Worksite Setup

Worksite Setup allows you to access your sites, manage any sites that you maintain, and create new sites. If you have a role that allows it, you can use this tool to make changes to information about a site, to the tools available in the site, and to the access permissions of the site.

Create a Site

  1. Select Worksite Setup from the Tool Menu in the left sidebar of your OWL Homepage.

    Screenshot of the Tools List in OWL with Worksite Setup highlighted on the left hand side of the page.
  2. Click Create New Site tab on the top of the page.

    Screenshot of the Worksite Setup page in OWL with the New link highlighted at the top of the page.
  3. Choose to either create a course site or project site.

    1. Course Site: used for official Western courses. Only official instructors and site maintainers can create course sites.
    2. Project Site: used for online collaborative workspaces. All Western students, staff, and faculty can create project sites.

    After selecting a site type, click the Continue button.

    Screenshot of the Create Site page on OWL with the types of site options highlighted.
  4. Select an Academic Term (Course Site only) and click the Continue button.

    When creating a course site for an official Western course, select the appropriate Academic Term containing the course.

    Instructors must be officially enrolled in a course roster in the Office of the Registrar in order to select an academic term and create the course in OWL. Please consult with your department if the academic term that you are looking for is not listed.

    Screenshot of the Create Site page in OWL where Course Site is selected and the Academic Term dropdown menu is highlighted.
  5. Select the course section (Course Site only).

    Select the checkbox beside the course section you want to create.

    Please consult with your department if the course section that you are looking for is not listed. You may not be listed as the approved instructor of the section for the current term yet.

    Note: OWL will automatically detect if a site already exists; if this is the case, it will alert you with a message. If you would still like to proceed with a new site, click the 'Select Anyway' link.

    Multiple Sections & Cross-listed Sites

    Selecting multiple course sections will combine multiple rosters into one site. Combining multiple sections or course rosters can be helpful if you are teaching a course with multiple labs, tutorials, or a cross-listed course and intend to teach them from the same shared course site.

    Screenshot of the Course/Section Information page in OWL where a list of possible sites to be created are displayed. A check box beside one of the listed course/section is highlighted.
  6. Click the Continue button.

    Screenshot of Course/Section Information in OWL where the continue button is highlighted at the bottom of the page.
  7. Enter site information and click Continue.

    1. Site Language: set the language for your site. By default, this is set to the user's language preferences.
    2. Description: provide a course description for your site. This will be displayed on the site's Overview page.
    3. Site Contact Name: by default, your name will appear as the contact for the site. This is a required field.
    4. Site Contact Email: by default, your email address will appear here as the contact email address for the site.
    Screenshot of the Site Information page in OWL where each section is labeled; Site Language marked with a letter 'A'. Description is marked with a letter 'B'. Site Contact Name is marked with a letter 'C'. Site Contact Email is marked with a letter 'D'.  The continue button at the bottom of the page is highlighted.
  8. Select tools to include in your site.

    Some tools will prompt you for additional information or further customization on the next page.

    Note: You can adjust the Tools List for your site later through Site Info.

    For more information about the available tools, please see OWL Tools.

    Screenshot of the Site Tools in OWL where the general tool list is highlighted.
  9. Click the Continue button.

    Screenshot of Course/Section Information in OWL where the continue button is highlighted at the bottom of the page.
  10. Set site access and click Continue.

    1. Published Status: controls access to the site for all site participants.
    2. Public Listing: determines if the site can be searched for in Site Browser. By default, all course sites appear in the Site Browser.
    3. Membership Control: determines if the site is joinable so other OWL users (who are not already in the official course roster and participants list) can join the site.
    Screenshot of Site Access page on OWL.
  11. Review and confirm site setup.

    If you need to make revisions to your site setup, click the Back button to visit the previous pages.

    Click the Create Site button to finish creating your site.

    Screenshot of Site Setup page on OWL, with the create site button highlighted at the bottom of the page

Edit a Site

Many of the functions of the Worksite Setup tool mirror those of the Site Info tool; Worksite Setup is available through Home, whereas Site Info is available in each site.

  1. To edit a site:

    1. Select the checkbox beside the site you want to edit.
    2. Click the Edit Selected button.

    Note: You may only select one site at a time to edit.

    Screenshot of the Worksite Setup page with one of the checkboxes selected beside a site.
  2. Adjust the site settings and information.

    This page has the same function and options as a site's Site Info tool. For more information about the different options, please see Site Info.

    Screenshot of the edit site page, which is similar to the site info tool.

Delete a Site

A project site in OWL can be deleted by the site's maintainer. Course sites in OWL can only be deleted by system administrators. Please contact us to request a course site be deleted.

Note: deleting a site removes the content and activity from OWL for all participants of the site. Please check with any other maintainers in the site before removing it.

  1. Go to Worksite Setup in your Home site

    Screenshot of the Worksite Setup in OWL listing your sites.
  2. Select the project site that you wish to delete

    Screenshot of the Worksite Setup in OWL with the first site in the list selected
  3. Click the Delete Selected button

    Screenshot of the Worksite Setup in OWL with the Delete Selected button highlighted
  4. Confirm the site that you are deleting by clicking the Mark for deletion button

    Screenshot of the confirmation page listing which sites will be deleted

The site will be removed for you and any other participants of the site.

Restore a Site

If you delete a site and later decide you want it back, you have 30 days to restore the site.

  1. From Worksite Setup in your Home site, select Softly Deleted Sites from the View menu

    Screenshot of the Worksite Setup in OWL with the View filter set to Softly Deleted Sites
  2. Click the Apply View and Term button to see a list of the sites you've deleted in the last 30 days

  3. Select the project site that you wish to restore

    Screenshot of the Worksite Setup in OWL with the first site in the list selected
  4. Click the Restore Selected button to restore the site

    Screenshot of the Worksite Setup in OWL with the Restore Selected button highlighted
  5. Change the View menu back to the All My Sites option to see your sites