“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, Ways To Enhance Any Online Course Moodle Offers A Lot. 1. Anticipate Questions. 2. Be Interactive. 3. Encourage Explicitly. 4. Use Projects. 5. Make It Real. Links

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Moodle offers educators and curriculum developers many tools to address course objectives. Moodle Offers A Lot. (1/4)

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 By applying tools with a few key strategies, any online instructor or curriculum developer can significantly enhance an online course by “operationally defining” key expectations. Moodle Offers A Lot. (2/4)

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Pedagogically, students develop a better understanding of expectations through orientation, discussions, encouragement, and relevant applications of new knowledge. Moodle Offers A Lot. (3/4)

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Moodle Offers A Lot. (4/4) Adopting a few key strategies can dramatically change the climate of learning in an online course by clarifying these questions: What should I do? Am I doing it right? What should I do next? How can I do it better?

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use a “Moodle Book” to create a course orientation. Use it as an assignment. Include a Q/A section. Don’t assume anything. Be explicit. Describe class policies clearly. Clearly indicate the support you provide. How should students contact you? If it’s “important”, state that clearly. Describe consequences explicitly. If you have a philosophy, describe it! 1. Anticipate Questions.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use a “Moodle Book” to create a course orientation. Use it as an assignment. Include a Q/A section. Don’t assume anything. Be explicit. Describe class policies clearly. Clearly indicate the support you provide. How should students contact you? If it’s “important”, state that clearly. Describe consequences explicitly. If you have a philosophy, describe it! 1. Anticipate Questions.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use a “Moodle Book” to create a course orientation. Use it as an assignment. Include a Q/A section. Don’t assume anything. Be explicit. Describe class policies clearly. Clearly indicate the support you provide. How should students contact you? If it’s “important”, state that clearly. Describe consequences explicitly. If you have a philosophy, describe it! 1. Anticipate Questions.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use a “Moodle Book” to create a course orientation. Use it as an assignment. Include a Q/A section. Don’t assume anything. Be explicit. Describe class policies clearly. Clearly indicate the support you provide. How should students contact you? If it’s “important”, state that clearly. Describe consequences explicitly. If you have a philosophy, describe it! 1. Anticipate Questions.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use a “Moodle Book” to create a course orientation. Use it as an assignment. Include a Q/A section. Don’t assume anything. Be explicit. Describe class policies clearly. Clearly indicate the support you provide. How should students contact you? If it’s “important”, state that clearly. Describe consequences explicitly. If you have a philosophy, describe it! 1. Anticipate Questions.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use a “Moodle Book” to create a course orientation. Use it as an assignment. Include a Q/A section. Don’t assume anything. Be explicit. Describe class policies clearly. Clearly indicate the support you provide. How should students contact you? If it’s “important”, state that clearly. Describe consequences explicitly. If you have a philosophy, describe it! 1. Anticipate Questions.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use a “Moodle Book” to create a course orientation. Use it as an assignment. Include a Q/A section. Don’t assume anything. Be explicit. Describe class policies clearly. Clearly indicate the support you provide. How should students contact you? If it’s “important”, state that clearly. Describe consequences explicitly. If you have a philosophy, describe it! 1. Anticipate Questions.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use a “Moodle Book” to create a course orientation. Use it as an assignment. Include a Q/A section. Don’t assume anything. Be explicit. Describe class policies clearly. Clearly indicate the support you provide. How should students contact you? If it’s “important”, state that clearly. Describe consequences explicitly. If you have a philosophy, describe it! 1. Anticipate Questions.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use forums. Create a 10% course grade category for participation. Describe the minimum number of posts required to meet your expectations. Make the forum(s) the nexus of instruction. Ask students to moderate forums. Save important passages from key posts in a public page on the main page. 2. Be Interactive.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use forums. Create a 10% course grade category for participation. Describe the minimum number of posts required to meet your expectations. Make the forum(s) the nexus of instruction. Ask students to moderate forums. Save important passages from key posts in a public page on the main page. 2. Be Interactive.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use forums. Create a 10% course grade category for participation. Describe the minimum number of posts required to meet your expectations. Make the forum(s) the nexus of instruction. Ask students to moderate forums. Save important passages from key posts in a public page on the main page. 2. Be Interactive.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use forums. Create a 10% course grade category for participation. Describe the minimum number of posts required to meet your expectations. Make the forum(s) the nexus of instruction. Ask students to moderate forums. Save important passages from key posts in a public page on the main page. 2. Be Interactive.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Use forums. Create a 10% course grade category for participation. Describe the minimum number of posts required to meet your expectations. Make the forum(s) the nexus of instruction. Ask students to moderate forums. Save important passages from key posts in a public page on the main page. 2. Be Interactive.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Openly acknowledge and reward great posts with “professional points”. Students love public recognition. Award a professional point for evidence of a “professional disposition”. 