Since we announced the new, automated course creation process
for Moodle courses last week, we’ve received several questions.
Q. How does the new
process differ from the way IT has been creating Moodle courses?
A. In the past, we used a manual process to create blank courses
for instructors to build courses or to back up and restore a new version of an
existing course. Instructors had to contact us to request a Moodle course and
to specify several details to communicate exactly what was needed. The new process
is automated. A computer program has been devised to create a blank course for
every class scheduled at SVCC. The import process simply copies the materials
from past courses into the new, blank one. The import process is similar in
many ways to the reset feature in Blackboard, with which many of you may be
familiar.
Q. Do I have to completely rebuild my course?
A. You will not have to
rebuild your course; you will simply copy the materials you want into the
automatically created Spring 2013 course. If you import all materials from your
old course, your new course will look exactly the same as the course from which
you import the materials. There is no need to rebuild your course unless you
choose to do so.
Q. Will I still need to fill out the Moodle Course Request Form
for each class?
A. No, the Moodle Course Request Form will no longer be
necessary, since your course will be ready and waiting for you to copy your
materials through the import process.
Q. How much of my time will this import process require?
A. Generally, the import process is quick and requires only a
few minutes for each course.
Q. What if I don’t use Moodle with my students?
A. If you choose not to use the automatically created Moodle
course, do nothing. The courses are hidden from students upon creation. Your
course will only become visible to students when you make it available to them.
We’ve prepared a tutorial demonstrating how to import course
materials into a new course and
a tutorial on how to convert hidden
courses to ones visible to students. If you prefer, you may attend any of several sessions
scheduled in the Instructional Technology Center, where we will be available to
answer questions and offer assistance. Dates and times of scheduled sessions
appear below. Please feel free to contact us at extension 229 with any
questions.
Date Time Place
November 2, 2012 1:30
p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ITC,
Room 3M17
Nov. 8, 2012 2:30-4:00
p.m. ITC, Room 3M17
Nov. 16 , 2012 1:30-3:00
p.m. ITC,
Room 3M17
Nov. 29 , 2012 2:30-4 p.m. ITC,
Room 3M17
Dec. 12, 2012 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. ITC, Room 3M17
December 13, 2012 8:30
– 10:00 a.m. ITC,
Room 3M17
January 2-11, 2013 By
appointment ITC,
Room 3M17
