| 1. Read more about the ten Strategies for engaging learners in a blended environment by Jeffery et al. (2012).
2. Think about how you could use just two of the ten strategies to develop a new Moodle course for your teaching and learning context.
- Remember it is important to start with a 'clean slate' rather than re-design an existing Moodle course.
3. Describe the context and plan the components of the new Moodle course using two of the ten strategies as headings.
- Identify one concrete example of a Moodle activity or resource for each strategy.
4. Describe why the Moodle activities or resources will engage students in blended learning.
- You will need to refer to the components of student engagement in the article
- Zepke, N., Leach, L. (2010). Improving student engagement: Ten proposals for action. Active Learning in Higher Education,11(3), 167-177.
- An example for reference is provided below.
5. Post to your portfolio and share on the Moodle forum.
An Example:
- Context: First year nursing students studying a community health course.
- Strategy 6: Authentic tasks.
- Moodle activity or resource to be used: Students will be asked to organise themselves into groups inviting a mix of on-campus and off-campus class members. They will need to use the Moodle wiki, set up by the lecturer, to prepare a resource to educate the general public. They can choose from a list of topics, and each group needs to choose something different. They will have to search for relevant information, and collate this into an interesting and informative resource. They will then use the material collated on the wiki to prepare a digital poster for assessment. Students are asked to share their wiki work, and all posters will be viewed in a final event using a at the end of the course, when they will be peer assessed.
- Engagement in blended learning:A link to online resources about using the wiki will be provided. Instructions for the activity will be added to Moodle and also explained in class (to on-campus students) and during a web conference (for those off-campus or unable to attend class). Student groups can meet physically or online to discuss their projects, and can add material to the wiki individually, or work together in a physical space on their laptops to collate the material. Learning is blended as a mix of face-to-face and online methods for interaction with resources and with each other can be used.
- They can decide how they communicate and work together, and choose any technology for their interactions. Students are given autonomy and freedom to self-manage the learning process, and work in a collaborative relationship, aspects that are considered as essential ingredients for engagement (Zepke & Leach, 2010). Also, they can choose topics that interest them.
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