‘Effective Moodling’ – how to get it right for as many as possible of

our students

A ‘Best Practice’ Approach

Our main student categories

• Foundation/1st year student• Second year students • Final year and PGT students• Students on work placements • Work-based learners

Off-campus

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Original Terms New Terms

• Evaluation

• Synthesis

• Analysis

• Application

• Comprehension

• Knowledge

•Creating

•Evaluating

•Analysing

•Applying

•Understanding

•Remembering

(Based on Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 8)

Foundation/1st year

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Original Terms New Terms

• Evaluation

• Synthesis

• Analysis

• Application

• Comprehension

• Knowledge

•Creating

•Evaluating

•Analysing

•Applying

•Understanding

•Remembering

(Based on Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 8)

2nd year-students

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Original Terms New Terms

• Evaluation

• Synthesis

• Analysis

• Application

• Comprehension

• Knowledge

•Creating

•Evaluating

•Analysing

•Applying

•Understanding

•Remembering

(Based on Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 8)

Final year and PGT students

Different tools for different course levels and types of

learners

Note: Learning is contextual!

What does it take for students to learn effectively online?

• Effective tutor guidance and support• Interesting/engaging things ‘to do’ online• Be ‘listened to’ and communicated with• A touch of social networking/community

The important role of The important role of ‘scaffolding’!‘scaffolding’!

‘Higher level’ online learning• for final year students• PGT and WBL students

How to build an effective scaffoldto support ‘life-long learning’

Photo courtesy of Kevin Dooley

13 magic steps

Step 1: Getting students onto the system

- Access and logins to portal, email, Moodle, intranet, e-vision- Support for different computers, bandwidth, browser software, browser settings, AV-software- What to do when things go wrong ....Provide a comprehensive handbook (both in print and online)Screencasts on Moodle of key tasksIf all fails ship a CD/DVD

Step 2: Provide an ‘ice breaker’

- What’s our tutor like?- Who are my fellow students? - Creating a ‘community’ spirit

- Using Moodle Quiz tool (see BI005 Quiz)

Step 3: Personalise ‘online identities’

- Ask everybody to create personal ‘avatars’ in Profile page- Use audio-files for feedback and short podcast announcements- Use the Moodle video-blogging tool for occasional some messages

Edit Moodle Profile pagePodcast toolVblogging tool

Step 4: Formation of a (learning) community

- Recommend the use of the Moodle Messaging tool- Set up informal/café-type Moodle Forum (without tutor intervention)

- Moodle Messages- Moodle Forum

Step 5: Providing structure and organisation

- add the Moodle Calendar and Upcoming Events blocks- use regular entries for activities and milestones

Use Moodle CalendarSet up Upcoming events blockProvide an online Index using the Moodle HTML block

Step 6: Providing a ‘starting point’

- Establishing pre-existing knowledge- Bringing students ‘up to speed’ by providing ‘Diagnostic’ tests

- Moodle Quiz tool – CH010

Step 7: Providing a diversity of resources

- Provide PP-presentations with narration/voiceover- For key texts (articles in pdf) – link to publisher where possible (use ScienceDirect etc)- Deploy media (images, videos, animations) where possible

-Use Articulate Presenter, Camtasia Studio, MS PhotoStory or Xerte- Use Youtube Edu or iTunesU

Step 8: ‘Listen’ to your students’s views

- via the Moodle Feedback or Choice activities- use regular but not too frequently- implement changes as appropriate

Moodle Feedback toolMoodle Choice toolSee semi-regular repeats in BC006

Step 9: ‘Feedforward’ on writing skills

- use the Moodle Assignment upload tool of sample essays- Use the Outcomes tool in the Moodle Gradebook to fine-tune grading- Return comments/grades within a short time frame- For formative use only

- Moodle Assignment drop-in boxes- Moodle Outcomes & Gradebook, see BMM Department

Step 10: Fostering independent learning

- creating RSS feeds of relevant subject-specific journals- set tasks based on finding useful articles in those journals and post summaries, issues and comments

- Moodle RSS Feeds; see module e-pedagogy

Step 11: Encourage and foster peer learning

- via the Moodle Forum - define a specific and closed task (based on RSS feeds perhaps) - make the first posting yourself- embed task in your assessment (some reward)- create groups in Moodle?

- Moodle Forum; see AI031 (in vle3)- Moodle Group feature

Step 11: Providing a challenging learning tasks

- creating opportunities for reflection (blogging)- creating/recording artefacts- invite contributions to Glossary- opportunities for peer learning

Explore Mahara e-portfolio or perhaps Wordpress

Step. 13: Monitor student engagement

- Who’s online and who’s not- What are they doing online, how long do they study?- Which are the most popular links, i.e. what works?

Use the Moodle Reports tool

Conclusion

- Plan ahead - Build elements around scaffolds- Do communicate, tutor and ‘coach’- Monitor ‘learning’ - Refine elements over time- Ask for help and learn from others- Try to ...