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Product profile: With over 3.5 million courses registered worldwide, open source learning management system Moodle has grown to become one of the most popular delivery tools in education and training. Teachers and trainers around the world are using Moodle with learners across all education sectors, from primary to high school to vocational and tertiary education. Moodle has the flexibility to deliver either complete online courses or blended learning, or to facilitate individual modules, assessment or networking exercises. But how can Moodle help you? Moodle allows practitioners, without previous web development skills, to quickly create effective online learning sites which are tailored specially to the needs of their learners. Moodle’s interactive features are popular with teachers, trainers and learners due to the engagement and flexibility they provide. Features include:
How one RTO is embedding Moodle Since receiving E-learning Innovations funding and support from the Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework) in 2009, Capital Hairdressing Academy and Regional Training (CHART) has worked to harness the benefits of Moodle for learners, teachers/trainers and employers. CHART adopted Moodle as a tool to introduce e-learning to apprentices enrolled in the Certificates II and III in Hairdressing. Using Moodle, CHART created their own customised e-learning resources, where previously they were restricted to generic hard copy materials. Using Moodle, CHART’s hairdressing apprentices are able to complete the theoretical component of their training online, at their own pace, during their down time at work or in their own time at home. Training is comprised of online lessons and quizzes, and learners are automatically reminded and prompted when to submit their assignments. Teachers and trainers have benefited from the convenience of being notified via an automatically generated email from Moodle when a learner has completed a lesson and is ready to move to the next unit. To speed up reporting to employers and encourage faster progress, employers are able to mentor their apprentices. Using a group wiki employers can communicate with their apprentices and monitor their progress. Kathe Kobold, Director of Studies at CHART, said that while the project had proved a significant learning curve, Moodle was the right choice for them because of its easily adaptable features. “Moodle has allowed us to create online learning resources which are customised to the specific needs of our learners. We can enter our own content, create our own activities and design our own e-assessment exercises,” Ms Kobold said. “It also makes it easier for teachers and trainers to keep track of the pace at which apprentices are progressing through their theoretical training.” Ms Kobold explained that CHART faced some challenges in adopting Moodle, as the hairdressing industry is highly practical and many employers and apprentices in this field are unaccustomed to using e-learning. “We chose Moodle as an e-learning delivery platform because we recognised that its capacity for interaction would appeal to learners in this highly practical field. “We also decided to introduce Moodle in stages, starting with our teachers and trainers. Once they were comfortable using Moodle, we released it to our employers and apprentices. “In 2010, we’ve expanded its use in conjunction with the Mahara e-portfolio system as a professional development tool.” Read about other E-learning Innovations projects using Moodle:
Read more about Framework E-learning Innovations projects Visit the Moodle Demonstration Site (registration and log in required). » Click here to comment on this article >> Click here to forward this article >> Click here to go back to newsletter |
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