Moodle Introduction

2011 Information Technoloy Services

Concordia College, Moorhead, MN

Fall 2011

Moodle Introduction

Beginning Guide to Moodle

Concordia College Information Technology Services 2 | P a g e

Moodle Introduction

About This Course and Its Goals This course is designed for faculty and staff who are interested in extending their teaching capabilities by using Moodle. In this course participants will:

Learn how to log into Moodle

Become orientated to Moodle’s interface and key features

Change the default settings for the course

Create new resources and activities

Create a personal profile

Design a course heading

Create a simple grade book structure

Send an instant message to students

Why Use Moodle?

Moodle can extend your teaching capabilities in ways that cannot be accomplished in a traditional classroom environment. Some examples include:

Invite guest speakers, students, and faculty from around the world to participate in your class

Provide students with 24 x 7 access to class resources

Facilitate offline discussions with peers and mentors

Provide technological opportunities for passive students to engage in class discussion

Give students independence and control with certain aspects of the curriculum

Assess students’ knowledge electronically outside of class

Host virtual office hours (no more missed appointments!)

Coach and mentor student athletes who must travel frequently

Conduct courses or connect with students in a crisis situation

Provide immediate feedback on grades

Create a paperless environment for submitting assignments

Spend more time teaching and less time covering administrative tasks during class

Logging Into Moodle

You can log into Moodle three different ways:

1. Concordia’s Website: http://www.cord.edu, select Faculty/Staff link and log in. 2. CPORT: http://cport.cord.edu, select the Moodle link you see at the top of your screen

(example):

3. Direct login: http://moodle.cord.edu

http://www.cord.edu/

http://cport.cord.edu/

http://moodle.cord.edu/


Orientation to Moodle Home Page

The Moodle home page if the first screen you will see after logging in. Listed below are the most commonly used features to note:

1. Active and inactive courses 2. Language setting 3. Instant messages waiting for you 4. Current online users (send instant messages to) 5. Course category links 6. Search bar

Orientation to Course Home Page

The My Courses block on the left of the screen lists courses you teach. Course links that are dimmed are inactive; students cannot see nor log into an inactive course. All courses are inactive by default. Faculty must activate a course before it is available to students. Courses listed in bold lettering have been activated and are accessible only to students enrolled in that course.

TROUBLE?

You have activated your course. A student informs you he/she is registered for your course but cannot log in.

SOLUTION If a student cannot log into Moodle, refer them to the Help Desk, ext. 3375. If the student can log into Moodle but not your activated course, refer the student to the Registrar’s office.

1

2

3

4

5

6


Moodle Site Design Considerations

Students want to take classes from instructors who have expertise, a personable nature, a well-organized course, and can engage students in the curriculum. Moodle can help enhance these qualities. Listed below are some minimum standards for designing your Moodle course.

Introduction: Create a headline area complete with the course name and a subhead with your contact information. Include a picture of yourself or course-related image.

Communication: Change the name of the Forum in the headline area to "Announcements" so students know where to go for last-minute course updates.

Syllabus: Provide both a PDF copy of your syllabus and a web page version.

Activities: For each week or topic, include a short paragraph that summarizes the activities for each week and/or learning goals for each topic. This establishes expectations.

o Place activities and resources in a logical sequence or a specific order you would like students to access them.

Personal Touch: Create a personal profile and include a photo of yourself.

Feedback: Survey your students periodically throughout the course using the Feedback activity, Choices, Questionnaires, or Colles surveys to solicit input from your students. This information can be included with program evaluation.

Additional Design Standards to Consider

Some institutions have formally adopted standards for courses. The Quality Matters Rubric Standards is one example of standards that were developed for online courses but can be applied to both off, online, or hybrid course development and instruction. Several organizations have published standards for courses ranging content standards, curriculum, instruction, and other standards. Before adopting standards consider the impact on students, the division or discipline, the institution, and faculty. Consider the resources which must be expended to formally institute standards and weigh that against both the short and long term benefits to be gained. New trends in education are redefining the kind of value students are seeking from their educational experiences. Trends like Open Education, online and blended instruction are impacting the expectations students have for learning. Instructors at Concordia have a number of options they can use to extend their instructional capabilities and many of these options work directly with Moodle. Some examples include web conferencing tools, streaming lectures, web-based tutorial programs, wikis, and much more. For more information on pedagogical tools available for faculty contact Information Technology Services or visit the Information Technology tab in CPort.

Learning Outcomes

When organizing your Moodle site, think about the course level and learning outcomes you wish to achieve, and how Moodle resources and activities can be used to motivate students toward achieving the goals you set for them. The next page contains an example table to begin structuring your ideas.


Sample Planner for Moodle Resources and Activities

Week or Topic:

Lesson Objective:

Use the table below to select Moodle resources and activities and use the space provided to plan how the resources and activities can help students achieve the lesson objectives. All activities and resources should be short, simple, and have a strong impact to keep students motivated in coming back to your Moodle site. High-impact resources could include useful templates or information, should peak students’ interests, or have an immediate application. High-impact activities are those which will challenge the student and might even be fun or engaging.

Resources Pedagogical Application Activities (cont’d) Pedagogical Application

Light box Gallery Forum

Text Page Glossary

Web Page Journal

Link to file or website Lesson

Directory of files Map

Blog Podcast

Activities Questionnaire

Assignment Quiz

Chat Survey

Choice Wimba

Database Wiki

Feedback Workshop


ACTIVATE YOUR MOODLE COURSE 1. Log into the course home page (see example course home page below) 2. Click Settings in Administration block 3. Locate Availability category and change setting to “This course is available to students.”

IMPORTANT: Moodle courses can only be accessed when students or instructors have been registered in the course through Banner therefore an enrolment key (password) should NOT be created for the course. Neither faculty nor ITS can grant outside individuals or “guests” access to a Moodle course. ITS can provide another faculty member, teaching assistant or Concordia administrator access to a course if the course instructor makes a request or an extenuating circumstance or service need exists.

Editing Your Course Home Page

Begin by clicking the Turn Editing On button in the upper right area of the screen. This reveals icons that allow you to edit, indent, show/hide, move, or delete individual items. You can also add resources such as files and links to websites or activities such as an assignment, lesson or quiz. The Edit Summary icon shown at the top left area under Weekly Outline is the placeholder for creating an informational headline for your course.

Customizing Moodle

Customizing your Moodle site involves creating a profile, setting up your course layout and theme, uploading and creating a web page version of your syllabus, creating a course header with your picture and contact information, creating an area for course announcements. Each step below will walk you through the process of customizing your Moodle site.


CREATE YOUR PROFILE

All Moodle users have a single profile; it is not necessary to create a personal profile for each Moodle course. To edit or update your profile:

1. From any course home page, find the People block (upper left) and 2. Click the Participants link. 3. Select your name. 4. Click the Edit profile tab. (Click the Hide Advanced button if displayed.) 5. Fill in the information you want other Moodle users to see about you.

SET UP THE COURSE LAYOUT AND THEME

Courses can be organized by week, by topic, or by social format (forums). Follow these steps to change the way your course is organized:

1. Click Settings on the Administration block 2. IMPORTANT: Do NOT change the course full name or ID number. 3. Place a description of your course in the Summary window. 4. Select one of the following formats for your course: weekly, topic, social 5. Make additional selection choices for your course as outlined below. Key items are highlighted.

Selection Notes for Course Layout and Theme

SELECTION DEFAULT NOTES

Format Weekly format, 16 weeks

Organize your course by week (default), topic, or social (forums and discussion).

Force theme Do not force Concordia theme (course home page template) displays as the default.

Show grade book to students

Yes If you do not plan to use the grade book change this to No.

Meta course No Do not change. See Ron Balko, ITS if you wish to create a meta course. A meta course combines two sessions of the same course as one course.

Enrolments (multiple) Do not change. All course enrollment settings are controlled through Banner.

Groups No groups Moodle provides two approaches for automatic assignment of students to work in groups. See your instructor for more information.

Availability This course is not available…

You must change this setting before students will be able to see your course. See previous instructions for activating your course.

Language Do not force English is the default language. If teaching a language course you can change Moodle to display in another language.

Role renaming (multiple empty fields)

Do not change. User permission levels are controlled through Banner enrollment.


Considerations for Your Syllabus

One of the most convenient ways to create a syllabus is to use Microsoft Word; Word documents can be uploaded to Moodle for convenient access. The formatting used by Word is readable by most other programs such as WordPerfect, WordPro, Microsoft Works, and other word processors however there is a risk that some formatting or fonts will not convert exactly. You can preserve the original look of your document by saving that document as a PDF file. You can also copy and paste your syllabus as a web page in Moodle which is the fastest way in which students can view the document. Saving your syllabus as a PDF file and as a web page in Moodle are covered next. SAVING YOUR SYLLABUS AS A PDF FILE

Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free software program from Adobe.com which “reads” or takes a picture of your document preserving its original look and makes the document more portable across computing platforms. Acrobat Reader saves the file as a Portable Document Format or PDF file type.

IMPORTANT: Changes made to the original Word document must be resaved as a .PDF file.

Here’s how you can use Word 2007 to save a copy of your Word document as a PDF file:

1. In Word save an original copy of your syllabus.

2. To save the syllabus as a .PDF file choose the Office Button, Save As…

3. Choose PDF or XPS 4. Specify a file name

(pictured right) 5. Verify the file type is PDF 6. Choose Publish

Your document will be displayed in Acrobat Reader.

In Word 2010 you follow these steps to save your document as a PDF file:

1. Choose the File tab 2. Choose Save and Send 3. Select Create PDF/XPS Document 4. Click the Create PDF/XPS button on the right 5. Assign a file name and location.

CREATE A WEB PAGE VERSION OF YOUR SYLLABUS

Converting your syllabus or other documents as a web page in Moodle is a great option for students who simply want to look at the information and not download, print or save a copy. Since Word 2007 and 2010 incorporate XML code you’ll want to use a rich text editor such as WordPad to paste clean code into Moodle. WordPad is a simple rich text editor – much like a simplified word processor – and comes with all versions of Windows. In Windows XP you’ll find WordPad in the Start, Programs, and Accessories menus. In


Windows 7 you’ll find WordPad by pressing the Start icon, and typing WordPad in the search box directly above. The process will be presented in two parts: Moving the syllabus document from Word Into WordPad and then from WordPad into Moodle. To begin, have your syllabus or document open in Word and have a copy of WordPad open. Part I: Paste from Word into WordPad

1. In Word press Ctrl+A to select the entire document, press Ctrl+C to copy the entire document. 2. Position the cursor in WordPad and press Ctrl+V to paste the contents or your Word document into

WordPad. 3. Check the formatting of the WordPad document and make adjustments if needed.

Part II: Paste WordPad Document into Moodle

4. In WordPad, press Ctrl+A (to select all) and Ctrl+C (to copy the document). 5. In Moodle, click the Turn Editing On button. 6. Choose the Add a Resource drop-down arrow in the location you wish your web page to appear. 7. Choose Compose a web page. 8. Specify a name for the document and indicate a brief description. 9. Position your cursor in the Compose a web page box and press Ctrl+V to paste your document. 10. Verify that New Window is selected in the Window section. This means that the web page will

open in a new window when the link is clicked. 11. Choose Save and Return to Course

Organizing the Course Layout

Moodle is more than an application to share files with students. Moodle can be used as an online community for your students to exchange ideas and information with each other as well as facilitate higher levels of learning within your course. This can be achieved through proper structure and layout of your course. For example, freshman students who lack college experience would benefit from a Moodle course that is highly structured and adapts a sequence and pattern for learning the course material, and uses forums to aid in exam study. This course organization strategy helps freshmen students develop strong study habits. Likewise, a more advanced student taking an upper level course would benefit from Moodle resources that promote reflective activities, problem solving and resource sharing. The basics for learning to understand Moodle course organization and layout are next.

About Course Headlines

The course headline is the most fundamental aspect of any course. For example, you wouldn’t hand your students a syllabus without indicating the course name and information about who was teaching it! Students accessing your course home page in Moodle need the same introductory information at the very least. Keep in mind that students have multiple courses also located in Moodle. This is your opportunity to create a great first impression with your students. A course headline contains the necessary information about the course itself such as the course name, location, room, meeting dates and times. Information about the instructor such as preferred name, contact information and office hours should be indicated. A picture of yourself is helpful for students to be able to identify you; as an alternative you can upload an image or graphic that depicts the discipline.


