t virtual learning 2 environment (myinspire)oum.edu.my/pages/prospective/prospective/pdf/oumh1103...

INTRODUCTION

In this second topic, you will be introduced to a personal computer (PC) and shown how to surf the Internet. This is followed by a subtopic on how to use Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) and how to read a document in Portable Document Format (PDF).

Then, the topic will give you an overview of how to maximise your learning in OUMÊs online learning environment and use OUMÊs virtual learning environment known as myINSPIRE. It is hoped by the end of this topic, you will be able to make use of myINSPIRE to the fullest for your personalised and online learning.

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Virtual LearningEnvironment (myINSPIRE)

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

1. Describe the components of a personal computer and its relateddevices;

2. Explain the concept of the Internet and how to use it effectively;

3. Use Microsoft Internet Explorer effectively;

4. Use PDF tools to effectively read and navigate an online document;

5. Summarise OUMÊs virtual learning environment (myINSPIRE) and how it enhances your learning; and

6. Use the main components of myINSPIRE for online learning.

Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

TOPIC 2 MY VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (MYINSPIRE) 44

PERSONAL COMPUTER

The personal computer, popularly known as the PC, is the equipment used to communicate and retrieve information. All PCs have a similar basic structure which is made up of a number of hardware components and supporting devices as shown in Figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1: The hardware components of a PC and its related devices

What does each of these components and devices do? Let us look at their functions in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1: The Functions for PC Hardware Components and Devices

Component/Device Function

Central processing unit (CPU)

It processes the input data (from keyboard, mouse) and passes the data to the output components of the computer. It is also referred to as the brain of the computer.

Video display unit (VDU)

It presents to you the visual display of information that you input. It is commonly known as the monitor.

Keyboard This is an input device for typing text-based information. You are able to communicate with the computer through this equipment.

Mouse This is an input device used mainly to point and select items.

2.1


TOPIC 2 MY VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (MYINSPIRE)

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USB flash drive This is a data storage device that includes flash memory with integrated USB (universal serial bus) interface.

Printer This allows you to print on paper. It copies the information retrieved from the CPU, which you can also read on the screen.

Modem It is a device or program that enables a computer to transmit data over telephone or cable lines.

USB port It is a standard cable connection interface on personal computers and consumer electronics. It allows stand-alone electronic devices to be connected via cables to a computer.

CD-R/DVD-R drive A device to read data encoded digitally on a compact disc.

Now, let us relate the use of these hardware components to our next subtopic on the Internet.

Write down the hardware component that fits the function in the following table.

Hardware Components Functions

Displays the information that is keyed into the computer.

Is the main processing unit of the computer.

Device used for typing text-based information.

Is an input and output device that allows files to be stored.

SELF-CHECK 2.1



USING THE INTERNET

What can you say to describe the Internet?

The exact size of information available through the Internet is difficult to estimate and because there is so much information, finding what you want is not easy.

2.2.1 Internet

As stated before, the Internet is a large network of computers connecting smaller networks around the world. The computers communicate via a communication protocol called transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP).

2.2.2 Connecting to the Internet

Let us look into greater detail on Internet connection.

(a) Network Connection There are two modes of Internet connection which are wired and wireless. For wired network, we have the local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN), dial-up connection and broadband connection.

The Internet is often referred to as the worldÊs largest computer network or a collaborative collection of networks. It enables the exchange of information between computers.

2.2



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On the other hand, for wireless, the Internet can be accessed by using access points or hot spots. Your computer can also be connected to a wireless LAN or WAN or broadband. To further understand wired LAN, let us look at Figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2: Internet set-up for local area network (LAN)



(b) Dial-up Connection Now that you have learnt about network connection, you may begin to

wonder how your home personal computer is connected to the Internet. As a start, you must have the necessary computer equipments to make the connection to the Internet. These equipments are summarised in Table 2.2.

Table 2.2: Computer Equipments to Make Internet Connection

Equipment Description

Network card (if applicable)

A card used specially for your computer to connect to the Internet via network cable through LAN.

Modem A computer device that works as an interface between the computer and telephone line.

Software To connect to the Internet, you need to install the relevant software, for example e-mail and Web browser software.

Account number

Before connecting to the Internet, you need to obtain an Internet access account from the Internet service provider (ISP). In Malaysia, there are two major ISPs which are Telekom Malaysia, providing connections such as UNIFI and Streamyx, and Maxis Communications providing MaxisNet. There are other ISP players too, namely Celcom Broadband, and TimeNet. Each ISP requires each users to be registered first. As a user, you will have an ID and a password which you need to use each time connecting to the Internet.

