Innovative eLearning with Moodle for the next generation of learners at Majan University College.

INTRODUCTION

Majan University College is Oman’s first private college located in the heart of Muscat, the capital city of Oman. As of the end of 2017, Majan was the first and only institution to receive full institutional accreditation from the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority, reflecting their high standing in the country and focus on quality education.

The College has 3500 students and has an academic affiliation with the University of Bedfordshire, UK.

Moodle (known at Majan as MOVE), is used as the learning management system for the institution.

PROBLEM

Prior to Moodle, the College did not employ a central Learning Management System (LMS).

Recognising the benefit of online learning that offer students flexibility to access their courses whenever, wherever and opportunities to submit assignments in various formats, the College decided to introduce a robust LMS for their students.

The College also recognised that a central LMS will help with staff induction, giving every new team members the flexibility to be inducted whenever as they have access to the materials online.

Previously, face-to-face staff induction was inconsistent with those who started at different times throughout the year receiving less attention than those who joined at the beginning of the year.

ACTION

Ian McNaught, Head of Library and Computing Services, introduced Moodle in 2010 at Majan College.

“Moodle’s open source learning platform was seen as the ideal choice due to its extensive features, customisability and most of all, lack of license fees,” commented Ian.

Majan College’s reasons for choosing Moodle also revolves around the view that:

The learning management system equals and in some cases surpasses its close competitors in features and performance;
The strong global Moodle community and culture that has built up around it cannot be matched by a commercial software house;
Moodle is built by teachers, for teachers, with research and pedagogy at the heart of the developmental approach;
Moodle themes have made it easier for the College to support its institutional branding in a way that is a lot more difficult on other learning platforms.

Majan College works with their internal Learning Technology Advisors to manage Moodle trainings, upgrades, customisation and support.

Moodle at Majan has been developed primarily for academic purposes (teaching and learning), with the following features heavily used for engaging all users at the College:

MCQ style exams and tests through Moodle’s quiz module with extensive security controls that provides the College with a secure and easy to administer testing environment.
Safe Exam Browser is also used to lock down the workstations during the tests.
Sliders that feature ‘quotes of famous personalities’, upcoming events, student achievements.
Marketing spots that features “Learn & Engage,” student handbook and quick access to the Library portal.
Majan has an open course set up in their Moodle that features a single attempt quiz with 10 questions for staff and students, we call it ‘Learn & Engage’. Anyone who finished the quiz with a full score gets an automated digital badge.
Quick links to social media channels and mobile apps (iOS and Android)
Trending news articles that’s making headlines in Muscat.
A software portal where students can request (and download) recommended software that they need for their academic projects as per software license.
FAQ section that talks about Turnitin, digital badges, Google G-Suite, Library resources, our official mobile app etc.
All modules on Majan’s Moodle are standardised – every module has an icon, associated lecturer profiles, layered course information for easy access to students and teachers.

RESULTS

Since its introduction in 2010, every academic module has a page on Majan’s Moodle system platform – MOVE, with various resources and activities.

Students are very positive about the system “Assignment submissions and feedback has become easier as everything is digital and secure on MOVE” says Alaa Mohammed Al Mamari,

“I like going through the class forums, it has important module information like exam dates, revision notes, teacher feedback etc” says Alisha Dias.

“MOVE quickly became an indispensable resource for students, and an essential online destination,” said Roshan Kolar, Director of eLearning at the college.

In addition, since 2014, the College’s staff induction programme has been digitised and is now facilitated through Moodle, ensuring all staff receive the same experience. The tracking features also makes it straightforward to see who has done what to meet academic expectations.

“Overall staff induction has become more effective and easier to deliver,” commented Roshan.