Recently in Announcements Category

The Faculty Center is now taking requests for Moodle metacourses via this online form:

Metacourse Request Form (opens in a new window)

Moodle 1.9 will be unavailable starting 1:00 p.m. on Friday, May 18 through Tuesday, May 22 while Information Technology performs tasks related to the upgrade to Moodle 2.2.

Faculty and Students will not have access to courses on Moodle 1.9 during this time. This includes all official university courses, metacourses, sandboxes and other miscellaneous Moodle 1.9 courses.

Also on May 18, in Online Services, the link titled "Moodle" will start pointing to the new Moodle 2.2 server.

When Moodle 1.9 returns on May 22, it will be appear in Online Services as "Moodle Archive." This is to support faculty for migration of course content from Moodle 1.9 to 2.2, and for possible grade appeals. All Moodle Archive courses will be set to be unavailable to users with the student role. Moodle Archive should not be used for live classes or other production work.

Moodle 2.2 is available now. All Summer and Fall 2012 courses have been loaded. Faculty who want assistance with moving course content from Moodle 1.9 to 2.2 should contact the Faculty Center.

Email: centerf@sonoma.edu
Phone: (707) 664-2659
Drop-in: Schulz 1125

SSU's new Moodle 2 server is now available. To access it, login to Online Services and click Moodle Future.

Summer 2013 courses have been loaded, and faculty may start adding content and activities.

Instructions for copying course content from Moodle 1.9 to Moodle 2 can be found in the Moodle Users Group course. Faculty and others with the Moodle Teacher role can contact the Faculty Center for assistance.

Email: centerf@sonoma.edu
Phone: (707) 664-2659
Drop-in: Schulz 1125

Will my Moodle 1.9 course work in Moodle 2?

Yes. For most courses, converting a 1.9 course to Moodle 2 will be just like copying a course from a past semester into a new course.

Will all my Moodle 1.9 courses be automatically converted to Moodle 2?

No. Conversion is "self-serve." Faculty should decide which courses they want to carry forward. But don't worry - it won't be difficult. Step-by-step instructions will be available for faculty who wish to convert an older course to Moodle 2, and hands-on support will be available in the Faculty Center. Moodle 1.9 courses will be available on a Moodle Archive server until the end of May, 2013. Faculty may also download a backup of any course to save on their own computer.

Can I just keep using Moodle 1.9 until I'm ready to use Moodle 2?

No. Effective Summer 2012 session, Moodle 2 will be SSU's production Learning Management System. SSU's Moodle 1.9 server will not be available for use with live courses. Moodle 2 is very similar to Moodle 1.9, and should not require completely re-learning how to use Moodle.

Will I still automatically have access to my courses? And will my students still be automatically enrolled?

Yes. All official University courses will automatically be created and populated in Moodle based on CMS course and enrollment data.

What improvements will faculty and students see?

There are many improvements in Moodle 2. Some of these are:

• Improved performance
• Updated look and feel
• Improved navigation
• Rubric grading option in assignments
• Conditional Activities
• Activity Completion options
• Duplicate activity/resource function
• More robust HTML editor
• and more.

The University's Moodle system will be going through an upgrade from version 1.9 to 2.2. This upgrade will bring improvements to the user interface and underlying architecture. Faculty, students and others who use SSU Moodle will find the new version to be very similar, and will not need to re-learn Moodle. Faculty who use Moodle may wish to attend one of the Moodle 2 preview and training sessions offered by the Faculty Center.

Timeline

Moodle 2 will be in use for Summer 2012 courses (and beyond). Moodle 1.9 will not be used for live courses after the Spring 2012 semester.

• March: Faculty Center will offer Moodle 2 Preview demonstrations.
• April: Moodle 2 Basics hands-on training for faculty will be provided in the Faculty Center.
• Last week of April: Moodle courses for Summer 2012 will be available for faculty.
• Mid-June: Moodle 1.9 courses will be available on archive server.

Previews & Training

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my Moodle 1.9 course work in Moodle 2?
Yes. For most courses, converting a 1.9 course to Moodle 2 will be just like copying a course from a past semester into a new course.

