General developer forum

From the school formerly known as "mine" :

News forum (although I accept this is doubtless popular elsewhere)

Notes (probably because they prefer paper or aren't aware of them)

Blogs (because you can't restrict them to a course and can only have one)

Survey (because you can't customise it)

Chat (because it doesn't make for useful conversations)

Tags (because we had bad experience once with inappropriate use)

Workshop - too daunting and complex. It is a great idea, I know that peer assessment is potentially very powerful - but used rarely in my experience.

Survey - I am sure this made sense to somebody at some stage, but I have yet to meet anyone who uses this! Although it does waste a lot of time as the name promises more than it delivers. Feedback is used in preference - if admin remembers to make it available.

Quiz is used by some staff but without support staff can find the interface cumbersome and this can reduce use.

IMS content package is useful for the very small number of staff who might need it but can be a distraction for the majority who don't - maybe SCORM, IMS & External Tool should have their own category for using external content?

Happy Moodling

JJ

Hello again, Stuart,

As I mentioned in my post to your other question, the 'usability' of Moodle modules/tools depends very much of the needs of the educational programme, the type of students, the role and task that your tutor perform de facto (our module leads do not write the online content, for instance, so they seldom use the role of 'editing teachers').

For an MSc international programme with is delivered through a blended learning approach, we seldom use:

-Glossaries

-Databases (it is a shame because I find it very useful, but I am the only one who uses it to create the 'database of available technologies'

-External tool.

-Feedback.

-Workshop

Our most-used modules are, in this order of preference: book, questionnaire, lesson and quizzes.

Forum - try as we might to promote its miraculously quick and easy setup and use and its potential for peer-mediated learning. Our teachers rarely make use of it,  and even more rarely use it to enable students to respond to each other, not just to the teacher. Why? I guess our teachers are wedded to a model where they are the experts and guides, and they struggle to realise that Moodle can host content beyond that directly posted by then.

It's really interesting to see what tools people don't use!  I am sat here reading and either completly agreeing or in shock that some people don't use my favourite tools!

The only one never used is survey (we use feedback) but Martin is good at selling the merits of survey so I am going to try it out one day!

The ones rarely used are:

• Notes
• IMS content
• Chat
• Workshop (though we have a plan to get it into some courses for study skills so maybe next year it won't be on this list!)
• External tool
• Database

They rarely use the lesson, workshop and database. Basically it comes down to time. These tools are not quick and easy and they take some understanding. Many of our users don't actively seek to upskill in Moodle as there are so many other demands on their time with audits, admin and all the other roles of being a teacher. We are trying to find ways to assist eg templates and training but it will take time.

most people posts seem to be about activities.

anyone have any comments on other 'features' such as docking, file api's, my home page etc that you find tutors or students don't use?