Why participate in a Learn Moodle MOOC?

May 10, 2017

Have you heard?

Sign up for Learn Moodle 3.3 is now open and will start on 19 June.

Moodle HQ has been running this free MOOC for a number of years now, and each course we have got an overwhelming number of people (in the thousands) join our Community Manager, Helen Foster and Community Educator, Mary Cooch, on this 4-week course.

This June, our Learn Moodle MOOC is titled Teaching with Moodle: An introduction.

In Learn Moodle 3.3 MOOC you will also find out how to use the new and exciting features and improvements that will be available in Moodle 3.3.

If you are new to Moodle, this course would be a great introduction to getting used to your site.

We also talked to a past Learn Moodle participant, Ivan Holland, to talk about his experience with Learn Moodle to explain why you might want to participate in this MOOC.

Moodle HQ: Thank you, Ivan for taking the time to chat to us today about Learn Moodle.

Perhaps we can start with a bit of background about you – why are you interested in learning about how to use Moodle and what was your first Learn Moodle course?

Ivan: I completed a Moodle MOOC in 2015, whilst I was doing my PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education). My main reason for taking part in the MOOC was because we were using Moodle at my PGCE placement school, and I had been asked by my subject mentor to see if I could help to set up some Moodle content for the Computing department – things such as quick quizzes that pupils could complete following classes in particular topics.

Although I had already got a basic knowledge of Moodle, I felt that completing the MOOC would provide me with a more in-depth knowledge of the features of Moodle, and allow me to do a much better job of creating the required content.

Moodle HQ: Can you explain what you were expecting from your first Learn Moodle course and what you got out of it at the end of the 4-week course?

Ivan: I was expecting to get a better knowledge of Moodle, and how it works. I found that the course showed me how to do certain things more effectively, as well as allowing me to do things that I did not know were possible. Because the MOOC was very ‘hands on’, I got the opportunity to try things out during the MOOC, and then implement many of the same things for our department at school.

Moodle HQ: What, in your opinion, is the best thing you have learnt or take away from the course for your own Moodle courses/site?

Ivan:
Because I learned so much during the MOOC, it is difficult to select one particular thing about the course that I found particularly useful. Overall, I was simply impressed by the flexibility of Moodle, and the way it allowed me to create a large variety of different content for our department VLE (Virtual Learning Environment).

Additionally, I did particularly like the way that the MOOC allowed us to create our own Moodle project, and to view some of the Moodle projects set up by other participants; thus allowing us to pick up ideas from other Moodle users.

Moodle HQ: Lastly, why do you think teachers/educators or anyone interested in Moodle should participate in Learn Moodle MOOC?

Ivan: I think that the Learn Moodle MOOC is useful for anyone involved in developing content for a VLE. The MOOC covers a large range of Moodle topics and provides the opportunity to try things out while learning about them.

Additionally, the interactive nature of the MOOC means that participants can pick up ideas from others taking part in the MOOC.

Thank you, Ivan, for taking the time to talk to us about your experience with Learn Moodle MOOC. We really appreciate your time.

Remember, registration for Learn Moodle 3.3 is still open and you can sign up from our learn.moodle.net site.

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We look forward to seeing some of you soon at Learn Moodle 3.3 MOOC.