Will all my Moodle 1.9 courses be automatically converted to Moodle 2?
No. Conversion is "self-serve." Faculty should decide which courses they want to carry forward. Step-by-step instructions will be available for faculty who wish to convert an older course to Moodle 2, and hands-on support will be available in the Faculty Center. Moodle 1.9 courses will be available on a Moodle Archive server until the end of May, 2013. Faculty may also download a backup of any course to save on their own computer.

Can I just keep using Moodle 1.9 until I'm ready to use Moodle 2?
No. Effective Summer 2012 session, Moodle 2 will be SSU's production Learning Management System. SSU's Moodle 1.9 server will not be available for use with live courses. Moodle 2 is very similar to Moodle 1.9, and should not require completely re-learning how to use Moodle.

Will I still automatically have access to my courses? And will my students still be automatically enrolled?
Yes. All official University courses will automatically be created and populated in Moodle based on CMS course and enrollment data.

What improvements will faculty and students see?
There are many improvements in Moodle 2. Some of these are:

• Improved performance
• Updated look and feel
• Improved navigation
• Rubric grading option in assignments
• Conditional Activities
• Activity Completion options
• Duplicate activity/resource function
• More robust HTML editor

More Information

More information about Moodle 2 will be posted at www.sonoma.edu/moodle as it becomes available.

Questions about Moodle 2?

If you have questions about the Moodle 2 upgrade, contact Barbara Moore barbara.moore@sonoma.edu.

If you have questions about using Moodle 2, contact Martha Ezell martha.ezell@sonoma.edu, or Tim Hensel hensel@sonoma.edu, in the Faculty Center.

Several workshops have just been added to the Faculty Center's training schedule.

Register here (Seawolf ID required)

Moodle Basics

For faculty who want to learn how to get started using Moodle.

• Tuesday, 13 December 2011, 10:00am - 11:30am

Communicating in Moodle

How to use the Forum and Messages tools for effective communication with students, without overly impacting your email inbox.

• Tuesday, 11 October 2011, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
• Wednesday, 16 November 2011, Noon - 1:00pm

Integrating Library Resources in a Moodle Course

Learn how to easily add a variety of library resources and materials in your Moodle course.

• Wednesday, 19 October 2011 Noon - 1:00pm

Understanding Moodle's Gradebook

Tips for easier use of Moodle's Grades tool.

• Wednesday, 5 October 2011 Noon - 1:15pm
• Thursday, 8 November 2011 Noon - 1:15pm
• Friday, 2 December 2011 10:00am - 11:15am

End-of-Semester Gradebook Consultations

Make an appointment with Faculty Center staff to go over any Moodle Gradebook issues you might encounter.

The following faculty have been accepted to the Fall 2011 Online Training Program.

• Sandra Ayala (Education)
• Maureen Buckley (Counseling)
• Perry Davis (Business)
• Sandra Feldman (English)
• Maureen Flynn Garcia (Nursing)
• Pat Hansen (Psychology)
• Nicole Lawson (Library)
• Jesse Markay (History)
• Joe Marquez (Library)
• Sandra Newton (Business)
• Jack Ou (Engineering)
• Elena Parolini (Education)
• Felicia Palsson (Library)
• Nancy Uber-Kellogg (Hutchins)
• Elisa Velasquez (Psychology)
• Andy Wallace (Philosophy)
• Elaine Wellin (Sociology)

Faculty Moodle Training Program, Fall 2011: Online Moodle Workshop

Please use this form to apply for the Fall 2011 Faculty Moodle Training Program. (Sorry, applications are no longer being accepted.)

Faculty have the opportunity to participate in extensive Introduction to Teaching with Moodle online training this Fall 2011. This will begin with a face-to-face session with award-winning Moodle trainer, Joan Van Duzer, Friday, September 23 from 9:00 am -1:00 pm (lunch included). The training will then move online for four weeks, with approximately 1-2 hours of participation per day. Though participation is designed to be daily, there is flexibility to move ahead or catch up, within reason.

As part of the training, faculty participants will develop an actual Spring 2012 course and may choose to develop other courses, simultaneously. This will put these instructors in a strong position for effective use of Moodle from Spring 2012 forward.

We seek a broad and diverse level of faculty involvement and are open to participation by instructors of all backgrounds and expertise levels related to online teaching and learning.

