Moodle Essentials + workshops

The Center for Academic Technology is pleased to present multiple workshop  opportunities to introduce the Faculty and Staff communities to Moodle, the new Learning Management System (LMS) chosen by Butler University.  Please visit our registration link at http://bucat.eventbrite.com for all the Moodle training events as well as other development workshops!

Moodle Essentials +

Moodle Essentials + is a 2 1/2 hour workshop which highlights the community needs for information, interaction, communication, and collaboration. This session will focus on the role of the learning management system to deliver content and communication within organizations and committees as well as advisory and student groups (among others).

Workshop dates and times are listed below:

  • Monday, July 16th         8:30-11:00 am
  • Wednesday, July 18th   8:30-11:30 am
  • Wednesday, July 25th   9:30-12:00 pm
  • Tuesday, July 31st          1:30-4:00 pm
  • Thursday, August 2nd   9:30-12:00 pm
  • Monday, August 6th      1:30-4:00 pm

Workshops will take place in JH048.

Please contact Chasadee Minton the Center for Academic Technology at 940-8575 or cminton@butler.edu with any questions or concerns.

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Course Redesign: Moodle in A Day workshops

The Center for Academic Technology is pleased to present multiple workshop opportunities to introduce the Faculty and Staff communities to Moodle, the new Learning Management System (LMS) chosen by Butler University.  Please visit our registration link at http://bucat.eventbrite.com for all the Moodle training events as well as other development workshops!

Moodle in A Day

Course redesign is the process of restructuring the way the content of a course is delivered. This session will focus on learner-centered principles and the role of the learning management system to deliver effective online teaching and learning experiences. The workshop will focus on effective online pedagogy and innovative course redesign efforts to promote active learning and student achievement. Faculty will have time to rethink and reconstruct their courses throughout the day.

Workshop dates and times are listed below:

  • Wednesday, July 11th      8:30-3:30 pm      JH048
  • Wednesday, August 1st    8:30-3:30 pm     JH041
  • Wednesday, August 8th    8:30-3:30 pm    JH041

Please contact Chasadee Minton the Center for Academic Technology at 940-8575 or cminton@butler.edu with any questions or concerns.

 

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Butler to Adopt Moodle to Replace Blackboard

We are moving to Moodle! Moodle will replace Blackboard, which will be retired at the end of the 2012-2013 academic year. A phased transition to Moodle will begin immediately. This decision is the result of a year-long evaluation of both products, the results of which position Moodle as a better tool for Butler. Evaluation participants included more than 40 faculty and staff members in each college and more than 1,000 students working under the guidance of the Information Management Council (IMC), which served as the executive steering committee. The President’s Cabinet approved the collective recommendation to adopt Moodle.

The Center for Academic Technology in Information Technology will lead the implementation of Moodle and the associated campus conversion process. They will ensure that all faculty members have appropriate support to begin moving courses from Blackboard to Moodle and will provide in-class training if your instructor requests it. During this period of transition, both Blackboard and Moodle will be available, and you might use both systems. Beginning the first summer session in 2013, we will return to a single system. If you are unfamiliar with Moodle, you can get help and individual support through the Information Commons program located in the lower level of Jordan Hall or in the University Library and at the Information Technology Help Desk located in the Holcomb building.

We extend our thanks to the many students who participated in the evaluation and the other individuals who invested a significant amount of time in this evaluation. These include the members of the Information Management Council — Chair Lewis Miller, Beth Alexander, Priscilla Arling, Scott Bridge, Lisa Farley, Michelle Jarvis, Scott Kincaid, Stuart Glennan, Amy Peak, Chris Potts and Josh Rattray — and the faculty and staff Moodle pilot participants — Craig Auchter, Adam Azman, Julie Barrett, Tim Brimmer, Chris Bungard, Terri Carney, Robert Dale, Penny Dimmick, Lacey Echols, Kathie Freed, Stuart Glennan, Jason Goldsmith, Jennifer Griggs, Cathy Hargrove, Allison Harthcock, Karen Holmes, Brooke Kandel, Joe Kirsch, Shannon Lieb, James McGrath, LuAnne McNulty, Elizabeth Mix, Susan Morton, Catherine Pangan, Scott Pfitzinger, Chris Potts, John Ramsbottom, Josh Rattray, Carriann Richey-Smith, Steve Schubert, Jennifer Snyder, Michelle Stigter, Robin Turner and Jennifer Zorn. We also wish to thank the Information Technology technical team — Deryl Botta, Eric Esterline, Rob Hartman, Nate Partenheimer, Kenton Smith, Craig Stanley, Tamra Thomas and Julianne Miranda, who served as project lead.

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Why Moodle

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Learning Management Evaluation Underway

Butler University is undertaking an evaluation of Blackboard during the 2011-2012 academic year. Butler uses Blackboard as its Learning Management System (LMS) – a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, and reporting of administrative programs, academic content including course materials and quizzes, and other similar functions. Butler University adopted Blackboard in 2000 so it is time for us to review Blackboard and its current competitors to ensure that we have the most effective system in place. The evaluation is scheduled to take place over the course of the 2011-2012 academic year. While we have remained consistent in upgrades to the Blackboard system, we acknowledge that these changes may or may not be keeping pace with the changes in pedagogical demands of students and faculty. We conducted an extensive review of similar evaluation projects conducted by our peers throughout the country and have used that data to inform our process. This process includes the simultaneous evaluation of the leading open-source competitor, Moodle. The outcome of this project will either validate Blackboard as the appropriate system for Butler, recommend Moodle as an alternative, or begin a new evaluation if needed. For a complete summary of the project statement, list of individuals involved in the evaluation, and other information please visit the various pages and links within this site.

Questions about the evaluation project should be directed to Julianne M. Miranda, Senior Director, Center for Academic Technology – jmiranda@butler.edu

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