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!
Self-Guided Training
Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI) Training Levels 1 & 2
Dates & Times:
Self-Guided Training
Location: via Western Online
Description: This training will introduce you to the fundamentals of Regular Substantive Interaction (RSI), a foundation of effective and engaging onine teaching. Incorporating RSI into distance education courses (online and hybrid) is essential in meeting U.S. Department of Education 34-CFR 600 2 and HLC accreditation standards. However, understanding and implementing RSI is not just a copmliance issue. RSI serves a pivotal role in providing effective online education! RSI establishes and maintains teaching presence, giving students the sense that their instructor is actively engaged, continually facilitating learning tasks, and providing social interactions in their courses, which reduces feelings of separation between the student and instructor. Incorporation of RSI is also associated with higher student satisfaction with their learning and increased engagement in onlind courses. Note: You do not have to complete the "Self Assessment", but you will need to complete the Checkpoint Certification Assessment with 90% accuracy before moving to Level II training when it becomes available.
Maintaining Your
UCNI
Course Homepage
Dates & Times:
Self-Guided Training
Location: via Western Online
Description: In this training, you will learn how to quickly personalize your UCNI course homepage and core widgets through quick video tutorials. You will be shown how to update the Instructor Information and Quick Links widget, post announcements, and follow best practices to maintain a “clean,” welcoming home page that is easy to navigate.
Creating Your Accessible Course Syllabus
Dates & Times:
Self-Guided Training
Location: via Western Online
Description: In this guided training, you will learn how to use the accessible course syllabus template, which WIU requires to ensure consistency across all online courses. As an instructor, your syllabus is one of the first and most important documents students encounter in your course. A clear, consistent, and accessible syllabus sets the tone and helps students navigate the course with confidence. Even small details, such as ensuring dates, naming conventions, and policies are consistent across the syllabus, course schedule, and calendar, can make a big difference for student success.
Creating a Course Schedule with Rhythm
Dates & Times:
Self-Guided Training
Location: via Western Online
Description: Teaching online is not just about what we teach. It is also about when and how learning happens. This guided training will demonstrate how to establish a clear rhythm in your online course schedule that can transform the student experience from chaotic to calm, and from unpredictable to purposeful.
Modifying Instructional Modules
Dates & Times: Self-Guided Training
Location: via Western Online
Description: This training module guides instructors through organizing, creating, and managing instructional content within the UCNI course structure to ensure consistency, clarity, and alignment with course objectives. Instructors learn how to build and modify course modules, lessons, and folders while maintaining the standardized UCNI design that supports an intuitive learning experience for students. Specifically, you will learn about the following: Modify Overview Pages, The Study Module, The Apply Knowledge Module, and The Review Module.
Importing and Organizing Content in the UCNI
Dates & Times: Self-Guided Training
Location: via Western Online
Description: During this training, you will learn how to import and organize content from a previous course in a manner that will help you avoid accidentally changing the visual table of contents on the homepage.
Welcome to WIU's UCNI (Universal Course Navigation and Interface)
Dates & Times:
Self-Guided Training
Location: via Western Online
Description: This self-guided training is designed to equip participants with the essential knowledge and skills to effectively navigate and modify courses within WIU's Universal Navigation and Interface (UCNI) Shell. Participants will explore elements of the UCNI and learn how the shell provides a consistent, accessible, and user-friendly experience for both instructors and students. This guided training is equivalent to an OTL webinar in terms of attendance. Instructors who complete the Welcome to WIU's UCNI 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.
Navigating the UCNI
Dates & Times:
Self-Guided Training
Location: via Western Online
Description: This self-guided training will familiarize you with the homepage and navigation structure of all UCNI courses. During this training, you will familiarize yourself with the course navigation bar, homepage components, and the visual table of contents widget.
Modifying the Welcome Module (UCNI)
Dates & Times:
Self-Guided Training
Location: via Western Online
Description: Kickstart your course with a great first impression! This training provides a step-by-step guide on how to effectively modify your Welcome Module in Western Online. Learn how to customize key pages like the Course Welcome and Instructor Information to create a welcoming, organized, and professional starting point for your students. You’ll cover what to personalize, what to leave untouched, and key tips like using unformatted text to maintain page design. By the end of this presentation, you'll be equipped to create a powerful and engaging introduction that sets your students up for success.
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.
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.
Online Course Accessibility @ WIU
Dates & Times:
Self-Guided Training
Location:
via Western Online
Description: This Western Online course provides a variety of accessibility resources to help participants understand the relevance of accessible courses and the specific accessibility standards. Explore modules, including (1) ADA Title II New Rule, (2) Accessibility Fundamentals, (3) Introduction to Accessibility, (4) Web Accessibility Principles and Guidelines, (5) Create Accessible Content, (6) Accessibility Evaluation and Testing, and (7) Create Accessible AI Experiences. Each module is a self-guided training that participants can complete at the pace that's right for them and receive a certificate .
Webinars
Creating Quizzes and Exams in Western Online
Dates & Times: September 15, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM; September 22, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM; September 29, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Facilitator: Joan Nkansaa Nkansah
Description: During this webinar, participants will learn how to use the question library and create a quiz or exam. We will also cover connecting quizzes to the gradebook, setting release conditions, providing special access, releasing exam scores, and more. After registering, you will receive a Google Calendar link with joining information and materials. You must register at least 1 hour before the workshop to ensure that you receive the link.
Setting Up Grades with the Western Online Grades Tool
Dates & Times: September 15, 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM; September 22, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM; September 29, 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Facilitator: Dawn Sweet
Description: This webinar will focus on mastering the built-in gradebook in Western Online. Faculty will learn how to create and edit grade items, reorder items, enter grades, create categories, and change gradebook settings, including the grading system to be used, the grade scheme to be used, and more. After registering, you will receive a Google Calendar link with joining information and materials. You must register at least 1 hour before the workshop to ensure that you receive the link.
Improve Presence and Student Engagement using the Western Online Video Note and Web Capture Tools
Dates & Times: September 17, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM; September 24, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM; October 1, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Facilitator: Joan Nkansaa Nkansah
Description: 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. After registering, you will receive a Google Calendar link with joining information and materials. You must register at least 1 hour before the workshop to ensure that you receive the link.
Using the Groups Tool in Western Online
Dates & Times: September 17, 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM; September 24, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM; October 1, 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Facilitator: Dawn Sweet
Description: During this workshop, we will discuss how you can use the Groups feature in Western Online to enhance engagement and collaboration amongst your students. We will discuss best practices for use and lead you through a step-by-step process for setting up groups in your course. After registering, you will receive a Google Calendar link with joining information and materials. You must register at least 1 hour before the workshop to ensure that you receive the link.
- 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.
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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.
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