Preparing Students to Use Moodle

An important part of using Moodle with your students is helping them understand what it is, and how they can get the most out of it. If students are using Moodle for the first time, they may struggle with the new environment and will benefit from clear demonstrations and an easy-to-use support system. Providing clear outlines of the scope and role of Moodle in their learning can make the experience more positive and fruitful, and can reduce drop-out rates.

IssuesHere are some of the issues worth noting:

Computer accessMake sure users have access to fairly recent computers with fast Internet connections. A slow connection can make the Moodle experience very frustrating. It's also worth reminding them to download the most recent browsers. Java should be enabled on their machines if they are going to use add-on modules like Nanogong.

IT SkillsSo-called digital natives—students who grew up using computers—will probably have no problem finding their way around Moodle, but older students, or students whose education didn't include computer-based classes, might find it useful to follow some basic computer literacy classes first. It's also a good idea to set up a good support system for these users (see later).

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Approach to learningSome students might be more used to a teacher-led course, so it'll be a bit of shock to find that they are now more responsible for their own learning. To help students, it's worth pointing out the benefits of Moodle. Many of the positive ideas in Chapter 1 could serve as a starting point. In my experience, students particularly like the following aspects of Moodle:

They can repeat many activities as often as they wantTheir marks are kept secret from other usersThere's a wide range of media available for learningThey can see all their marks in one place (gradebook)They can learn more and faster by taking advantage of a wealth or resources and links we make available and interacting more often with other course membersThey can customize various sections of Moodle, such as My Moodle (Chapter 2, Getting Started with Moodle), blogs and personal profiles (Chapter 7, Writing Activities), and E-portfolios (Chapter 10, Extended Activities)

If Moodle is part of a Blended Learning course—part face-to-face and part online—Moodle will no doubt impact on face-to-face sessions, as students may have done more preparation, exploration, and analysis outside the classroom than in traditional classroom-based classes.

First-time usersIn our classrooms we often introduce students to a new project by discussing pros and cons, giving an outline, and maybe including a quick quiz to see if students understand what they're about to do. You could consider using Moodle in the same way. Forums are very easy to set up (Chapter 4, Speaking Activities) and use, and are a good place to orientate students. You could use the Quiz module for quick orientation quizzes.

NetiquetteIt's important that students are polite, respectful, and patient when interacting with each other on Moodle. It's worth agreeing a code of conduct for your group. There are more ideas on this in Chapter 3, Vocabulary Activities, Activity 7.

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PrivacyMake it clear how much privacy students have. Show them that they can edit their personal profile settings to make their email addresses available or not. Also, let students know that teachers and administrators can track all their activity and read all messages.

Demonstrating MoodleMany students report that they prefer to see demonstrations of how to use Moodle rather than read about it or listen to presentations about it. It's still useful to have documentation available for students to refer to at a later stage, but it's worth including visual demonstrations for new students. Many visual demonstrations and documents are already available. Here are some that may be of help:

Ready-made visual demonstrationsScreencasts mentioned in Chapter 2, Getting Started with MoodleSlidecasts (http://slideshare.net): search for "Moodle"Videos (http://youtube.com): search for "Moodle"

Making your own demonstrationsIt's easier than you might think to make your own slidecasts or screencasts. First you'll need screencast software (see the list in Chapter 2, Getting Started with Moodle). To make a screencast, you turn the screencast recorder on and then click on the steps you want students to see. Many screencast programs allow you to highlight the cursor on the page and zoom in to specific parts of the page, too. While you're recording the screen moves, you can also record a narrative.

What should you demonstrate?Here are just a few of the activities you could demonstrate in a screencast or slidecast:

How to log onHow to enroll and unenroll on a courseHow to edit your personal profileOverview of key Moodle featuresHow to navigate in Moodle

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How to find a courseHow to do various Moodle activitiesHow to use a blockHow to use the gradebookHow to use Nanogong or Audacity

I've had a lot of positive feedback from students who start their Moodle experience with a hands-on session in a computer room where they can watch a demonstration and get immediate help with basics from the teacher. After an initial session, most students are able to manage by themselves.

SupportFinally, consider what sort of on-going support would be most useful for your students. While there are generic support pages available on sites like http://docs.moodle.org/en/, http://moodle.smith.edu/mod/glossary/view.php?id=69152, or http://moodle.bath.ac.uk/faq/, it's a good idea to make your own pages that relate specifically to your Moodle site. The advantages are that:

You can personalize and/or brand the documentationAny images you use look like the website that students see, making it easier to useYou can make sure any add-ons are covered in your documentation

Making your own documentationThe simplest form of documentation is a Moodle web page. To create one, click on Turn editing on on your course page. Select Add a resource.... Then select Compose a web page. Alternatively, select Link to a file or website. You can then add Word documents, PDFs, or PowerPoint presentations to your course home page. Don't forget to include as many screenshots as possible to make it easier for students to follow the process. The software you need for screen capture is listed in Chapter 2, Getting Started with Moodle.

One use of the Glossary module is to set up your own FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page, like the moodle.smith one mentioned above. See Chapter 3, Vocabulary Activities for more information on setting up Glossaries. Remember to change the display format option to FAQ.

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The key thing is that students know where to go for help in case something goes wrong. You could also consider using the add-on block called Trouble Ticket Block. That enables students to establish direct contact with a support person.

The whole Moodle site will benefit if you set up a continual feedback loop. You could use forums or questionnaire surveys (as in Chapter 8, Listening Activities, Activity 6) to get feedback from students on what they find easy to use and what they need help with. That information could help you enhance your documentation, or help you identify topics for new screencasts. Students tend to have a very positive feeling about this type of responsiveness. They feel supported, and the course quality gets better.