As the College prepares to transition to online teaching, we’ll rely on some resources the College already possesses. One of our core tools is our Learning Management System (LMS), Moodle. It is familiar to students and to many faculty, making it a great place to start.

The purpose of this post is to illustrate what a typical week in an online Moodle course might look like. Feeling nervous about using Moodle for the first time? Not to worry! This format is particularly useful if one is new to online instruction and trying to get started. It is not designed to address every pedagogy or discipline, but it is a place to begin.

Keep in mind that as you start out, don’t worry about getting everything in place by Week One. Start with getting the basics of the course set up and the students enrolled. You can’t anticipate every need or step in the beginning. That’s okay!

A Typical Week in Moodle

Here is an example of what a typical week online in Moodle might look like:

General Section

At the General top section of Moodle, four features are present:

• An Announcements Forum that serves as the key communication method for reaching the students.
• A digital copy of the syllabus.
• A class preparation checklist with a Moodle Page resource.  You might have covered some of this in the syllabus, but are there specific online (non-Moodle) tools you’ll ask them to use?  Is there a website or service they’ll need to access or sign up for? What do students need for a successful Week One?
• A class Q&A Forum provides a central place to field questions about the course. Students will often populate this with clarifications about the schedule, technical questions, and general non-content topics.  If you need help answering a question, contact Josh and his team.

Week by Week Section

The first week (March 31 – April 6) models what a basic online learning class in Moodle might look like.

• Instructional material in the form of a PowerPoint, podcast, video lecture, link, and/or reading gives the students a common reference and provides the content for the week.  It can be accessed by the students on their own time.
• Attached to the instructional content is a discussion Forum where students can respond to your material.  It is helpful to have prompts and directions.
• A short Quiz can help review learning goals and provide a check-in incentive.  The goal is formative assessment and engagement.  Are they getting the right idea?
• Certain weeks might contain a more robust written assignment directed at a learning goal. Use the Assignment dropbox or the OU blog to receive student work.

Some of this content should be scheduled consistently to help students plan and keep a rhythm. For instance, the Quiz might be due regularly on Wednesday so the instructor can address trouble spots with Announcement messages or more instructional material. Also, when do you expect students to check-in to the discussion Forum for the first time?

There are more advanced Moodle tools and other resources to add variety, depth, and engagement to your course. However, the goal here is to provide one look at what a week in learning online with Moodle might look like if you need a place to begin.

A Few More Basic Tips

• Keep some future weeks hidden and open them at a consistent date during the week.  Keep the class together on schedule while allowing flexibility.
• It isn’t necessary to respond to every student post in every Forum.  Let them drive the discussion and intervene strategically.  Save many of your comments for a summary message through the announcements.
• Encourage students to use the Q&A Forum for common questions and clarification. This will save you from answering the same questions multiple times.

As always, we are here to help you and answer questions!

Want to Get Started?

Are you looking to get started with setting up your courses for the Spring quarter? To begin, visit our Moodle page to request your courses. From there, you will be equipped with further instruction on how to begin using Moodle.

Get Help!

Faculty support for Moodle is available through a number of means!

• Contact Josh Moon, Educational Technology Specialist
  • Email: Josh.Moon@kzoo.edu
  • Phone: 269.337.7415
• Visit our MOODLE-101 online documentation for help with managing a Moodle course.
• Moodle contextual help – when exploring settings, click any of the blue question mark icons for more information.
• Moodle HQ has an extensive MoodleDocs website with documentation and guides.

In the event that classes are unable to meet in-person, the College has a number of resources available to facilitate a transition to online instruction. The recommendations below are consistent with other institutions and form the essential plan of moving to online learning in a contingency situation. 

For implementation, questions, both technical and pedagogical, please contact:

Josh Moon
Educational Technology Specialist
josh.moon@kzoo.edu
269.337.7415

Core principles

• Keep teaching & learning: focus on your learning goals, adjust as best you can, be patient with students and technology, and realize that things will not be perfect.
• Work with what you have and to your strengths. Limit new technology that you are unfamiliar with and have to learn.
• Use audio, video, synchronous chats, web conferencing, visuals, and creativity to foster community and personalization as much as possible.
• Do not lose track of struggling students. Maintain connections with students who do not appear as engaged. They might have technical challenges, needs insecurity, and other challenges making it difficult to transition to the online environment.

