A presentation at the MoodleMoot NZ 2014, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, Nelson. NMIT has been using Moodle since 2004 and this presentation covers the highlights, including adoption strategies, collaborative projects and using a selection of non-standard plugins.

1. A trip down Moodle lane
DAVID STURROCK (david.sturrock@nmit.ac.nz)
FLEXIBLE LEARNING TEAM LEADER

2. Welcome
• Nelson – The Centre of New Zealand
• Whakatū – to build, raise or establish
• Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology
(NMIT)
• Old St Johns church
• MoodleMoot
– Build resources
– Raise knowledge
– Establish relationships

3. Who am I?
• Hamilton, Westie, Auckland, Nelson
• BSc (Auck) & PG Dip Librarianship (Victoria
UoW)
• NMIT Library 1998, Ed Tech since 2001
• Flexible Learning Team Leader, 6.4 FTE staff
(FLiT)
• ITPNZ eLearning forum, TANZ, DEANZ,
ASCILITE
• eFest Conference, NTLT Conference,
MoodleMoot NZ
• Moodle user since 2004

4. Summary
• A journey through some of NMIT’s Moodle
experiences
• Some lessons learned
• Current initiatives at NMIT
• What the future holds?

5. NMIT 2004
• Flexible Learning Intent
• No LMS - Liberty Course Notes
• eCDF projects
– Blackboard proposal (CPIT, NMIT , Tai Poutini) 
– OSVLE I & II (Open Polytechnic+) - selected Moodle


6. Title of the page
• This is bullet style one
– This is bullet style two
• This is bullet style three

8. Lessons
• Be open to opportunities
• Hook yourself to the right people
• Power in being open
• Community rules – Moodle.org
• It always takes longer than you think
• Just because you think it’s cool, doesn’t mean
others will
• Need a hook for sense of urgency or relevancy

9. 2007 Looping with local schools
• Learning on the Loop

12. Lessons
• Patience and the power of conversation
• Partnerships
• Simplification – speed, login, automation
• The power of Moodle themes
• Managing expectations
• Feeder to NMIT experience
• Good things come to an end

13. 2008 Moodle Networking

14. Lessons
• MNet worked for multiple models
• Updates to Moodle 1.9 enabled bulk enrolments
• Collaboration is hard work – vision and
communication
• myLearn is no more
• But MNet still useful, although adds complexity
and Moodle 2 broke bulk enrolments capability
– CPIT Nursing courses

15. 2008 Authentication – a journey towards
simplification
• Initially risk averse IT support (externally
hosted Moodle)
• 2004 – 8: Manual accounts direct in Moodle 
• 2008 – 9: Windows Live @ EDU 
• 2009 – 2012: Active Directory (RADIUS) 
• 2013 – Single Sign On (SAML/ADFS)    
– Desktop SSO
– SSO across Office 365, Liberty and expanding
– Login becomes IT support issues not FLiT

16. 2010 Turnitin embedded in Moodle
• This is bullet style one
– This is bullet style two

17. Lessons
• Plagiarism can be a matter of interpretation
• Be transparent and involve students in decision
making
• Strive for simplicity – embedding Turnitin
within Moodle
• Don’t assume students understand – educate
and be positive during training sessions
• Make sure you place responsibility where most
appropriate, but still need policy and procedure
• New Turnitin supplied plugin has issues

18. 2011 Blended learning definition & targets

19. Using a metaphor to engage teaching staff

21. 2011 Learner Journey & Individual Learning
Plans (ILP’s)

23. 2012 Students' Online Virtual Learning
Experience (SOLVE)

24. Impact of student feedback
• Great evidence for us to use to inform Moodle changes
and teaching staff about key issues for students about
visual design, navigation, priority content, general
usability, teaching presence and other issues.
• Selected non-standard course formats (onetopic and
grid), changed theme (responsive, 2 column, decaf-based)
• Added “course search” and progress bar blocks
• Added styled content blocks and completion tracking
within course content for fully online courses
• Student feedback on changes very positive for online
courses, challenge is to improve blended/campus
courses

