Moodle
Moodle is an online learning platform.
Even though the Moodle system was used by some before the distant teaching boom, it was the lockdown that led to widely discovering its advantages. Now we consider it not only a powerful tool for online learning but also a great support tool for “standard” present classes.
One of the main advantages for professors, who invest their time into customizing their Moodle class is, that they can use it over and over with only small edits. The class can be copied into a new academic year/semester.
Access to Moodle classes can be provided to internal CERGE students as well as to any other person (name and email address is needed). Once students have Moodle access, it is easy for them to self-enroll in all their classes and the uniform environment of all of them makes it easy for them to navigate through them.
Moodle proved to be a very efficient platform where both sides can participate; Professor can organize the content in various ways, typically either by weeks or topics and fill them with links, documents, files, texts, Q&As, tasks, etc. Students can conveniently react to pools and questions, download files, discuss and even submit papers, etc.
A very efficient feature is the possibility to prepare content, but keep it hidden desired time.
Online proctoring/testing is also possible via Moodle. It is possible to make auto-corrective exams (multiple choice) or questions with open answers that need to be review by the lecturer. Time limits can be set. (Note: Since Moodle doesn’t display time, please make sure students are aware of the time being Prague time. If the time of opening and closing is used for an important exam, I recommend double-checking the time with the webmaster, since summer/winter time changes might not be reflected.)
Limits:
Moodle is not efficient for uploading large files, for example, huge presentations or video files. Instead, it is better to insert only links to such files. If they are not located online already, they can be uploaded to Google Drive (Link).
A good practice may be to set up a “test classroom” for assigned staff members and for professors, where all of them have the role of lecturer and they could not only communicate together and advice each other, but also test Moodle features in a safe environment, before applying it in their actual classroom. This Moodle classroom was hidden to other users.