Welcome to Distance Studies

Distance studies occurs when learners are separated from the instructor and classmates, whether across the hall or across the province. Unlike the courses of the past that depended entirely on written communication through the mail, today's distance courses may include multimedia materials and often take advantage of the Web-based communication technologies. Western's distance studies modes will let you pursue university studies if you cannot attend regular classes.

Please choose an option from the menu to the right to continue.

New Courses for Distance Studies 2009/2010:

French 1101-9005
Physics for the Life Sciences

WINTER 2010

Welcome to Distance Studies online courses! All online courses offered via Distance Studies for Winter 2010 will use WebCT OWL. Much like an on-campus course, you must prepare yourself for the upcoming term. Instead of buying supplies and finding class locations, you will need to prepare your computer so it will be reliable and allow you to complete your course.

You will not have access to your course in WebCT OWL until Monday January 4, 2010

Second term half courses access available Monday January 4, 2010

To order your textbooks, visit the bookstore’s website: http://bookstore.uwo.ca

Computer Requirements

WebCT OWL is a complex web application that provides a wide range of tools. In order to provide such tools, your web browser must be configured properly. Your computer must have:

1. Java installed
2. A supported web browser
3. Pop-up blocker disabled (or allow popups from webct owl)
4. Cookies enabled

For more information on configuring your computer and web browser, please see the Check My Browser link at http://webct.uwo.ca to test whether your computer meets the necessary requirements. Please ensure that your computer passes all of the tests; otherwise, you may have difficulties accessing your course.

Information about common problems and solutions can be found at http://webct.uwo.ca/commonProblems.html.

Internet Connection

You will require an Internet connection and are responsible for the cost of arranging the connection just as you would be responsible for the cost of transportation to an on-campus class. Both dial-up and high-speed Internet connections are supported by WebCT OWL.

Note: The increasing sophistication of web-based resources means that it may take more time to access WebCT OWL over a dial-up connection. Please take this into consideration when choosing your Internet connection.

Where is my Course?

To access WebCT OWL, please visit http://webct.uwo.ca and click The University of Western Ontario button.

You will be asked for your UWO username and password. Example: If your UWO email address is jdoe@uwo.ca, your username is jdoe. When entering your username, do not include @uwo.ca. Your password is the same password you use to access your UWO email account. Remember: Your password is private and you must NEVER give it to anyone. That means your mother, father or best friend will not be given this most important piece of information. When typing in your password remember that it is case sensitive! For more information about computer wellness and security, please see http://wellness.uwo.ca/.

After logging in, you will see your My OWL page. Your Course List will contain the courses in which you are registered. Click on the link to access the course.

How Do I use WebCT OWL?

After you login, you will see the Course List with all of your courses. In this list you will also find a link to OWL – Student Support. The Student Support course provides an orientation to the WebCT OWL tools and animated tutorials of common tasks. Please review these materials as they contain important information about how to submit assignments and quizzes.

Whenever you are using WebCT OWL, there will always be a help link in the top-right corner of your screen. You can click on the help link to get information specific to where you are within WebCT OWL. For example, if you are using the assignment tool, clicking on the help link will provide information about submitting and publishing assignments.

Tips For A Successful Online Term

Use Anti-virus Software - Anti-virus software packages are available from a variety of vendors and they are worth the investment. PC-cillin 2008 (Windows) and SOPHOS (Mac)  are now available to Western students, staff and faculty at the Campus Computer Store for $15.

Spyware Removal Tools - Be aware that Peer-to-Peer (P2P) software may introduce spyware to your computer. If you have spyware installed on your computer, you may have difficulties accessing WebCT OWL. Spyware removal tools are available from a variety of vendors. It is recommended that you download and install Lavasoft Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/) or Spybot Search and Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/) to remove spyware.

Update Your Software - Windows users should run the updates from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ to fix critical security issues. Mac users should run the "Software Update" on a regular basis.

Back-Up Once A Week - Consider purchasing a zip drive, CD burner, or USB key to back-up your files once a week. If you back-up regularly, you'll only lose a few days work if your computer crashes.

Email - Remember to check your UWO email on a regular basis for important notices. If you forward your UWO email to another email address, be aware that if your alternate inbox is full - you will not receive your UWO email. UWO email accounts can be checked easily at http://mail.uwo.ca.

Getting Help

If you encounter difficulties accessing your course or using the tools inside WebCT OWL, please contact the ITS Customer Support Centre. For hours and contact information please visit http://www.uwo.ca/its/helpdesk/