South College Instructional Technology Student Guide to South College Moodle Courses July 2008 Page 1

Student Guide to South College Moodle Courses

Contents

Page

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 2 Accessing your South College Moodle Course Site(s) ...................................................................... 3 Moodle Interface Brief Description..................................................................................................... 9 Course Page Layout and Blocks ...................................................................................................... 9 Blocks.................................................................................................................................................... 9 Course Content Area ....................................................................................................................... 10 Navigation.......................................................................................................................................... 13 TIPS FOR SUCCESS [Read Carefully]................................................................................................... 14 Recommended Browsers............................................................................................................................ 15 Using AOL:.................................................................................................................................................. 15 Recommended Hardware ........................................................................................................................... 15 Pop-up configuration ................................................................................................................................... 15 Internet Explorer’s Built-In Popup Blocker .................................................................................................. 15 Cookies ....................................................................................................................................................... 16 Browser Cache............................................................................................................................................ 16 How to clear your browser cache................................................................................................................ 17 JavaScript.................................................................................................................................................... 17 Downloads .................................................................................................................................................. 18

To Print this file, Click File, Print on your Browser Window

South College Instructional Technology Student Guide to South College Moodle Courses July 2008 Page 2

Introduction Definition: Moodle At South College, your academic and professional success is important to us. An underpinning part of your educational process is exposing you to current and cutting-edge technologies that can enhance your learning and better prepare you for the workplace in the 21st century. Many of the courses at South College use an electronic course management system called Moodle. The word was originally an acronym for Modular Object Orientated Dynamic Learning Environment. Moodle is one of a number of Course Management Systems (also called Learning Management Systems, LMS or Virtual Learning Environments, VLE). Simply, this type of system is software that is designed to support traditional learning methods in order to enhance the learning experience of users. Other systems of the same nature include Blackboard and WebCT. Moodle runs as an interactive website with a number of features and activities designed to engage learners and promote collaborative, studentcentered learning. If you are in a course that is Moodle supported, you will access your course sites via the Student Portal. You will automatically be registered in your Moodle course sites. This Student Guide will assist you in accessing your South College Moodle course sites and contains information on the Moodle interface in addition to technical requirements. If you have questions or difficulty, send an email to [email protected] . If you email an issue to support, indicate Portal, Email, or Moodle in the Subject line. If you are having a Moodle issue, specify the class in which you are experiencing the issue. Be as detailed as possible in the description of the problem. The more detail you can provide, the quicker your issue will be resolved. In constructing this guide for you, we assume that you have at least a basic knowledge of using a computer including input devices like a mouse and keyboard. In addition, it is assumed that you are familiar with your web browser and navigating between pages on the Internet.

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Accessing your South College Moodle Course Site(s) Moodle is basically a web site like any other and is therefore available wherever there is an Internet connection. It is a pretty intuitive tool and is easy to use. How easy you find it will depend on your own background. That said, a general rule of “have a go and see what happens” can be applied in most cases. On Moodle course pages (at the bottom of each page), you can find a Moodle Docs link that will direct you to help files. These should help with any difficulties you may encounter. First of all though, let’s look at the most basic – logging on. To access your Moodle course site(s) via the South College Student Portal: Go to the South College Homepage Click on the Student Portal Link on the dropdown menu.

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On the Student Portal page, enter your username and password and click Login. NOTE: If you have not created a Portal Account you must complete this step FIRST. If you have forgotten your password, click the Forgot you password link, enter your South College email and your password will be emailed to you.

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On the next Portal screen, click on the Academics link on the left navigation bar.

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Click Your Class Schedule under the Academics link on the left navigation bar.

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On the next Portal screen, you will see a listing of your courses that have Moodle supported sites. THE COURSES LISTED BELOW ARE FOR EXAMPLE. You can either look at this screen as a List visual or as a Week visual. List is more straight-forward and is the view below.

You will see a link Click for Details under Course Schedule. Click this link to go on to the Moodle site. Make sure you are looking at the course with the Moodle course site.

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Almost there! On the last Portal screen click Go to Online Provider. This will take you to your Moodle course site. You have to work through this process each time you need to access your course site. Presently, if you have a lecture/lab class, the lecture section is the only one supported by Moodle.

NOTE: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO USE YOUR SOUTH COLLEGE EMAIL ACCOUNT.

