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Questions and Guidelines for Technology Enabled Course Planning
Part 1: Self Reflection Questions for Quality Assurance
1. In what ways does the course design encourage contact between the students and the instructor?
2. How does the learning environment foster reciprocity and cooperation among students?
3. In what ways is active involvement of the students facilitated through the course?
4. How are the students given prompt feedback for learning activities?
5. How is the course organized so that students and the instructor use their time efficiently and effectively while focusing on the desired learning outcomes?
6. How does the course design communicate high expectations?
7. How will the learning environment be structured to accommodate diverse talents and ways of learning?
Part 2: Developing a Course Plan
These guidelines are designed to help you develop a course plan that outlines the instructional design of your Moodle course. It will:
Describe a model for a defining a course plan. Explain how you can develop a course plan that defines course modules, learning
outcomes, learning activities, content and resources, and assessment. Provide a framework and questions for reviewing your course plan in terms of
practical and educational concerns.
Introduction
The development of a technology enabled course is more than incorporating the use of a new technology for teaching. The online environment imposes different constraints and provides different affordances than the face-to-face classroom environment. When preparing a technology enabled course, thought must be given to the instructional design of the course to account for these constraints and take advantage of the affordances of using a learning management system for online instruction.
Planning
A course plan specifies the instructional design of a course. Typically a course plan would outline the following elements:
Course modules Learning outcomes Learning activities Content and resources Assessment
Organizing these elements into a table as shown below can be useful means of designing the course and creating a course plan. Once the course plan has been laid out, it should be possible to create the online elements to correspond to the course plan.
Sharing this table with the students as part of the course presentation/outline provides clear guidelines to the students about the expectations for the course in terms of ‘what they need to know’, what activities they will engage in, and how they will be assessed.
Figure 1. Course plan table.
A. Module B. Learning Outcomes
C. Learning Activities
D. Content and Resources
E. Assessment
There is no one way to design the course to account for all of these elements—instructional design is not a linear process and one need not start at the top left corner. You could start with any of the different elements and use different design approaches. There are, however, a number of important questions that need to be addressed in any course design:
Will students be able to make sense of and follow the structure of the course (the organization of the modules)?
Are all of the learning outcomes addressed within the modules? Do the learning activities help students to achieve the learning outcomes? Are students provided with sufficient content and resources to successfully
complete the learning activities? Do the assessment methods effectively demonstrate that students have achieved
the learning outcomes?
The elements of a course plan are described in more detail below.
A. Module
Often times, courses are organized by the week. The content and learning activities are organized for presentation during a 2 or 3 hour class. However, in an online setting, the week is not as well defined as in a face-to-face course. Students may be expected to work for the same amount of time as in preparing for and attending a class, but the work can be spread out over a week, and completed at the discretion of the student.
Alternatively, the course may be organized into larger (or smaller) chunks and the work spread out over a corresponding amount of time. This offers additional flexibility to how a course can be organized and can often make it easier to structure the course content and activities to achieve the course objectives. As well, many instructors find that the online medium offers opportunities to shift their instruction to more student-centred approaches that focus more on student activities and less on the content to be covered in the course.
In addition to a week by week structure, you may consider some of these other organizational strategies for structuring your course:
Curriculum-based. Each module of a course might correspond to one over-arching curriculum outcome. The learning activities within the module would be focused on helping students to achieve that outcome. In using this strategy, you would begin by filling in column B of the course plan table.
Case-based. Each module of a course might be a case study that students work through individually or in groups. Typically, the case studies become more difficult and involved as the course progresses. In using this strategy, you would begin by filling in column C of the course plan table.
Project-based. Each module of a course might require students to work on a project on their own or in groups. In using this strategy, you would begin by filling in column C of the course plan table.
Problem-based. Each module of a course might focus on a particular problem within the field of study. Students might work on solving the problem themselves, be lead through an expert’s approach to the problem, or some combination of these two approaches. In using this strategy, you would begin by filling in column C or D of the course plan table.
Principle-based. Some courses are focused on helping students understand some key principles or “big ideas” within a particular field. Each module of a course may be organized around one of these principles or ideas. In using this strategy, you would begin by filling in column D of the course plan table.
Competency-based. Some courses are focused on helping students to develop a particular skill or competency. In these courses, assessing whether students have acquired the skill or competency is central. Each module of the course may be
organized around the development and assessment of a particular skill or competency. In using this strategy, you would begin by filling in column E of the course plan table.
