Scholar is Simpson’s version of an open source learning management program called Moodle. The resources below that are labeled Scholar provide instructions to Simpson’s version of Moodle. The resources labeled Moodle will look a little different from Scholar (e.g., sometimes blocks typically on the left in Scholar will appear on the right), but the instructions are essentially the same.

Overview of Scholar/Moodle

• Scholar Basics is a 24-page handout that highlights the icons and menu options, options for the course format, how to share information and files, how to set up an assignment, and an introduction to the discussion forums. If you would prefer a video, this lengthy moodle tutorial (1.5 hours) demonstrates similar features.
• Finding your way around moodle (4 min) and a moodle course site
• What do the icons and items on the drop-down menu do? – Scholar Handout;  Moodle Video (5 min)
• Viewing the course as a student (the administration menu): Moodle Documentation
• Reducing the Amount of Information on the Scholar Screen: docking/hiding the menus (i.e., blocks) on the left and right
  • Scholar Handout
  • Moodle Video (3 min)

Setting Up the Course

• Changing the course layout and the first day of the week
  • Scholar Handout
  • Moodle Video (4 min)
• Setting up the course with tabs instead of having students scroll: Scholar Handout
• Copying information from one course to another.
  Note: These instructions involve importing your own content. To move course content from another instructor’s course or from an archived course, contact Chuck Johnson.

   

  • Copying/importing all materials from one course into another – Scholar Handout;  Moodle Video(4 min)
  • Copying/importing select materials from one course into another: Scholar Handout
• Giving someone else access to your course site (e.g., an SI leader, SC leader, writing fellow) – Scholar Handout;  Moodle Video (4:21)
• Adding students from 2 courses into one – Scholar Handout
• Moving resources, activities, and blocks – Scholar Handout

Blocks/Tabs

• Adding and deleting blocks – Moodle Video (1 min)
• Moving blocks – Scholar Handout; Moodle Video (1.3 min)
• Tabs are more difficult to add and move. For many people, the easiest thing to do is to change the course format to Topic Format, move the blocks as shown above, and then change the course format back to OneTopic.
• Adding boxes on the left or right sides of the course for RSS feeds, images, and more – Moodle Video (3 min)

Contacting Students

• Sending a message to all students in class – Scholar Handout
• Installing and using Quickmail – Scholar Handout

Sharing Information/Content

Information on the main page

• Labels: Putting information on the main page – Scholar Handout;  Moodle Video

Files and Folders

• Sharing a file – Scholar Handout;  Moodle Video
• Sharing a folder containing multiple files – Moodle Video

Information on separate pages

• Creating a webpage within Scholar – Scholar Handout;  Moodle Video
• Creating a book (a mini-website or manual) – Moodle Video

Webpages, Videos, and Images

• Adding images – Moodle Video
• Tips for loading videos – Scholar Handout

Linking to Websites and YouTube Videos

• Linking to websites or files already on the web – Scholar Handout;  Moodle Video

Online Discussions

• Setting up a discussion forum – Scholar Handout;  Moodle Video;  Moodle Video
• Q&A forums require students to submit their response before they can read anyone else’s – Scholar Handout
• Grading forum entries – Scholar Handout
• Adding students from 2 courses into one so they can be in the same online discussion – Scholar Handout

Assignments

• Setting up assignments – Moodle Video
• Grading assignments – Scholar Handout
• Offline grading – Scholar Handout
• Returning files to students – Scholar Handout
• Preventing students from editing assignments after they have been submitted – Scholar Handout

Quizzes

• Creating a quiz – Scholar Handout;  Moodle Video
• Using the question bank to organize and select questions for a quiz – Moodle Video
• Adding randomly selected questions – Scholar Handout
• Grading essay questions – Scholar Handout
• Manually editing graded quiz question to allow different answer – Scholar Handout
• User overrides – this is a useful way to provide students with accommodations such as extra time on a quiz – Scholar Handout

Gradebook

• Gradebook Tutorial – Moodle Handout
• Where is the gradebook?  – Moodle Video
• Introduction to natural weighting – Moodle Handout
• Dropping the lowest grade – Scholar Handout
• Add extra columns – Scholar Handout
• Change how grades are combined – Scholar Handout
• Exporting the gradebook to Excel – Scholar Handout
• Extra credit – Scholar Handout
• Changing how grades are displayed – Scholar Handout
• Curving grades, that is, increasing all grades by a set amount – Moodle Handout
• Removing overridden grades – Scholar Handout

Viewing Students’ Use of Your Scholar Site

• Course reports – Moodle Video (2:45)

Other Scholar Activities

• Wiki – Moodle Video
  • Setting up a wiki – Moodle Video
  • Adding pages within a wiki – Moodle Video
• Glossary – Moodle Video
• Choice: Allow voting – Moodle Video
• Lessons – A series of content and question pages similar to a choose your own adventure story
  • Creating a simple linear lesson using content pages – Moodle Video
  • Adding question pages – Moodle Video
  • Creating a cluster of questions (groups of questions presented to students in a random order)- Moodle Video
• Database activity
  • Adding a database to a course – Moodle Video
  • Adding fields to a database – Moodle Video
• Chat – Moodle Video
• Workshop for peer review
  • How the workshop activity works (includes both instructor and student views) – Moodle Video (7:15)
  • Setting up the workshop activity – Moodle Video (15 min)