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Moodle Overview

Dr. Rick Jerz

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What is Moodle?

• LMS – Learning Management System• CMS – Course Management System

• Other LMSs• Blackboard• Canvas• Desire2Learn• WebCT

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General Requirements

• PC or Mac• Tablets, iPads, smartphones

• Browsers • Firefox• Safari• Chrome• MS Edge• Internet Explorer >10• Opera 9

• Internet speed 2Mbps (DSL is typically 3Mbps)• Adobe PDF reader (free)

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Moodle Orientation

• Quick Overview • Gaining Access/Login• Your profile & settings

• Drawer• Participants• Grade book• Calendar

• Topics

• Right-side blocks• Upcoming Events• Activity completion and

Checklist• Search forums• Online users• Videos

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Accessing Your Course & Login

1. Dr. Jerz emails you a “Welcome” emailthat includes the course “Enrollment key”

2. Go to http://www.rjerz.com/moodle and click on your course

3. Click “Create new account” and fill out form• You can any username and password

4. Moodle emails you a link to complete the registration. Click on it.

5. Click on your course

6. Enter the Enrollment Key, you are in. That’s it!

• Normal login: username and password

• Forget your password? Use Moodle’s tool to reset

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Moodle’s Course Webpage• One webpage• Top bar:• Help: FAQ’s, Moodle videos, Moodle community• Languages• Profile

• Breadcrumbs: course, home• Drawer (collapsible)• People, Grades, Calendar

• Center “topics” area• Each or all topics collapsible

• Right-side blocks• Upcoming events, Checklist, Search forums,

Online users, Videos6

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Your Settings

• Your profile information• Email address • Can be any of your email addresses

• Time zone (America/Chicago)• Description (try it)• Picture: 200x200 pixels, jpg format• Interests • Optional information

• Your forum preferences• No Digest: One email per post• Complete: One email per day

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Topics

• Topics grow as course progresses• Ability to collapse each or all topics• First topic:• Syllabus, Course calendar, Videos, podcasts, and

iTunes, Forum: Students' general course questions and/or comments, Checklist

• Current topic is highlighted in “gold”• Other topics• Resources, quizzes, forums, topic questions,

other items for that particular topic

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Pre-Course Assignment

• Provides you exposure to the commoncomponents• Resources• Quizzes• Forums• Assignments

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Resources and Assignments

(This is a good page to print.)• Reading assignments• Lecture PowerPoints, in three formats (you

pick your favorite)• Videos• Additional assignments• Additional support materials

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Self-Assessments (Quiz)

• Usually multiple choice, true/false, or calculated response

• Calculated response: Enter only numbers and decimal• Example: “123.45”, and not “$123.45 total cost”

• Quiz Features• Can navigate using the navigation block• Graded automatically• Ability to “flag” questions• Ability to “Save without submitting”• Must “Submit all and finish” for grading• When multiple submissions are allowed, your

highest grade counts11

Assignments

• Upload one or more files• Drag and drop supported• Upload from virtual drives• Dropbox• MS OneDrive• Google Docs

• Usually graded after the due date• Moodle will send email after assignment is

graded

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Forums (Discussions)• You can pick your view• Moodle’s editor is powerful• You have 30 minutes to re-edit post before

Moodle emails your post to everyone• Moodle emails your post to every student• Keeps you aware that things are happening!

• Forum Email Alternatives• Delete them from your inbox• Change your “Digest type” in your profile under

forum preferences• Unsubscribe

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Participants

• Who are my classmates?

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Grade Book

• Very up to date• Accurate weights per category• Scores for each assignment and your final

grade are shown• Assignments not begun show a dash and are

not included in your grade• If not done by due date, they will become a

zero (0).

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Calendar

• All assignment due dates shown• Monthly View: Hover or click on date with

mouse for assignments• You can add your own events

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Upcoming events

• Upcoming Events• Looks ahead approximately 12-14 days

• A link to the Calendar is provided

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Where am I? What have I done? Activity Completion & Checklist

• Activity completion• Checklist

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Forums Search

• Useful for finding a particular post, such as your own

• “Advance Search” provides more criteria

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Online Users

• Is anyone alive and working?• Is the professor ever around?

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Videos

• Same list as those on my video link (Flash) and on the iTunes store

• Here for those who want to download videos• One more redundant place to get videos• Some browsers will attempt to stream these• Mobile devices (iPads and Androids) often try

to stream these

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Using Your Mobile Device

• “Responsive” design• Works from your mobile devices Internet

browser• No “pinching”• All features supported, including mobile file

systems and videos• Mobile app

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Problems?

• May need to refresh your browser• Oops webpage• Seems slow?

• Please let me know if you encounter any problems!

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Moodle Summary

• Do not get behind on assignments

• Moodle is “free” (open-source)

• Please provide ideas for improvement

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