During the early years of Internet, a dial-up connection was used to connect your PC to an Internet service provider through a telephone connection. A modem is required for a dial-up connection to convert the computerÊs digital signals to a form that can be transmitted over a telephone line. The modem accesses the telephone line, dials the number for your Internet service provider and then connects your computer to the Internet as shown in Figure 2.3.



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Figure 2.3: Connecting to Internet service provider (ISP)

(c) Broadband Connection

Besides dial-up connection, Internet service providers (ISPs) also provide broadband connection. Examples of broadband services available in the local market are Unifi by TMNet and Maxis High Speed Broadband from Maxis.

2.2.3 What Can You Do with the Internet?

Here are some of the useful aspects of being connected to the Internet. They are:

(a) Exchange e-mails with friends and colleagues;

(b) Interact in the online discussion forums;

(c) Search for information in the World Wide Web;

(d) Access and retrieve information from electronic databases;

(e) Send assignments;



(f) Do online assessment; and

(g) Access text based and multimedia information that includes sound, graphics, video and so on.

The given list is just a few of the many uses of the Internet. I am sure you sure can identify more and continue the list.

2.2.4 Understanding Internet Concepts

Let us look at some important Internet concepts which are:

(a) World Wide Web (WWW) The World Wide Web is the interface that enables users to access

information in multimedia formats from databases all over the world.

(b) Website A website is any site in the World Wide Web. Most websites have a

homepage as their starting point, which frequently functions as a table of contents for the site. A website consists of many Web pages (see Figure 2.4).

Figure 2.4: An example of the front page OUM website



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(c) Web Page A document on the World Wide Web. Usually, a Web page contains links to

other Web pages.

(d) Web Browser A Web browser is the software that allows you to view the Internet and

move around it. There are many Web browsers available to Internet users, some of the most popular ones are Microsoft Internet Explorer, Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

(e) Uniform Resource Locator (URL) Each website or Web page is identified by an address called a uniform

resource locator (URL). For example, the URL for the Open University Malaysia website is http://www.oum.edu.my/.

A URL can indicate to you where the information comes from, whether it is from an academic institution, government body or a company. Most website addresses have the following pattern:

http://www.oum.edu.my/newsletter.html

(i) http:// Stands for hypertext transfer protocol. It is the protocol used by the computer to access and deliver Web pages.

(ii) www A website held on a computer (also called a „server‰) known as www; this part of the address tells you where the computer that houses the information you are looking for is located.

(iii) .oum.edu The website of an academic institution („edu‰) which calls itself „oum‰. The „edu‰ part of the address is called the domain. As you travel through the World Wide Web, pay close attention to hosts. Generally speaking, government and organisation websites post information from their official records. You will be seeking credible information and most of the information posted at government websites is



documented, allowing you to validate your finding. Here are some host identifiers: .edu or .ac is for academic or educational organisation; .co or .com is for commercial organisation; .gov is for government organisation; .org is for non-governmental and non-profit organisations.

(iv) .my Denotes a country code. The code for Malaysia is .my, .au is for Australia, .fr for France and so on. This basically indicates where the computer site is located.

(v) /newsletter.html Is the file name.

(f) Hyperlink Many Web documents contain hyperlinks, which are links to other

locations. Hyperlinks are typically displayed as underlined text, graphical objects or pictures.

When you move the mouse pointer over a hyperlink, the mouse pointer takes on the shape of a hand with a finger pointing upward. To jump to the hyperlinked location, click the hyperlink.

2.2.5 Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE)

This subtopic describes the basic skills that you would need to use Microsoft Internet Explorer. We would like to indicate here that we are not promoting MSIE, but as we will discuss most of the MS Office applications in Topic 9, it will be appropriate to talk about MSIE as an example for a Web browser. The basic usage skills is almost the same for other Web browsers such as Chrome, Opera, Mozilla and so on.

Find the meaning of these domains:

(a) bbc.co.uk

(b) library.athabascau.ca

(c) www.pelanduk.com

(d) www.pnm.my

ACTIVITY 2.1



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(a) Starting Microsoft Internet Explorer

(i) The easiest way of starting Internet Explorer (IE) is by choosing the following steps:

Start Program Internet Explorer (see Figure 2.5).

Figure 2.5: How to start IE



(ii) Once that is done, you will go to the IE websiteÊs/homepage (Microsoft Network, MSN) as shown in Figure 2.6.

Figure 2.6: Default page in IE

(b) Using MSIE Navigation Bars Like MS Word, MS PowerPoint and MS Excel, MSIE has an almost similar

set of navigation bars (as shown in Figure 2.6). These navigation bars are:

(i) Title Bar The title bar is normally a coloured bar across the very top of your

screen which gives you the name of the website you have entered. At the end of that coloured bar are the keys for reducing, minimising and closing the screen.

