Center for Online Learning: Faculty Resources

New to our university and not sure how or where to get started? The information here should help in that regard.

Getting Started with MyOnline (WVSU Online/Moodle)
This resource will help you get logged in for the first time.

Moodle Basics
This self-enrollment orientation course aims to provide instructors with an understanding of the basic functionality of Moodle, our Learning Management System (LMS). 

To get started, simply click the Learner Orientation link above, sign in to MyOnline, then click the Enroll Me button. 

In preparation for each semester, staff in our department work with both full-time professors and adjunct instructors to provide assistance and support and to ensure that every course meets or exceeds the standards set forth by our university. While the timelines may vary to some degree, course development, evaluation, and revision generally follows a similar progression, beginning two to three months prior to the start of the semester. 

The documents and resources linked below are intended to assist you in these processes.


COL Department Assignments

This document identifies which COL staff member you will be working with during the course development process.
 

COL-Information-Presentation

This presentation provides information about the COL, terminology related to online courses, course development, and other responsibilities.
 

Course Design Guide: Checklist

This document serves as a reference to the quality standards, procedures, and expectations for online courses during the development and redevelopment stages.
 

As technology changes rapidly, knowing which software or hardware to use in a course can be overwhelming.  To aid faculty and to determine what works and what doesn’t, the Center systematically researches instructional technology trends, advances, best practices, and lessons learned as shared by the higher education community. The Center also reviews new software and hardware for their application in the online classroom.  This allows the Center to report to faculty on what works and to provide guidance in the areas of instructional design and online teaching.

The Center also offers training on course setup and use of WVSU Online both in large group and one-on-one sessions at the Faculty Training Lab in Wallace 222.  The Faculty Training Lab is also open for drop-ins at assigned times during the week.  Faculty can check the lab schedule and sign-up for training sessions. In addition, access to self-paced online training tutorials for certain supported software for faculty can be arranged as needed.

Additionally, the Center provides training on the effective design and delivery of online courses. Topics include dealing with the pedagogical considerations and management of online courses.  To that end, the COL provides a variety of training opportunities, including training workshops conducted by the Online Learning Consortium (a nationally recognized leader in online teaching and design practices); in-house training,  and mini-workshops developed by experienced online faculty.
 
The Center also offers instructional design services to faculty.  Working with faculty, the COL can assist with and provide ideas regarding instructional design, material development, assessment alignment, etc.  

The policies and procedures outlined in the Online and Distance Education Policy serve to ensure the quality of our online courses, which is a priority for our university, faculty, and our department. The policies outlined therein serve as the basis for course administration, development, evaluation, and maintenance.

Why can't I edit my class materials?
Per the online and distance education policy, editing access cannot be granted to adjunct instructors. If you are an adjunct and need to make revisions to your course, please reach out to the COL staff member assigned to your department for assistance. 

Why are suspended students still showing in my class Particpants list?
When students are dropped or withdraw from a course, they remain in suspended status in the course to maintain user data. This ensures that completed work and progress made in the course will be available in the case that the student is placed back into Active status.

Can suspended students still access my course?
No. When a student is in suspended status, they are unable to access the course or any of the course materials, unless they are reinstated in the class and placed back in Active status.

Can I hide suspended students from view in my list of participants?
Yes. Follow the steps below to hide suspended students from your list of participants.

1. Navigate to the Participants page.
2. Select Status from the second drop box in the Match field at the top of the page.
3. Select Active from the new drop box.
4. Click the Apply Filters button.

If your course is 100% online and will require students to complete proctored exams, there are three available options. 
 

