Student Perspective: Why I appreciate Moodle
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 materials, paperless submissions, and the grade book. Let’s take a look at how Moodle makes my life easier.
Class Rosters
One of my favorite features in Moodle is the ability to look at the class roster and see who else is in my class. Students and faculty can create their own profiles on Moodle and include as much or as little information as they want, including phone numbers and pictures. This allows me to contact (via text or a phone call) group members to plan work sessions or learn more about them in their profile. There is also an easy-to-use emailing system in Moodle to get in contact with all, one, or a few of my classmates or professors. I can also privately instant message anyone in the course through the Moodle site. Quick and easy.
File Sharing
The way Moodle allows files to be accepted, posted, and distributed is by far my most used feature of the program. My professors typically post the syllabus several days before classes start, which helps me prepare, make sure I have the right books, and plan out my academic and extracurricular activities for the term.
Professors also post the PowerPoint/Prezi slides they use in classes so students can review lessons or see what the class did while they were out sick. Likewise, students can post to forums, blogs, or wikis to share information with the click of a button.
Paperless Submissions
I can also submit papers of any length via Moodle, which saves me time and printing dollars, and is also very sustainable. It also ensures that my paper does not get lost from my computer to the professor’s grade book, aside from some occasional file corruption trouble.
Grade Book
The online grade posting, though, is my top pick of the feature list. For many of today’s students, grades are of a constant concern and a source of anxiety. The easiest way to alleviate this worry is for professors to post grades on Moodle so that we can monitor our averages and make sure we’re able to constantly improve throughout the term. It can also make our nights easier when we know that we didn’t bomb our exam.
Anywhere, Anytime Access
Being able to keep track of my needs as a student from my dorm, from my home, and from my classroom makes Moodle invaluable and keeps me connected to my academics with the click of any device.
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Thank you for this. I teach using Moodle, but my students don’t yet get why it’s useful. I’ll definitely be sharing your post with them. It’s very much appreciated!