1: Example Course Headline and Subheading

This task will be completed in two parts: placing written content in your course headline and inserting a picture. CREATE A COURSE HEADLINE

Part I: 1. Turn editing on 2. Click the Edit Summary icon in the top-most section. 3. Type the following information in your header:

a. Course name, days and b. Your name, office hours, and contact information c. Save the changes or move on to the steps in Part II.

This task explains how to upload and insert an image. When possible you should work with pictures that are or have been resized to less than 300 pixels in width and height. You can specify a new width and height by inputting those parameters yourself.


Part II: 1. With the Edit Summary window

still open, position the cursor where you would like a picture inserted and choose the Insert Images button.

2. Upload a photo by choosing the Browse button and then Upload.

3. Select the link to the picture you want inserted in the File Browser window (pictured right.) This places a URL of your image at the top.

4. Specify alternate text for your picture.

5. If desired, select an alignment of your picture.

6. Recommended size for your image is less than 300 for both width and height.

Create Subheadings

Just as you used the Edit Summary button to add a headline area to your course, you use the Edit Summary button to add a subhead and/or a brief description to each week or topic area. You can add additional subheadings to each week or topic area by choosing Add a Resource and selecting Insert a label. ADDING A SUBHEADING TO A WEEK OR TOPIC AREA AND INSERTING A LABEL

This task will be completed in two parts: adding a subheading to a week or topic area, and inserting a label. Part I: Inserting a subheading

1. Turn editing on 2. Select a week or topic and choose the Edit Summary button 3. Type and format the subheading information 4. Choose Save Changes

Part II: Inserting a label

1. Turn editing on 2. In desired destination, select Add a Resource and choose Insert a Label 3. Type the label information and any additional information needed 4. Choose Save and Return to Course


Uploading and Organizing Files

Previously you used Settings within the Administration block to define how your course would be laid out. In the Administration block you will also find options to set up Grades and files. In this next task you will learn two methods for organizing and uploading your files. You will also learn to add a link to a directory of files.

Three Methods for Uploading Documents and Images

All files within Moodle are stored in the Files link in the Administration block however you can add them three different ways. You can upload files directly to the Files link in the Administration block, you can add files as a resource and place them directly in a section within your course, and you can upload a batch of files at once. UPLOADING FILES AND PICTURES

In this task you will use Files from the Administration block to organize and upload files. You will first create a folder to organize files and then upload files to that folder. A folder is also called a directory.

1. Click Files from the Administration block 2. Choose the Make a Folder button 3. Name the folder 4. Click the Create button

To upload files into the folder:

5. Select the folder from this list (this opens the folder) 6. Choose the Upload a File button 7. Browse to locate the file on your hard drive or external drive and select desired file 8. Choose Upload this File

The file you just uploaded is now located in the folder you just created. Repeat these steps creating folders to organize your files and upload files. Note that it is not necessary to store files in a folder however it is a good practice. UPLOADING A FILE BY ADDING IT AS A RESOURCE

In this task you will upload a file by adding it as a resource. (See figure below.) 1. Turn editing on. 2. Select a week or topic and choose Add a Resource. 3. Choose Link to a file or web site 4. Specify a name for the file and indicate a description 5. Click the button Choose or upload a file… 6. To choose a file follow one of these two methods:

a. If the file has already been uploaded, you can select it from one of the folders listed or within the main directory structure by clicking the CHOOSE link to the right of the file name.

b. If you need to upload the file, choose the Upload a file button and browse to select the file from a local, network, or external drive. Once the file is uploaded, you click the CHOOSE link located to the right of the file name.

7. Choose Save and Return to course.


ADDING A BATCH OF FILES AT ONCE

1. Use a program such as WinZip to zip a folder of files on your computer. (The folder will become a new folder in Moodle.)

2. Upload the zipped file following the previous instructions above. Moodle automatically unzips the folder and files and makes them ready for use. CREATING A LINK TO A DIRECTORY (FOLDER) OF FILES

Documents which you upload to the Files link in the administration block cannot be seen by students. You must therefore, provide a link to the file or link to a directory (folder) of files on the main course page. Before you begin this task, you should have created a directory (folder) within the Files link in the Administration block and you should have uploaded one or more files to this directory. Make sure that editing has been turned on.