Other rich starting points. Often instructors will have some other rich starting point that can provide the basis for organizing the course. For example, a course might be organized around exemplary resources (e.g., textbook), important resources (e.g., industry code manual), or engaging learning activities (e.g., role-playing).
You may wish to use any of these strategies or combination of these strategies. Some instructors will use these strategies and still organize their courses weekly. For example, you may want to have students work on a different case study each week. Others will use these strategies and allow students to work through the course at their own pace. Modules do not need to be uniform in length, although it is important to make it clear approximately how much time students should spend working on a module. As well, it is important that any deadlines for assignments or other learning activities are clearly posted for students.
B. Learning Outcomes – What do you want the students to know and be able to do?
If you are converting a classroom-based course to an online setting, the learning outcomes for the course should already be identified. If you are designing a new course, you will need to construct the set of learning outcomes for the course.
All of the elements of the course design should relate back to the learning outcomes for the course. In designing the course plan, to ensure that all of the learning outcomes are adequately addressed within the course design, consider these questions:
Do the learning activities help students to achieve the learning outcomes?
Do the content and resources provided relate to the learning outcomes? Are they sufficient to provide students with the information they need to achieve the learning outcomes?
Do the assessment methods effectively demonstrate that students have achieved the learning outcomes?
C. Learning Activities – What activities will help them learn, and when will they do these?
Typically, an online course will include many student learning activities. This ensures that students are engaged in the course and are actively reading and working to make sense of the content and resources provided by the instructor on an ongoing basis. As well, students’ responses to various learning activities makes it possible for the instructor to monitor students’ progress and performance throughout the course.
The learning activities within a course might range from informal activities (that may or may not be graded) such as participation in online discussions to highly structured
activities such as an exam. Use of a variety of learning activities will help to maintain student interest and engagement, as well as help instructors to better assess student understanding and monitor student progress. However, the most important consideration in selecting learning activities is their relationship to the learning outcomes for the course. The table below describes the relationship between learning outcomes, learning strategies, and corresponding learning activities.
Focus of Outcomes Learning Strategy Corresponding Learning Activities
Students develop knowledge and understanding of concepts, principles, ideas, etc.
Interactive learning activities which engage students with information resources, involve students in building their own understanding, and require students to construct their own representations that demonstrate their understanding
Student-led Seminar
Student Presentation
Group Discussion
Group Project/Assignment
Individual Project/Assignment
Self-Assessment
Reflection
Students develop understanding of and proficiency in processes and skills used within the workplace
Experiential learning activities that involve students in behaviors and performances similar to those in the workplace.
Case Study
Role-Playing
Group Discussion
Group Project/Assignment
Individual Project/Assignment
Self-Assessment
Reflection
Students develop specific skills and competencies for which individual performance is considered very important
Individualized learning activities where students may work at their own pace, get individualized feedback from the instructor, and are required to demonstrate their competency
Individual Project/Assignment
Coaching
Self-Assessment
Reflection
The table below outlines the learning activities referred to above, how these correspond to learning activities typically used in classroom-based courses, and the benefits and issues of these learning activities. For more information and descriptions of the tools within Moodle, please refer to Appendix A.
