Sue M’s UBC MET E-Portfolio

Introduction

All education happens in a context and mine is a post-secondary educational institution in BC. I have recently been tasked with the development of a Learning Management System (LMS) online course site for a new course, HSLC100 – Introduction to Technology for Organizing & Presenting Information, the first in the Health Care Administration for Long-Term & Continuing Care (HSA) program. The institution has received funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education to re-engineer this diploma program, by updating existing curriculum, increasing the number of courses, and enhancing it further by delivering the program fully online.

Initially, the 20 courses in this diploma program were to be developed in WebCT, an LMS used by the institution since 2000. However, recent management decisions require the online courses to be designed, developed and delivered using Moodle. The decision to move to Moodle as the institution’s primary LCMS was the result of a series of events spanning 2003-2006 – detailed in Appendix A.

Statement of Need

My focus, as an Instructional Designer and Online Instructor is on enhancing the educational experience of my learners using learning technologies that best serve their educational needs. I have developed and delivered courses for years via WebCT, but given that the institution has deemed Moodle to be “mission critical” as its primary LMS, and has elected to no longer license WebCT as of June 30, 2009 – I will now need to develop this online course in Moodle for September 2009 delivery. Moodle is a Learning/Course Management System (LCMS) that like WebCT, provides a suite of online teaching tools that work together to deliver a cohesive online learning environment. However, unlike WebCT, Moodle is an open source LCMS that has no licensing fees, no seat limitations; can be installed on a variety of servers and freely downloaded, modified and distributed (http://docs.moodle.org/en/About_Moodle).

Background

The rational for moving this distance program to a fully online diploma agreed with Bates, in Strategic Planning for E-Learning in Polytechnic” (2007, p53) – to meet the flexible needs of today’s students, to enhance teaching and learning, to better prepare students for the requirements of business and industry, to develop independent learning skills through exposure to online programming, and to better accommodate the differing learning styles of students. The curriculum outlined for HSLC100, was defined following an in-depth review with the Health Care Industry, who assessed it is imperative for graduates in the health-care field to have core technology skills. According to Bates and Poole (2004), “In order to survive in a knowledge-based society, literacy in a range of different media and technologies is becoming a critical life skill” (p8).

Learning outcomes for HSLC100 include familiarity and ease with online learning, the ability to participate in web-based conferences and various forms of asynchronous and synchronous communications with colleagues around the province, knowledge of basic computer concepts, skills in file management, document and report production, design and delivery of graphic presentations and electronic spreadsheets, Internet basics – searching, evaluating and using online resources. These are again in line with Bates and Poole (2004) who stress, “Students need to learn how to use technology to seek, organize, analyze, and apply information appropriately…they need to know how to find Web sites that will provide relevant and reliable information within their field of study” (p9).

A pilot of HSLC100 was initially delivered to a small group of students. During this “trail run”, many issues were identified. Learners experienced challenges dealing with differences between versions of applications taught (current at the time of course authoring) and versions they accessed at work or at home; some had to purchase new computer systems that came with a different operating system and newer version of software programs. Upon review of feedback from students and the Instructor during the pilot, modifications were proposed. Given technology changes so quickly, we will take an entirely different approach to the re-design.

I will re-engineer the course to provide more learner control. Many generic concepts will be taught and individuals with a previous version of the operating system and software applications can elect a different learning path, while those with the latest operating system and software will complete the “main” pathway. All will be expected to discuss similar concepts, practice and engage in the application of knowledge and skills to scenarios and construct relevant solutions. For assignments, learners will be able to work with the version of their choice and use either the example provided or one that is relevant to their own context (as long as the assignment submission meets the defined assessment criteria). The updated course will stress the importance of dealing with change and learning how to learn, how to locate sources of information to handle differences in versions and applications; this will help increase self-sufficiency in the face of constantly and rapidly changing technologies.

Evaluation of Moodle Suitability for HSLC100 based on SECTIONS Model (Bates & Poole, 2004)

Students: Course participants are predominantly Adult Learners working in long-term and community care organizations, who wish to move into management. Most learners live and work in BC, but the program is promoted nationally and some courses are open to the general student population. Most participants have completed some post-secondary education, but have been out of higher education for some time and will need to juggle multiple priorities, including work, family and education. Moodle will enable learners to complete this course from a distance, and by providing a variety of learner activities and a range of materials in different media, help them become self-directed learners as they learn how to learn and move from concrete learning based on personal experience to abstract, reflective learning that they can then apply to new contexts and situations (Bates and Pool 2004).