1. Choose Add a Resource 2. Choose Display a Directory 3. Provide a name and brief description of the directory (folder) 4. Under Display a directory select the directory/folder from the drop down list. 5. Choose Save and return to course.

Create an “Announcements” Forum

By default, a News Forum has been created for you to post announcements and important class information. This forum is one of four different types of forums you can create in Moodle. Other forum


types will be covered in subsequent training sessions. Since this forum is already located in the heading of your course, consider renaming this forum “Announcements” or something similar to draw students’ attention. When you post information in this forum, you have the option to e-mail that announcement to your students. This next task will walk you through the steps of renaming the News Forum and posting a message to this forum. RENAME THE NEWS FORUM TO “ANNOUNCEMENTS”

1. Turn editing on 2. Choose the Update icon (hand and pencil) 3. Change the name News Forum to “Announcements” 4. Change the forum’s description if desired 5. Choose Save and Return to Course POST AN ANNOUNCEMENT AND E-MAIL STUDENTS

**WARNING: Completing this next task will actually send a message to your students. You might want to cancel the action for step 6. **

1. Select the Announcements forum you just created 2. Choose Add a New Topic 3. Type a subject 4. Type the message or announcement in the larger white box 5. Select the Mail Now check box 6. Choose Post to Forum (or click the back button in your browser window to cancel)

Moving Objects on Screen

Once you’ve added content in Moodle you may wish to change the order of the content so students will access the content in a more logical sequence. To begin this task, make sure you have several content items uploaded to your screen. You will move a content item to a new location.

1. Turn editing on 2. Identify an object you wish to move and select the move icon 3. Drag the object to the desired location

Creating an Assignment

Part I of this task will walk you through how to create an “online” assignment – one that can be uploaded to Moodle. Part II of this task will walk you through creating an “offline” assignment or one that is turned in during class. To add an assignment choose Add an Activity. Moodle provides an option for four types of assignments:

1. Advanced Uploading of Files (electronic submission) 2. Online Text 3. Upload a Single File 4. Offline Activity


CREATING AN ONLINE ASSIGNMENT

Part I:

1. Turn editing on. 2. Under Add and activity select Advanced Uploading of files 3. Select options as indicated below.

Grading Options for an Online Assignment

Available from Automatically displays the creation date of the assignment. If you checkmark dates to make the assignment available to students, the assignment will automatically be removed from display after the expiration date.

Due date Shows the date and time the assignment is due and synchronizes with the Moodle calendar and grade book.

Prevent Late Submission Default = No. When students turn work in after the deadline, Moodle flags the submission date in red. If you select Yes, you will need to find an alternative way to collect late work from students.

Groups If students have been assigned to groups in the administration block you can elect to have them turn in their assignment as a group. Information on groups will be covered in subsequent training sessions.

Visible You can choose to show or hide the assignment using the Visible option. You can also show or hide an assignment from the main page of your classroom when editing is turned on.

Grade Category You can group assignments in grade categories such as “homework” or “case studies”. This information will be discussed in the next section

Allow Deleting Permits students to delete a file and an upload again as long as the file has been designated as a draft.

Allow Notes Default = No. Choosing yes permits students to include a short note about their assignment. Yes is recommended.

Depending on the assignment type, additional options may be available to select from. SUGGESTION: Create a practice online assignment for your students since this may be the first time your students have uploaded a file to Moodle. Creating a practice assignment also helps you become more familiar with grading online assignments and providing feedback. CREATING AN OFFLINE ASSIGNMENT

Part II:

1. Turn editing on. 2. Under Add and activity select Offline Activity. 3. Specify an assignment name and description and/or rubric information. 4. Specify a grade value or select No Grade from the drop down list. 5. Select additional options (explained below). 6. Choose Save and Return to Course.


