Activity Modules
Moodle contains a wide range of activity modules that can be used to
build up any type of course.
Assignments
Assignments allow the teacher to specify a task that requires students
to prepare digital content (any format) and submit it by uploading it
to the server. Typical assignments include essays, projects, reports
and so on. This module includes grading facilities.
Books
Chats
The Chat module allows participants to have a real-time synchronous
discussion via the web. This is a useful way to get a different
understanding of each other and the topic being discussed - the mode
of using a chat room is quite different from the asynchronous forums.
The Chat module contains a number of features for managing and
reviewing chat discussions.
Choices
A choice activity is very simple - the teacher asks a question and specifies a
choice of multiple responses. It can be useful as a quick poll to
stimulate thinking about a topic; to allow the class to vote on
a direction for the course; or to gather research consent.
Database Activity
The Database module allows the teacher and/or students to build, display and search a bank of record entries about any conceivable topic. The format and structure of these entries can be almost unlimited, including images, files, URLs, numbers and text amongst other things. You may be familiar with similar technology from building Microsoft Access or Filemaker databases.
Forums
This activity can be the most important - it is here that most discussion takes place.
Forums can be structured in different ways, and can include peer rating of each posting.
The postings can be viewed in a variety for formats, and can include attachments.
By subscribing to a forum, participants will receive copies of each new posting
in their email. A teacher can impose subscription on everyone if they want to.
Glossary
This activity allows participants to create and maintain a list of definitions, like a dictionary.
The entries can be searched or browsed in many different formats.
The glossary also allows teachers to export entries from one glossary to another (the main one) within the same course.
Finally, it is possible to automatically create links to these entries from throughout the course.
Labels
This is a not a true activity - it is a "dummy" activity that allows you
to insert text and graphics among the other activities on the course page.
Lesson
A lesson delivers content in an interesting and flexible way. It consists of a
number of pages. Each page normally ends with a question and a number of
possible answers. Depending on the student's choice of answer they either
progress to the next page or are taken back to a previous page. Navigation
through the lesson can be straight forward or complex, depending largely
on the structure of the material being presented.
Questionnaire
The questionnaire module allows you to construct questionnaires (surveys) using a
variety of question types, for the purpose of gathering data from users. It is based
on phpESP, and Open Source questionnaire tool. See
http://phpesp.sourceforge.net
Quizzes
This module allows the teacher to design and set quiz tests, consisting of
multiple choice, true-false, and short answer questions. These
questions are kept in a categorised database, and can be re-used
within courses and even between courses. Quizzes can allow
multiple attempts. Each attempt is automatically marked, and the
teacher can choose whether to give feedback or to show correct answers.
This module includes grading facilities.
Resources
Resources are content: information the teacher wants to bring into the
course. These can be prepared files uploaded to the course
server; pages edited directly in Moodle; or external web pages
made to appear part of this course.
SCORM/AICC Packages
A package is a bundle of web content packaged in a way that follows
the SCORM or the AICC standard for learning objects.
These packages can include web pages, graphics, Javascript programs,
Flash presentations and anything else that works in web browsers.
The Package module allows you to easily upload any standard SCORM or AICC
package and make it part of your course.
Surveys
The Survey module provides a number of verified survey instruments that
have been found useful in assessing and stimulating learning in
online environments. Teachers can use these to gather data from their
students that will help them learn about their class and reflect
on their own teaching.
Wikis
A Wiki enables documents to be authored collectively in a simple markup language using a web browser.
"Wiki wiki" means "super fast" in the Hawaiian language, and it is the speed of creating and
updating pages that is one of the defining aspects of wiki technology. Generally, there is no
prior review before modifications are accepted, and most wikis are open to the general
public or at least to all persons who also have access to the wiki server.
The Moodle Wiki module enables participants to work together on web pages to add,
expand and change the content. Old versions are never deleted and can be restored.
This module is based on Erfurt Wiki.
Types of Interactive Activities
There are 3 kind of activities that can be provided by the
Interactive
Learning Module (iLM):
Exercise
It is an activity to be done by the student, whose answer are going to be recorded in
the database (DB). It is possible to associate the activity grade with the
general grade system of the course.
If the iLM has automatic assessment option, after the student does the
activity and hit the Send button, he will be immediately informed
about your score in the activity. The score are also recorded and can be
associated with general grade of the course.
On the other hand, if the iLM hasn't any automatic assessment option, the
teacher can manually to give a grade for this activity.
Test
It is an activity available to the student for testing purposes only.
In this case, no information about the student solution will be recorded in the database.
If the iLM has automatic assessment option,
the Send button is showed and the student can have his solution evaluated.
A message with the result of the evaluation will be presented to the student
but none information is recorded in the database.
In this type of activity, the student is free to test how many times is necessary.
Example
It is an activity available to students in the form of example, in which the student
can freely interact with the activity/iLM, but no information is recorded in the database.
The button that allows to send the activity answer to the server are not be showed.
Comparing the types of activities
Activity |
Interaction |
Automatic evaluation |
Post |
Manual evaluation |
Registration grade |
Exercise |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Test |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
Example |
X |
|
|
|
|