The Online Student Learning Orientation (OSLO)
Welcome to the College of Engineering Online Programs, and to the University of Wisconsin-Madison!
You have likely been directed to OSLO, our Online Student Learning Orientation micro-course, because you have been admitted to one our online graduate program or certificates that require this orientation.
OSLO is a self-paced, yet collaborative, orientation micro-course that will provide you with the opportunity to spend a few weeks before your first semester getting acclimated to the UW-Madison online learning and support systems. By completing OLSO students will have the opportunity to: connect with other new students; get quickly oriented to the tools and services at UW-Madison; learn how and where to get the help and support you need as an online student, define and implement best practices for online learning success; gain and refine your professional productivity strategies and tools; and learn strategies to focus their time and attention for greater success in work and as an online learner at UW-Madison.
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OSLO Overview (click to expand)
Below are some things you should keep in mind as you plan to complete the OSLO micro-course.
- OSLO is comprised of three learning modules, which you will need to complete before the start of your first semester.
- The course is asynchronous but time limited. Assignments from the first two modules are due at the end of the first week. Assignments from the last modules are due at the end of the second week.
- Plan to spend 3-4 hours per week to fully engage with course materials, activities and assignments.
- Students can self-enroll into the Canvas course site now, so they’ll be ready to go when the course actually begins and receive any special announcements from within the Canvas course site.
- Our dedicated team will facilitate the OSLO micro-course, so there will be plenty of opportunities for you to get your questions answered and get feedback on assignments.
- OSLO is facilitated through Canvas LMS, which is the Learning Management System at UW-Madison. This gives you the opportunity to experience many of the tools that you will be using for your online classes, before you start your online program.
Self-Enrollment Instructions & Logistics for Upcoming OSLO Orientation Micro-courses.
- Spring 2025 OSLO Micro-course Info
- Summer 2024 OSLO Micro-course Info
- Fall 2024 OSLO Micro-course Info
Spring 2025 OSLO dates are January 6th – January 22nd.
Students will need to complete the OSLO orientation in the weeks before the semester starts. Getting into the OSLO course site is a bit different that how you will normally enroll for your regular online courses. To access the OLSO Canvas course site, incoming students should follow the steps below to self-enroll in the OSLO Canvas course site as soon as the self enrollment link is posted. This will ensure that you are ready to participate on the start date, and will ensure that you do not miss any important initial orientation course announcements.
- To self-enroll, just click on this OSLO Canvas Course site self-enrollment link. You will first need to activate your UW NetID, which you should have worked through in the new student getting started checklist upon admission. This NetID allows you to access all of your UW-Madison systems.
If you have any questions, please contact Student Services team or the Learning Design and Technologies team.
Summer 2024 OSLO dates are May 28 – June 14, 2024.
Students will need to complete the OSLO orientation in the weeks before the semester starts. Getting into the OSLO course site is a bit different that how you will normally enroll for your regular online courses. To access the OLSO Canvas course site, incoming students should follow the steps below to self-enroll in the OSLO Canvas course site as soon as the self enrollment link is posted. This will ensure that you are ready to participate on the start date, and will ensure that you do not miss any important initial orientation course announcements.
- To self-enroll, just click this OSLO Canvas Course site self-enrollment link. You will first need to activate your UW NetID, which you should have worked through in the new student getting started checklist upon admission. This NetID allows you to access all of your UW-Madison systems.
If you have any questions, please contact Student Services team or the Online Support team.
Fall 2024 OSLO dates are August 12 – 28, 2024.
Students will need to complete the OSLO orientation in the weeks before the semester starts. Getting into the OSLO course site is a bit different that how you will normally enroll for your regular online courses. To access the OLSO Canvas course site, incoming students should follow the steps below to self-enroll in the OSLO Canvas course site as soon as the self enrollment link is posted. This will ensure that you are ready to participate on the start date, and will ensure that you do not miss any important initial orientation course announcements.
- To self-enroll into the OSLO Canvas course site, you will first need to activate your UW NetID, which you should have worked through in the new student getting started checklist upon admission. As long as you have your UW NetID you can proceed to the next step to self-enroll by clicking on this OSLO Canvas Course site self-enrollment link.
If you have any questions, please contact Student Services team or the Learning Design and Technologies team.