For Staff
...wanting to author e-learning materials
- Using the Course Materials Repository
- Using Online Coursework Submission
- Using the Plagiarism Detection Service
- Using Moodle
- Using WebCT
- Using Perception
- Using a Personal Response System
- SENDA
- Supporting Online Learning
- IPR and Copyright Guidance
- E-Learning Network (Mailing List)
- Training
- Learning and Teaching
ELeN Newsletter: February 2009
Welcome to the fourth edition of the ELeN Newsletter!In this newsletter:
LTT News
Learning and Teaching Series
We will be running a session for the Learning and Teaching Series on 24th February from 12pm – 2pm. We plan this to be a crash course in Learning Technologies – come along to find out what we offer and get a sample of how they all work!
If you would like to attend, you can book online at: http://www.essex.ac.uk/ltu/Booking_forms/SD130.asp. You can also email either ltt or ltu (non-Essex users should add @essex.ac.uk) for more information.
E-learning Review
The Learning Technology Team is due to run an E-learning Review around the University this year. Although only one or two departments will be involved to begin with, we are hoping to reach all departments at some point.
The review will basically consist of an informal meeting between a few of our team and a number of people within each department. We will discuss how they have found using e-learning since it has been available and look into what can be done to improve usage across the University. We hope everyone will find this a useful exercise, both to see how some tools are currently being used and to give us some feedback on what it has been like to use them!
CMALT
Our team of Learning Technologists will very soon be applying for Certified Membership of the Association for Learning Technology. This accreditation from the Association for Learning Technology will ensure that you will be dealing with Learning Technologists who know their stuff and are devoted to their cause! Find out more on the ALT website: http://www.alt.ac.uk/.
Jobs of the Month
Get Trained Up!
We will be running a week of training just before the end of term – exact dates to be announced. This is a perfect opportunity to get trained up on all the tools you want to use and have a good practice with them over the Easter break.
Remember, we run training for all these e-learning technologies:
- Moodle
- PRS (Basic)
- PRS (Advanced)
- Questionmark Perception
We can also provide tailored training for the CMR, OCS and SharePoint if required.
If you are interested in any of our training courses contact ltt@essex.ac.uk or see the page on the ELeN website to find out more about the available courses: http://www.essex.ac.uk/elen/staff/training.shtm. We are currently trying to gauge interest in the different training sessions, so let us know if you can't find a training session and want one!
If there is a large group of you in a department that would like training on a particular system, contact us and we may be able to organise a tailored session for you.
We Want Your Feedback: OCS Development
We are planning our big development project for the summer at the moment, which is improvement of the Online Coursework Submission system. This system is currently very well used amongst a lot of departments, so we would like your ideas and feedback on what you think should be improved and added. Some of our plans are listed below, but if you can think of any more ideas or have comments about what we’ve scheduled so far, please let us know.
- Student area:
- Make it easier to navigate
- Allow for browsing of current and past submissions
- Clearer distinction of returned work
- Deadline reminder
- Staff area:
- Easier to navigate and more years to browse through
- Access to reports made clearer
- Feedback module enhanced *
- Integration with the TurnItIn system *
- Search facility
* These projects are sub-projects of the main OCS development, and therefore may take a little longer than the main OCS revamp. We hope to make these an important and easy-to-use part of the system as soon as possible.
If you have any comments or ideas, email ltt (non-Essex users should add @essex.ac.uk).
Elsewhere on the Web
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Want to find out more about Moodle? We recommend you register with the official Moodle support website at http://moodle.org/. The site is free to use and contains the collective knowledge of hundreds of Moodle users from all over the world, including the team that develop Moodle in Australia. You will have to register on the site, but you can then also receive updates and newsletters on what’s new in Moodle.
P.S. Take note how much Moodle can do for you… Their entire web site is created as a Moodle course! Recognise it?
And here's one for fun
Second Life
If you haven’t heard of it before, Second Life is an online virtual world, created and maintained by its residents. You can download the program and join the world for free, creating and personalising your avatar and exploring all the free-roam areas available. Think The Sims meets World of Warcraft (but with less fighting!)
Second Life has been used and adapted in many ways, including being used for learning and teaching. Some Universities have chosen to purchase their own ‘area’ (island in the virtual world) which can only be accessed by allowed participants, and have programmed specific objects and situations in which students can learn. One good example of this was for ambulance trainees, where they had created an online emergency which the student had to respond to, getting their avatar to use the correct equipment and techniques.
If you are interested in having a little look around Second Life you can download the program and find out more from the website. I’m on there somewhere, maybe you could come and say hello!