1 st dozen = 1 percentage point increase 2 nd dozen = 2 percentage points increase 3 rd dozen = 3 percentage points increase Reward every “exemplar” with a professional point. 3. Encourage Explicitly.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Openly acknowledge and reward great posts with “professional points”. Students love public recognition. Award a professional point for evidence of a “professional disposition”. 1 st dozen = 1 percentage point increase 2 nd dozen = 2 percentage points increase 3 rd dozen = 3 percentage points increase Reward every “exemplar” with a professional point. 3. Encourage Explicitly.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Openly acknowledge and reward great posts with “professional points”. Students love public recognition. Award a professional point for evidence of a “professional disposition”. 1 st dozen = 1 percentage point increase 2 nd dozen = 2 percentage points increase 3 rd dozen = 3 percentage points increase Reward every “exemplar” with a professional point. 3. Encourage Explicitly.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Openly acknowledge and reward great posts with “professional points”. Students love public recognition. Award a professional point for evidence of a “professional disposition”. 1 st dozen = 1 percentage point increase 2 nd dozen = 2 percentage points increase 3 rd dozen = 3 percentage points increase Reward every “exemplar” with a professional point. 3. Encourage Explicitly.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Openly acknowledge and reward great posts with “professional points”. Students love public recognition. Award a professional point for evidence of a “professional disposition”. 1 st dozen = 1 percentage point increase 2 nd dozen = 2 percentage points increase 3 rd dozen = 3 percentage points increase Reward every “exemplar” with a professional point. 3. Encourage Explicitly.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Openly acknowledge and reward great posts with “professional points”. Students love public recognition. Award a professional point for evidence of a “professional disposition”. 1 st dozen = 1 percentage point increase 2 nd dozen = 2 percentage points increase 3 rd dozen = 3 percentage points increase Reward every “exemplar” with a professional point. 3. Encourage Explicitly.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Openly acknowledge and reward great posts with “professional points”. Students love public recognition. Award a professional point for evidence of a “professional disposition”. 1 st dozen = 1 percentage point increase 2 nd dozen = 2 percentage points increase 3 rd dozen = 3 percentage points increase Reward every “exemplar” with a professional point. 3. Encourage Explicitly.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Challenging projects provide context, relevance, and application. Students propose their own projects… and then complete them. Encourage students to support each other in the forums. (Use professional points!) Allow assignments and exams to be “open everything”. Should students help each other? Yes. 4. Use Projects.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Challenging projects provide context, relevance, and application. Students propose their own projects… and then complete them. Encourage students to support each other in the forums. (Use professional points!) Allow assignments and exams to be “open everything”. Should students help each other? Yes. 4. Use Projects.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Challenging projects provide context, relevance, and application. Students propose their own projects… and then complete them. Encourage students to support each other in the forums. (Use professional points!) Allow assignments and exams to be “open everything”. Should students help each other? Yes. 4. Use Projects.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Challenging projects provide context, relevance, and application. Students propose their own projects… and then complete them. Encourage students to support each other in the forums. (Use professional points!) Allow assignments and exams to be “open everything”. Should students help each other? Yes. 4. Use Projects.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Challenging projects provide context, relevance, and application. Students propose their own projects… and then complete them. Encourage students to support each other in the forums. (Use professional points!) Allow assignments and exams to be “open everything”. Should students help each other? Yes. 4. Use Projects.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Do we encourage sharing and collaboration in the workplace? Yes. Should we encourage sharing and collaboration in an online course? Yes. Do we really need to use multiple choice items for assessment? No. Provide students with a professional point who voluntarily submit an assignment for “public critique”. Provide and share “public exemplars”. 5. Make It Real.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Do we encourage sharing and collaboration in the workplace? Yes. Should we encourage sharing and collaboration in an online course? Yes. Do we really need to use multiple choice items for assessment? No. Provide students with a professional point who voluntarily submit an assignment for “public critique”. Provide and share “public exemplars”. 5. Make It Real.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Do we encourage sharing and collaboration in the workplace? Yes. Should we encourage sharing and collaboration in an online course? Yes. Do we really need to use multiple choice items for assessment? No. Provide students with a professional point who voluntarily submit an assignment for “public critique”. Provide and share “public exemplars”. 5. Make It Real.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Do we encourage sharing and collaboration in the workplace? Yes. Should we encourage sharing and collaboration in an online course? Yes. Do we really need to use multiple choice items for assessment? No. Provide students with a professional point who voluntarily submit an assignment for “public critique”. Provide and share “public exemplars”. 5. Make It Real.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Do we encourage sharing and collaboration in the workplace? Yes. Should we encourage sharing and collaboration in an online course? Yes. Do we really need to use multiple choice items for assessment? No. Provide students with a professional point who voluntarily submit an assignment for “public critique”. Provide and share “public exemplars”. 5. Make It Real.

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Links

“5 Easy Ways To Enhance Any Online Course, Pedagogically” Moodle Moot, New Orleans, November 5, 2013 Session Handout/Notes: