• OWL has been updated!

    New features. Updated look. Same OWL.

    Your list of starred sites might look a bit different. Don't worry! It's a new feature that automatically adds your new sites. You can still customize them from the Organize Favorites tab of the Sites drawer.

    The My Official Course Enrolments page listing courses and links to course sites

    Some of the new things you'll see in OWL include:

    • a Fullscreen button and a to-top button on most pages
    • a new Rubrics tool for providing feedback
    • new customizable templates available in the rich-text editor
    • a new 24-hour reminder option in Assignments
    • redesigned pages for Gradebook, Tests & Quizzes, and Groups
    • new Date Manager and Manage Overview pages for instructors and site maintainers
    • improved mobile experience

    For more information, check out the OWL Release Notes for details.

    The list of available languages in OWL has been simplified. If you've set a specific language in your OWL site or in your OWL Preferences, check out this article to learn more about the supported languages.

    Please clear your browser cache if you experience any unusual behaviour.

    If you have any questions or experience any issues, please contact the WTS Helpdesk.

    Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for Office 365

    By May 5, 2021, all undergraduate Western students will be required to use MFA to access Office 365 Applications, including email. Accessing Stream videos from within OWL will also require MFA when you sign in to view them. Watch your email for further information about MFA at Western.

    Don’t wait: to set up MFA and protect your Office 365 account, visit https://mfa.uwo.ca/ and navigate to “Setup MFA” in the left menu.

    Blackboard Collaborate is being discontinued at Western

    An open laptop with web conferencing on the screen

    On July 31, 2021, Blackboard Collaborate will be discontinued at Western. As of April 23, 2021, Collaborate is no longer available to be added to sites in OWL. Collaborate will continue to function normally until July 31, 2021 in sites that already have the tool in place.

    Zoom and Microsoft Teams Meetings are both available for web conferencing.

    Instructors who have previously used Collaborate should download any recordings that they wish to maintain, before July 31, 2021. For more information or to provide feedback, please check out this article.

    Looking for your course in OWL?

    Check your "Official Course Enrolments" page:

    1. Log into OWL
    2. Go to "Membership" on the left
    3. Go to "My Official Course Enrolments"

    Your official course enrolments will be listed (with links to the course site, if available).

    If you've changed courses or sections recently, you'll see the change in OWL within 24 hours.

    The My Official Course Enrolments page listing courses and links to course sites

    Introducing OWL Help

    OWL Help is the official site of documentation for OWL:

    A screenshot of the OWL Help site

    Customized for Western, OWL Help provides getting-started guides, step-by-step instructions about each of OWL's tools, and other OWL-specific information.

    OWL Help is available from three places on most pages in OWL:

    1. as the last item on the Tool Menu at the left
    2. as contextual help linked from the top right
    3. from the "Help & Support" page linked at the bottom 

    Instructors and Site Maintainers:

    Course sites can be set up for the Spring and Summer terms. Start by going to Worksite Setup and then "New". If you do not see a section that you are teaching, please confirm with your department that you are the "approved instructor for the correct term".