Setting out to design my LMS, I thought first of pedagogy. What is it I want the students to take away from their learning. How can this be assessed? What technologies can best support this learning? From this point I began an outline of the unit I wanted to design. Once the general outcomes were established, the learning activities were much easier to create.
Being new to Moodle created several interesting challenges. I have learned from past attempts using new software, that having a back-up is always a solid plan. I created most of my tasks in a word document with links and references in a sequential pattern. I initially watched the videos provided by our ETEC 565A course and then attempted to ‘play’ with the software. I always find this part frustrating, what I refer to the students as the ‘struggle to learn’ concept. After a bit of play time, I searched up more advanced videos on Moodle features. I now had enough knowledge to understand their directions and suggestions. Chunking the introductory module into sections, allowed for more manageable experimentation. If I made an error and ‘lost’ that section, it was easy to re-do and rework. Although Moodle shares similarities to D2L, the LMS system I have previously used, the differences in structure and loading information were substantially different.
My second focus after entering in the basic data, was to consider and revisit design elements. The primary elements I looked to achieve were based on Outten’s LMS Design Principles of appearance, navigation, accessibility, personalization and structure (Outten, 2012). Based on my audience of learners, grade 5 students who likely have not yet used an LMS, I wanted a streamlined appearance that was easy to follow. I chose a clean look for the theme that used color to separate different components with visual interest that was not overwhelming or distracting. Increased interest and learning options were created by adding visuals and a variety of media such as video, discussion forums and surveys. I felt Moodle made navigation somewhat restrictive. Adding each element as an activity or a resource, limited the flow of a page into a resource as I have used before in website design. As far as I could tell, there is not a way to link one course element to the next i.e. through the use of buttons in Weebly. To overcome this challenge of navigation for elementary students, I kept the structure primarily sequential and added check boxes to keep track of progress. Where possible, activities and resources were added in a pop-up window, allowing students to close the activity and return to the main page without reloading, reducing extra steps. A forum for overall course questions and suggestions was kept separate and always accessible. Screen shots of the course were used as a reference where possible, to assist with navigation. Although BYOD is gaining ground in school, I based my accessibility for computer use only, as this is typical of a class I would teach. I tested all links to ensure they were working and went through the site in ‘student’ mode to ensure the site was working as planned. Several adjustments were identified using this method. Personalization was the most limited element of the introduction. Especially considering the audience, the design of the LMS for a first project would largely flow the same for all students. Moving onto course content, creating groups or variations may be more appropriate. The structure of the course was meant to loosely follow; resource, then activity, resource, activity format. Students first read the introduction and then participated in a forum unrelated to the course content to practice using some of the features and to get familiar with their classmates. This course would be used with students who attend face-to-face class together, however an introductory activity helps with the technical knowledge needed and further knowledge of their peers. Students were presented with some introductory information then asked to do a short pre-assessment. Research was followed by a discussion activity. Exploration of the final project was then followed by a quiz to assess understanding and show students areas they need to review.
In terms of assessment, I chose a shorter quiz and will design a project assessment. The quiz is summative of the learning in the introductory lesson. The questions were designed to ensure understanding of basic vocabulary and assess observations of what would be required for the final project. Using the student responses, a project assessment rubric will be created for the final project and listed in the content sections. This rubric will be used as a measure for feedback as suggested by Jenkins in an ongoing, frequent and comprehensive manner (Jenkins, 2004). Students will refer to the rubric for self and peer assessment. It will provide feedback for where they currently are, as well as where they will need to be going. I would collect student ‘notes’ from their research through the class dropbox I typically have set up with my students, as this is a process that would be familiar.
Moving forward will be an exciting challenge. Communication with students will be ongoing and continue with discussion forums. Support through the project would be supported in a blended environment but I would aim for much feedback to delivered through the LMS. Students will continue to have tasks chunked, i,e, story writing, pose selection and filming as separate sections.
References
Jenkins, M. (2004). Unfulfilled promise: Formative assessment using computer-aided assessment. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, i, 67-80. Retrieved from http://www2.glos.ac.uk/offload/tli/lets/lathe/issue1/articles/jenkins.pdf
Outten, Chad. (2012) LMS design principles. My Learning Space. Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/mylearningspace/lms-design-principles