Setting up an online class in WISE for Institute might sound like a technical hurdle, but think of it more like preparing a welcoming virtual classroom for your students. It’s about ensuring everyone can connect and learn smoothly.
First things first, let's make sure our students are ready to dive in. The key here is their Church Account ID and an email address linked to their Membership Record Number (MRN). They'll need to have logged into account.ChurchofJesusChrist.org to confirm their MRN and current email are up-to-date. It’s also important they’ve visited myInstitute.ChurchofJesusChrist.org to enter or verify their email, text number, and country. This step is entirely for the students to handle themselves – no manual collection needed!
Once your students are prepped, it’s time to build that online classroom. You’ll be creating one central online class for everyone in your program. This way, each teacher can easily access and engage with their students from a single point.
Here’s how you’ll do it in WISE: Head over to the 'Classes' tab and click 'Add Class'. When you get to the class details, select 'Online / COVID' as the Class Type. Then, choose the specific course you’re setting up. If it’s a brand new course not yet in Canvas, you can opt for the custom course option, but remember, the teacher will then be responsible for adding the course content to Canvas. Fill in the rest of the details as you normally would, including selecting the teacher for the course. Even though some fields like section number, days, start time, and duration aren't actively used right now, it's good practice to fill them out for future use. Don't forget to give your class a 'Custom Title' that's super clear for both teachers and students – something like the course name itself is perfect. For registration, setting 'Unlimited' is usually the way to go. Then, enter your term dates, country, and language, and hit 'Save'. This action creates the class in WISE and sets up the course in Canvas.
Now, let's get your students into this new online space. You'll want to combine classes where possible. For the online class you just created, click 'Copy Class Link'. Select your current term, then the course you want to copy into this online class, and finally, click 'Copy'. If you see an error message, don't worry – it's usually just a notification that the process is already underway. You'll repeat this for all teachers' enrollments.
Occasionally, you might need to add individual students manually. If a student isn't showing up automatically in Canvas, go back to the 'Classes' tab, select your online class, and click 'Schedule'. You can then 'Sync' to place them in Canvas. If some students are still missing, perhaps they've recently joined or their initial setup wasn't quite complete, you'll need to add them manually. Again, go to the 'Classes' tab, select the online class, and click 'Schedule'. You can look them up by their Church Account ID or name and birth date. Once added, click 'Sync' and 'Save'. Non-member students can be added similarly after creating a Church Account, but their Church Account ID needs to be manually entered into their WISE student profile.
Finally, teachers will need access to Canvas. Usually, they're copied over automatically. But if a teacher needs access, you can go to the 'Online' tab, click 'Add Users', search for 'Program Employees', and add them from the list. This ensures they have the necessary permissions to work with their students in the online environment.
It’s all about making sure the technology serves the learning, creating a smooth and accessible experience for everyone involved.
