Thoughts on the overall structure of moodle

Thoughts on the overall structure of moodle

by David Challoner -
Number of replies: 1

We are just introducing Moodle at my school (I'm one of the drivers), our Head of Physics (my line manager) and myself having been discussing how best to thing about courses.  I have previous run a situation were I had one course to contain all the general material and mutliple child courses for each class.  I have already decided to move to a system where we have one course with multiple groups (to save having multiple copies of interactive activities).  This would mean that Year 9 Physics might have one course or perhaps even an IGCSE Physics course that follows them through the three years.  My Head of Physics wants to produce a different course for each section of the IGCSE, a Year 9 student would then have two courses (one for each of the sections we teach in Year 9).

I'm particularly concerned about the large difference in the number of courses this would mean for a student (at the moment I am working only with Physics and Biology, but I intend pushing Moodle wider).  You would want the students to be able to access the Year 9 material at the end of Year 11 for them to revise from, so you couldn't unenrol them from the course from Year 9.

His concern is that it makes it more difficult to change the teaching order of the courses.

I'm seeking opinions from other schools as to how they have approached this kind of situation and how they have arranged course for pupils.  It would be even better if a couple of schools would let us have a guest access to see what they have done.

Thanks in anticpation of your comments and advice.

Dave

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In reply to David Challoner

Re: Thoughts on the overall structure of (a) moodle site

by Derek Chirnside -

You will find this a challenge.

Taking a first view, of considering separating the CONTENT (Here is a video on newton's Law) and INTERACTION (ask any questions here about assignment 1) and PASTORAL CARE (Mr smith is away today)

I've been in situations where we set up courses like this, and what happens?  maverick teachers just start teaching in tbeir own space with their own resources, and collaboration/sharing of resources goes down the tube.

The basic challenge is that Moodle 2 allows sharing of file resources between courses, but nothing else. You can't share for example a section.  So you are left with solcing the membership problem with groups or extra courses.

A combination of groups and cohorts will work, but again here you have a time consuming pathway to set things up.  Check out: there is a new grouping option in 2.5 http://docs.moodle.org/25/en/Import_groups  Moodle at the moment is easy to set up, but requires a lot of clicks, and long workflows to get where you want/

My current favorite way to work: home course (for my class) links at the section level to other subjects.  This in theory only needs two types of courses: 9NY physics (HOME) and 9Physics subjects (SUBJECT).

I'd either:

  1. create a label in HOME courses with the course outline in time order with links to SUBJECT.  Maybe a calendar reminders. This then follows the rule of one: courses organised from ONE place, you don't have three places to go for the outline.
  2. Or have several labels to do the same purpose.

Think of pilot soon.

Sorry for slightly disjointed post, best I can do before going out for a day of painting windows.

-Derek

Added PS: I think Moodle navigation may be a bit stressed with what you are proposing.
We use a plugin (course menu) and the Awesome Bar.  See http://docs.moodle.org/25/en/Decaf_theme#Illustration_of_decaf-course_menu_combo for a picture.  This gives a nice little course menu and easy navigation between sections.

 

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