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Moodle Interface Brief Description Course Page Layout and Blocks Blocks The Course page you see as a student has Blocks on both sides and the main content through the middle. The figure below highlights some of the features. There are a number of blocks available for your instructor to include or leave out as they see appropriate. Blocks can also be customized (e.g. moved to a different location by your instructor). This means that your courses may appear slightly different to each other but you should soon become familiar with each. Please remember that you have HELP (Moodle Docs) link at the bottom of each course page, so you can explore further information on the interface including a description of each Block.

Column 1 Blocks (Course Tools)

Column 2 (Course Content)

Column 3 Blocks (Course Tools)

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Other Blocks that may or may not appear in your course site (depends on instructor preference): Administration –display a link to their own grades and, if enabled, course logs. People – listing of course participants and access to profiles. Activities – quick access to activities in the course such as Resources, Activities, and Forums. Course Categories – listing of all Moodle supported courses at South College (if you are enrolled in multiple courses using Moodle sites, this is a quick way to access another course site. Upcoming Events – displays calendar events in a summarized list. Messages – The Messaging system default is not limited to a specific course or role.

Course Content Area Resources and Activities

There are two types of content in a course site; Resources and Activities. Typically, resources are course files that are not graded by the instructor such as a PowerPoint presentation. Activities are files that are graded by the instructor such as an assignment. There are two ways to access your course resources and activities which are files that contain your course content, assignments, communications, etc. The first is through the main course content in the middle of the page. Clicking on these links will take you directly to the activity or resource.

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Resources and Activities (same files): Activity The second is to use the activities block. Here the links take you to a list of activities/resources organized in their categories e.g. all the forums (discussion) or all the quizzes. You can then select one. Once you have opened an activity/resource, where appropriate further instructions should be given.

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Activities Block with Resources and Activities included The calendar is one of the more interactive blocks. It allows you to see events created by your course instructor and allows you to add your own entries. This means it can be used as a personal organizer that has the benefit of being accessible anywhere you can get online.

In the calendar, you can Add Events, filter your view of events, export calendar entries to your PDA, and much more. Explore the screens via the buttons!

Global (event viewable in all courses such as school events - created by admin users) Course (event viewable only to course members - created by teachers)

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Group (event viewable only by members of a group - created by teachers) User (personal event a student user can create - viewable only by the user) You can view previous or future months on Calendar by clicking the left/right arrows next to the current month's name. The current date is outlined.

Navigation Once you are in your Moodle courses it is best not to use your browser’s navigation buttons (the forwards and backwards arrows in the upper left of your browser window) as the may get you lost. A better way would be to use the navigation tools that are built into Moodle. These are the Breadcrumbs and the Jump to menu. The breadcrumbs are a trail showing the pages you have passed through to get to your current location. They are shown in the top left corner of the page and clicking on them will take you to that point in the course. In the following image, the Breadcrumbs tell me that the current screen that I am viewing is BIO1150 course, in the calendar. One could simply click on BIO1150_2008_30 and move back to the main course page.

The Jump to menu (located at the bottom of the main course page) is a simple way of getting to any point in the course. Click on the down arrow next to Jump to, to open the drop-down menu. From here you will see the full list of all activities and resources in your course. Clicking on them will take you to that page.

Please LOG OUT of Moodle and quit your browser completely every time you are finished with work. Click the Logout link in the upper right of the Moodle screen.

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TIPS FOR SUCCESS [Read Carefully] • • • • • • •

•

Log in to your Moodle course site as soon as possible. Use the course calendar to develop a set schedule for your study time. Be acutely aware of timelines. Proofread your e-mail messages and discussion board postings before sending or posting them. The more accurate your messages, the more likely they’ll be understood. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Instructors can’t help you if they don’t know that something’s wrong. You can print lecture notes as you print any resource. Select print from the file menu. Having difficulty viewing documents in Moodle? Make sure that the computer you are using has the software you need. Moodle is best viewed with Internet Explorer version 4 or above, or Foxfire. If you are attempting to view a MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint document for example make sure that the computer you are viewing has Microsoft Office. If you do not have Microsoft Office installed on your computer you can download a viewer from the following website: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/default.aspx . Many of the features in Moodle are Java-based and can be blocked by high security screening settings on personal/work firewalls and/or pop-up blocking software. If you are unable to access these features, it is likely that the settings are in place and need to be adjusted/disabled (look for the browser menu heading of Tools or File and click on the preference option). If this is still a problem and you are unable to resolve this, then download the Firefox browser (link included in download section below).