Access: The flexible format of this online course will provide participants with access to educational opportunities that would not otherwise be available. Moodle is neither operating system nor browser dependent so courses can be accessed from anywhere learners have an Internet connection. All participants will have access to high-speed Internet and a computer system that meets or exceed the minimum specifications, either from home, work or on campus. Moodle allows separate instances, so this program has a dedicated site at: http://hsa.viuonline.cato facilitate access and assist with building of community. Moodle’s

Accessibility Standards are concerned with “design qualities that endeavour to make online learning available to all by ensuring that the way it is implemented does not create unnecessary barriers however the student may interact with their computer” (http://docs.moodle.org/en/Moodle_Accessibility_Specification). Many accessibility approaches also yield benefits to those working on a small screen PDA or over a low bandwidth. Moodle Accessibility Themes help meet differing user needs, preferences and situations, and can increase usability so people with physical challenges can navigate, interact with and contribute to online courses. Accessible features also benefit others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging (http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.php).

Ease of Use and Reliability: Moodle is a robust, stable, reliable learning platform with a strong emphasis on security; authentication can be integrated with the institution’s student registration system for single login convenience. With an intuitive interface, Moodle has proven to be easy to learn and easy to use by both faculty and students; it is a user-friendly and flexible LCMS. Each learner can choose the language he/she wants used for the Moodle interface and each can specify a time zone, then dates in Moodle are translated to that time zone (i.e., posting dates, assignment due dates, etc.) – http://docs.moodle.org/en/Features.

Moodle themes (http://docs.moodle.org/en/Themes) will ensure all courses have the same look and graphic user interface to provide familiar navigation across the entire online program. Moodle forgotten passwordfeature will send a temporary password to an enrolled student’s registered e-mail address to allow learners to quickly and easily gain access to their online courses at any time, averting the need for assistance from a helpdesk with limited hours, thus helping to prevent lost time. To further personalize the virtual classroom and help develop a sense of community, each student is encouraged to build an online profile that includes a photo, description, bio and any information they want to share such as links to personal website(s) and social networking contact information. Regular upgrades to the Moodle system can be completed at the choice and timing of the institution; interruption is minimal (less than an hour) and migration of course materials and online components is automatic as each new version is backward compatible.

Cost: The server is provided and managed by IT as part of institutional services, support to instructors and students is provided by an Online Development Team (OLDT) as an essential service; departments are not charged for hosting or support. Design/development costs are covered either through external grants such as BCcampus or from departmental budgets. The instructor works as part of team, including an Instructional Designer, Web Developer and Media Specialist.

A new fully online course is developed on a cost-recovery basis (over four years) with Instructors paid an honorarium or release time and OLDT paid for Instructional Design, file conversion and content formatting, assembly of online course, and a pre-defined amount of media production including Flash animations, interactive annotated media and learning activities (although video clips will be used, these are available without additional cost from the textbook publisher (additional media requirements are charged to the department). A centralized department has development coordinator who negotiates with departments costing, and a delivery coordinator who is responsible for marking and implementation costs and tuition fees. The budget for HSLC100 would include a $2,400 honorarium for the Instructor’s development time and $4,000 for OLDT; Instructor development time will be approximately 200 hours (with most offline design already completed); . Instructor-student ratio is 1:24 and the Instructor is paid for delivery at $250 per student, with a minimum of $2,000 and a maximum of $5,300.

Teaching and Learning: Content and community are both critical to creating effective learning environments. Content will be both a source and a conduit for experiencing, practicing and applying concepts learned. As well as developing skills with technology, there will be a focus on developing capacities and intellectual foundations for continuous learning – skills that prepare students for a lifetime of work in a knowledge-based industry that emphasize an increased capacity for critical thinking and lifelong learning (Morrison, D. 2007).

Effective communication is essential and the “instructor must be a participant in online discussions in order to nurture community development and growth” (Schwier & Dykes” 2007). Moodle helps Instructors connect with learners – reaching them through the technologies they rely on to communicate at work, home or on the go. Learners do not need to log into the online course to read e-mail, announcements, discussions, mark postings, etc. They can stay informed constantly through internet e-mail, notifications to PDA, mobile devices – whatever contact address they provide (which they can change, should they need to travel or simply want to be notified at a different location. A constructivist perspective will address learning as reflection and dialogue; a didactic perspective will address learning as comprehension and apprenticeship (Bates 2008).

Moodle is feature rich; it makes available the specific types of learning activities needed to support the instructional strategy for this course – a combination of cognitive and constructivism (http://docs.moodle.org/en/Philosophy). According to Pratt (2001), effective teaching must be planned and conducted “from the learner’s point of view”. HSLC100 will incorporate cases, real-world examples and learning activities that will proceed from simple to complex allowing for different points of entry depending upon each learner’s experience and capability. As learners develop more abilities, less direction will be offered and learners will be given more responsibility as they progress from dependent to independent learners. Knowledge construction, collaboration and reflection are important in HSLC100, with an emphasis on learner centeredness. Moodle will provide Learners with a place to explore the meaning and application of what they are learning and opportunities to share and incorporate prior knowledge.

Moodle integrated SCORM capabilities will be used for content module presentation; a variety of discussion formats will include a standard forum for general use, discussions where each learner makes only a single post, and question and answer forums, some with postings rated and graded, all viewed under learner control as threaded, nested, or chronologically. A community resource glossary will allow for contributions from learners re tips and traps, suggestions for application, links to relevant sites, articles, and examples. Video clips will provide overviews and audio/visual explanations. Multiple assignment types will allow learners to upload any file format and allow feedback to be appended with notifications automatically e-mailed.

Interactivity: Evidence of community is found in interactions that occur between the learner and the instructor, content, and other learners (Anderson 2004). In HSLC100, interaction with the content will be through Flash-based interactive learning objects, annotated documents, and interactive illustrative media. Interaction with the Instructor and other students will take place through a variety of asynchronous and synchronous communication, as well as polls, surveys, and regularly scheduled integrated web-based computer conferences.

Interaction with authentic sources of data will provide relevant, real-world examples and documentation, including links to interactive software for scenario-based practice and authentic tasks for skills development; additional links to the text publisher’s online study guide and companion site provide additional online self-directed resources. A variety of assessments, including topic activities, module problem sets, quizzes, assignments, and a final integration project will provide opportunities for practical application of knowledge and skills with Instructor feedback. Geographically distributed participants will be linked by audio-visual network connections, for application sharing and demonstrations of complex procedures.

Organizational Issues: Institutional support is strong for this online program and the assistance of a base-funded Online Development Team provides instructor and student support. IT hosts a dedicated Moodle instance for this program (http://hsa.viuonline.ca) and manages the server, assists with troubleshooting technical problems and upgrades. The institution does not have a solid disaster prevention plan, but has made improvements towards a disaster recovery strategy that includes multiple levels of automatic backups. The priorities of IT and the Online Development Team are not aligned, one is focused on hardware and throughput and the other on pedagogy, learner satisfaction, and design/development support. Decision making is ad hoc, at times, with unclear lines of communication and authority; few policies are in writing or consistently followed. However, a recent five-year E-Learning Strategy is being developed, which should improve things immensely.

Novelty: Moodle is well established; Moodle has been around since 1995 and is a highly-regarded LCMS that has gained an international reputation as a feature-rich and stable environment. Further, design of Moodle is rooted in constructivist principles of collaborative knowledge building and is in keeping with the institution’s philosophy about effective, accessible e-learning The Moodle community is mature and well established, with an active and growing worldwide membership that continuously participates in making improvements and provides “free” technical and design documentation and support (http://moodle.org/support/).

Speed: Moodle course formats / templates (http://docs.moodle.org/en/Course_formats) allow for a variety of structures/course maps, including weekly and modular. OLDT has developed model courses for each format that include commonly used activities and resources with placeholders to example modules, assignments, quizzes and discussions. Placeholders can quickly and easily be modified and populated with course-specific content. OLDT has also developed module templates for content development with a variety of pre-built screens formats that can be quickly updated with relevant content. A group of commonly used screen types can be zipped and quickly uploaded to Moodle, expanded, renamed and easily synched with content from a CMS such as Contribute Publishing. Glossary content can be imported, as can various types of questions to build quizzes quickly. Any type of file can be uploaded and linked within the course, provided as attachments, or online resources. OLDT has developed tools that allow for quick production of SCORM packages and synching to update modified content in Moodle courses.

Conclusion