How can I present material to students?

• Take advantage of quality instructional content offered by other educators.  Are there lectures, presentations, TED Talks, etc., that you can link to help instruct students?
• Our Kalamazoo College Library has videos, articles, eBooks, and other resources that are available on and off campus.  They are happy to help you integrate them into your online instruction as well.  To work with them, please contact reference@kzoo.edu.
• QuickTime supports screen recording and is an accessible solution for Mac users who wish to turn their PowerPoints and other applications into videos for students. Watch the Quicktime Screen Recording video on Youtube to understand the process.
• PowerPoint allows users to record narration and export the file as a video.
• Instructors also utilize other instructional methods including:
  • Drawing and writing instructions on a digital whiteboard such as OpenBoard.
  • Record an audio “podcast.”  You can use devices such as smartphones, iPads, or download a simple audio recorder to your desktop.
  • Perform low-tech lecture capture with a smartphone.
• Consider hosting video files outside of Moodle for student convenience.  Sharing large files is possible with OneDrive as part of our Office 365 suite.

If my class is unable to meet in person, how can we collaborate and work on class content together?

Moodle Based Tools

• The online discussion Forum is a classic tool for students to upload questions, supply responses, and make those posts accessible to other students.  Creating authentic dialogue and exchange can be challenging. Educause has 10 Tips for Effective Online Discussions.
• Switch to the online Assignments dropbox for submission and grading if you cannot receive physical papers.
• Moodle also supports audio recording. Consider including audio in grading feedback and discussion Forums to personalize and foster interaction beyond text.
• You can utilize online quizzes. Focus on formative assessment and learning support to limit questions about academic honesty.
• Since you will be relying a great deal on email, consider turning on notifications and subscriptions for features like Assignments, Forum, and other resources.

Other Tools

• A popular tool called Hypothesis allows private groups to annotate the text of webpages and PDF files (hosted on Moodle).  This can be used asynchronously for discussion or even synchronously where the class can “meet” at a text and annotate together in real-time.  The tool is free and open source.
• Padlet is a digital posting board that supports text boxes, images, links, video, etc.  Basic features are free. Rick Barth demoed Padlet during our Fall Faculty Colloquium.
• As a Microsoft school, all Kalamazoo College staff, faculty, and students have access to the online Office 365 suite. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and other resources available online for collaboration under a secure login.

Video conferencing

• The College possesses licenses for the video platform Zoom. Synchronous video chats should be seen as supplemental and not as full replacements for contact hours.  Instructors will have more success breaking students into groups for shorter, small chats. Contact Media Services for Zoom requests.
• The College is currently exploring our Microsoft resources to supply additional video meeting options.

Other concerns

• It is important to remember that students may not have access to computers, laptops, and high-speed data connections especially in a time of disruption. Keep this in mind when scheduling synchronous activities, expecting students to access large files, and accepting assignments. Use video strategically and in moderation.
• Before requiring students to install or sign-up for a supplemental technology, consider student privacy and data to ensure that accessibility, security, and FERPA are maintained. 
• If you wish to begin using the Moodle online grade book, please set up time with Josh Moon to get started. Collaboration in making sure the grade book works for your class will save frustration and time.

More resources

The online resources available to support contingency online instruction are numerous. Here are a few of the best and most helpful.

• Information Services has a COVID-19 Online Learning Plans Updates page meant to better inform our faculty of changes, instruction, and further technical direction in relation to the OLP.
• The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) has a page with numerous suggestions, links, and webinars. Note: some of these are links to professional development courses with a fee.
• Assay: A Journal of Nonfiction Studies has a particularly helpful repository.
• Though referencing their Canvas Learning Management System, Brown’s Inclusive Approaches to Support Student Assignments during Times of Disruption has suggestions including strategies for both languages and labs.

Return to all COVID-19 Online Learning Plan Updates