Information Technology will pay for the training, which is normally $200 per person. Up to 20 faculty participants will be accepted into the project.

Questions? Email barbara.moore@sonoma.edu.

Faculty access to WebCT will end during the early morning hours on February 28. Some faculty may wish to perform a few last minute tasks to archive some WebCT course content.

• Archive & Download Course Files (PDF)
• Archive & Download Assignment Dropbox Submissions (PDF)
• Archive & Download Discussions (PDF)
• Archive & Download Your WebCT Course Grade Book (PDF)

Can't fit this in before Feb. 28? Don't panic! This can be done by appointment in the IT Web Office between March 7 and June 15, 2011.

If you're using Echo360 lecture capture system, you can easily include your Echo streams in your Moodle course.

How to Add an Echo Stream to Your Moodle Course (PDF)

The California State University, Moodlerooms and Remote-Learner announce the call for presentations and posters for

MOODLE MOOT US - WEST COAST 2011
July 12-14
Doubletree Hotel - Rohnert Park, CA

Keynote Speakers:

• Martin Dougiamas, Founder of Moodle
• David Wiley, Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology & Technology, Brigham Young University

Presentations will considered for a wide variety of topics on Moodle in the following Tracks:

• Moodle in Action
• Moodle Support & Governance
• Moving to Moodle
• Moodle Under the Hood
• Moodle 2.0
• Sponsors

The Call for Presentations and posters is now open! - deadline: February 14
*Registration fee waved for selected presentations (does not include Posters).

Join your colleagues in the Sonoma Wine Country for an inspirational and enriching conference! Register today and take advantage of the early bird pricing.

SSU's WebCT server is no longer in production.

Faculty who want to use a Learning Management System with their courses should use Moodle.

Existing WebCT courses will continue to be available to faculty through February 2011. Winter 2011 WebCT courses will be open to students until midnight on February 5.

On March 1, WebCT will be moved to an archive server, where it will be available to IT staff only until June 30, 2011.

Questions? Contact Barbara Moore, barbara.moore@sonoma.edu.

There's still time to get your Moodle courses ready for Spring.

Check the IT Training Schedule for a variety of training sessions.

• Moodle Basics: introduction to building a Moodle course (1 hr).
• Moodle Grades: introduction to the Moodle Gradebook, including how to prepare your gradebook for the semester (1 hr).
• Moodle Forum: introduction to using Moodle Forums in your course (1 hr).
• Moodle Quiz Basics: how to create questions, build a quiz, and grade quiz submissions (1 hr).
• Faculty Moodle Lab Time: One-on-one assistance in creating your courses and learning Moodle tools, tailored to individual needs, or just work in Moodle with handy Moodle support within steps (2 hrs).

If the workshops don't fit your schedule, contact Martha Ezell to set up a consultation.

Have a quick Moodle question? Send email to moodle@sonoma.edu or phone 664-2339.

Or, if you have a question or comment to share with other Moodle-using Faculty, login to Moodle and post a question in the Moodle Users Group course. All faculty teaching Spring 2011 courses are automatically enrolled.

If you missed the Moodle Pilot Faculty Demo and Showcase on Nov 19, you also missed the well-received mini poster session. We've just uploaded PDF versions of these great posters from some of our Moodle Pilot Faculty. Check them out!

• Armand Gilinsky - 3 courses, 3 things about Moodle (PDF)
• Jessica Parker & Karen Grady - What we learned using Moodle (PDF)
• Suzanne Rivoire - Intro to Unix (PDF)
• Jim Robison - Introducing Freshman to Moodle (PDF)
• Melissa Vandeveer - Clinical Nurse Leader Residency (PDF)

Also, here's a poster for initial results of our Moodle Pilot Student Survey (PDF).

IT has just completed the initial creation of all University Spring 2011 courses in Moodle. When instructors login to Moodle, they will only see the courses in which they are listed as the instructor of record in Peoplesoft. Course and instructor data will be pulled daily from Peoplesoft to update courses.

Students have not yet been added to Spring 2011 Moodle courses - they will appear at a later date.

Faculty who wish to use Moodle with their Spring 2011 courses can now login to Moodle and begin preparations. There are three basic steps to setting up your Moodle course:

1. Login to Moodle and locate your course - look in My Moodle, My Courses, or the Spring 2011 category.
2. Upload content, add activities and/or adjust course settings as appropriate for your course.
3. When you are ready for your students to access the course, go into the Course Settings and set the Availability to "Make this course available to students."

Moodle training is available for faculty.

• Check the IT Training Calendar for workshops in November and December.
• Moodle Essentials Video training is available from Lynda.com - Seawolf ID required.
• See these other resources for faculty.

Come see and hear what your colleagues have been up to with the Moodle pilot this semester. This will be a great opportunity to find out the latest, as we near our transition to Moodle beginning Spring 2011.

To date, we have approximately 80 course sections with 30 faculty and over 1,200 students using Moodle. In addition, over 1,000 additional students and faculty have created Moodle profiles on their own.

This session will provide a general Moodle update, as well as feature some of the current faculty pilot participants. Hear it from them directly and see what they have developed using Moodle. We will also be featuring poster presentations from additional Moodle faculty, with snacks during poster viewing.

The following faculty will be participating in a one-day, face-to-face Moodle training on January 10, featuring award-winning trainer, Joan Van Duzer. These faculty will then participate in a four-week online "Introduction to Moodle" course, creating their Spring 2011 SSU courses within Moodle.

• Rita Butterfield (Psychology)
• Duane Dove (Business)
• Sarah Dove (Business)
• Steve Estes (History)
• Cinzia Forasiepi (LEEE)
• Myrna Goodman (Sociology)
• Deborah Kindy (Nursing)
• Elaine Leeder (SSS Dean)
• Jennifer Mahdavi (Special Education)
• Elyse Lord (English)
• Laurel McCabe (Psychology)
• John Palmer (Music)
• Ervand Peterson (ENSP)
• Deborah Roberts (Nursing)
• Gregory Roberts (Art & Art History)
• Rocky Rohwedder (ENSP)
• Jennifer Shaw (Art & Art History)
• Tori Truss (Theater)
• Ai-Chu Wu (Mathematics)
• Catherine Wynia (Psychology)

Faculty who use WebCT should check their email inboxes for a message about migrating WebCT courses to Moodle. The email was sent on September 7, 2010 from the email address moodle@sonoma.edu. If you don't see it in your inbox, check your junkmail folder.

Moodle is the Learning Management System that will replace WebCT for Spring 2011.

Active Participation Needed

Moving courses from WebCT to Moodle is much like moving from one house to another. The moving company can load up belongings and haul them to the new home, but you have to unpack your valuables, and decide where to place them. It's the same with WebCT and Moodle. IT will move WebCT course files to a Migration Staging Moodle course. IT and the Library will provide training sessions to help faculty learn what do to with your content in Moodle, how to add activities and other resources. IT and the Library will also provide one-on-one consulting to help faculty use Moodle effectively.

Migration Process Outline

1. Reply to the Sept. 7 moodle@sonoma.edu email to confirm the courses to migrate.
2. Register for a Moodle Migration Workshop.
3. View two brief (less than 10 minutes total) Moodle training videos at lynda.com before attending the workshop.
4. Attend a Moodle Migration Workshop.
5. Make desired changes to the migrated course(s) in Moodle.

After the workshop, Moodle Migration Team members from IT and the University Library will be available to assist faculty one-on-one. Check your email for full details and links.

If I migrate now, will I still be able to use WebCT this fall?

Yes, you'll continue to use WebCT for your Fall 2010 courses, and Intersession 2011. Migrating your course copies it to moodle, where you can start preparing for next Spring.

Can I avoid the Migration Process?

If you'd rather pack light, leave your old furniture behind, and start fresh in a new town, go for it. Be aware that IT can't guarantee your course content can be migrated later if you change your mind. IT will be offering introductory workshops and other moodle training opportunities, starting in mid-October. Also, faculty can check out the Lynda.com "Moodle Essentials for Teachers" video series.

Want to try out Moodle now, before the big move in Spring 2011? Get a Sandbox course!

Sandbox courses are where faculty can explore Moodle, test the different activity types, and learn how to use Moodle effectively. Sandbox courses aren't "live" - students don't have access - so they are a safe and "worry-free" place for faculty to try out Moodle tools. Faculty can also use sandbox courses to start building courses for use next Spring.

