Title: An LMS By Any Other Name
1An LMS By Any Other Name
- Jonathon Sweetin
- Tina Farmer
- Pitt Community College
Moodle
2Purpose
- This presentation is not a how-to guide for using
Moodle or Blackboard. - The audience for this presentation are current
Blackboard users who are experimenting with
Moodle. - This helps transition Blackboard users to Moodle
terms. - We are NOT Moodle experts!
3Agenda
- Background Information
- Similarities and/or Differences
- Layout
- Course Administration
- Student Management
- Content Management
- Conclusion
4Background Information
- PCC adopted Blackboard in 1999.
- Currently, 550 active courses with 5000
students. - Summer 2007, PCC joined the North Carolina Moodle
Users Group sponsored by the System Office. - Moodle to date, 27 courses with 670 students.
5Blackboard Layout
- The Bb layout is based off the navigation bar on
the left. - Bb uses different content areas for different
things. - Within each content area, folders and subfolders
can be used to further organize content. - Instructors like this method because its all
very neat and organized. - Students must jump around in the course to find
things and sometimes complain that its a bit
confusing.
6Moodle Layout
- The layout of Moodle is about as far away from
Blackboard as you can get. - As far as the organization of your course,
everythings just out there. - In Moodle, you do not have different content
areas and foldersat least not in the same sense
that you do in Bb.
7Moodle Layout
- Moodle is very shallow and this can be a huge
hurdle for instructors accustomed to Bb. - Instructors resist not having their folder, but
students actually seem less confused. - The use of Blocks allows the instructor to
customize the tools and resources that students
see.
8Moodle Layout
List of Blocks ?
9Blackboard Control Panel
- In Bb, you can edit every part of the course from
the Control Panel.
Blackboards Control Panel
10Moodle Administration Block
- No control panel in Moodle.
- Instructor-only options are in the Administration
block. - No content editing.
Moodle Administration Block
11 Blackboard Edit View
- Blackboards Edit View feature allows you to edit
content right from the content page.
Content Page Before Clicking Edit View
Content Page After Clicking Edit View
12Moodle Turn Editing On
- In Moodle, you use the Turn Editing On button to
turn on the content editing tools.
Course Page Before Clicking Turn Editing On button
Course Page After Clicking Turn Editing On button
13Blackboard Course Options
- Most changes to the course structure and settings
are made from the Course Options area of the
Control Panel.
14Moodle Settings
Edit Course Settings Screen
- Edit Course Settings is located in the
Administration block -
- Most course structure and settings are controlled
on this screen including - Names
- Summary
- course format
- Availability
- start date
- enrollment status
15Blackboard Enroll Users
16Moodle Assign Roles
- Very different terminology from Bb- Assign Roles.
- Located under Administration Block.
- Enroll Un-enroll is done on the same screen.
- Unlike Blackboard, in Moodle when you un-enroll
a student their records ARE NOT LOST!
Assign Roles Screen
17Blackboard List/Modify Users
18Moodle Participants
- Users are called Participants in Moodle.
- Accessed under the People Block.
- Can filter by time since last activity.
- Can sort by all column headings.
- Displays pictures, if added to profile.
- Gives quick access to students profile blogs.
- Can quickly send messages to selected students
from this screen.
Participants Screen ?
19Blackboard Announcements
- By default are not emailed.
- Appear on the first page students see.
20Moodle News Forum
- The News discussion forum is used to keep
students up to date in the course. - It is in every course by default.
- All participants are subscribed by default.
- News forums are RSS enabled.
Found in the 0 block of the course.
News Forum Screen
21Blackboard Content Items
22Moodle Content Items
- In Moodle, things are broken down into more
specific categories than in Blackboard. - Moodle gives you two types of items to add.
- Resources are things for students to read or look
at. - Activities are things for students to do.
Moodle Activities ?
Moodle Resources
23Blackboard Item Availability
- Must modify each item to change availability.
- Can be controlled by date/time.
- Adaptive Release gives advanced options for
automatically setting availability when certain
conditions are met.
Options when modifying a folder in Blackboard
24Moodle Hide/Show Item
- A whole section or an individual item of content
can be hidden. - Simply click the eye no need to edit each item.
- No date/time or adaptive release on resources.
Main course page, in Edit mode
25Blackboard Assignments
- There are two common ways to post assignments in
Blackboard. - The old way with instructions typed into a Bb
item submitted via drop box or email. - Items or columns were manually added to grade
book to hold these grades. - Submitted files had to be viewed elsewhere.
- The new way using the Assignment content type.
- Links directly to the grade book.
- Submitted files are viewed from within the
gradebook.
26Moodle Assignments
- Assignments in Moodle similar to the new
Assignment content type in Bb. - Tied directly into the Grade book Calendar.
- View work, leave comments grade all on the same
screen. - Assignment Types
- Advanced Uploading of Files allows multiple files
to be submitted, also lets you send a file back
to the student. - Online Text allows submission of text only
without a saved file. - Upload a single file similar to Advanced
Uploading of Files except they can only submit a
single file and you can not send a file back to
the student. - Offline Activity is anything you want to enter a
grade for, that they dont submit through
assignments.
Types of assignments available in the Add an
Activity box
27Blackboard Attach File
- In Bb, files are attached to content items.
28Moodle Files
- A folder structure can be created to organize and
store your files. - All uploaded files are stored in this area.
- Can be used to help you stay organized.
- If you need to update a file, simply re-upload it
and overwrite the previous file. No need to
modify the content item pointing to the file. - Can give students access to specific files or
folders
Files screen in a Moodle course
Link files or folders into the course content by
Adding A Resource
29Blackboard Gradebook
- Very slow to load.
- Headings fall off screen can be confusing.
- Can display/edit by item or user.
- Each individual grade is a link.
30Moodle Grades
- Primary difference from Blackboard This is a
place to VIEW grades, not Enter/Edit them. - Looks a lot different than Bb.
- Grouped by category - need to click the category
title to see individual assignment grades. - There are several view options that can
drastically change the appearance. - Weighting is similar to Bb.
31Moodle Grades
- Unlike Bb, it allows for assignment exemptions
and curves. - Prints students names on left right for easier
reading. - Will reprint headers after of rows for easier
reading. - Individual grades are not links - cant edit an
individual grade from the grade book screen. - Unlike Bb, grading is always done per assignment
never per user.
32Moodle Grades
Initial view grouped by Categories
View of individual grades after clicking on
Assignments Category
33Blackboard Grading
- Very time consuming, especially if you need to
grade submitted files. - Multiple OKs, Submits and page reloads per grade
34Moodle Grading
- Definitely a WOW!
- One screen lists each student, their submitted
work and date submitted. - Quick grade option lets you record a grade and
leave comments for each student without having to
submit each one individually
Quick Grade option choose grade from drop down
leave brief comments
35Moodle Grading
Grading an Advanced File Upload Assignment.
Everything is on one screen. A single click
takes you to the next student. Its a small
window so each student loads quickly.
36Blackboard Course Statistics
- Slow.
- Minimal information.
- Few sorting or grouping options.
- Logs for individual dates are hard to read.
Bb statistics for the month of August
37Moodle Reports
- WOW, WOW, WOW!!!
- Can see details about every click made.
- Can sort, filter and view in greater detail.
Reports screen
38Blackboard Email
39Moodle Message
- If a student is online, when you send a message
an instant message box alerts them to your
message immediately. - If they are not online an email is sent.
- You can message students in bulk from the
Participants screen. - A Message History log is saved of all messages
you send through Moodle. - Messages are automatically sent to student
whenever you post grades.
Incoming message
40Blackboard Calendar
- Cumbersome time consuming to use.
- Not very prominent in the course.
41Moodle Calendar
- Big WOW!
- Displayed prominently on the main course page.
- All due dates are auto-linked directly into the
calendar. - Mouse over highlighted date for more info.
- Students absolutely love this feature.
- Events can be set at the school, class, group
participant level.
42Blackboard Glossary
- Simply a list of terms
- Not interactive within the course
43Moodle Glossary
- Your students can post glossary entries or you
can restrict this privilege to instructors only. - If a term in the glossary appears with-in the
course, it is auto linked back to its definition. - You can turn this feature on and off.
44Conclusion
- More information or link to the presentation
handout go to the PCC Moodle Users Group at
jsweetin.wordpress.comContact Info - Jonathon Sweetin jsweetin_at_email.pittcc.edu
- Tina Farmer tfarmer_at_email.pittcc.edu