Post on 12-Aug-2015
transcript
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing:
Supporting staff through the transition
to Moodle when they’ve already been
teaching online for years
Louise Drumm @louisedrumm &
Anne Jamie, a.jamie@napier.ac.uk
Learning Technologists
Faculty of Health, Life and Social Sciences
VLE History / Faculty Modules
Most of our modules incorporate elements of online learning
Many modules are heavily blended
A number of fully online modules and growing
WebCT Vista adopted in 2005 with additional tools such asTurnitin, Blackboard Collaborate, Respondus, WebCT portfolio
Moodle 2.2 replaced WebCT in Trimester 3 2012
The task facing us in January 2012 ...
300-400 modules running each trimester
Most have existing content migrated from WebCT
On-going in-house development of Moodle
Encouraging continued good practice in technology enhanced learning
The WebCT Legacy ...
Lots and lots of content ... all displayed on the module home page
The ‘learning module’ tool
Staff well trained but in the wrong VLE
Examples
Where’s the student view tab?
How can I lock a discussion?
The Plan ...
Rolling programme of scheduled training sessions and dissemination events
Step-by-step PDF guides and videos
A bit of preliminary tidying up
Advance warning given to staff of what needs to be done
The Reality ... Well attended training sessions
Limited roll-out of guides due to time constraints
Replicating complex activities takes a lot of support
Laborious book conversions & formatting
High volume of 1:1 support
Staff and student enrolment problems (various reasons but not Moodle’s fault)
Still a lot of content
The Saving Graces Were ... The Book plugin
Staff attitudes to change
Student feedback
Turnitin plugin
In-house support & team work
Customised blocks e.g. enrolled students,random glossary, RSS feeds, library
Course Overview Plus plugin
And for us ... Moodle docs
A Selection of Common Queries ...
Hide / reveal course to students
Add or remove topics / sections
Email subscription to forums
Setting up groups and group activities
Activating the ‘link’ button in the WYSIWYG
How to rollover contents from one module to another
The Training Programme ...
Level 1
Introductio
n
• Developing Your Migrated Module• Moodle Induction (New Staff)
Level 2
Intermedia
te
• Compiling a Book in Moodle ... The Story So Far• Using Tracking & Reporting Tools• Creating, Using & Managing Groups
Level 3
Intermedia
te/ Advanced
• Setting & Releasing Quizzes / Assessments• Using Communication & Collaboration Tools
Other Events & Collaborative Activities
Presentatio
nQ&A
• Moodle in a Flash ... Migrated Module Overview
Workshops
• Moodle in a Flash ... Checking & Preparing Your Module
Presentations & Informal Chat
• Midday Moodle (opportunity to share experiences and showcase good practice)
Question 1: What have you found hardabout the transition from WebCT to Moodle?
Q1: A few comments from staff ...
“I need to structure
information differently
i.e. move from deep to
surface level file
structures.”
“Totally different layout.”
“Having to reorganise materials,
e.g. change learning modules to
books. Links not working when
material moved. Different
functionality...”
Question 2:What do you like about Moodle?
Q2: A few comments from staff ...
“The structure.
More intuitive for
students to use.
Easy to organise
materials.”
“Quicker navigation and able to see an overview easier. More user friendly in general.”
“I love the fact that I can post a news item or announcement and it is automatically emailed to all the participants.”
Question 3: What do you wish you knew then that you know now?
Q3: A few comments from staff ...
“The time it would
take to reorganise
materials when
transferred over.”
“That Moodle would not be anything to fear.”
“I think that how to use the book application was handy and that would have made a big difference early on.”
Question 4: Other Comments
Q4: A few comments from staff ...
“Local assistance has
been essential at school
level and there are
excellent resources on
Moodle staff site.”
“Support from Moodle team during the transition from WebCT to Moodle has been very, very good, I don't know how I would have managed without the support of this team.
“Good proactive support made the transition much easier.”
What We’ve Learned ... Best to tidy up content before it leaves old VLE or
in Moodle before staff see it
Encourage deleting of redundant content
Show example modules / consider design & layout
Have stock answers to common queries (FAQs)
Identify champions and make sure they are spread throughout offices
Manage expectations ... it’s never going to function exactly the same as another VLE & it’s going to take a bit of getting used to
Future Plans
Moodle 2.4
Develop additional focused trainingsessions & events
More staff help materials
ePortfolio
Customised bank of activity icons for embedding in content pages