Curriculum Management System
This was the last e-learning workshop as part of the e-LICE project. The focus of this workshop was to use the Curriculum Management System as the foundation that can underpin all of the e-learning approaches that have been taught during the previous workshops. KCN has been running weekly training on how to use the CMS, so our aim was to extend this knowledge to give people sufficient skills to continue working with e-learning in their teaching long into the future.
During the week we had a total of 35 participants (25 KCN and 10 MCHS)
We provided training and time to practise skills in the following areas of the CMS:
- Accounts and Logins
- Finding content within the CMS and how it is structured
- Editing content
- Formatting guidelines
- Adding/uploading/linking to materials
- Creating discussion forums
- Different types of discussion
- Participating in a number of discussions
- Creating choices/votes
The majority of time was spent developing CMS skills, with some participants choosing to use the time to develop their courses.
By using the CMS as the focal point and a major tool in the running of the workshop we were able to highlight the many benefits and approaches that can be taken within the system. In fact by developing courses in the CMS it was possible to then integrate some Articulate training into the week for those who wished to extend their knowledge or for those unfamiliar with the Articulate tools.
The participants had freedom to explore the range of e-learning approaches that have been covered during the project and they worked well in teams to help each other learn the software. By the end of the workshop most groups had time to develop their Articulate skills and share their experiences with the groups to show the many options available.
Being Scottish / Being Malawian
In previous workshops we have been using topics that are not related to the KCN curriculum to help people to learn technology without being too focussed on the content at this time. During this workshop we used the topics of Being Scottish and Being Malawian as a way providing the role of lecturer and student in the CMS. This proved to be very popular as we shared ideas and experiences in different areas of each others countries.
There was a fitting end to the workshop by singing Auld Lang Syne which proved to be very popular!
Auld Lang Syne
Working with e-learning after this project
During the whole week we emphasised the ways that e-learning can be used and continued after the close of this current project. We used discussion boards to allow people to write up their plans on which areas they would like to further explore and the steps that they will need to take to achieve their goals. The MCHS participants used this time to share their collective thoughts on how e-learning can be continued without a CMS and plans to share their knowledge across the campuses.
We were able to collect thoughts and opinions from participants, ICT team, and key members of faculty to come up with some strategies that can be used to develop resources and infrastructure to continue the rapid growth of e-learning within the institutions.
