Moodle Tool Guide for teachers and educators

Ease of use / Pedagogical Goal→	Ease of use	Information Transfer	Assess learning	Communication & interaction	Co-create content	Bloom's Taxonomy
Resources – Inform
Text and media area (label) Insert text and multimedia	Easy, improve the course page layout.	Yes. Only teachers can insert content. So definitely a push-tool.	Not directly. To be used to describe a task or transmit information.	No. It's a distribution tool. No option for interaction.	Not directly. To be used to describe a task or transmit information.	None. This is not a learning activity.
File Upload a single file	Easy, like an email attachment. But can your doc stand on its own?	Yes. Only teachers can upload files to course site. So definitely a push-tool.	Maybe. Use to give task. Collect student files through Forum or Assignment.	No. It's a distribution tool. No option for interaction.	Maybe. Use to give task. Collect student files through Forum or Assignment.	None. This is not a learning activity.
Folder Upload several files in a folder	Easy, like email attachments. But can your docs stand on their own?	Yes. Only teachers can upload a folder of files. So definitely a push-tool.	Maybe. Use to give task. Collect student files through Forum or Assignment.	No. It's a distribution tool. No option for interaction or communication.	Maybe. Use to give task. Collect student files through Forum or Assignment.	None. This is not a learning activity, but information transfer.
Page Create a webpage	Easy, just like a word processing page, adding multimedia if needed.	Easy way to provide info to students.	Maybe. Depends on the content. E.g. text to be read followed by a quiz.	Maybe. Depends on the content. E.g. text to be read followed by a quiz.	Maybe. Depends on the content. E.g. text on which to have a common discussion.	4 / 6 Remember, understand, apply, analyse.
Book Create a series of pages with chapters and sub-chapters	Easy, just like creating a set of word processing pages. Embed media if required.	Yes. Ideal for communicating information in a structured form.	Maybe. Depends on the content. E.g. text to be read followed by a quiz.	Maybe. Depends on the content. E.g. text to be read followed by a quiz.	Maybe. Depends on the content. E.g. text on which to have a common discussion.	4 / 6 Remember, understand, apply, analyse.
URL Insert link to a web page	Easy, copy/paste a web address (aka URL) that begins with http or https.	Easy way of directing students to information outside of Moodle, e.g. to an article.	Not directly. E.g. link to external activities such as students e-portfolios or blogs.	Maybe. Link to external tools, e.g. calendars, groups, blogs or wikis.	Maybe. You can link to external collaborative tools like Etherpad, wikis or blogs.	6 / 6 Can do all of the levels, depending on where you link to.
Activities – Inform and Evaluate
Forum Promote discussion: debates, reporting, role-playing, news analysis, lists of ideas, etc.	Easy. Forum has adequate default settings. A name & description is enough.	Share resources as links or files. Risk of losing info if high message volume.	Forum is versatile and allows designing a assessment activity.	Yes. Students communicate with you and peers. Interact as a class or in groups.	Yes. Students can collaborate and explore topics, discuss them and write together.	5 / 6 Understand, apply, analyse, evaluate, create.
Assignment Use to collect, assess and provide feedback on assignments	Easy. Choose from two types. Both online and offline assignments are possible.	No. However can include contextual content for the assignment.	Yes. Set due dates and maximum grade. Collect assignments and provide feedback.	No. Only allows very limited interaction between teacher and students.	Yes. Allows to do group assignments.	6 / 6 Indirectly. Depends on your assignment design.
Quiz Use to assess learning, formative or summative. Evaluation automatic	Tricky and takes time. Set up quiz, then add questions. Use questions bank.	No. The quiz is aimed at assessment, not as distribution channel.	Many different types of questions. Quiz can be timed and secured. Tip: use as self-diagnostic.	No. Use forums instead.	No. Use forums or wikis instead.	6 / 6 Allows you to test the six levels by being creative.
Lesson Use to flexibly present branched info, with testing	Can be tricky to set up. Make sure you plan the lesson first. Worth the effort.	Great to present information in a branched, guided way. Implement adaptive learning.	Yes. Allows grading. Use as branched quiz, scenario, case study, role play.	No. This is an individual activity, not a group activity.	No. This is an individual activity, not a group activity.	6 / 6 Allows you to test the six levels by being creative.
