This document presents a toolkit for designing Moodle courses. It introduces several tools to support the design process, including: 1. The Ladder of Ambition tool which helps set realistic individual and group goals. 2. The Global Course Design tool which uses stickers on a storyboard to plan didactic activities and map them to learning technologies. 3. The Detail Course Design tool which uses mind mapping to maintain overview while organizing content, resources, and tasks. 4. Course Templates to implement house style and improve building efficiency. 5. The House of Courses tool to improve site navigation and easily restructure course categories. The toolkit is intended to provide support throughout the entire

1. Toolkit for
Moodle course
development
Presentation at Moodlemoot
Edinburgh UK, April 2014
Pieter van der Hijden msc
(pvdh@sofos.nl)
Centre of Expertise in Education & ICTs Suriname
Paramaribo, Suriname
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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2. Background
 Pieter van der Hijden
 Consultant e-learning, Fab Lab, gaming/simulation
 The Netherlands (Sofos) and Suriname (ECOIS)
 Toolkit for Moodle course development
 Design is important step in course development
(quality and efficiency)
 Tools are welcome to support design (& realization)
 Let’s build a toolkit
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3. 3
Agenda
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4. 1. Education production
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5. 1. Education production
 Processes:
 Supporting systems:
 Moodle:
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build
course
content
manage
course
content
manage
course
delivery
teach /
coach /
facilitate
the learning
process
learn!
design
course
content
authoring
system
learning
content
management
system
(LCMS)
learning
management
system
(LMS)
virtual learning environment
(VLE)
design tools
authoring
system
learning content
management
system
(LCMS)
learning
management
system
(LMS)
virtual learning environment
(VLE)
design tools

6. 2. Ladder of ambition
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7. 2. Ladder of ambition
 Input: simple score form (choice)
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8. 2. Ladder of ambition
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 Output: Score
frequency
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
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score=1
score=2
score=3
score=4
score=5
score=6
score=7
score=8
score=9
score=10
 Output: Roadmap
goal q1 q2 q3 q4
1 X
2 X
3 X
4 X
5 X
6 X
7 X
8 X
9 X
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9. 2. Ladder of ambition
 Benefits
 Realistic targets (Individual and Common)
 Shared roadmap
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Inputs  Mechanics  Outputs  Benefits
Simple score
form (choice)
1. Individual
score
2. Common
future
• Score
frequency
• Simple
roadmap
• Realistic
targets
• Shared
roadmap
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10. 3. Global course design
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11. 3. Global course design
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 Input: Story board
with empty stickers
 Step 1: Didactic
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Color Meaning Examples
(from student point of
view)
Red Individual
activities
Reading, working
individually, being tested
individually.
Yellow Synchronous
group
activities
Offline, e.g. (face-to-
face meeting; online,
e.g. chat.
Green Asynchronous
group
activities
Working collectively,
communicating,
presenting, receiving
feedback, testing.

12. Learning map
3. Global course design
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 Step 2: learning
technology
 Output: didactic &
technology plan
Global course design by nine teachers

13. 3. Global course design
 Benefits
 Helicopter view
 Paradigm shift
 Synchronous, asynchronous, individual, group
 Separation didactics and technology
 Didactical problem versus Moodle solution
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Inputs  Mechanics  Outputs  Benefits
• Storyboard
• Stickers
• Legend
• Learning map
1. Didactic plan
2. Technical plan
3. Group
reflection
• Global course
design
• Shared vision
• Helicopter
view
• Paradigm shift
• Separation
didactics and
learning
technology
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14. 4. Detail course design
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15. 4. Detail course design
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 Inputs
 Global course
design
 Mind mapping tool
 Freemind
 Mindmanager
 Mindmeister
 Output
 Section titles

16. 4. Detail course design
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 Output
 Sections and items

17. 4. Detail course design
 Output:
 Organizing resources
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18. 4. Detail course design
 Output
 Planning and monitoring tool
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19. 4. Detail course design
 Benefits
 Maintain overview
 Watch course content consistency
 Organize the building process
 Enable a division of labour
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Inputs  Mechanics  Outputs  Benefits
• Global course
design
• Mindmap tool
1. Mindmap
2. Refs to
resources
3. Monitor tool
Mindmap plus refs
and task info
• Maintain
overview &
consistency
• Organize
building
process
• Enable labour
division

20. 5. Course templates
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21. 5. Course templates
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 Inputs : requirements
 Complete course,
e.g.
 Number of sections
 General section
 Feedback block
 Course component,
e.g.
 Groupings and
groups

22. 5. Course templates
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 Output
 Course template
 Output 2
 Group structure

23. 5. Course templates
 Benefits
 Implement a house style
 Build faster and better
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Inputs  Mechanics  Outputs  Benefits
Template
requirements
1. Develop
template
2. Copy
template
Template
Copies
• House style
• Building
efficiency
and
effectiveness
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24. 6. House of courses
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25. 6. House of courses
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 Inputs
 Current course
categories
 Spreadsheet with
filters
 Mechanics
 Set-up course list in
spreadsheet
 Copy to CSV
 Upload/update
courses
shortname fullname category_idnumber summary
MERSD-A01 (A01) Sustainable development: educational theories and international policymersd-sem1 Program: MERSD<br />Module code: A
MERSD-A02 (A02) Political planning and institutional policy analysis mersd-sem3 Program: MERSD<br />Module code: A
MERSD-A03 (A03) Law and sustainable society mersd-sem1 Program: MERSD<br />Module code: A
MERSD-A04 (A04) Education and law mersd-sem4 Program: MERSD<br />Module code: A

26. 6. House of courses
 Benefits
 Improve site navigation
 Restructure easily
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Inputs  Mechanics  Outputs  Benefits
Current house
of courses
1. Spread-
sheet with
filters
2. CSV file
Updated house
of courses
• Improved site
navigation
• Easy
restructuring
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27. 7. Bonus
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28. 7. Bonus
Let’s create our common toolbox!
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Inputs  Mechanics  Outputs  Benefits

29. 29
Tool Inputs  Mechanics  Outputs  Benefits
Ladder of
ambition
Simple score form
(choice)
1. Individual
score
2. Common
future
• Score
frequency
• Simple
roadmap
• Realistic
targets
• Shared
roadmap
Global course
design
Storyboard
Stickers
Legend
Learning map
1. Didactic
plan
2. Technical
plan
3. Group
reflection
• Global course
design
• Shared vision
• Helicopter
view
• Paradigm shift
• Separation
didactics and
learning
technology
Detail course
design
Global course
design
Mindmapping
tool
1. Mindmap
2. Refs to
resources
3. Monitor tool
Mindmap plus
refs and task info
• Maintain
overview &
consistency
• Organize
building
process
• Enable labour
division
Course templates Template
requirements
Develop
template
Copy template
Template Copies • House style
• Building
efficiency and
effectiveness
House of courses Current house of
courses
1. Spread-
sheet with
filters
2. CSV file
Updated house
of courses
• Improved site
navigation
• Easy
restructuring
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30. References
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31. References
 Design thinking for educators; toolkit;
Riverdale Country School & IDEO; 2012
 Gaming, the future’s language; Richard
Duke; Sage Publications, 1974
 Instructables;
http://www.instructables.com
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32. Thank you for your attention!
Pieter van der Hijden msc (pvdh@sofos.nl)
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2014 – Pieter van der Hijden (pvdh@sofos.nl) – 2014 - This work is
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
License.
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