Presentation for the International Association of Agriculture Information Specialists (IAALD) World Congress. The authors discuss the Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) software package and its use for professional development to agriculture extension professionals in Africa

Alemneh, Daniel Gelaw

Assefa, Shimelis

Rorissa, Abebe

UNT Digital Library

Moodle for Professional Development to Agricultural Extension Professionals in Africa: Workshop Shimelis Assefa, Daniel Gelaw Alemneh, Abebe Rorissa Abebe Rorissa  University  at  Albany,  State  University of  New York  arorissa@albany.edu  Who we are? Daniel  Gelaw Alemneh  University  of  North Texas  Daniel .Alemneh @unt.edu  Shimelis  Assefa  University  of  Denver  sassefa@du.edu  Agenda  • Design  and evaluation  of  course  and  curriculum  for  professional development   • Digital Libraries for Professional Development    • Learning Management System Education and Knowledge Diffusion  Education is one of the key factors to effective knowledge diffusion  In agriculture, extension agents/workers play a key role in the diffusion of agricultural knowledge  Continuous professional development and training of extension agents/workers enables them to be effective in the diffusion of that knowledge Education/Training of Extension Agents  Professional development and training of extension agents/workers require a well planned curriculum and a set of courses  Courses are delivered through face to face and online modes as well as a mix of both  Each has its own advantages and challenges  Online: practical, convenient, flexible, anytime, anywhere, more time to digest course content – impersonal, time-consuming, lack of support Curriculum - Defined  A curriculum:   is a document or plan that exists in a school or instructional setting  defines the work of instructors or trainers or teachers  identifies the content to be delivered to students using a set of instructional methods, and  its main purpose is to achieve student learning goals and objectives  Needs of students The content Instructional methods The Curriculum Development Process Design Develop Implement Evaluate Curriculum Evaluation http://juliaec.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/blooms_taxonomy.jpg Student Learning Objectives  State the skills, knowledge, values, attitudes, and dispositions that students will be equipped with   Can fall within one or more levels in Blooms Taxonomy  Student Learning Objectives Action Verb List Student Learning Objectives At the end of the workshop, participants should be able to:  distinguish the various modules and features of Moodle  use the various features of Moodle  design or create a course in Moodle  appraise the appropriateness of Moodle to their situations/environments/needs Digital Libraries for Professional Development • We live in a time of abundance  • There is so much online, digital research based knowledge stored in repositories allover the world  • We can harness these resources for professional development to support Agricultural Extension Agents in Africa. Digital Libraries … • Examples • AGORA    • CGIAR Library   Digital Libraries … • AGRICOLA – USDA National Agricultural Library.  • Or, a more comprehensive list of resources from FAO Library – next slide. Learning Management System • LMS is the framework that handles all aspects of the learning process.  • An LMS is the infrastructure that delivers and manages instructional content, identifies and assesses individual and organizational learning or training goals, tracks the progress towards meeting those goals, and collects and presents data for supervising the learning process of an organization as a whole. Watson, W.R., & Watson, S.L. (2007). An argument for clarity: What are Learning management systems, what are they not, and what should they become? TechTrends, 51(2) 28 – 34. LMS … https://www.coursesites.com  https://moodle.org/  http://www.openclass.com  http://www.sakaiproject.org/  Moodle   • Download, Install, Configure Moodle • Create a new course • Working with images, videos • Using repositories  • Creating Forums, Wiki Download, Install, Configure Moodle • Before you install Moodle, you need – the AMP stack – Web server – Apache – Database – MySQL – Scripting language – PHP • To get the stack, there are multiple options Download … • But … • Complete install packages V. Standard Install packages  • Complete install packages – has Moodle plus AMP stack • Standard Install packages – has only Moodle.  Download… • So, better go with the Complete install packages if using – Standalone computer, or – On a development/test environment, NOT on a production server  • Ready to install   Let’s do hands-on    • Configuring Moodle • Create a new course • Working with images, videos • Using repositories  • Creating Forums, Wiki  Hands-on … • Our Demo Moodle site 

Moodle for Professional Development to Agricultural Extension Professionals in Africa: Workshop

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Moodle for Professional Development to Agricultural Extension Professionals in Africa: Workshop

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