(ii) Menu Bar This bar lists functions consisting of „File‰, „Edit‰, „View‰,

„Favorites‰, „Tools‰ and „Help‰ (some of these functions will be fully explained later).

(iii) Tool Bar This has the following button functions: „Back‰, „Forward‰,

„Reload/Refresh‰, „Home‰, „Mail‰, „Print‰ and so on (depending on your setting). These functions are described as follows:

Back This will take you back to the preceding web page, the one you viewed last.



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Forward This moves you to the next web page.

Refresh This reposts the current page.

Home At any time you are browsing the Web and want to go back to the start page, just hit the „Home‰ key and it will take you there.

Favorites (called Bookmarks in Chrome) provide shortcuts to the pages you visit most often. When you are on a Web page you may want to return to a previous Web page you visited earlier. Just click on the button titled „Favorites‰ and follow the directions.

Print This button sends a copy of the open page on your browser to the printer. It will print the page exactly as shown. If you want more options, click „File‰ at the menu bar, then „Print‰ and then follow directions.

(iv) Address Bar This displays the address (URL) of the page you are on. You can type

another Web address into this bar and click „Go‰ or „Enter‰ to go to a new website.

(c) Opening a Web Page Here is the formal way of opening a Web page or document:

(i) Choose „File‰ „Open‰. Internet Explorer displays the „Open‰ dialog box shown in Figure 2.7.

Figure 2.7: One method of opening a Web document



(ii) In the „Open‰ textbox, enter the address for the document or file you want to open, using any of the following methods:

Type the name of the document or file into the „Open‰ textbox. Click „OK‰; or

To open a document or file you have accessed recently, click the down-arrow button at the right end of the „Open‰ text box and select the file from the drop-down list. Click „OK‰.

There is a quicker way to open a Web page.

Click the Browse button. Internet Explorer displays the Microsoft Internet Explorer dialog box.

Note: The most common way of accessing Web pages is using the URL of the Web page. Type the Web address into the address bar (see Figure 2.6), press return/enter and the site should be presented on screen.

(d) Saving a Document You might want to save a copy of a Web page to your hard disk so that you

can examine it in detail when your computer is offline.

To save the current page, choose „File‰ ‰Save As‰. Internet Explorer displays the „Save Webpage‰ dialog box (see Figure 2.8). Choose a location for the file as usual, specify a filename, and click the „Save‰ button. Internet Explorer closes the „Save as‰ dialog box and saves the file.



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Figure 2.8: „Save as‰ dialog box

(e) Printing a Web Document These are two methods of printing a Web document and the steps are:

(i) To print a Web page you are viewing, click the „Print‰ button on the toolbar. Internet Explorer prints the page without displaying the „Print‰ dialog box.



(ii) To display the „Print‰ dialog box so that you can choose printing options, choose „File‰ „Print‰. Internet Explorer displays the „Print‰ dialog box as in Figure 2.9. You may use the properties in the dialog box (such as size, source, reading) to modify the output according to your preferred style.

Figure 2.9: „Print‰ dialog box

(iii) Click „Print‰ to print.

(f) Favorites The Web is proving to be a good source of information. Most of the browsers you use to „read‰ the Web have a built-in system to enable you to store useful websites so that you can go back and look at them again later. Explorer calls these saved websites as „Favorites‰.

You can use „Favorites‰ to pay a visit to the Web or gather together useful Web sites, in much the same way as you might make a trip to the library, where you might gather books and journal articles to look at more closely in the future.



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Any time you discover a site that you know you would want to return to, you can add a shortcut for that site to the „Favorites‰ folder. To return to a favourite site, you can select it from „Favorites‰. Here are the steps to use the „Favorites‰ folder:

(i) Click the „Favorites‰ button on the standard buttons toolbar.

(ii) Choose „Favorites‰ „Add to Favorites‰. The „Add a Favourite‰ dialog box will appear as in Figure 2.10.

Figure 2.10: „Add a Favorites‰ dialog box

(iii) Edit the „Favorites‰ name (keeping in mind that short names are easier to find on your „Favorites‰ bar or „Favorites‰ menu).

(iv) Select the name of the folder in which the „Favorites‰ should reside (choose either „Create in‰ or „New Folder‰ if the folder you want does not exist yet).

(v) However, if the „Create in‰ button is chosen, you can save in existing folders.

(vi) If „New Folder‰ is selected, give a name to your folder.

(vii) Click „Add‰ when the operation is completed.



