collaboration, and more.
- File Sharing via Cloud vs. VPN
- We recommend that you share teaching-related materials via the cloud (Canvas, Panopto, OneDrive, G Suite, etc.). Some campus servers and resources require a VPN connection if you want to access them from off-campus. View a list of services that require VPN from off-campus Also, View our VPN Instructions. You do not need to use VPN to access Canvas, your Western email, OneDrive, or other Office 365 apps.
- OneDrive – As part of Office 365, OneDrive is easy to access and offers 1TB of storage space.
- Canvas – If you upload files to Canvas, you can control if and when students can see them. There is a 500 MB per file limit and 2000 MB per course limit. The course limit can be expanded by requesting it via CanvasHelp@wwu.edu; however, large video files are best hosted from Panopto.
- G Suite – If you opt for Google Drive, be sure to use your WWU Google account which gives you a large storage space and helps keep WWU files separate from personal files.
- Panopto – Panopto is the primary media management tool for video at WWU. Panopto is integrated directly in Canvas to provide video recording, editing, uploads, streaming playback, automated video captioning, and interactive quizzing in one searchable location.
- Mapping to network drives is the most common method requiring a VPN connection.
- We recommend that you share teaching-related materials via the cloud (Canvas, Panopto, OneDrive, G Suite, etc.). Some campus servers and resources require a VPN connection if you want to access them from off-campus. View a list of services that require VPN from off-campus Also, View our VPN Instructions. You do not need to use VPN to access Canvas, your Western email, OneDrive, or other Office 365 apps.
- Media Equipment:
- If you need a webcam, headset, laptop, or other equipment, check with ATUS Classroom Services/Equipment Loan for availability. Most laptops are already configured with devices for audio/video recording.
Instructors can create an online environment that supports their students’ unique circumstances and will lead to a successful quarter. Check out our guides on communicating with students and preparing for online learning strategically for more information.
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