NewcomerIt's been a while since I have been to a dedicated Moodle group/conference, however this was my first visit and experience of going to MoodleMoot. I was unsure of what to expect (besides the hints from the program outline) and I wasn't disappointed. It was a non-stop Moodle extravaganza happening around me and in my head. The enthusiasm and passion that people showed towards Moodle and their own Moodle sites was empowering. Years of being a learning technologist you hear the odd negative comment from users saying they are unhappy with Moodle and that it is dead and buried. I knew it wasn't and know it as excellent tool (and usually the go to one) that relies on an existing enthusiastic Moodle expert to develop and maintain the site effectively. Then throw in a learning technologist/eLearning developer (like me) for pedagogy and momentum then boom - you have cracked it.
When going to events especially ones like MoodleMoot, where there is knowledge not just in the sessions or presentations but who attends. It's important to focus on what you want to get from the event and how that impacts on your professionalism and practice. I had a think of some areas and questions I wanted to see and know more about over the course of the event - what learning design processes do organisations undertake? The types of higher education eLearning content they produce and how. But I was also intrigued in ideas for mobile course learning design - if it exists and how learner analytics and feedback can be used to inform Moodle course design. Some of these questions did get answered, but I am still in pursuit of overall learning design.
Share and share alikeI did a bit of networking and had some good chats with fellow Moodlers - most of which I will be contacting in due course. Although I should have networked more than I did and built some friendships for future events too - rather than floating around and perching myself in a quiet corner at times. However, it was good to see and chat to some colleagues from my older days of the Yorkshire and Humber Jisc Moodle User Group. I also re-connected with a colleague who ran the Digital Learning Design qualifications in the south of England. They deal with aquaculture and land based industries courses too, so I will be getting in touch with them afterwards.
I attended a masterclass on online course design which included the following topics; content assessment, communication and structure. I was given a good overview of the features and functions that could be used to deliver learning. Groups around the table were asked to share their experiences and usage of Moodle's tools. This day session has made me want to re-examine all Moodle tools for the new context I am now in as it is a different approach to further education. But most importantly to ensure why I am choosing the right tools for the pedagogical need. So I intend on briefly evaluating and making a list on Moodle's activities and functions I can use in postgraduate and Continuous Professional Development online courses. It will also be a good exercise to get me familiar with course subjects I deal with. I'm going to further explore plugins and blocks too, although blocks is being faded out eventually. It's all about the pedagogy and enhancing the learner experience. I need to understand our learners to determine the most effective pedagogy, which I have previously identified as HE, adult education, distance and workplace learning.
Delivering learning via mobile devices is a high priority and seems to be a key development initiative for Moodle to become more accessible and flexible through it's app. So how can our online provision be adapted for mobile learning? Development has already started with using the Moodle app and running our Moodle sites through it. But what about the content, does that have a different design to typical online learning? As I learned through my Tweets on the discussion, it's a compliment to the online course you are offering but not a means of delivering it entirely - not everyone learns effectively through mobile devices.
Learning analytics is still being discussed and debated on how it can be useful to assist learners in online learning and inform online design approaches. I've yet to explore what data we can collect and how we can use it with learners and for course design.
Below are other points I got from some of the presentations on the second and third days:
Course design
- Make online courses that you can engage in and enjoy - not just passively download content
- Deliver core knowledge better through right choices of online activities
- Develop new online course templates that make the best and most of useful plugins and activities that increase the user experience
- Re-design and implement quizzes and exams using Moodle Quiz and Questionnaire. If possible create 'are you ready' ones
- A lot of learning can occur socially through Moodle Forums (Groups and Grouping) - if designed, promoted and facilitated effectively.
- Display all course information and deadlines clearly and logically - use Lambda theme to display types of engagement, levels of effort and instruction and Bootstrap buttons to condense information
- Ask what staff are looking to achieve from an activity - then decide options
- Engaging and supporting others in the effective use of Technology Enhanced Learning - still a challenge but collect good practice, create examples and lead with educational benefits, especially learner perspectives and needs
Content
- Innovate in eLearning content, test and evaluate it - don't just take and reshape
- Increase interaction in eLearning content - but not for the sake of it. Just ensure its used for the right pedagogical purpose
- Explore further potential of H5P plugin
- Ensure eLearning content is optimised and compatible with mobile devices
- Allow lots of content on a page, but important how it's released and presented
- Use a variety of eLearning resources but with a consistent approach
- Enable emotion (engagement and realism) through well written scenarios. Case studies look at a single experience. Scenarios enable to work across a number of situations and build competence. Moodle can be used for learners to submit a scenario they come across in their work, then analyse and re-assess them. Build in a loop that keeps going back and improve the outcome.
- Consider; critical reviews shared to the class with peers and lecturers; group working - Moodle Forum and Wiki, Skype groups etc; feedback and peer review; submit presentations and assignments; reflection; test of knowledge; student recorded audio/video feedback; group choice for learning pathways in Moodle; Moodle User Tours - instructional overlays
- Invest in some time to refine activities
Preparing for online learning
- I've decided to task myself with a side project of developing a 'preparing for online study' course for our learners. As our learners come from a diverse range of countries and vary in digital literacy skills, we need to support as much as we can in terms of their requirements and commitment from them as well as what is expected at academic of professional level. So I am going to develop a range of short taster courses to build up learners online learning skills. The first course perhaps starting with; what is online learning, being a successful online learner and communicating online - netiquette. It can include a variety of activities that promotes what they will encounter in future courses. Perhaps also including an area for study skills on how to source information and write assignments etc. So maybe a total of three short courses; learning online introduction, study skills then lead onto a taster course to get to know the site, tools and services to build up online competence.
I knew Moodle was very popular, but after coming to this event I could see and feel the passion for this system. Everybody seemed very proud to use this system and are very keen to keep innovating with and for it. Perhaps it's due to the community that it was founded upon that provides a sense of ownership of it. I've had a great time at my first MoodleMoot and I've experienced how valuable it is to anyone who uses and develops it. I'm hoping to return next year and I may do a presentation myself! As a result of this event, me and my colleague are now going to pull the rest of our team together to discuss and revise our current plan for the next 12 months.
