MOODLE – A pedagogical tool, or post and run?

Allyson Roberts FCSH, 2008

Moodle in practice in Higher Education

• How can learning needs be supported by Moodle?

• How can learning tasks be designed to deepen learning - to avoid “post and run”?

Some examples of practice

What is Moodle? - (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment)

• a place for creating learning opportunities

• enabling learning through doing• in a virtual environment.

The design of Moodle is based on

socio constructivist theory;

an inquiry-based and discovery-based approach to learning.

Blended learning

Methodology I on the Masters course is:

• face-to -face (f2f),• supported by Moodle.

Task/course design needs to account for both learning situations.

A move away from transmission and delivery to active engagement with materials and each other.

What do learners need?

• a sense of community

• dialogue with others through meaningful co-operation

• active learning – with meaningful, relevant examples and problems

• flexibility of pathways – individual and group

• choices of activities to tap into their strengths and needs

• to do things at their own level and in own time

• clear objectives and assessment

• feedback

• to reflect on processes and product of learning

(adapted from Palloff and Pratt, 2003)

What can Moodle offer the learner?

Different tools to support learning through:

• Socialisation• Individualised learning• Collaborative channels• Discipline related terminology• Opportunity for

collaborative/knowledge building tasks

• Reflective processes• Feedback, grading, comment

Socialising: promoting a sense of community of learners

Care and share

Get dialogue going and growing

Establish good practice of engagement

Individualised learning/varied approach

SCAFFOLDED TASKS DESIGN• Learning at own pace• Learning at own level• Getting personalised feedback• Repeating learning tasks• Approach learning task from different

orientations• Reflecting on product and process

‘Lesson’ module in Moodle

Individualised learning pathway

• series of questions /quiz questions• multiple choice/true false format• giving scores and explaining responses to

students answers• opportunity for feedback from tutor• variety of learning tasks in the process possible

Let’s have a look ……………

Engagement with:

Co-learners

Profession/Situated learning

self

Tasks

Teacher/tutor

Learning resources

Engagement

• Constructivist approaches to learning advocate allowing learners not only to interact directly with information to be learned, but also to add their own information and construct their own relationships. (Chun & Plass 2000).

How can Moodle support this flexibility?

Engagement through Moodle tools

• Chat• Forum• Group spaces• Group writing tasks – wiki

THROUGH COLLABORATIVE – CO-OPERATIVE TASKS

• Planning• Sharing ideas and opinions• Making sense of learning

input• Small group setups 5/6• Collaborative text

productions

Chat session towards collaborative task

Attend international

conferences online:

IATEFL

Join discussion forums in the Special Interest Groups (SIGs).

Moodle supportThings Moodle!

1. Free Moodle download, supported by the Moodle community and hundreds of forums and examples of Moodle in practice.

http://moodle.org/2. A site for language teachers who want to play around using Moodle to get an

idea of how it works.http://moodleflair.com/moodle/index.php3. Introductory and Advanced courses in how to use Moodle, online with the E-

Consultants.http://www.theconsultants-e.com/courses/moodle/index.asp 4. Cole, J and Foster, H (2007) Using Moodle - Teaching with the Popular

Open Source Management System, O’Reilly Community Press.

Dra. Allyson Roberts, FCSH, Universidade Nova de Lisboa allyson.roberts@mail.telepac.pt