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Moodle Classrooms

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Moodle is a free software/open source e-learning platform (also known as a Course Management System (CMS), or Learning Management Systems (LMS), or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)). It has a significant user base with 18,204 registered sites with 7,270,260 users in 712,531 courses (as of November 15, 2006)

Moodle is designed to help educators create online courses with opportunities for rich interaction. Its open source license and modular design means that many people can develop additional functionality, and development is undertaken by a globally diffuse network of commercial and non-commercial users, spearheaded by the Moodle company based in Perth, Western Australia.

Origin of the name

The word Moodle is actually an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment, although originally the M stood for "Martin", named after Martin Dougiamas, the original developer.

Moodle sounds much like the verb noodle, which describes the improvisational process of doing things as it occurs to you to do them, an enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity. As such it applies both to the way Moodle was developed, and to the way a student or teacher might approach studying or teaching an online course.

Joining Moodle

Once you have registered for your law classes, you are invited to join moodle. You only have to signup one time. To do that go to http://moodle.lamission.edu/login/signup.php and set up your account. Type in a username, passcode (of your own choosing), along with your "real name", and a real "email address". Once you do that, you will receive an email at your home email address. You then click on the "confirmation link", and now you have joined moodle. You will receive emails from your classes at that email address. If you change your email during the semester you should then go to your "profile" and change your email address to ensure you receive emails from your class instructors.

The moodle classroom is where you will submit your online course assignments and quizzes. First you need to sign up in Moodle. Go to http://moodle.lamission.edu/login/signup.php and type in a username and password, and a real email address - Please also use your real name to get credit for your work.

You may decide to not make your email avaiable to anyone (if you would like to maintain your privacy). You can do this once you have logged into moodle, under "edit profile" on the left side. We would recommend allowing other students in class to see your email so that you can form online study groups, or communicate with others in class. You can get a free email account at yahoo.com or hotmail.com just for your moodle classroom and then configure that email to forward emails to your home account. That way you only have one email account, your home email to check for emails

To complete your registration process, you will receive a confirming email at the email address you gave, and you need to click on it to complete your registration process. Once you have registered with Moodle, then you may login and enroll in your online classes. Please make sure you are registered for the online class before joining the moodle classroom. If you are not registered for the class by the first day of class, you will be excluded from the Moodle classroom until you can get registered. If you need more information on moodle look at http://moodle-network.pbwiki.com under "student resources".

***(below information provided courtesy of Linda Delzeit, Distance Education Coordinator at L.A. Trade Tech - thanks Linda)

The following rules apply to all classes on campus:

· Last day to add (20% of course length).

· Last date to drop without class appearing on the student’s record (30% of course length)

· Last date to drop classes without being graded. “W” will be recorded on student’s records (75% of course length)

Your login id/password will not work until a week before your class begins.

You must enable cookies and pop-ups when using this course management system. If you do not know how to do either of these skills, refer to the Technical Help web page at: http://www.lattc.edu/lattc/on_line/techhelp.htm

When using Moodle, you can edit each forum to avoid receiving every message via email that is posted by students in your class(es). You can also edit your general profile to not receive any emails from Moodle. We recommend that you ONLY limit the class discussion forums but allow for your teacher’s news forum postings and his/her assignment feedback messages to reach you. Do NOT complain to your ISP if you are getting the class postings and do not want them. Contact your instructor if you don’t know how to stop the postings. The email messages are NOT spam. They are the result of being in the online class. You can control how many you get, but do not report them as spam to your service provider.

Registering For Online Classes

Step 1: Be sure you are a currently enrolled student at Mission. If not, submit an online application. If you are a new student to the district who has applied using CCC Apply, one application should serve the purpose of getting into any of the colleges in the district. However, if you have not enrolled through CCC Apply, complete the online application. If you were a student at Mission who has not completed a course within the past two semesters, you might need to submit a new application. (http://cccapply.org)

Step 2: Register for the class you want to take. Returning students can do this through the Student Information System (SIS) online - http://www.laccd.edu/student_information/sis_logon.asp or through the STEP (telephone registration system) or in person. New students will need to secure a registration appointment. Once you have enrolled through CCC Apply, you should receive via email information on your registration appointment. The email will be sent to the email address you use for CCC Apply. If you do not receive that email, log into the Student Information System to get it. You can register for classes on or after that registration date.

