University News

WIU to Offer Further Support For Western Online

August 1, 2023

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MACOMB/MOLINE, IL - - To better support Western Illinois University students, faculty and staff, the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Research (CITR) and the Office of Distance Education and Support (ODES) will partner together with Desire2Learn (D2L) End User Support services, marking the first support in WIU history for Western Online 24/7, 365 days of the year, effective July 30.

Support can be accessed through the Get Help link icon at the bottom right-hand corner of each page in Western Online through the Virtual Assistant Participants. Users can receive support without leaving the page just by typing in a question.


  • Ask a question and the Virtual Assistant will immediately provide links to relevant help and support documentation from the Brightspace Community.

  • Call support and speak to a live technician.

  • Chat with a live support agent.

  • Email support.


All users will have access to the Virtual Assistant as the first point of contact for how-to and technical questions regarding Western Online. If the Virtual Assistant cannot provide an answer, users will be directed to the appropriate office at WIU.

If users are unable to access or log into Western Online, they should contact University Technology Support at support@wiu.edu. For assistance with instructional design, course development, course approval, one-on-one instructional training, workshops and other requests, contact CITR at citr@wiu.edu or (309) 298-2434.

To provide technical support for the Fall 2023 semester and syllabi, faculty can include the following statement: "Technical support for Western Online is accessible through the Western Online Brightspace Virtual Assistant by clicking on the "Get Help!" link/icon at the bottom right corner of every page in Western Online. For any other technical support, contact University Technology (uTech) Support Center at support@wiu.edu or wiu.edu/university_technology.

Faculty or students seeking additional documentation for course syllabi can visit the WesternOnline (Brightspace) Virtual Assistant tip sheet at bit.ly/3YgJf6s.

Additional information will be provided via email or WIU announcements.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing