Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

by Mary Cooch (personal account) -
Number of replies: 10
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A frequently asked question on these forums is How can I ensure students have read my documents in full/watched my video all the way through? And of course, if you are not present while they read or watch, there is no way you can ensure this. It's a sad question which is  often prompted by authorities 'higher up' who have a requirement that a certain amount of time must be spent on the resource in order to guarantee the student has completed it. Moodle's conditional activities don't allow for time spent, but if you are one of those unlucky people who has to follow orders from those who think this requirement actually reflects good teaching  -here is one possible way to placate them:

Problem: 
You need your students to watch a video all the way through and then answer some questions.
Solution:
Make two lessons, using the Lesson module. In the settings of the first lesson, make sure retakes are allowed and that they can review the lesson. Add one content page with the video in, explaining they must watch it all before they can answer the question. Jump to the end of the lesson:

Now make the second lesson with all your questions in, and in the prerequisites, set access to be available only when the student has spent the amount of time of the length of the video in your first lesson. See Lesson settings (Our video above lasts just under four minutes)

Result:
Dutiful student Jane watches the video all the way through and then clicks on the second lesson and sees:

Lazy student John watches two seconds of the video and then clicks on the second lesson and sees:

What happens next?
Obviously we want John to go back and watch the video all the way through and then access the questions in the second lesson. But in reality... he goes back to the first lesson, opens up another tab, reads his emails, gets himself a coke and burger, plays an online game... and then when he returns and finishes the lesson, the questions in lesson 2 are automatically opened up for himbig grin

So do use with discretion - but perhaps it might be useful to some.
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In reply to Mary Cooch (personal account)

Re: Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

by Chris Pangelinan -

I think Mary's solution is one of the better ones available. Using the Lesson activity... breaking up the video into smaller chunks... posing questions to students during the breaks... and wrapping up with a quiz activity is pretty much how you give an effective presentation. There are software packages available that allow you to put the questions right into the video. Even better, these questions can be graded. Panopto seems like a great option, but it is not as simple as Mary's solution.

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In reply to Mary Cooch (personal account)

Re: Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

by Matt Bury -
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Just a cautionary note on effective pedagogy: AFAIK, only rapid elearning IDE vendors (e.g. Adobe Captivate, Raptivity, and Articulate) recommend the practice of inserting quizzes and questions into presentations, slide shows and videos. From the research that I've read, there are rarely any measurable learning gains from doing this and in all cases it simply makes the presentations, slide shows, and videos take longer to complete. In other words, they're a waste of learners' time.

One of the more effective approaches at encouraging learners to "process" and deepen their understanding of the content in presentations, slide shows and videos is to give learners 2 or 3 "reflective questions" or "essential questions" that are the main focus of the lesson and then after they've watched, get them to reflect on what they've understood (discussion forums and reflective journals are good activity types for this, depending on how learner-led you want the reflecting to be). You may want to provide some guidance questions if learners aren't familiar with reflective learning activities. However, this can be demanding and time-consuming so in many cases just asking them to watch and maybe write a brief summary should be enough.

Hope this helps!

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In reply to Matt Bury

Re: Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

by Matt Bury -
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Just published today on FacultyFocus.com, here's a pedagogically sound possibility for embedding questions into slide shows, presentations, and videos...

Formative Assessment: The Secret Sauce of Blended Success http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational-assessment/formative-assessment-secret-sauce-blended-success/

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In reply to Matt Bury

Re: Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

by dawn alderson -

Hi,

please do forgive me, not getting it-sorry.  In my experience of working with students-I emphasise 'working with' I have never used an LMS to monitor time spent on a didactic activity (don't use those activities either-students not interested in being told how to learn-rather they want to find/source their own info-in general.  In the following scenario:

Problem: 
You need your students to watch a video all the way through and then answer some questions.

I would ask the students to choose a video to watch (possibly suggest some starting points) and report back their understanding of key concepts discussed in lectures-and to come up with questions relating to those concepts-I certainly would not underestimate their ability to do this-that is lead their own learning.

 In an auditorium of 200+ students- is one really expected to suggest that the LMS will be used  for monitoring time spent watching a video chosen by the teacher/lecturer....even when some students may know the video and know the info already-or that the info can be sourced elsewhere...to answer the said questions...mmmm

Although, that said...many useful thumbs up here-(could be useful for younger pupils-but again not my pedagogical approach-whatever the age-range-(watch and answer-because I say so) it must be me not seeing things straight-yikes!
 just some thoughts.
Dawn
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In reply to Matt Bury

Re: Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

by Derek Chirnside -
You say:

"From the research that I've read, there are rarely any measurable learning gains from doing this and in all cases it simply makes the presentations, slide shows, and videos take longer to complete. In other words, they're a waste of learners' time"

Any references??

-Derek

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In reply to Derek Chirnside

Re: Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

by dawn alderson -

Hi,

RE: Matt's statement-if I may, I would like to add that Matt's arguments appear closely related to 'what is going on in the real world' (yes-really!).

Asking for references about a point is a good idea..but I think Matt's points are valid in themselves, and this is why:

not an academic reference by any means...but a source if you like, see:

http://english.answers.com/definitions/instruction-vs-entertainment-the-didactic-method

Ergo-if we consider the use of

1. video (where the student is expected to passively watch/listen-didactic teaching approach)

+

2. Answer questions/be drilled if you like in the Socratic approach/Dialectic method

then this = old fashioned and outdated pedagogy....and a two- for- the- price- of- one-shoddy pedagogy....of course only if the aim is to promote a social/constructivist/constructionist approach to support learners in 'their' learning.

The alternative these days is that of a dialogic pedagogy...of the Platonic ilk. as I outlined from my experiences in my previous (probably not useful-ha ha) post.

So, let us now consider this:

A frequently asked question on these forums is How can I ensure students have read my documents in full/watched my video all the way through? And of course, if you are not present while they read or watch, there is no way you can ensure this. It's a sad question which is  often prompted by authorities 'higher up' who have a requirement that a certain amount of time must be spent on the resource in order to guarantee the student has completed it.

The second part of that statement: EVIDENCE PLEASE? Otherwise this tip appears to be-yet again-built on assumptions and not best practice.....a real shame if you ask me.

 Dawn



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In reply to dawn alderson

Re: Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

by dawn alderson -

p.s.

what I can only describe as a seminal paper about the difference between dialectic and dialogic for teaching is in the work of Prof Rupert Wegerif at Uni of Exeter, UK.

Ref:

Wegerif, Rupert(2008)'Dialogic or dialectic? The significance of ontological assumptions in research on educational dialogue',British Educational Research Journal,34:3,347 -- 361

A fine paper in my view-that explicates the concepts for best practice.

Cheers,

Dawn

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In reply to Matt Bury

Re: Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

by Chris Pangelinan -

Agreed, especially of one intends to use such embedded questions for assessment purposes. I made the reference to effective presentations because the purpose for the questions thrown into a presentation are not to assess how much the audience has absorbed or how long they've been listening. Instead, it is to help "package" the chunks of information being shared by setting a mental cutoff point for the chunk and even to inspire/challenge the audience to think more or explore the topics further on their own. I would use embedded questions in a video or presentation as a primer for students before discussions or problem-solving activities. Embedding the questions into the video or presentation means that the students get all of this in one package rather than having to view the media content and then move onto a separate question activity.

I guess I related more to Mary pointing out that someone would do something like this mostly because they were "following orders" from administrators who rely on "time spent" for program evaluation rather than focusing more on learning objectives. We have that type of situation at my institution and solutions like Mary's help to meet current institution requirements while we continue to try to push more for objective-based and competency-based measurements as opposed to time-based. The Carnegie Unit still reigns supreme.

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In reply to Chris Pangelinan

Re: Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

by Derek Chirnside -

@Dawn, as is common, the article you quote s hidden behind a paywall.

@Chris: Carnegie Unit legally declared dead.

During a speech in 1993, Ernest L. Boyer, then president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, made the following statement: "I am convinced the time has come to bury, once and for all, the old Carnegie unit. Further, since the Foundation I now head created this academic measurement a century ago, I feel authorized this morning to officially declare the Carnegie unit obsolete.” Boyer later wrote: "I urgently hope we can move beyond the old Carnegie units. I find it disturbing that students can complete the required courses, receive a high school diploma, and still fail to gain a more coherent view of knowledge and a more integrated, more authentic view of life.” http://edglossary.org/carnegie-unit/

If course, many administrators still don't know this.

-Derek

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In reply to Matt Bury

Re: Tip: Time-based activities in Moodle

by Dave Emsley -

Why ask the questions after?

In my experience students get more out of watching a video if they are looking for something specific.  Ask some question before.


Dave


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