Step 3: Purchase your textbook - see http://lamission.edu/law/textbooks. We use West Business Law 10th Edition for Law 1, 2, 10, and 19. The quizzes are based on the newer edition, so if you purchase an older edition, the quizzes may not match up with materials in the earlier editions.

Technical Skills and Knowledge

(Help with these skills at: http://www.lattc.edu/lattc/on_line/techhelp.htm)

1. Email and related skills: You need to know how to use a personal computer to send, receive, and reply to email. You need to have your own personal email account. You cannot use the account belonging to another person.

2. Internet access and skill: Online students need to have access to the Internet and they need to know how to use a web browser to navigate the World Wide Web. You can use a web browser of your choice but the most common ones are Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Netscape. You will be expected to know how to upload a file to the course management software. Be sure you do not have a space in the filename when you attempt to upload it.

3. Word Processing skills: You will be expected to type some of your papers using a word processing program such as Microsoft Word or Word Perfect or Claris Works or Open Office. You should be able to save these files in a common .doc or .rtf format. If you do not have Microsoft Word, then you can download a free Word Reader. You will need to upload files as either MS Word docs, RTF (Rich Text File format) or a Txt (text format).

4. Cookies: You need to know how to set your cookies on the computer you use. Cookies are important so the course management software can keep track of where you have been in the system and what work belongs to you.

5. Javascript: Some course management software used in this program requires you to have Javascript installed and enabled. Most computers have this working without the user even knowing it. This is true for the new computers but people with older computers can install it.

6. Pop-ups and Pop-up Blockers: You need to allow Pop-ups when working with the course management software. If you have turned ON your pop-up blocker software, you need to know how to turn it off when working on the class.

7. Do not block messages: If you are a student in a Moodle class, do not set your profile to block messages. This prevents the instructor from contacting you.

8. Moodle Tutorials: There are a few tutorials available to help students learn the course management software if they miss the orientations. More tutorials are being developed and should be available soon. You can take the moodle tutorial at http://moodle.lamission.edu/course/view.php?id=56

Reasonable Expectations for Online Classes

1. The virtual classroom will open on the day the class begins and close on the last day of the term. You will be able to log into your classroom the first week of the semester. You should not expect to log in the day you register for a class.

2. You are expected to read everything on the class home page and follow the links and directions on it.

3. You are expected to drop any online class you do not want to complete. Do not rely upon the instructor dropping you for lack of participation or attendance.

4. Each unit of lecture is equal to 18 hours of “seat time” in a normal classroom. Each unit of lecture should be accompanied by an additional 2 hours of study time. If a 3 unit lecture class is taught in 18 weeks, it would require 3 hours per week of “seat time.” If that same class were taken during a 5-week summer or winter term, it would require 10.4 hours per week plus the additional 21 hours of study time. These are good rules for scheduling yourself to work on classes you take online.

5. You are expected to log into the virtual classroom each week as needed to read new announcements from the instructor, read assignments, and submit work on time. In classes that are short-term, you should log in daily. In the event you have technical problems, you are expected to locate another computer to continue logging into the virtual classroom. If work is lost on a home computer, you need to contact the instructor to discuss the issue. Thus, a printed copy of the course syllabus and other pertinent information should be kept for emergency situations when technical difficulties develop.

6. If you are taking a class that uses Moodle, you should create your account and log into your class(es) during the first week. In most instances, the class will not require an enrollment key during the first week. After that you will need to contact your instructor and request the enrollment key if it is not indicated on the instructor web site or the class home page.

Internet Safety

Student safety is highest priority and there are safety rules for using the Internet. The campus takes all steps necessary to provide a safe environment and in order to be sure all students are well-informed, the following information is stressed:

· Do not give out any personal information to people you do not know. This includes home address, phone number and photos.

· Do not meet anyone you do not know well at your home to do studying. Meet them at a public place and take a friend if possible.

· If anyone makes you feel uncomfortable, just log off. If you are sexually solicited, report the details to your Internet Service Provider and to the police.