Moodle Activities You Should be Using for Better Engagement and Course Experience.
Moodle was built to be extended. Constantly supported by the global community of developers and users, Moodle has proven that with each release it progresses from good to great and improves every time, showing that the possibilities of what Moodle can do for your users are practically endless.
Technology vs habits.
People don’t like change. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of always doing your everyday tasks the same way, as there’s less perceived effort in that than figuring out new ways of doing things. Trust us, the amount of effort is only a perception, because in the end, there could be more efficient and effective ways of using your learning management system for both your and your learner’s advantage. It may take a tiny bit of extra effort, learning about a new activity or feature you’re not currently using but in the end you will be more efficient and effective at your job and all your users will be more engaged and better off in their course experience.
In Moodle, we find many people stick to the tried and true – a page, a file, a quiz or an assignment – simply because that is what they know and are familiar with. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with all the above, they are great tools to use for educators but let’s have a look at a few more which are often forgotten but that are proving to be useful to many teachers around the world:
Wikis
The Wiki is an excellent tool for information sharing and collaboration. You can set up a Wiki for either a group of students or an individual. The Wiki is often used by students to create subject / course notes or to work together on a group assignment. The Wiki pages can be regularly revised and edited, keeping information fresh and the team informed.
Database
The Database activity allows students to collect resources for a particular topic / course. You can create a template for students to use and require students to submit entries for the database. This can be a great tool if you are trying to encourage ‘learning as you go’, with short easy to complete new tasks and challenges, and multiple deadlines. This can really help increase engagement. Database activity is an excellent tool for lengthy, collaborative research projects or similar.
Lessons
The Lesson module in Moodle allows you to create interactive lessons with various scenarios. For example, you may want to do a scenario / case study based assessment where students’ response to one question determines what’s presented to them next (or their next question). Lessons take a bit of time to plan and set up but provide great experiences to learners in the end, encouraging them to think critically, make decisions and learn from their mistakes. Lessons can be used in both long term / self-paced learning and in assessments.
Workshop
Workshop allows for peer review of assessments by students themselves. Seeing how each of your individual students assessed other submissions may help you get more insight into their thought process, than their own assignment submission alone. Workshop activity is great from a self-assessment perspective also, as it promotes critical evaluation and gives students a wider perspective on how they could have approached the project.
Forums / Chat / Messaging
Live chats are great for engagement. If your users feel connected at all times, they are more likely to feel a part of the team with a common goal which is essential for a sense of belonging and motivation.
What’s your biggest pain when it comes to delivering a tailored learning experience for your students and keeping them engaged?
If you find yourself saying “I wish Moodle could” or “I wish Moodle had” – likely it can! There’s either an activity, a plugin, or a feature in the next newer version of Moodle that tackles your need.
Reach out to our team to take your Moodle experience to the next level.
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