cms @ ec >> User Guides >> Moodle How To : create course

Introduction

Prior thinking : how do I want to integrate Moodle activities into my syllabus?

Overview of what's possible with Moodle [functionality]

Ideas for how to use with class [pedagogy]

Why bother with Moodle at all [philos]

  1. Email markp to request to be set up as a teacher on the Moodle system.
  2. Login to http://moodle.earlham.edu.
    (You'll need to do this in order to have your Moodle account be configured as an instructor)
  3. Click Courses : your department
  4. If you don't see your course present, scroll down the page and click Add a new course.

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Edit course settings

Category this will normally be the department or programme hosting the course
Full name enter the course name listed in Webdb or the catalog
Short name here you want the course mnemonic and number eg MGMT 110
Summary A brief description of the course is useful here. This is displayed at the top of the student's course page.
Format Options : [Weekly | Social | Topics]
Weekly format displaying the course in weekly chunks is probably the most common.
Topics format can be useful for grouping by topic rather than time (see Brent Smith's Field Biol course)
Social format is one big Forum (could be used for all campus discussions)
Course start date Start on the first Monday of the semester, not the day when classes start up.
This is so that the week chunks start on Mondays rather than mid-week.
Number of weeks / topics normally this will be 15 for a 15 week semester. If you are using Topics format you can enter the number of topics. You can always add or subtract later [link].
Group mode



Options : [No groups | Separate | Visible]
Students in separate groups see only their own group; in visible groups all groups can be seen.
You can allocate the same groups throughout the course (Course level) and allocate per activity (Activity level).
Force:
 Overrides group seetings for Activity.
Force Group mode would be used to divide the course into sections (eg EcoBio)
Availability Options : [Available | Not available]
You might want to make the course not available to students during the time that you are setting it up.
Enrollment key This is the 'password' that you email to your class [link publicise course]
Guest access Options : [No guest access | allow without key | allow with key ]
Allow with key: if you are wanting to enable alumni or other users outside Earlham to interact with the course you can email them the enrollment key and they can login as Guest. Note: they wouldn't be able to login with a username since they would not have an Earlham computer account.
Allow without key opens the course up to any guest (including Google!)
Hidden sections Options : [Shown collapsed | Invisible]
This affects how the course is displayed to the students. When you coose to hide a section of the course [link] it can either be totally invisible (the invisible option) or it can be shown collapsed to indicate the missing section. Suggest leaving on default Show collapsed.
News items to show This is the forum that displays your announcements. If you set it to zero the news box disappears.
Show grades Leave this defaulted to Yes
Show activity reports Options : [Yes | No]
You may want to make this Yes when you want students to realise how much or how little time they have spent within Moodle. Student activity reports are always visible to the instructor.
Maximum upload size Do you want students uploading all their pirated MP3s?
This is a system wide setting. If the maximum of 5Mb is not sufficient the System manager can wave a magic wand and up the limit.
Your word for ... If you are teaching a foreign language then you might want enter the normal terms for these. For example, in the UK one would have 'Master' and 'Pupil'.
Force language Set this option iIf you are teaching a language course and you want your students to read the menus in the language and respond in that language.

Click Save changes when you are satisfied.

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Publicise course to students

You will now want to let your students know about the Moodling part of your course.

  1. Send an email message to the whole class with the enrollment key & link to Moodle.
    1. Log on to WebDb, find your course and open it up.
    2. Click the 'send email using WebDb' button
    3. Type in or paste the enrollment key (password) you created in the course settings. Paste in the link to Earlham's Moodle server (http://moodle.earlham.edu). Add a comment to login with Earlham username and password and go to Courses : your course, open it and then type in the enrollment key given.
    4. click Send
  2. The student will then get the message click on the link, login, go to Courses : Your Course and enter with the enrollment key.
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Adding / subtracting students

You'll always have students to who want to add or drop the course.

Add

  1. The easiest way is to email the enrollment key to the latecomer and have him/her login and enroll himself.
  2. Or you manually add the student if she has already logged into the Moodle system (ask her to do this if not):
    1. On the main Moodle page for your course click the Turn editing on button
    2. Click on Administration : Students
    3. Click on the arrow to transfer the potential student to enrolled

Drop

This is the reverse procedure to Add.

  1. On the main Moodle page for your course click the Turn editing on button
  2. Click on Administration : Students
  3. Click on the arrow to transfer the enrolled student to potential
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