Social Work Distance Education

The Office of e-Social Work Education & Practice collaborates with subject matter experts (SMEs) to develop high-quality online courses that adhere to Quality Matters criteria and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for excellent, equitable course design. Our course development processes are based on a collaborative workflow that recognizes the value that SMEs and the design team contribute within their respective fields of expertise and an understanding that neither participant can work in isolation. As part of this collaborative process, the design team oversees developmental goals and deadlines to ensure timely completion of the end deliverable.

The result of integrating this expertise ensures IUSSW meets the following standards and principles across our online curriculum:

• Fulfilling the Quality Matters rubric for best design standards to ensure content alignment, organization, and sequencing
• Following an on-brand, modular template for consistent, user-friendly content delivery
• Establishing transparent learner and instructor expectations to clearly communicate desired outcomes
• Delivering equitable and accessible learning materials to accommodate diverse learners
• Enhancing student engagement, interaction, and learning to improve overall educational satisfaction
• Refer to our Online Course Development Guidelines & Responsibilities for more information about our collaborative workflow processes.

If you have questions about Canvas, your Canvas course site, or the technology platforms supported in Canvas, please contact us at eswhelp@iu.edu.  

Note: Please do not provide our Office email directly to your students for troubleshooting purposes. We cannot troubleshoot individual student Canvas accounts or software issues. Students should be referred to their campus UITS to address these instances. Should a student contact you with a specific Canvas- or technology-related issue/question (e.g., a broken link or a video that won’t play), please forward the information to us. Upon troubleshooting the issue, we will follow up directly with you so you can share the information with your students. 

For other technical questions, contact your campus IT Support center at ithelp@iu.edu or your campus Center for Teaching and Learning. 

The IU Knowledge Base is an additional resource where you many find answers to your technical questions.

IU Knowledge Base

Before the start of each semester, we offer a “lunch and learn” Q&A session to facilitate introductions among instructors who are new to online teaching at IUSSW and to answer any questions about Canvas or their individual course site(s). In addition, we recommend that all online instructors review the following resources to enhance their online teaching experience:

• IUSSW Online Teaching Overview
• Teaching for Student Success: An Evidence-Based Approach
• IU eTexts: A Faculty and Staff Introduction (for those whose course(s) use IU eTexts)

Please contact eswhelp@iu.edu with any questions about Canvas, your Canvas course sites, or the technology platforms supported in Canvas.