In spring 2005 the Sheffield College adopted Moodle as its Virtual Learning Environment. Online and blended learning wasn’t a new venture for the College, we’ve been delivering online learning since 1997 using a variety of platforms, including bog-standard webpages, an internally developed content management system (MySheffcol), and various other VLEs.
My main experience of Moodle is in:
- the development of two online courses;
- the delivery of one online course;
- supporting College staff in developing/uploading their own content and activities.
I really feel positive about Moodle. It isn’t perfect – it has some quirks and shortcomings that are annoying, though some of them may be to do with modifications we have made ourselves. For example:
- It doesn’t seem to save Chat transcripts, though it pretends it has and there is a link, which doesn’t work, to transcripts.
- I cannot get the icons to disappear in the Book Module, even when I have “Turn Editing On” turned off. Fortunately they only appear when I am logged on as a tutor, and learners don’t see them.
- Sometimes when creating content I can’t get it to do what I want it to – it is a bit basic. My workaround is to create what I want in Dreamweaver, and copy the html into Moodle.
- I find the top level navigation a bit clunky and would like to have more control over the course hierarchy.
But I feel these are quibbles. Actually I love Moodle because I find it so easy to use. What is it that I love?
- In content creation and editing I have a reasonable degree of control over what it looks like – I can fiddle about with fonts, colour, tables and colour, though it does have limitations (see above).
- It is so easy to move things around. Many happy hours can be wasted shoving elements up and down, and from side to side.
- It has a lovely, and growing, box of tricks that I am gradually learning to use. My particular favourites are Labels, the Book Module, the Wiki, the HTML Block (so simple, so useful).
- The College staff generally takes to it very easily. I find that a couple of hours training and a bit of supported hands-on is all they need to learn enough to at least create and upload some content, and some learner interactivities. The more IT competent/pedagogical imaginative staff then move forward on their own without any further training
- Learners seem to use it with little difficulty. We have had few technical problems with accessing it, and learners quickly get to grips with how it all works.
- It’s free, or cheap anyway because time (money) needs to be spent on it. But it is still the best VLE I’ve used. Moodle is to VLEs as Primark is to fashion (cheap, cheerful, and surprisingly good quality).
About the Author. Julia Duggleby is Online Learning Manager at the Sheffield College. If you wish to contact Julia, please email: julia.duggleby@sheffcol.ac.uk.
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