Building an introductory module in the Moodle learning management system (LMS) was both a fun and frustrating experience.
I started the assignment by selecting a course title, “Instructional Design for Online Learning.” Then, I did a needs assessment by first determining my audience (learners of a distance education or educational technology program) and their needs. I set topics and learning objectives for the first module accordingly, and chose resources and activities to help meet those objectives. Next, I completed the design by writing content to tie pages and activities together, and determined a module structure. The module was designed with a constructivist approach; topical content was kept to a minimum, so that learners could explore, reflect and form their own ideas from the resources and hopefully collaborate in online activities (such as the discussion forums) for social learning. My course assumes participants are adult learners, either already working in course design or planning to be, i.e. they have experience as instructors or they have worked (or will) with instructors (or subject matter experts) to develop courses. They don’t necessarily have to have experience with online courses, which is why a poll has been incorporated into the module (to assess this). Finally, the first module was designed to be accessed asynchronously during the first week of study.
I chose to design this module the same way that the instructors I work with at my institution would, where the Course Outline or syllabus is always a separate resource for learners. Thus, I didn’t incorporate any of the usual Course Outline elements into my module to avoid repetition, i.e. detailed course description, outcomes, schedule, marking scheme, assignment descriptions and policies.
After I completed this exercise in Microsoft Word, I set up my course in Moodle. When I logged into Moodle, I wanted to cry. It has been over seven years since I have been in Moodle, and I now realize that I had forgotten everything. I initially felt panic, as this was very unlike the other learning and content management systems (LMSs and CMSs) that I’ve used to build courses, i.e. Blackboard, Ektron and Canvas. I like systems that are intuitive and dislike having to access tutorials and help files. However, I set about reading the Moodle page of the UBC E-Learning Toolkit, as well as viewed some videos on YouTube, such as, “Getting Started: A Brief Overview of Moodle 2.0.”
I started playing around with the Moodle options I found, “Add a resource” and “Add an activity,” essentially finding myself trying to mimic the way I would create a module of learning in the other LMSs and CMSs I’ve used, with a few exceptions, e.g. I was able to incorporate the discussion forums into my modules (whereas they are in a completely separate area of Blackboard). I found that once I uploaded a few pages, everything went smoothly and easily from there. I started to enjoy the upload process.
After my content was upload, I checked the navigation and links in the module and did copyediting. I decided against implementing a course theme/design for this first module, and left it very basic; for me, this exercise was more about figuring out Moodle rather than aesthetics (there is something to be said for a pre-designed course template that can leave you to focus on content and activities).
Furthermore, I decided to use some tools to help me evaluate my finished product. Clearly, I was using the most basic of ID models, ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation) to create my introductory module. However, because this was course introduction, I wanted to ensure I had incorporated a framework such as Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) seven principles into my course design, a recommendation I make to subject matter experts whom I consult in online course developments. My review of how I applied the principles (paraphrased a bit) are below. (I did go back to make edits to ensure I had incorporated each principle.)
Principle 1: Maximize learner-instructor contact – I pointed out communication channels for learners to contact their instructor and each other, e.g. discussion forums, such as an Announcements board, and teacher profile, within the module.
Principle 2: Support peer-to-peer contact, teaching and learning – I included discussion board activities and made reference to participation guidelines (in the Course Outline) for student support.
Principle 3: Emphasize active learning and applied practice – learners were provided the opportunity to redefine new concepts introduced, e.g. assess ID skills/competencies. There will be more opportunities for applied practice later in the course, as indicated on the Introduction page (where it was mentioned that the course assignments would enable learners to create a real unit of learning).
Principle 4: Provide prompt feedback – the discussion board is the main source of assessment to determine comprehension. In practice, if the instructor is present throughout the first week of course delivery, (s)he should be commenting on the learners’ posts (though not each and every one).
Principle 5: Hold learners responsible for course tasks and timelines – as this module was designed with the assumption of a separate Course Outline, material that would appear in the Outline was not duplicated here. However, course requirements and activities were highlighted for emphasis.
Principle 6: Expect high quality work – learning objectives were provided to help learners assess the level of performance required to complete the module.
Principle 7: Respect diverse experiences and support different learning styles – a poll and icebreaker can assess learners’ prior experience in online learning and instructional design, which the instructor can use to add more resources or support, if required, through the Announcements forum during course delivery. Additionally, a mix of readings, videos and activities were used as different learning approaches.
Overall, I am happy with my introductory module. It had an icebreaker, content, readings, activities, structure and content that I feel is appropriate to start an online course. And, at the end of this activity, I found that Moodle was not as scary as it was when I first logged in and stared at my blank course!
References:
Chickering, A. W., & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39(7), 3-7. Retrieved from: http://www.aahea.org/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm
Getting Started: A Brief Overview of Moodle 2.0 [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ih0d-pEI_s
Moodle. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2014, from the UBC Wiki: http://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:ETEC565/Elearning_Toolkit