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(taken from http://www.lamission.edu/ - thanks)

Recommended Browsers • • •

Internet Explorer version 4 or later (link included below in Download section) Firefox (link included below in Download section) Opera and Safari will not show build-in html editor in Moodle- not recommended

Using AOL: • • • •

Connect to the Internet using AOL version 4.0 or higher Open a private chat within AOL (this allows the AOL client to remain open, without asking if you wish to disconnect while minimized) Minimize AOL - you will not use the AOL browser Launch a recommended browser (ie IE)

Recommended Hardware • •

Windows: Windows 98, ME, NT, 4.0, 2000, or XP and a 56k V.90 modem or better Internet connection. Depending on the use of streaming media, interactive multimedia, or other content in the individual courses, you might need additional hardware/software or browser plug-ins.

Pop-up configuration Some of the Moodle courses use pop-up windows, therefore you will need to disable pop-up blockers in your browser. Some blockers may be turned off on Windows by right clicking an icon on the system tray, next to where the clock resides.

Firefox 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Go to Tools > Options. Click Content tab. If Block pop-up windows is checked, then click Exceptions button near it. Type online.southcollegetn.edu Click Allow, click Close, click OK.

Internet Explorer’s Built-In Popup Blocker 1. Go to Tools: Popup Blocker. At this point you can either just turn the pop-up blocker off, or continue with the settings below. 2. Select Popup Blocker Settings. 3. For Address of Web site to allow, type "https://*.southcollegetn.edu." 4. Click the Add button. 5. Click the Close button. 6. Close and restart Internet Explorer.

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Cookies Cookies are files often set by websites in your browser to record certain information about your visit to a website. For example, cookies can be used on to remember your username the next time you visit, or to keep track of if you are logged in or not. Cookies need to be enabled in your browser to use Moodle. How to enable cookies in your browser:

Internet Explorer: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Open Internet Explorer. Click on the 'Tools' menu. Select 'Internet options'. Select the 'Privacy' tab. Move the slider to Medium. Click 'OK'. Close Internet Explorer to save changes.

Firefox: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Click on the 'Tools' menu. Select 'Options'. Click on 'Privacy'. Click on 'Cookies'. Make sure the box marked 'Allow sites to set Cookies' is checked. Click 'OK' to save changes.

Browser Cache Browser caching is when your internet browser saves copies of web pages you visit onto your computer. Caching occurs in order to help you access regularly visited web pages more quickly as your computer 'remembers' that you have been to that web page already. Browser caching can cause problems in Moodle as the browser will display older versions of the pages you access. Some students have been able to resolve login and other issues by clearing their browser cache.

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How to clear your browser cache Internet Explorer: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Click on the 'Tools' menu. Select 'Internet options'. Click on 'Delete Files' under 'Temporary Internet Files'. Click on 'Clear History' under 'History'. Click 'OK'. Close down Internet Explorer to save changes.

Firefox: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Click on the 'Tools' menu. Select 'Options'. Click on 'Privacy'. Click on 'Cache'. Click on 'Clear Cache Now'. Click 'OK'

JavaScript JavaScript must be enabled in order to use Moodle. How to enable JavaScript Internet Explorer 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Open Internet Explorer. Click 'Tools'. Select 'Internet options'. Select the 'Security' tab. Click the 'Custom level' button. Scroll down and enable all 3 Scripting options. Click 'OK'. Close down Internet Explorer to save changes.

Firefox: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Click on the 'Tools' menu. Select 'Options'. Click on 'Content'. Make sure the box marked 'Enable JavaScript' is checked. Click 'OK' to save changes.

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Downloads: Firefox

http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

Internet Explorer 7

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx

Adobe Reader

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Flash Player

http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflash

Shockwave Player

http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/

Windows Media

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/AllDownloads.aspx?dis plang=en&qstechnology=

RealPlayer 10

http://www.download.com/RealPlayer/3000-2139_4-10255189.html?tag=lst-0-2

QuickTime Player

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html

PowerPoint Viewer

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=428d5727-43ab-4f2490b7-a94784af71a4&displaylang=en

Excel Viewer

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c8378bf4-996c-4569b547-75edbd03aaf0&displaylang=en

Word Viewer

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=95e24c87-8732-48d58689-ab826e7b8fdf&displaylang=en

If you have questions or difficulty with Portal or email accounts, or Moodle access send an email to [email protected]. In your email to support, indicate Portal, Email, or Moodle in the Subject line. If you are having a Moodle issue, specify the class in which you are experiencing the issue. Be as detailed as possible in the description of the problem. The more detail you can provide, the quicker your issue will be resolved.