Timed Moodle Forum posts: Advent Calendar #4

Did you know that there’s a feature in Moodle forums that allows you to set a time that a post will be released? This is really handy for limited-time semi-synchronous discussions, or for scheduling Announcements at a particular time and/or date later on, so that you don’t have to log into Moodle at that particular …

Using video for formative assessment

We have been seeing an increasing number of video assignments being used with students. Having students submit video has a number of advantages including:  Can be used in the context of peer review.   May be a more authentic method of assessment.  Can be included in a career-facing e-portfolio.  Many students really enjoy creating videos. Video …

Training and drop-in sessions including online marking and face-to-face drop-in

Learn something new, or come for a refresher – we’ve got lots of training courses on offer this autumn. They’re aimed to provide you with the support you need at the right time of year. As assessment season hots up (unlike the real season…) there’s new training in marking online. These have been organised with …

Using images in teaching

We’ve been asked recently about good practice in using images in teaching. Which can you use, how do you prepare them and how do you use them? Copyright Images must all be checked for copyright. Provide your own images (take pictures) or use images that have a Creative Commons licence (include the correct attribution somewhere). The …

Top ten tips for staff before you make your module visible to students

There’s a lot to do at the start of session. So here are the top ten things to do with your Moodle module before the students get access: Can you see, in Moodle, the module you’re teaching? The 22-23 modules are all ready and waiting, visible to staff but possibly not yet to students. If …

Three simple ways to engage students in lectures

A common question that we get asked is about are the best ways to poll students in face-to-face lectures, or seek short one-word or short-phrase answers. There are many third-party tools out there but to use those, you will need to evaluate them with regard to data protection, security, accessibility, sustainability, archivability and suitability. It’s …

The Courtyard

The painting “A Courtyard in Chernihiv”, by Victor Onyschchenko, shows what I’d probably call a back alley. It’s that space behind the house (or beside the house) where you park your bike, play with the dog, kick a ball around, do a bit of experimental “gardening”. This courtyard is in a city far away, but …

Hybrid Teaching and Learning in HE: a futuristic model or a realistic model for the future? Summary and Reflection

‘Hybrid Teaching and Learning in HE: a futuristic model or a realistic model for the future?’ was a question addressed at a workshop held by the University of Nottingham in early 2022, when universities were ready to turn the pandemic corner. More than 150 participants from around the globe were brought together to share their …

Word games and learning – make your own Wordle!

So have you caught the Wordle bug yet?  I have. And of course there’s a group of colleagues sharing our scores… It’s taught me a few things that I hope to apply to my digital learning design, particularly perhaps for revision and key learning points: Make it a small activity: Wordle takes a few minutes …

Open Badges in Moodle

Open Badges are a commonly globally accepted form of micro-accreditation that also provide motivation for students to complete a course, part of a course, or a series of tasks. Open Badges are verifiable and shareable, and they contain detailed information about the achievement and what the recipient did to earn the badge (evidence of learning). …