Learning Activity Corresponding Moodle Online Learning Activity
Benefits Challenges
Student-led Seminar
Students make brief presentation and lead
Use Forum for online presentation with accompanying
High level of engagement by students
May be difficult to monitor progress of all students
discussion discussion
Case Study
Students are presented with a case study for reflection, analysis, and response
Posting of case study using Lesson or File, with email or discussion response from students
Compelling and engaging for students
Generative of fruitful discussions
May be difficult to find compelling case studies
May be difficult to provide adequate feedback to students
Student Presentation
Students construct and present information for rest of class
Online presentation or email submission
High level of engagement by students constructing presentation
May be difficult to monitor student progress for those not presenting
Role-Playing
Students take on different roles within given scenario and interact with each other accordingly
1. Use Forum for online discussion (asynchronous)
2. Use Chat for synchronous online discussion
Compelling and engaging for students
Difficult to construct good role-playing exercise
1. may be difficult with time lag
2. difficult to coordinate and manage, dependent on typing skills
Group Discussion
Students interact with each other about particular question, problem, or issue
Use Forum for online discussion
Compelling and engaging for students
Supports interactions between students
May be difficult to facilitate and monitor fruitful discussions
Individual Project/Assignment
Can include exercises, reflective writing, essay, or any other project or assignment
Use Forum or Assignment tool
High level of engagement by students
Easy to assess individual student
Time-consuming to provide feedback to each student
No opportunity for students to benefit from each other’s contributions
Group Project/Assignment
Students work together to create group product
Use Assignment tool, Forum, or e-mail for submissions
High level of engagement by students
Supports interactions between students
May be problems with group dynamics
May be difficult to assess individual students
Individual Assignment with Peer Feedback
Students submit assignment and provide feedback on other student submissions
Use Workshop tool for submissions and feedback
High level of engagement by students
Opportunity for students to benefit from each other’s contributions
Time-consuming to review both assignments and feedback
Coaching Use Quiz tool Immediate feedback May be difficult to construct good
Practice exercises with feedback and correction
helpful to students
Low stress for students
questions for online delivery
Time-consuming to provide meaningful feedback
Self-Assessment
Quiz with multiple question formats with feedback
Use Quiz tool Easy to manage assessment
No marking with some types of questions
Meaningful feedback may be difficult and/or time-consuming to set up
Reflection
Students asked to reflect on and respond to set of questions
Use Questionnaire or Feedback tool
Instructor has access to students’ thinking and students have online record of their responses
Students may be unwilling to engage in and/or share reflections
By using these two tables, you should be able to design learning activities that help students to achieve the learning outcomes of the course. This involves filling in column C of the course plan table.
D. Content and Resources
If you are converting a classroom-based course to an online setting, it is quite likely that the content and resources for the course have already been defined. However, if you are designing a new course, you will need to give careful consideration in determining what content is important to be included in the course. These are some of the issues to consider when determining content and the corresponding materials: What content and materials are best suited to the learners’ characteristics and
preferences? What type of materials will best help to achieve the outcomes? Is there an appropriate balance between theory and application? Are there non-explicit expectations/outcomes (e.g., critical thinking, problem
solving, communication skills) for the course? What materials (e.g., textbooks, handouts, case studies, online resources) are
currently available? What are the constraints (e.g., time, funding, resources, etc.) you need to account
for?
Once the content for the course has been decided and most of the materials identified, it is important to consider the following questions: How should the content and resources be organized to correspond to the learning
outcomes? What content and resources will students need to complete the learning activities? What is the best means of presenting the content and resources to the students in
the online environment?
The table below is intended to help you make decisions regarding the last of these questions. It outlines methods of delivering content online, how these correspond to learning activities typically used in classroom-based courses, and the benefits and issues of these methods. The table refers to tools within Moodle for including information resources: see Appendix B for more detailed information about these tools.
Traditional Delivery Method
Corresponding Online Delivery Method
Benefits Issues
Lecture
Presentation of information by instructor
Posting of course notes, may include MS PowerPoint slides
Use File tool to link to file, Page to construct page of content, or URL to link to other web page
May be most expedient when converting from classroom-based course
Instructor able to highlight most important information
May be time-consuming to convert notes to readable format
May be difficult to make material engaging for student
Difficult to read on computer monitor
Printing may be expensive
Selected Readings
Readings assigned from textbook, journal articles, or other documents
Posting of readings or links to readings
Use File tool to link to file or URL to link to other web page
1. Easy format to read, little preparation for instructor
2. No cost to students, convenience
3. May be most suited to course, no cost to students, convenience
1. Need to arrange distribution, cost to students
2. May be difficult to find quality readings
3. Copyright may be issue
Demonstration
Instructor or expert demonstrates process or skill
Posting of link to video or photos with annotations using URL tool
Visual information may be most suitable
Difficult to produce and deliver
Field Trip
Class visits external location for observations not possible in classroom setting
Link to virtual field trips using URL tool
Can provide students with experience otherwise unavailable
May be difficult to find relevant field trip
Inadequate compared to real field trip
Limited gains from experience
Tutoring
Instructor works individually with students
Interact with student using Chat tool or by email
May best meet needs of individual students
1. Time-consuming, coordination problems, text-based
2. Time-consuming, coordination problems, limited
to crude graphics and minimal text
3. Limited to voice (unless other tools also implemented)
E. Assessment – How will you know they have learned?
Many of the learning activities discussed in Section C above can also be used for monitoring students’ progress and for summative assessment. Additionally, there are tools within Moodle that are more specifically designed for formative assessment purposes. When designing the course, it is important to give consideration to what learning activities will be assessed and how they will be assessed. When developing the course online, it will be critical to communicate this information to students.
