Oakland University’s Student Congress sent out a poll to all students beginning in November 2020 through March 2021 to get their feedback on using Moodle for online learning. Instructional designers from e-Learning and Instructional Support took the survey results and helped design a new workshop for faculty that addresses student concerns to help the instructors improve their courses. Moodle: Course Design and Best Practices is being held several times this summer.
Nic Bongers, senior instructional designer for eLIS, said the OU Student Congress liaison to eLIS helped make the connection and share the results. The survey, which yielded 175 responses, included students from freshmen to graduate students. While a majority of the respondents were satisfied overall with their Moodle experience, there were some things students wanted their instructors to know.
Bongers said around the same time, they heard from an academic support committee looking to create a workshop with eLIS that could address best practices and tips based on feedback the committee had received from faculty members.
From the student survey results and faculty feedback, the eLIS instructional designers developed the course, Moodle: Course Design and Best Practices. This course, which is offered to faculty this summer, will address topics like accessibility, assignment submission, creating calendars and other topics that students wanted them to know more about.
“The Moodle: Course Design and Best Practices workshop is a lot like the Moodle for New Users workshop that we have offered in the past, however it’s been updated and refined based on recent feedback,” said Bongers.
Besides addressing student concerns, the workshop will also identify how online faculty can avoid some of the stressors associated with teaching online.
The workshop is scheduled for Thursday, June 10 from 3-4 p.m. as well as Thursday, Aug. 5 from 3-4 p.m. To enroll in either workshop, or to see what other workshops are available from eLIS, visit the Workshop eSpace.
