5 Steps to Moodle Success
By the very fact you are reading this article you have probably already embraced Web 2.0 and the idea of embarking on running a Virtual Learning Environment isn’t going to scare too much. Virtual Learning Environments don’t excite everyone in education and nor should we expect them to.
Virtual Learning Environments are massive both in their potential and in the varied features they offer. It is important to consider all stakeholders and not all teachers (and pupils) will instantly see the benefits of such a system.
The introduction to online learning should be properly planned and paced with such changes being gradual. VLE introduction requires teacher confidence and I hope this 5 point plan enables the introduction of Moodle at a rate than creates this confidence.
I have broken down the introduction of Moodle into 5 key steps with some sub steps. Moving a traditional scheme of work to a virtual presence takes time and it may take years for some courses to confidently be using all 5 areas covered.
Download Mind Manager Map.
Download PDF.
Using the VLE as a student is an invaluable stage as it not only introduces the key features and builds confidence it also provides an appreciation of how pupils interact with the system. A course only accessible by teachers allows mistakes to be made in an environment free from pupils.
After an initial introductory session we ran a staff resource course on the VLE from Easter to June with all teachers as students. The following September the first departments opted in to running their own courses.
By the following Easter all courses were using the forums and messaging services with three also using the glossary, RSS feeds from other sites and Wikis. Two courses were running homeworks via the VLE with great success. Positive feedback of the later stages also fueled development in other courses.
Evaluation and Reports
I haven’t added the reports area as a set stage as course leaders started to use the reporting features of Moodles at different stages. Some used the reports to evaluate how popular particular resources are could drill down to see what pupils had (or hadn’t) accessed the handout.
Others were able to go as far as student reports and could chase pupils up who hadn’t accessed the course for a number of weeks.
There is definitely a link between forum use and the success of a VLE course. If a teacher is posting regular updates on the course forum (these go out as email to all students) it invited interaction from the pupils within that subject area. Replies from 1-2 pupils then encouraged other pupils to join in and respond.
One idea was “XXXXXX in the news” a weekly post on that course in the news with links to various websites. This resulted in students replying with their own personal reading around the subject finds.
There is no debating the value of Virtual Learning Environments but their introduction in an already established teaching environment needs to be carefully thought out and planned. I hope this map is of some use and if you have any feedback or improvements I’d love to hear them ?
6 Comments
Great resource, I agree 100% with the implementation process you outlined. Especially that teachers can best learn first by using the system as students.
Nice work, happy to syndicate it.
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This is very informative. we’ve just embarked on using moodle and the process would have been very different had I not found this blog. Thanks for sharing your experience and insights
I have posted about this on uticked.com
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Thanks for sharing
However, I do recommend you read my post on Moodle to get some insights to its potentially ‘dark sides’:
http://zaidlearn.blogspot.com/2009/11/moodle-is-airport-not-total-solution.html
Also, you might want to explore mashing up Moodle with Facebook:
http://zaidlearn.blogspot.com/2010/04/facebook-for-learning-boleh.html
Or other more appropriate collaboration tools.
Currently, Moodle’s chat feature is rubbish and out-dated, its wiki (Google sites or Wikispaces is a 100 times better!)?, Its’ forum needs a face lift, and I do believe in general that Moodle needs to get its act together on its core features (e.g. chat, forum, course page (no wall!!!), file upload ,quiz editing). I do hope that Moodle 2.0 enables tagging and makes content upload and management more convenient and dynamic.
Although, you can develop quizzes using notepad, its existing online quiz editing approach, is as good as the Flintstones (too labor intensive).
I have been using Moodle since 2005, and they seem to have forgotten their core features, which were amazing then, but now are totally ______ (you know what I mean
)
I might hurt some Moodle dudes out there by saying all this, but its good to get whacked once a while (by a fan and user)
Have a great day
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A great way of expousing the great way Moodle can be utilised, and hope you don’t mind I’ve printed off for school to see as well as Emailed it to all 3 campus’ who have the use of Moodle at our College but used by a mere 5% of teachers at the college.
I’ve been using Moodle for 4 years now, and have found it a great bonus to all those you have on your mind map, but as I’ve downloaded and used some 3rd party software to add to Moodle, it’s even more beneficial to students and their learning/revision needs.
Long live Moodle and ICT …. it’s now and the future not the past!
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Hi Stuart I’d be keen to know what 3rd party software you’re adding to Moodle. Not sure that Moodle is meeting all of my expectations and would like to know how you enhance it.
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Hi Dan
I use 3rd party software for the quiz area of Moodle, to add more functionality to the quizzes I make up for students, also Sclipo live webclass, useful when I’m sick and can’t make it to school, also find the OU Blog to be better than the Moodle standard. Trialing others and can’t give much of an opinion on them as yet. Hope that all this helps. Just go to http://moodle.org and go to the Downloads/Modules and Plugins and that is where I get the ones I think will make a difference, you can read a bit on each one that will tell you about it.
We recently did an Adminstrators course with a Moodle expert from Sydney, and I’m patiently waiting for the Moodle 2.0 to come out, it is a lot more functional than the 1.9…. series.
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