Ed Tech in HE Reflections

Using the Moodle Calendar Block                 The calendar tool on Moodle is a great way for students to keep track of assignments and plan their time accordingly. When the Calendar Block is enabled, a month calendar view will show up on the right sidebar within each separate course with due dates color coded by type. When a student hovers over each date, they can follow a link straight to the assignment. They can also use the block to access the big Moodle Calendar that holds dates for every course in which the student is enrolled. Students even have the option to export the Moodle Calendar in order to sync it with their personal online calendars. So how do professors enable the Calendar Block in order to give students all of these wonderful possibilities? The first step for professors is to go into their course with editing turned on and scroll all the way to the bottom of the left sidebar. There you will find the helpful “Add Block” tab. When clicked, the popup box allows yo

Using Mobile Devices for Digital Learning                 More and more students are using their mobile devices to complete online course-related activities according to the Online College Students 2019 report. So how do faculty need to alter their courses to accommodate students learning in this format? First we should consult the report to see what type of activities that students are completing on their mobile devices. According to the screenshot below of data from the report, the highest percentage of students are using their mobile devices to check grades, assignment due dates, or course schedules. For this reason, professors should keep their grades updated on Moodle, Coastals Learning Management System. Professors should also keep an updated version of their syllabus on Moodle so that students can access important dates and the time of the class meetings.                 Digital readings, videos, and multimedia learning are the next most popular activities that stude

Ally Article It’s 5:00 in the evening. You’re out at the beach. The sand is pouring between your toes with an occasional pinch of a seashell every few steps. The wind is following you with a soft breeze.   “Life is great” is what you’re thinking. That is until you realize that you have a 20-page article to read, and you have to take a quiz on it by 11:59pm that night. What do you do? Do you:    A.)     Cut the beach trip short, drive home, and read the article once you have access to a computer?    B.)     Stay at the beach, don’t do the assignment, and ask for extra credit later?    C.)     Stay at the beach, procrastinate, and stress about not having enough time to complete your assignment once you return from the beach?    D.)     Stay at the beach, read your assignment using Ally while on the go, and take your quiz once you return from the beach? *Plays Jeopardy music* If your answer was, “What is D, stay at the beach, read your assignment using Ally while

           Using Mobile Devices to Enhance Digital Learning  More and more students are using their mobile devices to complete online course-related activities according to the Online College Students 2019 report. So how do faculty need to alter their courses to accommodate students learning in this format? First we should consult the report to see what type of activities that students are completing on their mobile devices. According to the screenshot below of data from the report, the highest percentage of students are using their mobile devices to check grades, assignment due dates, or course schedules. For this reason, professors should keep their grades updated on Moodle, Coastals Learning Management System. Professors should also keep an updated version of their syllabus on Moodle so that students can access important dates and the time of the class meetings. Digital readings, videos, and multimedia learning are the next most popular activities that students are

Taking an online class can be pretty convenient for some people. Being able to learn online, opposed to commuting can be impactful for those in need. While there are some advantages to taking a course online, it does not be mean that the application, and time management needed to succeed in an in-person class supersedes that of an online class. Taking an online class does come with its own set of individualized struggles. Fear not, this blog is all about how to overcome those struggles. Self-Reflection It’s important to reflect back on yourself as a student. What kind of student do you consider yourself to be? What are some of your strengths in regards to learning, and applying information? What are some on your weaknesses? What subjects do you excel at, and what subjects take a little extra effort? What are some distractions, or barriers that detour you from reaching academic goals? Establishing a foundation, and a clear understanding about you as a student will help

Things I Wish My Faculty Would Do on My Moodle Course: A Student’s Perspective The relationship between a teacher and a student is a very special one. Teachers are very influential in society as they mold the ever expanding minds of their students. Teachers share information, challenge higher thinking, instill helpful morals, and healthy habits to those learning from them. As generations grow, more needs emerge from underneath the surface. In an era that is more accepting to inclusion, and accessibility, there comes a conversation that suggest ways in which teachers could meet the needs of their students even more.                 Moodle is a database used by many scholastic institutions. It serves as a website that host course materials, information, exams, assignments, etc for student access. Moodle is essential as it acts as a virtual classroom. While it is a virtual classroom, it comes with its pros and cons. A benefit would be that students are able to navigate through c

GAAD logo Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day!  It's great to be accessible  Join us in celebrating the 8th Annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day today on Thursday, May 16, 2019, which recognizes the importance of full digital accessibility for all users. Wondering what it's like to be a user facing troubles with digital accessibility? GAAD has pulled together some ideas and suggestions for simulating this experience that are educational and eye-opening for all users.  Since 2016, the Coastal Office of Online Learning has been building out one initiative after the other to fully support all users for both academic and non-academic content at the Coastal Carolina University campus, bringing us up to and/or above the AA standard of WCAG 2.1's guidelines .  Some of the areas we've seen grow relating to digital accessibility include: Digital Accessibility Training Workshop Ally Training Workshop (coming soon!) Adoption & Impleme

OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES-OERs One of the most exciting movements in the last 3 years in higher education has been the explosion onto the scene of additional tools and resources for faculty to build content and even entire courses from OERs. OERs serve to offer to students education on comprehensive variety of topics across all academic disciplines at a lower cost--or even free--compared to the cost of off-the-shelf textbooks. Motivation for OER at Coastal CCU cares deeply about helping our students be as successful as possible in their courses. One critical factor for students at Coastal, as with students across other higher education institutions, is access to required and recommended course materials, including textbooks that may span upwards to $200.00 or more per text, per course. With this in mind, the Coastal Office of Online Learning (COOL) applied for and received a Student Achievement Funding (SAF) grant from the institution, with the central goals of edu

Throughout Coastal’s lifespan, new technologies presented themselves and radically shifted how we incorporate digital potential in higher education. Workflow automation, content management systems, learning management systems, and student information systems enabled university operations to succeed in web development, security, registration, digital instruction, and facilities management. As the university continues to expand and develop, new technologies will continue to be implemented and fill gaps in our digital toolbox. Last week, we were excited to flip the switch on Ally for Moodle -- a digital accessibility platform that represents our biggest push in digitally accessible learning management and instruction to-date for all courses hosted on the Moodle LMS at Coastal. Ally provides faculty and students with a host of features and functionalities that expand digital access in their Moodle courses. Students will benefit from Ally through the “alternative downloads” feature.