Workshop Activities

number 1Brainstorm Teaching/Learning Principles

  • Locate your group chat room. The groups are organized around these topics as they apply to online learning activity design:
  • Brainstorm guiding principles for your area of focus
  • Consider how you would use Moodle to achieve each guiding principle
  • Refer to your group's Guiding Principles page for examples of principles to get started.


number 2 Compile list from brainstorm

  • Use Moodle html editor to edit your group's Guiding Principles page
  • Moodle mentor: Assist a member of your group to transfer and clean up content from chat into the Principles page created in your team's area. Make it a bulleted list and  bold the principle(s) you choose to work with. 


number 3Identify a Learning Outcome for Your Activity

  • Locate your new group. The groups are organized into theme areas.
Getting started in your online course
Communicating online
Managing your studies
Working together
Presenting your work
Conducting and sharing research
  • Each group will have a Moodle mentor, and representation from the areas of expertise in the brainstorming groups.
  • The ultimate task is to design an learning activity related to one of these themes. It should be an activity that anyone can use in their online course.
  • To start, each group will identify a learning outcome for their activity.
  • This is a good opportunity to use a real situation in your teaching. Your learning outcome should be stated, "Learners will be able to..." (hint: this outcome needs to connect with assessment later)


number 4Design Teaching/Learning Activity

Now all groups have the basics:  guiding principle(s), learning outcome(s), online tools, and activity design support (see below)

  • Refer to handouts to help guide the development of your activity
    • Moodle tools - a basic list of Moodle tools you can use to support your teaching/learning activity
    • Design tools - 3 tools to help you connect and consider key aspects of your design: learning outcome, activity, assessment, online tools
  • As a group, work together to design a learning activity that supports the learning outcome.
  • Information Design role: Information design refers to many aspects of an online course, such as:
    • Instructions to guide learners
    • Organization of all resources
    • Appearance of resources
    • Course layout
    • Linking of course information
    • "Big idea" organizers (mind maps, etc)
  • Assessment role In designing online learning activities, assessment refers to a method of finding out if the learner has achieved a level of knowledge and understanding. This can be determined by the learner or another person. Ensure the assessment of your activity is appropriate for your learning outcome. Consider assessment strategies that support the learning process.
  • Interaction/Active Learning role:  Advocate for design that gets learners interacting and learning actively! In the design of an online activity, interaction refers to the active engagement of the learner with:
    • other learners
    • the instructor
    • course content
    • external resources
  • Moodle mentor: Lend your expertise to suggest tools that might not get as much exposure as, say, discussions and assignment drop boxes.


number 5Post your finished design to the Database

  • Moodle mentor - Work with the less experienced Moodlers in your group to ensure your group's design is properly entered into the activities database.  


number 6Share designs with the larger group

  • Each group will take 5 minutes to walk us through their design
  • 3 minutes for whole-group feedback
  • Moodle mentor - edit database entry if needed to incorporate whole-group feedback.
Last modified: Tuesday, 25 October 2011, 3:31 PM