2.2.6 Portable Document Format (PDF)

What do you understand about PDF? To know more about PDF let us look at the following description:

(a) Introduction There are many types of format of files in the websites such as MS Word,

MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, PDF, HTML and so on. As such, it is important to know how to navigate these files or documents. One of the most popular formats is the Portable Document Format (PDF). PDF was developed by Adobe Systems and was designed to exchange documents between computers and across computer platforms while maintaining file integrity. This means the content of the file cannot be easily changed. The file extension is .pdf and it has become a standard document format used for document exchange.

Acrobat Reader is the viewer for reading .pdf files and has tools for file handling, navigation, viewing and basic tools for creating selections.

(b) Adobe® Acrobat® Reader Knowing the Acrobat viewer environment and navigating a document in

Acrobat viewer is a fundamental task. The more you know, the faster you can move around in Acrobat viewer.

(c) Download and Installation of Acrobat Reader Adobe® Acrobat® Reader can be installed free of charge from the Adobe

website at http://www.adobe.com.

(d) Navigating and Viewing PDF Documents If you have not yet used an Acrobat viewer, you will want to carefully look

over the pages in this section to learn how you can navigate, view and search PDF documents. You can open a PDF file in Acrobat Reader (see Figures 2.11) or in the browser (and Figure 2.12).

(i) Use the scroll bar on the right of the screen to read the Web pages.

(ii) Use the text icon to highlight text. To copy this highlighted text, click the right mouse button once and then click „Copy‰.

(iii) Use the magnifier (magnifying glass) by clicking on the icon to have a bigger document view.

(iv) Use the find tool (binoculars) to locate keywords.



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Figure 2.11: An opened PDF document in Acrobat Reader

Figure 2.12: A PDF document as viewed in the browser (Chrome)



(e) Saving PDF Files To save a .pdf Ôle, click on the „diskette‰ icon.

(i) Refer back to Figure 2.12. To save the file, click the icon.

(ii) You will get a dialog box (see Figure 2.13).

Figure 2.13: A dialog box for saving a file

(iii) Save the file as you would do when in an MS Office environment.

(f) Printing PDF Files To print PDF files, either go to „File‰, select print or click on the „Printer‰ icon. If you use the „File‰ menu, you will see a dialog box. You can choose your options, especially the pages to print.



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(g) Viewing PDF Document on Mobile Phones In order to view PDF files on your mobile phone, you are required to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader mobile apps from the Play Store/App Store.

OUM’S VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

The knowledge and skills that we have learnt on using the Internet in the previous Subtopic 2.2 will come in handy when you access and navigate OUMÊs virtual learning environment called myINSPIRE (see Figure 2.14). myINSPIRE was customised from the well-known Moodle open-source LMS.

Figure 2.14: myINSPIRE logo

What is a virtual learning environment? A virtual learning environment like myINSPIRE is a web-based e-learning platform to provide online learning environment in OUM. It enables OUM to manage, deliver course content and track online discussions between the learners and tutors. The tutors can upload course content, assessment items and other course materials and there is an online discussion forum that enables collaborative online learning to take place. Of course, to what extent you gain from the collaborative online learning depends on the quality of postings and active participation from you and your peers.

myINSPIRE is best viewed using Mozilla Firefox browser for desktops and Google Chrome for mobile phones.

2.3



2.3.1 Getting Started with myINSPIRE

myINSPIRE is integrated with the OUM portal. As such, once you login to the OUMÊs website (see Figure 2.15), you are able to access myINSPIRE.

Figure 2.15: OUMÊs login on its webpage

Before you can access myINSPIRE from the OUM website, you must sign up or register to open an OUM account. If this is your first time logging in, click on the line „First Time Login‰ on the OUM website. Ensure that your password is correct. If you have problems logging in, you need to contact the OUM learner services centre to ensure that you are registered as an active OUM learner.



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In Table 2.3 we will take you through step-by-step on how to register for an OUM account.

Table 2.3: Step-by-Step on How to Register for an OUM Account

Step Description

Step 1 When the OUM Webpage is displayed, click on the ‰First Time Login‰ button (Figure 2.16).

Figure 2.16: „First time login‰ from OUM website

Step 2 After which you will be in a new screen as shown in Figure 2.17. Key in your IC number, without the hyphen ( ) and click the „Submit‰ button.

Figure 2.17: Method of keying-in IC Number (myOUM is new registration verification page)



Step 3 Fill in the account registration information as shown in Figure 2.18.

Figure 2.18: Student account registration page

After you have clicked „Submit‰, you will get the registration confirmation page as shown in Figure 2.19.

Figure 2.19: myOUM portal new confirmation page

Step 4 After you have successfully completed myOUM account registration process, you can now access the myOUM portal using the selected username and password (refer to Figure 2.19). Your username is valid throughout the duration of your study with OUM and it cannot be changed. However, you can change your password as and when you wish.



