Since I already use moodle for my in-person classes this module was fairly easy for me to complete, but I find setting things up in moodle can be kind of tedious. It's easy for my mind to drift and forget what I'm trying to do. I may be especially moodled-out since I spent a lot of time this week setting up moodle courses for my in-person spring classes.
I wonder if there are any centralized places faculty share innovative ways they are using these moodle tools to accomplish different things. And maybe short cuts to building courses faster. I feel like there's a lot of buttons to push to do anything in moodle, it's really frustrating.
One way I have found Moodle really useful in my in-person courses that I'll share here is using the "choice" feature. I set it up to help students sign up for presentation days. I like it because students have equal access to the sign-up and they were able to double-check what they had signed up for anytime. Before I used moodle for this, I used a paper sign-up sheet which meant I always had access to the sheet but students didn't. With the moodle choice, I can also set it up so they can switch if there is space available, so if students make a mistake and their desired date is still open, they can swap. A downside is by putting the sign-up online instead of during class time, some students just won't do it. I solve this by informing them of their speech date, and this hasn't been a problem for me so far, but in another situation it might.
I suspect some tedium is built-in to every learning management system... I remember that Desire2Learn (the system we used at my university) had an area that the learning technology folks called the "carpal tunnel page" because it was a page full of checkboxes for various permissions and other options that you had to set for each course. But that system also had the capability to clone a course so you could use the same set-up from one semester to another... I thought Moodle has that, too, though how much of the tedium that might resolve is unknown to me. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe Choice feature sounds interesting! I'm also interested in playing around with the Lesson option, since that seems like it might work for tutorial-type information.
Yes, I have experience with Blackboard and (now defunct) WebCT and they are, if anything, more carpal tunnel inducing than moodle. Maybe as I get better with Moodle and set up more complex classes I'll find ways to reduce my clicking in the future.
ReplyDeleteI have also used WebCT, Blackboard, and Angel. I found that they were very similar. You can clone a course in Moodle too. You just open your new course shell and then import into it whatever you want from an older course.
ReplyDeleteThere are Moodle forums in which people share ideas, but what I have found in most of these is that they are largely administrator driven, which seems to get very techie and not that helpful for average teachers.
I agree, I think it would be great if somewhere- instructors had those How To sheets for everything in Moodle! I bet that would safe a LOT of time clicking around in there!
ReplyDeleteHmm. I thought I just posted a comment but I must have done something wrong. Sorry if this comes out twice.
ReplyDeleteI also use the import feature within Moodle and find that is really helpful in setting up courses. Last semester I felt like I was setting things up within Moodle as I went, so I actually enjoyed the setting up process this semester because I felt really organized.
You peaked my interest with the choice feature. I have never used it, but I also have students sign up for things and see the value. I will need to try it this semester!
Maybe I will make a screencast about how I use "Choice" for others who need to do sign-ups. It is literally my only innovation in using technology for teaching, so I'm disproportionately proud of it.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a great idea, Bethany. Once people complete OL 101, I enroll them in OL 201, which is simply a Moodle site with lots of resources, including the material from OL 101. I would welcome contributions to this site.
ReplyDelete