I’ve always enjoyed using forms of instant messaging because it’s quick, non-invasive, and informal. Moodle chat is a type of instant messaging and is especially well-suited for short messages, unrehearsed exchanges, office hours, meetings, question and answer sessions and test-preparation. Earlier this year we posted information about using chat for synchronous communication, ideas to incorporate it into ...
Forums are the heart of communication in an online course because they provide the primary synchronous and asynchronous method for interaction. Instructors can create as many forums as needed for instruction. Chat is a secondary mode of communication, typically synchronous, which provides instant feedback. Unlike asynchronous forums that encourage learners to take time to compose thoughts ...
Teaching and Learning Technologies taught an online course titled, Making the Most of Moodle. The course covered topics such as: • adding files • assignments and feedback • course communication • grades • quizzes • groups The faculty enrolled in the course had a forum they were encouraged to post questions to anonymously; facilitators responded within 24 hours. This blog post reflects a ...
A wiki is a collection of collaboratively authored web documents. Wikis were named from the Hawaiian term "wiki wiki" which means "very fast." Indeed wikis are a quick method for creating content as a class, group or individual. Wikis don’t have a center of control but rather the community edits and develops content directly ...
I read an insightful book recently that made me stop and think. It was so inspiring that I decided to blog this fall about the topic. Academic dishonesty is brought up frequently in Teaching and Learning Technologies Online Course Design Working Group lunches and it’s a topic that many of us are concerned about. I’ll begin ...
Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching by Lehman and Conceicao (2010), discusses how a strong online presence contributes to higher student satisfaction and retention. Students often take online courses without realizing that learning and communicating takes places very differently online. The authors state it is crucial that instructors create a sense of connectivity ...
The Online Teaching Survival Guide by Boettcher and Conrad (2010), presents theory-based techniques for teaching online and/or blended courses. The book reviews research in cognitive processing and learning outcomes. Boettcher and Conrad provide a framework of instructional strategies for designing or modifying a course for the online environment. Included are recommended technologies to integrate with ...
These best practices for online and blended course design were compiled from the Summer College @Elon faculty data and personal interviews from 2006-2015. The consensus among Elon faculty parallels the literature in the field. Academic dishonesty At some point in our teaching careers, we’ve all asked ourselves, how can we uphold the integrity of our online/blended ...
Guest post by Evan Walmer, Junior, Computer Science Major, Elite student worker Recently Google Docs underwent a complete overhaul of the system. It’s now known as Google Drive and it’s attached to every Gmail account (including all @elon.edu accounts for faculty, staff, and students). Google drive has become an invaluable tool during my college career. All the ...
Guest Post by Ben Kashdan, Junior, Public Administration major, Periclean Scholar Class of 2014 Over the last several semesters, I have grown accustomed to and enamored with Moodle and the tools it provides me as a proactive student. There are several features that I’ve come to depend on for my academic success: class rosters, file sharing, posting ...