Teaching people how to use Moodle

Re: Teaching people how to use Moodle

by David Sturrock -
Number of replies: 8

Hi Janet

When we are supporting teachers to completely redesign a course to be fully online or substantially blended we use a very basic design template which doesn't actually mention moodle at all. We don't want their design to be driven by a specific set of tools. Yes they need to have some understanding about Moodle and also other potential online tools not within the Moodle toolbox. But especially when the teacher is new to this we see it as our job to help them think through how their ideas will translate into an actual course.

So we use a MS Word-based "course design template" that helps a teacher focus on designing an activity-based course. Our template is an adapted version of a design tool that several NZ tertiary institutes are using called OTARA. OTARA was first introduced by Kate Hunt and Maurice Moore at a Conference in 2005 (http://www.efest.org.nz/2005/speakers/bio_moorehunt.html) and it has close links to the activities/resources/supports framework proposed by Oliver and Herrington (http://elrond.scam.ecu.edu.au/oliver/2002/edmedia1.pdf).

We incorporate the course design template within a general project management/style guide toolkit - http://ecampus.nmit.ac.nz/moodle/mod/resource/view.php?id=4346. It is important to emphasise that this design plan needs to be completed before any online development occurs. When using a team-based approach or out-sourced development we use version control to debate and adapt the design until it is approved and then the resources and online environment are created. The design plan can continue to be adapted and used as an ongoing summary of how the course is intended to work.

It is early days for us in terms of this kind of rigour for course development so we will no doubt be continuing to adapt the design tools a we go.

There is a new New Zealand-based learning design community called LDNet that is just getting started but includes more discussion and links to alternate learning design models - http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/communities/ldnet.

Cheers
David

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In reply to David Sturrock

Re: Teaching people how to use Moodle

by Susan Maros -
David,

Thanks for the links! I took a look and am now revamping week three of my current facilitator training course as a result. The Hunt & Moore link and the Oliver & Herrington article were particularly useful.

Susan
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In reply to David Sturrock

Re: Teaching people how to use Moodle

by Janet DiVincenzo -

David,

You were my savior with that link to OTARA!  I looked at the table they had created and adapted it for a presentation to several faculty members last Friday. I called it a "course map," filled in a sample week for them, and gave them plenty of blanks for them to start thinking about the process of "converting" (using the term very loosely) their classroom course to an online course.

It was very helpful!  Thank you so much for your assistance!  It was the conceptual breakthrough I needed!

Janet

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In reply to David Sturrock

Re: Teaching people how to use Moodle

by Julian Ridden -
Thanks for sharing these fantastic resources!

JR
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Re: Teaching people how to use Moodle

by David Sturrock -
Welcome all.
Some teachers freak-out when see the tabular structure and have trouble working through the bigger picture view of a course before they get to filling in the details. When we get some head space later this year would like to develop a more visual tool (or workshop process) for working through the broad learning approach and mix of delivery methods, as influenced by course purpose, learner profile and attempting to create an authentic context for the learner. e.g. self-paced vs collaborative learning, project-based or procedural approach, mix of online and face-to-face... Any suggestions here?

Perhaps we could look at sharing these types of course maps ... in many ways it's easier to do this than share completed courses.

Cheers
David
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In reply to David Sturrock

Re: Teaching people how to use Moodle

by Gregory sheath -

I was very impressed with the material you referred me to earlier, and with the efest ideas and concept.  I had heard that NZ was doing amazing things with e-learning.  I would like to attend the next efest if possible.

We too are struggling with teachging teachers how to set up moodle courses and have tried many approaches.

Short courses, long courses, 1 on 1, group, simple template ( 2 or 3 activities) refressher courses on single activities. 

Most people seem to only want to do what is important to them at that time without seeing the bigger picture and not progressing to more advanced and easier moodle experiences as they become more proficient.

I have planned a more diverse course (utilising, big picture, pedagogy, specifics and time with extra mentors for attendees to 'play' with activities in a sandbox area) for later this year in the hope that this will assist in teaching teachers how to use and see the potential moodle offers.

I will be using some of the material from your linksthat  you suggested in this course, particularly a modified template MAP for course development.

I would be intersted in working with you in any development in this area.

Thanks David.

Gregory Sheath

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In reply to Gregory sheath

Re: Teaching people how to use Moodle

by Derek Chirnside -
Gregory, you will be really welcome.
eFest is usually really good!!

We have a high stakes meeting today, the first of two, to decide if we will go to Moodle.
Just run a trial.

The best results during the trial were where some sort of community/collaboration element kicked in in. Working with the 'champions' has been less than successful. The three show and tells meetings with staff saying what they were doing and how it was going were superb. ie not us, and not the 'experts'.

Risky. Some people say things you wish they hadn't.

David. Cool stuff. Where do I post? Here or at AKO?? (Just musing)

-Derek
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In reply to David Sturrock

Re: OTARA at EIT Hawke's Bay

by Joyce Seitzinger -
Thanks for starting this thread David. As you know, we use the OTARA model at EIT as well. In my experience, the existence or lack of a course design document, is one of the best predictors of an e-learning project that will be seen through to the end or one that falls by the wayside or experiences significant delays/

In an e-learning project, I've found the OTARA document actually serves more purposes than just course design. It also acts as:

  • Resource checklist - so you can track whether everything is ready to go
  • Facilitation guide - allowing teachers to map the facilitation actions they need to take and how much time it will take, both for them and their students
  • Communication document - one of the biggest adjustments for teaching staff is that they no longer work in isolation. Often on an e-learning project there will be an instructional designer, a Moodle support person, a multimedia specialist, a project manager. And everyone needs to be talking about the same things. The OTARA provides us with a common vocabulary.
  • Planning document - who will work on what when?
Kate Hunt and I started an OTARA wetpaint site a while back to spread the OTARA word. If you are using it, or have adapted it, we'd hope you share your links and experiences there as well.

Cheers,
Joyce

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In reply to Joyce Seitzinger

Re: OTARA at EIT Hawke's Bay

by Kate hunt -
It's great to see OTARA continues to grow. Now that i'm not working in a single institution, I don't always keep track of how/where it's being used successfully (tho i keep in touch with Joyce and David smile).

I'd like to add to the background of OTARA's development -- the following could really be said to be the founding principles:
  • Design before tools: As David mentions, many teachers are keen to use the tools, but less enthusiastic about getting to grips with an overall design for their course. The OTARA template is the 'common ground' on which teacher and insructional designer can do this planning. (However, teachers also need to understand the tools to make the best use of design. this is an interesting tension, and I haven't always got the balance right)
  • LMS before Moodle: It's important to establish design principles regardless of the LMS that an institution uses. It shouldn't matter whether you use Moodle, Blackboard or any other system. It's the old story about "Give a man a fish... teach a man to fish..."
  • Activities before content: My previous experience in a distance learning institution showed how much people like to write content. When used as first envisaged, this model puts the activites at the centre (as in Oliver and Herrington) - to be planned after setting the objectives/outcomes, and the assessment. It follows that the activities then directly support the skills/knowledge needed for the assessment. Only after considering the activities do you start to compile the resources to support them
To add to joyce' examples of ways to use OTARA: I Have also used it very successfully as a project planning tool for a website when team members were spread around the country.
As well as providing the 'common vocab' Joyce mentions, OTARA is invaluable for tracking the evolution and current stat of e a course - as long as you are vigilant about version control! (I like to save a new copy every week during development, and keep all of those files in an archive folder in the course or somewhere very safe.)
But the most unexpected use was as a quaility assurance tool for a course programme that was not yet accredited. the accrediting body wanted to see 3 developed courses before they would tick the box. That was unrealistic - but instead we submitted 6 OTARAs that gave details of the first 6 weeks of the course - including the kind of support students would receive.
It can also be used to track the 'wishlist' - things you'd like to do on your course, but are unable to do in this iteration.

The biggest hurdle is persuading staff that this kind of planning is to their advantage. Workloads and just-in-time training (often this is learning how to operate the LMS) frequently take priority. I'm very interested in following up on David's suggestion for a more visual and interactive tool, or a standard framework for a workshop, that will do the same job.

Cheers, k8
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