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Step 5 Now let us go back to the OUM website. Enter your registered user name and password in order to log into myOUM portal and eventually to access myINSPIRE (Figure 2.20).

Figure 2.20: OUM login menu

Step 6 You will be in the myOUM portal if your Step 5 above was successful. In the myOUM portal page, you will get access to myProfile, eServices, e-mail, Assignment System, Library, Resources, OUM doc, Help, myCourse and Quick Links, announcement and Online Evaluation Survey as shown in Figure 2.21. In order to access myINSPIRE, click on the myCourse icon.

Figure 2.21: myOUM portal

Note: From myOUM portal, you are able to access the „Announcement‰ page. This is where you will find all the important announcements such as the important dates of upcoming events like the beginning of tutorials, downloading and submitting assignment, examinations, special events, convocation ceremonies and many more.



Step 6 (contÊd)

We highly recommend that you visit this page often so that you can keep up to date with all the happenings at OUM as shown in Figure 2.22.

Figure 2.22: Announcement page

Other components of myOUM portal are link to e-mail, link to digital library, your profile page and e-services that provide various administrative e-forms.

2.3.2 Accessing myINSPIRE

myINSPIRE has been designed to be intuitively accessible it can be easily accessed with very little or no instruction from desktop or mobile phones. As mentioned earlier, you must click „myCourse‰ icon on the OUM portal page (also known as myOUM portal) in order to access myINSPIRE (see Figure 2.23).

Figure 2.23: Click „myCourse‰ icon to access myINSPIRE



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Once you do that, the main page of myINSPIRE will appear as shown in Figure 2.24.

Figure 2.24: Main page of myINSPIRE; your registered subjects are displayed here

On the main page of myINSPIRE, you can see all the subjects that you have registered in the current semester. Just click one of the subjects to explore the course page in myINSPIRE as shown in Figure 2.25.

Figure 2.25: Course page will be displayed once you have clicked your registered subject



Besides showing the subjects that you have registered, the main page also has the following blocks on its right panel:

(a) Calendar; and

(b) Upcoming events.

The alternative way to access myINSPIRE directly is through http://inspire.oum.edu.my/ as shown in Figure 2.26. Here, you can login using your OUMÊs user name and password.

Figure 2.26: Direct access to myINSPIRE via http://inspire.oum.edu.my/



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2.3.3 How myINSPIRE Enhances Your Learning

In the earlier subtopic, we looked at how to access myINSPIRE. Now, we will look into how myINSPIRE can support open and distance learning, especially your online learning environment. Although there are a number of tools, we will only discuss the menus and tools that will enhance your personalised and collaborative online learning experience. We can categorise the benefits of these tools into four aspects as illustrated in Figure 2.27.

Figure 2.27: Four benefits of myINSPIRE



You can check out the functions of other tools on your own by filling up Table 2.4.

Table 2.4: Set of Tools and Functions in myINSPIRE

Tools Function

Announcement

Course content

Useful resources

Quiz

FAQs

Forum

LEARNING COMPONENTS IN myINSPIRE

The main components of a course page in myINSPIRE are:

(a) Course announcement section;

(b) Link to assignment system;

(c) Quiz;

(d) Access to contents such as e-module;

(e) Video lectures;

(f) FaQs;

(g) Video conferencing;

(h) Forum; and

(i) „Other useful resources‰ section.

2.4



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All the components listed are available on the navigation block on the left side of the course page. When you click any of the components of the subject, its contents will appear on the middle of the page (refer Figure 2.28). We will explore all these components in more detail in the next subtopic.

Figure 2.28: Structure of myINSPIRE course page

Besides the components listed above, the course page of myINSPIRE has the following blocks on the right section of the course page for your quick reference (refer Figure 2.28):

(a) Level up!: It indicates your participation performance for the particular subject in myINSPIRE. The maximum level is 10. Challenge yourself to score the maximum 10 points.

(b) Latest news: Announcement made in „Course Announcement‰ section will be captured here as well as a quick alert. You have to check this block regularly.



(c) Recent activity: As an alert, any recent activities from the e-tutor and your peers will be indicated here. You have to also check this block regularly.

(d) Search forums: You may search for the existing forum postings from your peers and e-tutors here for your quick reference.

2.4.1 Course Announcement

Important announcements with regard to the course from the faculty are published here (see Figure 2.29). Please check this section regularly for more updates or announcements about the course.

Figure 2.29: Click the „Course Announcement‰ link to view the announcement page



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2.4.2 Assignment

You can access and submit the assignment online using our assignment management system. Just click the „Assignment‰ link on the navigation block to access Assignment Management System via myINSPIRE (see Figure 2.30).

Figure 2.30: Click the „Assignment‰ link in order to go to the Assignment Management

System



Let us look at Table 2.5 which shows us the steps to download and submit assignment via the Assignment Management System.

Table 2.5: Step-by-Step Guide to Download and Submit Assignment using Assignment Management System (Accessible from myINSPIRE)

Step Description

Step 1 At myINSPIRE, click „Assignment‰ link as shown in Figure 2.30. A new page will be displayed. In this page you will get a „List of Assignments‰ (according to your registered subjects) that have been uploaded in the Assignment System (see Figure 2.31). Select your subject.

Figure 2.31: List of assignments

Step 2 Click „Download‰ (see Figure 2.32) to download the assignment question.

Figure 2.32: Assignment question to download



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Step 3 To submit the assignment, you may follow the same steps. However, you need to click on the „Submission‰ tab (Figure 2.33).

Figure 2.33: Click the „Submission‰ tab to submit your assignment answer Then on the submission page, click „Browse‰ to search for the file and click „Submit‰ to send the assignment (Figure 2.34).

Figure 2.34: Assignment submission



Step 4 Click „OK‰ to submit the assignment (Figure 2.35) and „Cancel‰ to reupload.

Figure 2.35: Assignment submission

Step 5 Figure 2.36 shows a pop-up that will appear upon successful submission.

Figure 2.36: Successful assignment submission



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Step 6 A digital receipt will be displayed this is confirmation that your assignment has been successfully submitted. You are advised to print the receipt out for your record.

Figure 2.37: Example of a digital receipt for your record

2.4.3 Quiz

You can self-evaluate your learning knowledge using practice questions available in „Quiz‰. This tool also allows you to test yourself as many times as you wish at your own pace, in comfort and at your own time. Table 2.6 tells you the steps on how to access this tool.



Table 2.6: Step-by-Step on How to Access Self-assessment Quiz Questions

Step Description

Step 1 Click „Quiz‰ on the navigation block of myINSPIRE (see Figure 2.38).

Figure 2.38: Link to quiz

Step 2 Once you have done the above step, the quiz page will be displayed as shown in Figure 2.39. You may now attempt to answer the quiz questions.

Figure 2.39: Quiz page



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2.4.4 Course Content

Course content such as e-module can be viewed and downloaded by clicking the „Contents‰ link on the navigation block (Figure 2.40).

Figure 2.40: Click the „Contents‰ link to view and download the module of the subject



When you click the „Contents‰ link, it will be expanded as shown in Figure 2.41.

Figure 2.41: Components of „Contents‰

Figure 2.42: View, print and download the entire module from myINSPIRE (viewed from Mozilla browser)



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Figure 2.43: View, print and download the entire module from myINSPIRE (viewed from Google Chrome)

Figure 2.44: View, print and download the entire module from myINSPIRE (viewed from Internet Explorer)



Figure 2.45 shows you how the topics of a particular module will be displayed.

Figure 2.45: In myINSPIRE, modules are arranged in topics and can be downloaded



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2.4.5 Video Lectures

Video lectures are provided in the „Video Lectures‰ link as shown in Figure 2.46.

Figure 2.46: Click „Video Lectures‰ to view the list of video lectures



When you click the link, the video lectures for the subject will appear as shown in Figure 2.47.

Figure 2.47: Components of the „Video Lectures‰ which are arranged according to the topics

When you select one of the video links, the full video will appear in the embedded form (Figure 2.48).

Figure 2.48: Video lecture will be displayed once you click on the appropriate topic



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2.4.6 FaQ

FaQ section (Figure 2.49) contains all the frequently asked questions that are arranged according to the topics (see Figure 2.50).

Figure 2.49: Click the „FaQs‰ link to view the FaQs



Figure 2.50: Components of the „FaQs‰ which are arranged according to the topics



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2.4.7 Other Useful Resources

Important website links and external resources that are related to the subject are provided in this section (see Figure 2.51).

Figure 2.51: Click the „Other Useful Resources‰ link to view external resources for the

course



2.4.8 Video Conferencing

myINSPIRE also supports real-time communication in the form of video conferencing. This video conferencing can become a virtual classroom (Figure 2.52).

Figure 2.52: Click the „Virtual Classroom‰ in order to take part in the virtual classroom.

The virtual classroom is available only if your e-tutor has scheduled the session



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Your e-tutor will set the time and date for the virtual classroom. In order to take part in this virtual classroom, ensure your desktop or laptop has a webcam and a good audio system. Figure 2.53 shows you an example of a virtual classroom.