Accessing the Grade Book

The term “grade book” refers to the Grades link located in the Administration block. The Grades feature provides students with immediate scores and feedback on assignments, projects, exams as well as their overall progress in the course. You can use Grades to communicate information on any activity or exam. Note: You can deactivate the grade book in the Settings link under the Administration block. As you create offline and online assignments from the main course page, you have already gotten a head start on putting your grade book together. Your next task will be to organize your grade book so it matches your syllabus and change your grade book preferences. The two most helpful views in the grade book are the Grader Report (default view) and the Full View. Each will be described next. SETTING UP THE GRADE BOOK

1. Locate the Administration block on the left side of your screen. 2. Click the Grades link. This opens the Moodle grade book. 3. By default, the Grader Report is displayed.

TO INPUT STUDENT GRADES

1. Turn Editing On. 2. Enter grades in the solid box and comments in the dashed-border boxes. 3. Save any changes.

Click the icon to the right of any students’ name to view their current progress in the course.

Working with the Full View

The Grader Report is useful to see a breakdown of assignments and students, or to quickly input a score for an individual student. Another helpful way to look at the grade book is Full View where you can create categories for grade items and change the display of grades. SETTING UP GRADE ITEMS AND COURSE CATEGORIES USING FULL VIEW

1. Select Choose an action drop down list and Full View


CREATE A NEW CATEGORY

1. Click the Add Category button 2. Specify a category name 3. Choose save changes

ADD A GRADE ITEM

1. Click Add grade item 2. Specify a name and grade information 3. Choose a category to assign grade item 4. Save changes

SPECIAL NOTES:

a. When adding a grade item you’ll notice there is no place to input due dates. Grade items added through the grade book will not appear on students’ calendars in Moodle.

b. The maximum value you can assign a quiz or assignment is 100 points however you can use Full View to enter grade items worth more than 100 points.

c. You cannot adjust the points for a quiz or assignment created from the main course page using Full View however you can assign a multiplier to any grade item.

d. When creating a New Category you’ll notice some extra fields to input a grade item. Note: i. When you have multiple grade items within a category, it is only necessary to enter the

category name and save the changes. ii. When you have a new category with a single grade item, you can enter them both in the

New Category window.

SUGGESTION: If your discipline tracks progress against specific competencies or competency models, you can use grade categories to track students’ progress against those models. You can measure students’ performance against industry standards by creating categories for each competency in the grade book.


Exporting Grades to Excel

If you’re accustomed to using Excel for managing grades and flagging student progress, you do have the option to export your grades to an Excel spreadsheet. Exporting grades to Excel is recommended for backing up your data. EXPORT THE GRADE BOOK TO EXCEL

1. In the grade book select Choose an action

2. Locate the Export category and select Excel Spreadsheet

3. Choose submit 4. A preview of the export file

appears. 5. Choose the download button. 6. Select Save the file and choose

okay. a. If you’re using Firefox the

file will be saved to the Downloads folder in My Documents.

b. If you’re using Internet Explorer you will be prompted to specify a location for saving the file.

Grading Assignments Online

There are two ways to grade an assignment online. 1. When you create an assignment on your main course page, you click the Assignments link from the

Activities block. Click the respective assignment and grade them online. 2. From the Grader Report, click the link for the assignment name.

Both methods bring you to the same interface for grading assignments.

Course Shortcuts Using Blocks

Use the Activities block to quickly navigate to assignments, forums, and other resources and activities. The Activities block is a great way to quickly view groups of activities rather than try and find them in their respective weeks or topics.

As you’ve been adding assignments and due dates, you’ll notice the Upcoming Events block has been populated with due dates. Click the Go to calendar link in the Upcoming Events block.

There are many more blocks you can add to your course. Turn editing on and locate Blocks, Add… to add blocks such as the Calendar block, Loan Calculator, Online Users, and more.


What is a Meta Course?

If you teach two sections of the same course, you can contact Ron Balko ([email protected]) in ITS and ask to have the two courses combined into one Moodle course or a “Meta” course.

Send an Instant Message

The Moodle course home page displays Online users or Moodle users who are currently logged into Moodle. To send them an instant message click their name and type them a message. You can create an instant message address book if there are Moodle users you correspond with regularly. If the Moodle user has not logged in for a while, Moodle will send that instant message as an e-mail message to the address indicated in the user’s profile.

Additional Training in Moodle

For more information on these and other Moodle topics visit CPort and access the Information Technology tab to view available training handouts. Contact Patti Heisler in ITS to schedule intermediate and advanced training.

mailto:[email protected]