25. Grid format – visual learners

26. Onetopic format – online courses

27. Use labels and CSS to decorate content

28. Experimenting with collapsible content

30. Insert formatted snippets using text editor
Demo of using TinyMCE templates -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FUPRVwgK
mo&list=LL5wDJwkxMtA6RX6RmOR8IcQ&index
=2
How to configure -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gZVOlTaW
Ug&list=LL5wDJwkxMtA6RX6RmOR8IcQ&index
=1
Moodle Tracker for adding to Atto editor -
https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-44298

32. NMIT and Learning Design
• NMIT had strong representation in
development of TANZ online quality standards
and learning design framework, in conjunction
with CPIT and Northtec
• Learning design framework has strong
alignment with CPIT Diploma in Tertiary
Learning and Teaching, taught by FLiT team
members at NMIT
• Now utilising this in NMIT learning design
framework project – a whole of institute change
management project

33. NMIT Learning Design Framework Goals
1. Provide a flexible learning environment
2. Provide supportive and inclusive learning opportunities
3. Integrate learning and work
4. Promote excellence and success
5. Embed core transferable skills
– Institute set defined
6. Create a sustainable model for the medium to long term
– Reduce delivery costs & increase workplace learning (goals set
for levels)
– Blended delivery models

34. NMIT LDF Project outline
• Updated learning and teaching policy with objectives
and institute core skills
• Used TANZ Learning design framework (LDF) to focus
on programme and course design using educational
principles and core skill outcomes – compliance with
LDF now a formal requirement
• Adopted Christensen Institute blended definition and
models
• Management commitment & project manager for
institute changes
• Programme areas to set priorities and accountable for
change
– New programmes – Aquaculture, Viticulture, Maritime, Health, Social
Work

35. FLiT contribution part of whole of
organisation change
• Supporting toolkits (iterative development)
• Quality standards and continuous improvement
integrated in
• Staff capability framework and training plan
• Learning design support
• Course development responsibility for specific
projects
• Technology and support service planning
• PD events

36. Learning design focus
• Assessments authentic and consistent with
outcomes and core transferable skills
• Activity based learning
• Blended model to suit learners/content
• Selective content development
• Use of course and document templates
• Training programme

37. Learning design toolkit for staff

38. Blended Learning is a formal
education program in which a
student learns:
at least in part through online
learning, with some element of student
control over time, place, path, and/or
pace
at least in part in a supervised brick-and-
mortar location away from home
and the modalities along each
student’s learning path within a course
or subject are connected to provide an
integrated learning experience
Source: http://www.christenseninstitute.org/blended-learning-definitions-and-models

39. That has given us the following four
models
#1 ROTATION
#2 FLIPPED CLASSROOM
#3 FLEX
#4 ENRICHED VIRTUAL

40. #1 ROTATION MODELS
Station
Rotation
Students move as
one group or in
smaller groups
between stations
within the
classroom/lab. One
station is set up for
online learning
Class

41. Lab
Rotation
Students move as
one group or in
smaller groups
between different
rooms, one of which
is set up for online
learning Class
Class

42. #2 FLIPPED CLASSROOM MODEL
Students attend
classes on campus,
however they
prepare for those
classes by working
online at home
watching videoed
lectures and doing
readings, exercises
and research
Class
Hom
e

43. #3 FLEX MODEL
The majority of the
course work is done
online on campus,
with the tutor
taking small group
instruction or
moving about the
class providing
individual tutoring
or support
Class

44. #4 ENRICHED VIRTUAL MODEL
Students do most of
the course work
online at home (or
workplace),
however come onto
campus occasionally
for workshops,
block modules,
facilities access,
tutor meetings,
peer networking
opportunities
and/or support
Hom
e
Class

45. Future
• Supporting staff & student in LDF roll-out
• Continued improvements to course
formats/navigation/content styling
• Embedding a mobile device strategy
• Disaggregating content authoring from Moodle
• Explore options to enable commenting on content in
context
• Improving student collaboration and co-creation tools
• Improvements to user dashboards – potential for
aggregation of cross-course Moodle and SMS data
• Analytics tools for interventions and improving course
design