Figure 2.53: Example of a virtual classroom from myINSPIRE

2.4.9 Forum

myINSPIRE allows you to interact, communicate and learn from your tutor and peers anytime and anywhere. To carry out collaborative learning, you are provided with the forum facility. The online discussion forum acts as your virtual classroom where discussions on important issues related to the content in the learning module should be held. In our training for e-tutors, we have advised them that they should initiate the discussion. As soon as you see a discussion topic up in the discussion forum, please read, reflect and provide a focused answer. Bear in mind you are not only required to answer the question posed by your e-tutor, but you are also required to read answers given by your peers and respond to them as well as post your own queries. At this point, we would like to highlight to you that questions that need direct answers should not be brought up in the discussion forum. An example of such a question is, „What is OUMÊs blended learning approach?‰ For questions of such nature, you should take the initiative to seek the answer on your own.



This online discussion via forum is an asynchronous communication tool where you can interact and discuss a specific topic with your e-tutors and peers. It is a collaborative tool that encourages the sharing of ideas.

The forum is probably one of the most useful functions of myINSPIRE. What does the forum stand for? The forum is like a chat room, a classroom and a resource centre all rolled into one. This is where you can engage your fellow learners, tutors and often even the subject matter experts (SMEs) in the respective courses that you are taking. It is like a 24-hour classroom where you can get clarification on the issues raised in the course and answers to questions that you need to ask.

However, a word of caution, while the forum is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the people are not on it all the time. They are people just like you, they too, have their lives and commitments. Thus, they go on the forum whenever they have the time. So while the forum is 24/7, the people on it are not. Sometimes when there are many people online, you can get responses to your questions immediately. Sometimes when people are busy, you will just have to wait. More importantly, you are also an essential part of the myINSPIRE forum. This is where you can share your opinions and thoughts. Sharing knowledge never diminishes, rather it is always enriching. So, if you know the answers to the questions that your fellow learners ask, why not share your knowledge. Maybe you will also gain a different perspective or a new insight on issues or questions when you share.



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How to Access the Forum In order to access the forum, click the „Forum‰ link on the navigation block (see Figure 2.54).

Figure 2.54: Click the „Forum‰ link in order to post message to your e-tutor or/and peers



The forum is arranged according to the topics as shown in Figure 2.55.

Figure 2.55: Forum are divided into various folders; when posting a new message, select

the appropriate folder

The forum is arranged according to General discussions, Topics and Helpful Resources (Figure 2.55).

If you want to post a question, please select the correct folder in order to post your question. When you click a particular topic folder, the forum page for the topic will appear (Figure 2.56). When you post a message, you must provide a subject name and a message (see Figure 2.57).



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Figure 2.56: View of forum in one of the folders

Figure 2.57: Forum interface

You may also attach files in your posting. This is what the e-forum looks like inside one of the folders (Figure 2.56). On this page, you can discuss and exchange ideas, work together and much more on the specific topic in the course. This helps you to concentrate on the topic at any one time you enter the e-forum. More importantly, you will see the thread of conversation to which you have contributed and the responses from your fellow learners. The livelier this e-forum is, the more useful it can be for individual learners. The most important aspect of this virtual learning environment is to give you the feel of studying with fellow learners. It reminds you that you are not alone and there are people around you who can lend you a hand. So, why not lend a hand to your fellow learners and benefit together from the interaction?



Note: You may search the forum before posting your question as your question may had been posted by your peer and been replied by the e-tutor. „Search forums‰ normally will appear on the right-section of the myINSPIRE course page (see Figure 2.58).

Figure 2.58: You may search for posting using appropriate keyword

SWITCHING SUBJECT AND NAVIGATION STRUCTURE IN myINSPIRE

In order to switch to your other registered subject in myINSPIRE, just click „Dashboard‰ on the navigation path or „My courses‰ on the current page in order to select other registered subject as shown in Figure 2.59.

Figure 2.59: Choosing your other registered subject in myINSPIRE

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If you are in a course page and unsure to move to the previous page or to other location on the course page, just click the right location on the navigation path appearing at the upper-section of the course page as shown in Figure 2.60.

Figure 2.60: Navigation path at the top enables you to go back the appropriate page in a

single click

MOBILE LEARNING VIA myINSPIRE

Mobile learning via myINSPIRE is supported through mobile website using the Internet browser in your mobile phone (such as Chrome, Mozilla) as shown in Figure 2.61.

Figure 2.61: myINSPIRE viewed from the phoneÊs mobile browser

2.6



Alternatively, you may download mobile apps from Play Store (Android phones) or App Store (iPhones) and install it in your phone. There are few mobile apps for Moodle. Please download the official one from Moodle Corp (Moodle Pty Ltd) as shown in Figure 2.62.

