Regular and Substantive Interaction is a United States Department of Education regulation that outlines the requirements for instructor interaction in online courses. These requirements help distinguish online courses from correspondence courses. Learn more about RSI...
WesternOnline Presents Build Bits!
We know it’s difficult to balance daily work activities with finding the time to squeeze in professional development around online teaching and learning. That’s why WesternOnline is announcing Build Bits! Build Bits are 30-minute bite-sized trainings that combine...
Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)
The Institute for Global Engagement launched the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) initiative for the 2023-2024 academic year with information sessions and a program to award grants to its first cohort of Western faculty fellows. What is COIL? COIL,...
12 Tips for Online Teaching Derived from Contemporary Educational Psychology Research
Explore this fascinating research that connects teaching best practices to how instructors can best deliver content, whether that be synchronously or asynchronously--and whether in the classroom or online. 12 Tips for Online Teaching Derived from Contemporary...
Top Tips for Online Student Engagement
by Meg Weber, Director of Community Engagement and Executive Education, Head Instructor, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, WWU As faculty members, so often we can feel like our connection with students is less than it was in the past. We recall bustling days of...
Using Microsoft Teams in your Online or Hybrid Course
Explore the ATUS page, Using Microsoft Teams in your Online or Hybrid Course, to learn how to use Microsoft Teams educators to schedule and conduct online class discussions and course lectures, conduct online office hours, securely record student presentations, and...
WesternOnline: Mixed Modality: Face-to-Face and Online Synchronous Students
WesternOnline is a resource created by WWU's Outreach and Continuing Education to help build online courses effectively. Planning for a course that has students attending both face-to-face and via synchronous video conferencing should be planned with your synchronous,...
Learning: STC Online Workshops
Members of the Western community may select “Join this Course” to join this self-enroll Canvas course by the WWU Student Technology Center, focused on teaching faculty, students, and staff about tech literacies, application support, and technology skills. STC Online...
WesternOnline: Online Best Practices
WesternOnline is a resource created by WWU's Outreach and Continuing Education to help build online courses effectively. Learn more about online basics, student engagement, accessibility, and equity... Explore: Online Best Practices WesternOnline Resources for Online...
WesternOnline: Teaching and Learning Hub
WesternOnline is a resource created by WWU's Outreach and Continuing Education to help build online courses effectively. In order to learn more about how to create high quality and engaging online courses, visit: Explore: Western Online Teaching and Learning Hub...
Online Office Hours in Canvas, Zoom, & Calendly
View the following videos to learn how to set up online office hours via Canvas, Zoom, and Calendly. First, learn how to create and share online office hours for your classes using the Calendar feature in Canvas. See also: How to Setup Online Office Hours (ATUS...
WesternOnline: Classroom Management in Video Facilitated, Synchronous Courses
Organize your presentation file(s), websites, or other digital resources that you plan to share via the share screen feature or as links in the chat. Explore:...
WesternOnline: Teaching Synchronously with Video Conferencing
WesternOnline is a resource created by WWU’s Outreach and Continuing Education to help build online courses effectively. Learn more about strategies and methods for teaching synchronous classes. Explore:...
Pronoun Customization in Online Learning
Anyone can share their pronouns with online learning platforms such as Canvas and Zoom. This can help prevent instructors and other students from unintentionally misgendering one another, helping to create a more inclusive and welcoming online community. Explore...
Strategies for Online Synchronous Teaching
Flexible Modality Toolkit
WesternOnline: Student Engagement
WesternOnline is a resource created by WWU's Outreach and Continuing Education to help build online courses effectively. Learn more about strategies and methods that can help you increase student engagement in online courses--and with any course modality using online...
Best Practices for Creating Online Quizzes and Exams
Explore Best Practices for Creating Online Quizzes and Exams for ideas for designing online quizzes and exams using the tools available at Western. This guide includes the following topics: How to Design a Quiz or Survey Accessibility & Moderating Quizzes...
WesternOnline: Using Canvas Course Templates
Have you ever wished you had the basic framework all set up for a Canvas course so you could just fill in your course content? Created by WesternOnline designers in Outreach and Community Education, these templates were created in an effort to provide an organized and...
Preparing for a Successful Online Course: Preparing Strategically
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,...
Preparing for a Successful Online Course: Preparing Technologically
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,...
Preparing for a Successful Online Course: Communicating with Students
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,...
Equity in an Online Classroom
Contributed to the TLCo-op by Emily Gaston, Graduate Research Assistant of the Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment, 2021. COVID-19 drastically altered how society functions, and the education sphere is no exception. Educators have been forced to rewrite...
Utilizing Breakout Rooms and Online Tools for Student Engagement
Reconstructing a successful class that was meant to be in-person to fit the new online format can be challenging and intimidating. Someone who has tackled this task and found great success, according to his students, is Dr. Charles Patterson, Professor of Spanish at...
Building Trust in an Online Environment
Contributed to the TLCo-op by Alina Holmes, Graduate Research Assistant of the Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment, 2020. One of the many reasons that people decide to go into teaching is because they like working with learners who are often young...
Online Discussion Strategies
Contributed to the TLCo-op by Alina Holmes, Graduate Research Assistant of the Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment, 2020. Discussion looks very different online than it may look in your traditional classroom setting. However, that doesn't mean that the...
Adhering to both ADA and FERPA in Online Environments While Recording Classes
You might have a lot of questions about ADA and FERPA while teaching online as it looks different than in the traditional classroom. This Class Recordings Decision Tree for ADA and FERPA (pdf), also available as a text version, created by Western's Registrar's Office...
Netiquette and Best Practices for Online Learning
Incorporating the suggested etiquette for online learning can help everyone be more successful in online courses, in Zoom or Teams video conferencing, or with online collaborative work. DOs & DON’Ts for Online Learning - Suggestions for online learners, compiled...