The table below outlines the learning activities described above and the possible ways in which these activities can be assessed for both formative and summative purposes.
Learning Activity Assessment Possibilities
Student-Led Seminar Content and quality of presentation
Ability to lead discussion
Participation in discussion
Case Study Quality of responses to case study
Student Presentation Content of presentation
Quality of presentation
Role-Playing Amount of participation
Quality of participation
Group Discussion Amount of participation
Quality of participation
Individual Project/Assignment Quality of work
Group Project/Assignment Quality of group work
Quality of individual contributions
Individual Assignment with Peer Feedback Quality of individual submission
Quality of peer feedback
The table below describes the tools within Moodle designed specifically for assessment and that are more likely to be used for summative assessment:
Tool Description Assessment
Assignment Students can submit any digital content When reviewing assignments, teachers
(files), such as word-processed documents, spreadsheets, images, or audio and video clips. Alternatively, or in addition, the assignment may require students to type text directly into the text editor. Students can submit work individually or as a member of a group.
can leave feedback comments and upload files, such as marked-up student submissions, documents with comments or spoken audio feedback. Assignments can be graded using a numerical or custom scale or an advanced grading method such as a rubric.
Quiz The quiz activity enables a teacher to create quizzes comprising questions of various types, including multiple choice, matching, short-answer and numerical.The teacher can allow the quiz to be attempted multiple times, with the questions shuffled or randomly selected from the question bank. A time limit may be set.The teacher can choose when and if hints, feedback and correct answers are shown to students.
Each attempt is marked automatically, with the exception of essay questions, and the grade is recorded in the gradebook.
When deciding upon the assessment for a learning activity, remember to refer back to the learning outcomes: does the assessment method chosen effectively evaluate whether or not students have achieved the learning outcomes?
Reviewing the Course Plan
The process of filling in the course table is essentially a decomposition process.. Once you have filled in the course plan table, it is important to review your course plan as a whole to see that it comprehensive, coherent, and cohesive. In other words, is your course design, as represented in your course plan table, a good design?In answering this question, there are practical issues you need to consider, such as the following:
Does the module structure seem reasonable in terms of the length (time and credits) of the course?
Does the weighting for assessment in each module balance appropriately with the time for each module?
To answer these questions, it is suggested that you begin to consider the amount of time each module will require and the weighting of the assessment within the course. You may want to complete a table such as the following:
Module Amount of Time Assessment Weighting in %
Total Time: Total Weighting:
Using such a table, you can check the time requirements for each module and for the entire course. As well, you can compare the assessment weightings with the time requirements and check for a balance between these.
You should also review your course plan table to consider the educational aspects of your course design. The table below suggests some questions to consider in reviewing the instructional design of your course plan:
Part of Course Plan Questions
A. Module Does the module structure seem reasonable in terms of the sequence of modules?
Is there a flow between the modules or do they seem disjointed? Does the organization of the modules provide support to students for
understanding the content of the course and/or for managing their learning effectively?
B. Learning Outcomes Are all of the learning outcomes of the course addressed in the course plan?
Are the learning outcomes adequately addressed in relation to their importance within the course?
Can all of the outcomes still be adequately addressed if some of the activities and/or modules are eliminated or scaled down?
C. Learning Activities Do the learning activities seem reasonable in terms of the amount of time required for students to complete them?
Do the learning activities relate well to each other (e.g., no redundancy, build on each other, increase in difficulty)?
D. Content and Resources Are the content and resources sufficient for students to complete the learning activities and meet the learning outcomes?
Are the content and resources excessive for the course workload?E. Assessment Is there sufficient formative assessment to support student learning?
Does the specified assessment adequately evaluate whether students have achieved the learning outcomes?
Conclusion
Now that you have developed a course plan and completed the instructional design of your course, you are ready to begin focusing on how to set up your course in Moodle. This will involve presenting course information to students, converting your course plan into an online format, and ensuring the quality of your course.
Appendix A
Moodle Activities
Description (from Moodle)
Assignment The assignment activity module enables a teacher to communicate tasks, collect work and provide grades and feedback.
Students can submit any digital content (files), such as word-processed documents, spreadsheets, images, or audio and video clips. Alternatively, or in addition, the assignment may require students to type text directly into the text editor. An assignment can also be used to remind students of 'real-world' assignments they need to complete offline, such as art work, and thus not require any digital content. Students can submit work individually or as a member of a group.