Figure 2.62: MoodleÊs mobile apps for myINSPIRE

The steps to download mobile apps are explained in Table 2.7.

Table 2.7: Steps to Download Mobile Apps

Step Description

Step 1 Install MoodleÊs mobile apps for myINSPIRE from Google Play/App Store (Figure 2.63).

Figure 2.63: MoodleÊs mobile apps for myINSPIRE



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Step 2 Tap the MoodleÊs mobile apps on your mobile phone (Figure 2.64).

Figure 2.64: Tap the MoodleÊs mobile apps to launch the log-in page of myINSPIRE

Steps 3 Enter „inspire.oum.edu.my‰ for the site address (Figure 2.65) and then tap the „Connect‰ button.

Figure 2.65: Enter the myINSPIRE URL address



Steps 3 (contÊd)

Next, you must log-in by entering your OUMÊs user name and password (Figure 2.66).

Figure 2.66: Enter your OUMÊs user name and password

Step 4 Your registered subjects will appear. Click „Contents‰ on any of your registered subjects in order to visit its course page (Figure 2.67).

Figure 2.67: Click „Contents‰ from any of your registered subjects to view the subject contents



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Step 4 (contÊd)

Once you have done that, the content page will be displayed (Figure 2.68).

Figure 2.68: The content page of the selected course



IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON myOUM PORTAL

In this last subtopic, you will learn the various important information on myOUM portal. Now let us look at the following:

(a) How to Change Password at OUM Portal You may change your password from „myAccount‰ icon available on myOUM portal (see Figure 2.69).

Figure 2.69: Change your password from myAccount icon

(b) How to Check Your Academic and Financial Status You may change your academic and financial status from „myProfile‰ icon available on myOUM portal (see Figure 2.70).

Figure 2.70: Check your academic profile and financial status via myProfile icon

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(c) Helpdesk If you encounter any problem while using myOUM portal and myINSPIRE, there is a HELPDESK assistant to assist you. E-mail us at [email protected] or call us at 03-2773 2325/2283.

(d) myINSPIRE Manual You can access myINSPIRE manual from myOUM portal.

(e) Additional Information Visit the OUM portal regularly to get the latest information/ announcements about myINSPIRE.

The hardware components of a personal computer are central processing unit

(CPU), video display unit (VDU), keyboard, mouse, CD-R/DVD-R drive and USB port. PC-related devices are printer, USB flash drive and modem.

The Internet is a large network of computers connecting smaller networks around the world. The computers communicate via a communication protocol called transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP). Internet enables the exchange of information between computers.

Some of the useful aspects of Internet are e-mails with friends and colleagues, interact in the online discussion forums, search for information in the World Wide Web, do online assessment and many more.

Microsoft Internet Explorer is a browser that you can use as a tool for virtual learning environment. You can use it to access myINSPIRE at http://inspire.oum.edu.my.

1. Name three tools in myINSPIRE that allow sharing of file andinformation.

2. How can an open and distance learner in OUM benefit from usingmyINSPIRE?

3. Differentiate between OUM website, myOUM portal andmyINSPIRE.

SELF-CHECK 2.2



Portable Document Format (PDF) was developed by Adobe Systems and designed to exchange documents between computers and across computer platforms while maintaining file integrity. This means the content of the file cannot be easily changed. The file extension is .pdf. It has become a standard document format used for document exchange.

Acrobat Reader is the viewer for reading .pdf files. It has tools for file handling, navigation, viewing and basic tools for creating selections.

OUMÊs virtual learning environment is called myINSPIRE and was customised from the well-known Moodle open-source learning management system.

myINSPIRE is a web-based e-learning platform to provide online learning environment in OUM. It enables OUM to manage, deliver course content and track online discussions of the learners and tutors. It is integrated with the OUM portal; once you login to the OUMÊs website, you are able to access myINSPIRE.

In addition, myINSPIRE has been designed to be intuitively accessible it can be easily accessed with very little or no instruction from desktop or mobile phones.

There are four benefits of myINSPIRE which will enhance your personalised and collaborative online learning. These benefits are:

Self-assessment;

Course materials and references;

Communication and collaborative learning; and

Sharing resources and information.

The main components of myINSPIRE for online learning are:

Course announcement section;

Linked to assignment system;

Quiz;

Access to contents such as e-module;

Video lectures;



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FaQs;

Video conferencing;

Forum; and

„Other useful resources‰ section.

Internet

Online learning

myINSPIRE

myCourse

myOUM portal

Personal computer

Virtual learning environment
