Learning with CWS

We advance our mission by equipping people around the globe with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be effective leaders, practitioners, and educators in wildlife conservation.

Course Offerings

  • Online courses provide 24/7 access to instructional materials via Canvas, our learning management system. Each course is equivalent to 1 semester-credit (~16 hours of contact time). Costs vary, depending on the chosen format. Most courses can be taken for up to 3 credits, with instructor approval, by registering for an additional applied project.

  • In-person courses are usually short-duration workshops on location in a lab, in the field, or both. These courses vary considerably in duration, location, and direct (course fee) and indirect (e.g., accommodation) costs.

  • Hybrid courses combine in-person instruction with online access via Canvas and also vary considerably in duration, location, and costs.

ONLINE COURSE DATES

  • Each course is held during at least one of four 3-month terms each year.  For the next 4 terms, those dates are:

- Summer          June 2-August 25, 2025

- Fall                  September 2-November 23, 2025

- Winter             December 2, 2025-February 23, 2026

- Spring              March 2, 2026-May 24, 2026

ONLINE COURSE FORMATS

All courses provide a range of instructional materials, such as lecture videos (with transcripts), discussion threads, quizzes, or assignments. Courses may be offered with instructor support (IS) or without support (NS).

 

  • Courses offered with Instructor Support (IS) may also include email or phone access to the instructor, moderated discussions, live virtual Q&A sessions (on Zoom), and 1:1 consultations with the instructor.  The duration of IS varies by course.

WHAT IT’S WORTH

  • Most of our courses are pre-approved for continuing education units (CEUs) from either The Wildlife Society (TWS), the Ecological Society of America (ESA), or both.

  • Any passing (P or A-C) Certificate of Completion can be submitted to TWS or ESA for CEUs.

  • Those earning a C- or better in the Standard or Premium formats can apply their Certificate of Completion toward TWS certification.

  • Those earning a B- or better in the Standard or Premium formats can apply their Certificate of Completion toward ESA certification.

  • Those earning a B- or better in the Premium format may be able to apply their Certificate of Completion toward a CWS Certificate Program and/or submit it (along with the syllabus) to a college or university for academic credit (e.g., for “independent study”).

WHAT YOU GET

All participants who pass a course (≥70% of available points) will receive a Certificate of Completion. A letter grade will be shown on the certificates for STANDARD and PREMIUM courses.

REFUND POLICY

All courses are 100% refundable (minus a 3% credit card fee) when cancelled 30 or more days before the course start date.  Cancellations <30 days before the start date are subject to a 50% cancellation fee, and no refunds can be issued once a course begins.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Participants can easily upgrade the course format at any time by sending an email request to info@centerforwildlifestudies.org and paying the difference in registration fee. Please note that to earn academic credit, you must register for the Premium format in the first week of the term.

  • Late registration is possible for most courses.  Register usually closes 2 weeks before the end of each term but can close up to 4 weeks beforehand to accommodate logistics for materials or travel (so please check individual courses).  Because course access is generally restricted to the term (e.g., Jun-Aug), if you register after the course has begun you will have less time to complete the course.

  • Your school or work has a different account than ours. Please go to the CWS Canvas account directly from the invite link you will receive via email. You might need to log out of your school or work account before you create a new login and password with us. If you are still having problems, please reach out to us at info@centerforwildlifestudies.org.