1. On-campus proctoring
    
   • Proctoring by Professor: You may arrange a time, date, and location to proctor an exam yourself. If this option is selected, please be sure to specify this in the syllabus' course schedule. 
   • Proctoring by COL: You may arrange to have exams for 100% online classes proctored in the COL. If you opt for this proctoring method, complete and submit the WVSU Internal Proctoring Form for each exam that will require proctoring. Please ensure that all fields are completed in their entirety and that the forms are submitted by the end of the first week of class, as many students begin scheduling early and appointments are first come, first serve.
   • Proctoring by Counseling and Accessibility Services: Students with documented disabilities may also choose to schedule proctoring of their test by contacting sar@wvstateu.edu at Counseling and Accessiblity Services. These situations are handled on a case-by-case basis.
   • Proctoring by Military Student Services office: The Military Student Services office (militarystudentservices@wvstateu.edu) has personnel assigned who have agreed to proctor tests for military students and veterans. These arrangements are also handled on a case-by-case basis.                                                                         
2. Off-campus proctoring
   
   In some instances, a student may request an off-campus proctor from the list below. The request for an outside proctor must be submitted to the professor at least three weeks prior to the test, and outside proctors must be approved by the professor in advance. The Off-Campus Proctor Approval Form must be completed and the proctor must agree to administer the test following the professor’s instructions.
   
   Proctors may be selected from the following groups:

    

   1. A vocational rehabilitation counselor
       
   2. A faculty member or administrator at an accredited college or university
       
   3. A school superintendent, principal, or counselor
       
   4. A librarian at a public library
       
   5. A clergy member
       
   6. A commissioned or non-commissioned officer of higher rank than the student for military students
       
   7. A corporate education director
       
3. On-line proctoring
   
   WVSU has chosen ProctorU to provide online proctoring services for all online courses. With ProctorU, you may take your test at any time during the date range that the test is open from any computer.
   
   Test-takers are responsible for meeting the following technical requirements in order to use ProctorU:
    
   • A reliable computer running Windows XP (or higher) or Mac OS X 10 or higher
      
   • A web cam with 640x480 video pixel resolution or higher.
      
   • Headphones or working speakers connected to the computer.
      
   • A working microphone connected to the computer. We recommend a web cam that has a built in microphone.
      
   • A web browser with Adobe Flash Player installed.
      
   • A reliable, high-speed Internet connection.
      
   • The ability to allow video and screen-sharing connections to the computer used to take an exam.
      

ProctorU allows test-takers to take an exam on demand or by appointment. All appointments should be made at least three days in advance. To make an appointment, go to  the WVSU portal for ProctorU, log in (or click on the New User link if you do not have an account yet), click on the “schedule an exam” link, and select the exam, date, and time you desire. You will receive an email confirming your reservation at the email address you provided to ProctorU. All appointments should be made at least three days in advance in order to avoid premium scheduling charges. See the chart below for ProctorU pricing.

Proctor U Pricing

WVSU is not responsible for making any payments to ProctorU. Payment of all proctoring fees will be the obligation of the individual examinee. Any charges applicable to the examinee must be paid with a credit or debit card. The examinee will be required to enter payment information into a secure page connected to a third-party card processor. The page is encrypted and ProctorU does not see or store the credit card data. Examinees will have to re-enter payment information each time new charges are incurred.

Exam Length	Flex Scheduling	Take it Soon	Take it Now
30 Minutes or Less	$ 8.75	$ 13.75	$ 17.50
31 – 60 Minutes	$ 17.50	$ 22.50	$ 26.25
61 – 120 Minutes	$ 25.00	$ 30.00	$ 33.75
121 – 180 Minutes	$ 33.75	$ 38.75	$ 42.50
181 Minutes or More	$ 42.50	$ 47.50	$ 51.25

Optional Fees:

Flex Scheduling allows an examinee to make an appointment at least 72 hours before the desired start time. However, at an additional cost, an examinee may choose Take it Soon or Take it Now options (+$5.00 and +$8.75 respectively). Take it Soon allows a test to be scheduled within 72 hours of the chosen start time; Take it Now allows a test to be taken on-demand with no appointment needed. These options are for the convenience of the examinee and are not required.

For more information about ProctorU, visit the WVSU portal for ProctorU.