Sandbox courses can be set up for any SSU faculty member. Staff who support faculty to develop online course materials, or who want to explore Moodle as a possible tool to support other academic programs and activites, may also request a sandbox course.

To request a Sandbox course, email barbara.moore@sonoma.edu.

The Lynda.com Essential Moodle Training videos are now available to all SSU faculty, staff and students, from on and off campus internet connections. Use your Seawolf ID and Online Services to login and access these valuable training materials.

• Moodle Essentials for Teachers
• Moodle Essentials for Students

In the transition from our current learning management system (WebCT) to a newer, more capable system (Moodle), the Center for Teaching and Professional Development and Instructional Technology Services are looking for faculty to participate in a pilot demonstration project. The project will involve training and support over the summer, with implementation (instruction), support, and data collection during Fall 2010.

This project seeks a broad and diverse level of faculty involvement and is open to participation by full-time instructors of all backgrounds and expertise levels in online teaching and learning. Regardless of predisposition, the goal is a higher level of proficiency in utilizing the learning management system toward enhanced teaching and learning. In addition, we are looking for participation of the following types, as well as any others that may not be represented, yet appropriate*:

• Standard: Just you and a course. Looking to improve how you use online components to more effectively deliver content, engage students, build community, and assess learning.
• Co/Interdisciplinary Teaching: You and another faculty member co-teach and want to use Moodle as a way to more effectively connect your respective components. Or, just you but it's a course that is listed across disciplines or involves students of multiple disciplines/majors.
• Multi-section: This course will be developed in a way that will enable multiple instructors to more effectively teach it across sections. E.g., building common content components, assessments, etc.
• Program: E.g., developing a capstone or program portfolio via Moodle. CFP is open to considering other examples you may have as to how Moodle can be used to enhance outcomes across a program.
• Blended Course: More content delivered and activities engaged online, resulting in a decrease in face-to-face time and face-to-face time becoming more active-learning-based. *_ Online:_ Developing a fully online course.

(*Chair/Dean signature is required on all proposals, so above formats are discussed and approved.)

Couldn't make it to the Moodle Overview and Faculty Demo on Feb. 26? Don't worry, a video archive is available on Echo360, the lecture capture system recently deployed by IT Instructional Technology Services.

Moodle Pilot Faculty Panel on Echo360 (opens in new window)

Please join us, Feb 26 from 11a-12:30 in Schulz 3001, for an introduction to Moodle, an exciting opportunity for innovative teaching and learning. Moodle is a powerful, open source learning management system (LMS) widely used across the world, as well as a growing number of CSU campuses.

Moodle will replace SSU's current LMS, WebCT, which is no longer being supported or developed by the vendor, as a result of a corporate merger.

The migration to Moodle is planned in phases beginning in Summer 2010 with full production starting January 2011. WebCT will be decommissioned by June 30, 2011.

Learn more! Join us for an introduction and overview of Moodle, including a panel of faculty who completed a Moodle pilot during Fall 2009. Bring your curiosity and your questions.

Register at http://tinyurl.com/2w67uk

Sonoma State University has selected a new Learning Management System (LMS), called Moodle. The migration to Moodle is necessary because the current campus system, WebCT, is no longer supported by the vendor and has ceased production. Moodle will be phased in with training and faculty access to development courses beginning in the Fall 2010 semester.

Please note that the last academic term in operation for WebCT will be Intersession (January) 2011. Beginning with Spring semester 2011, ALL courses using a Learning Management System will be taught using Moodle.

A second Moodle faculty pilot launched this summer, following the successful pilot that took place Fall 2009. Other kinds of training and development opportunities will be offered beginning Summer 2010 and will increase as we approach full Moodle launch. Workshops and online training, as well as an option to develop your course in a test "sandbox," will be among the training and support options. All opportunities and news will be communicated through campus e-mail announcements, Newsbytes, and on SSU's Moodle web page.

Moodle was selected as the best option for our teaching and learning needs at SSU after evaluation of functionality and costs. There are now 9 CSU campuses using or migrating to Moodle. This collective adoption supports shared development and tools and brings down the cost significantly, enabling further campus support for additional academic technology needs.