When reviewing assignments, teachers can leave feedback comments and upload files, such as marked-up student submissions, documents with comments or spoken audio feedback. Assignments can be graded using a numerical or custom scale or an advanced grading method such as a rubric. Final grades are recorded in the gradebook.
Chat The chat activity module enables participants to have text-based, real-time synchronous discussions.
The chat may be a one-time activity or it may be repeated at the same time each day or each week. Chat sessions are saved and can be made available for everyone to view or restricted to users with the capability to view chat session logs.
Chats are especially useful when the group chatting is not able to meet face-to-face, such as
Regular meetings of students participating in online courses to enable them to share experiences with others in the same course but in a different location
A student temporarily unable to attend in person chatting with their teacher to catch up with work
Students out on work experience getting together to discuss their experiences with each other and their teacher
Younger children using chat at home in the evenings as a controlled (monitored) introduction to the world of social networking
A question and answer session with an invited speaker in a different location Sessions to help students prepare for tests where the teacher, or other students,
would pose sample questionsChoice The choice activity module enables a teacher to ask a single question and offer a
selection of possible responses.
Choice results may be published after students have answered, after a certain date, or not at all. Results may be published with student names or anonymously.
A choice activity may be used
As a quick poll to stimulate thinking about a topic To quickly test students' understanding To facilitate student decision-making, for example allowing students to vote on a
direction for the courseDatabase The database activity module enables participants to create, maintain and search a
collection of entries (i.e. records). The structure of the entries is defined by the teacher
as a number of fields. Field types include checkbox, radio buttons, dropdown menu, text area, URL, picture and uploaded file.
The visual layout of information when listing, viewing or editing database entries may be controlled by database templates. Database activities may be shared between courses as presets and a teacher may also import and export database entries.
If the database auto-linking filter is enabled, any entries in a database will be automatically linked where the words or phrases appear within the course.
A teacher can allow comments on entries. Entries can also be rated by teachers or students (peer evaluation). Ratings can be aggregated to form a final grade which is recorded in the gradebook.
Database activities have many uses, such as
A collaborative collection of web links, books, book reviews, journal references etc For displaying student-created photos, posters, websites or poems for peer
comment and review
Feedback The feedback activity module enables a teacher to create a custom survey for collecting feedback from participants using a variety of question types including multiple choice, yes/no or text input.
Feedback responses may be anonymous if desired, and results may be shown to all participants or restricted to teachers only. Any feedback activities on the site front page may also be completed by non-logged-in users.
Feedback activities may be used
For course evaluations, helping improve the content for later participants To enable participants to sign up for course modules, events etc. For guest surveys of course choices, school policies etc. For anti-bullying surveys in which students can report incidents anonymously
Forum The forum activity module enables participants to have asynchronous discussions i.e. discussions that take place over an extended period of time.
There are several forum types to choose from, such as a standard forum where anyone can start a new discussion at any time; a forum where each student can post exactly one discussion; or a question and answer forum where students must first post before being able to view other students' posts. A teacher can allow files to be attached to forum posts. Attached images are displayed in the forum post.
Participants can subscribe to a forum to receive notifications of new forum posts. A teacher can set the subscription mode to optional, forced or auto, or prevent subscription completely. If required, students can be blocked from posting more than a given number of posts in a given time period; this can prevent individuals from dominating discussions.
Forum posts can be rated by teachers or students (peer evaluation). Ratings can be aggregated to form a final grade which is recorded in the gradebook.
Forums have many uses, such as
A social space for students to get to know each other
For course announcements (using a news forum with forced subscription) For discussing course content or reading materials For continuing online an issue raised previously in a face-to-face session For teacher-only discussions (using a hidden forum) A help centre where tutors and students can give advice A one-on-one support area for private student-teacher communications (using a
forum with separate groups and with one student per group) For extension activities, for example ‘brain teasers’ for students to ponder and
suggest solutions toGlossary The glossary activity module allows participants to create and maintain a list of
definitions, like a dictionary.
Glossary can be used in many ways. The entries can be searched or browsed in different formats. A glossary can be a collaborative activity or be restricted to entries made by the teacher. Entries can be put in categories. The auto-linking feature will highlight any word in the course which is located in the glossary.
Lesson The lesson activity module enables a teacher to deliver content and/or practice activities in interesting and flexible ways. A teacher can use the lesson to create a linear set of content pages or instructional activities that offer a variety of paths or options for the learner. In either case, teachers can choose to increase engagement and ensure understanding by including a variety of questions, such as multiple choice, matching and short answer. Depending on the student's choice of answer and how the teacher develops the lesson, students may progress to the next page, be taken back to a previous page or redirected down a different path entirely.
A lesson may be graded, with the grade recorded in the gradebook.
Lessons may be used
For self-directed learning of a new topic For scenarios or simulations/decision-making exercises For differentiated revision, with different sets of revision questions depending upon
answers given to initial questionsQuestionnaire The questionnaire module allows you to construct surveys using a variety of question
types, for the purpose of gathering data from users.
Quiz The quiz activity enables a teacher to create quizzes comprising questions of various types, including multiple choice, matching, short-answer and numerical.
The teacher can allow the quiz to be attempted multiple times, with the questions shuffled or randomly selected from the question bank. A time limit may be set.
Each attempt is marked automatically, with the exception of essay questions, and the grade is recorded in the gradebook.
The teacher can choose when and if hints, feedback and correct answers are shown to students.
Quizzes may be used
As course exams As mini tests for reading assignments or at the end of a topic As exam practice using questions from past exams
To deliver immediate feedback about performance For self-assessment
Survey The survey activity module provides a number of verified survey instruments that have been found useful in assessing and stimulating learning in online environments. A teacher can use these to gather data from their students that will help them learn about their class and reflect on their own teaching.
Note that these survey tools are pre-populated with questions. Teachers who wish to create their own survey should use the feedback activity module.
WIKI The wiki activity module enables participants to add and edit a collection of web pages. A wiki can be collaborative, with everyone being able to edit it, or individual, where everyone has their own wiki which only they can edit.
A history of previous versions of each page in the wiki is kept, listing the edits made by each participant.
Wikis have many uses, such as
For group lecture notes or study guides For members of a faculty to plan a scheme of work or meeting agenda together For students to collaboratively author an online book, creating content on a topic
set by their tutor For collaborative storytelling or poetry creation, where each participant writes a
line or verse As a personal journal for examination notes or revision (using an individual wiki)
Workshop The workshop activity module enables the collection, review and peer assessment of students' work.
Students can submit any digital content (files), such as word-processed documents or spreadsheets and can also type text directly into a field using the text editor.
Submissions are assessed using a multi-criteria assessment form defined by the teacher. The process of peer assessment and understanding the assessment form can be practised in advance with example submissions provided by the teacher, together with a reference assessment. Students are given the opportunity to assess one or more of their peers' submissions. Submissions and reviewers may be anonymous if required.
Students obtain two grades in a workshop activity - a grade for their submission and a grade for their assessment of their peers' submissions. Both grades are recorded in the gradebook.
Appendix B
Moodle Resources
Description (from Moodle)
Book The book module enables a teacher to create a multi-page resource in a book-like format, with chapters and subchapters. Books can contain media files as well as text and are useful for displaying lengthy passages of information which can be broken down into sections.
A book may be used
To display reading material for individual modules of study As a staff departmental handbook As a showcase portfolio of student work
File The file module enables a teacher to provide a file as a course resource. Where possible, the file will be displayed within the course interface; otherwise students will be prompted to download it. The file may include supporting files, for example an HTML page may have embedded images or Flash objects.
Note that students need to have the appropriate software on their computers in order to open the file.
A file may be used
To share presentations given in class To include a mini website as a course resource To provide draft files of certain software programs (eg Photoshop .psd) so students
can edit and submit them for assessmentPage The page module enables a teacher to create a web page resource using the text
editor. A page can display text, images, sound, video, web links and embedded code, such as Google maps.
Advantages of using the page module rather than the file module include the resource being more accessible (for example to users of mobile devices) and easier to update.
For large amounts of content, it's recommended that a book is used rather than a page.
A page may be used
To present the terms and conditions of a course or a summary of the course syllabus
To embed several videos or sound files together with some explanatory textURL The URL module enables a teacher to provide a web link as a course resource.
Anything that is freely available online, such as documents or images, can be linked to; the URL doesn’t have to be the home page of a website. The URL of a particular web page may be copied and pasted or a teacher can use the file picker and choose a link from a repository such as Flickr, YouTube or Wikimedia (depending upon which repositories are enabled for the site).
There are a number of display options for the URL, such as embedded or opening in a new window and advanced options for passing information, such as a student's name, to the URL if required.
Note that URLs can also be added to any other resource or activity type through the text editor.