Chat Hold real-time text chat discussions	Easy, just like Messenger or iMessage. Requires some effort to manage.	Use for invited speakers. High speed message volume. Risk of non-interaction.	Chat is versatile. Can be used in formative assessment activities.	Yes. Hold debates, small group review sessions and hold drop-in session for Q&A.	Yes. Students can collaborate and explore topics, discuss them and write together.	6 / 6 Allows you to test the six levels in realtime.
Workshop Collect, assess and generate peer review of student work	Tricky and takes planning and time. Four stages to follow for setting it up.	No. Better to use another tool for this.	Yes, allows peer-assessment, reviewed by the teacher.	No. Allows for feedback but overall limited interaction.	Yes. Use for group tasks, in order to evaluate a result.	6 / 6 Allows you to test the six levels by being creative.
Activities – Share Data
Database Allow students to collect, share and search created artifacts	Tricky to set up. Know what you want before you build.	Can be used for teacher to present info, but better to let the students add to it.	Database is versatile and allows evaluation. Design the right learning activity.	Not suited for discussions. Students can comment or rate other entries.	Students can share content in searchable way. Create joint collections.	6 / 6 Allows to test the six levels, by structuring the knowledge.
Glossary Gather resources or collect infos	Easy. Default settings are good. Set display format to show the author's name.	Use glossary to define terms or present info. Better yet, let the students add to it.	Glossary is versatile and allows evaluation. Design the right learning activity.	Not suited for discussions. Students can read other entries and comment or rate.	Yes. The class can collect reviews, resources, etc. Original author can edit her entry.	5 / 6 Understand, Apply, Analyse, Evaluate, Create.
Wiki Enable the creation of collaborative pages, like Wikipedia	Tricky. Decide on individual and group settings. Can be hard to master.	Yes. Allow editing only by teachers or by any participant.	Wiki is versatile and allows evaluation, e.g. design a formative assessment activity.	Not suited for discussions. Use in brainstorming, planning, collaborative writing, etc.	Yes. Students can collaborate and explore topics, discuss them and write together.	5 / 6 Understand, Apply, Analyse, Evaluate, Create.
Activities – Identify Trends
Choice Enable students to vote, to choose subjects; in order to get a trend	Easy. Define the options and whether you want to limit numbers per choice or not.	No. The choice is not a distribution tool.	To quickly test understanding via a single multi-choice question.	No. Use the forum or chat instead.	No. Use forums, glossaries or wikis instead.	5 / 6 Requires to be creative in your usage.
Feedback Gather data from students on any topic	Easy but takes time. Configure and then add questions.	No. The feedback is not a distribution tool.	Yes. To have students self-assess their understanding before and after.	No. Only allows one way communication from student to teacher.	No. This is an individual activity.	6 / 6 Allows you to test the six levels by being creative.
Survey Gather data from students about teaching of the course	Easy. Choose from 3 types to assess Attitudes, Incidents and Constructivism.	No. The survey is not a distribution tool.	Not directly. Used for gathering feedback to help improve the course.	No. Only allows one way communication from student to teacher.	No. This is an individual activity.	2 / 6 Indirectly. Helps student analyse and evaluate the learning.

Ease of use

Information Transfer

Assess learning

Communication & interaction

Co-create content

Bloom's Taxonomy

Resources – Inform

Easy, improve the course page layout.

Yes. Only teachers can insert content. So definitely a push-tool.

Not directly. To be used to describe a task or transmit information.

No. It's a distribution tool. No option for interaction.

Not directly. To be used to describe a task or transmit information.

None. This is not a learning activity.

Easy, like an email attachment. But can your doc stand on its own?

Yes. Only teachers can upload files to course site. So definitely a push-tool.

Maybe. Use to give task. Collect student files through Forum or Assignment.

No. It's a distribution tool. No option for interaction.

Maybe. Use to give task. Collect student files through Forum or Assignment.

None. This is not a learning activity.

Easy, like email attachments. But can your docs stand on their own?

Yes. Only teachers can upload a folder of files. So definitely a push-tool.

Maybe. Use to give task. Collect student files through Forum or Assignment.

No. It's a distribution tool. No option for interaction or communication.

Maybe. Use to give task. Collect student files through Forum or Assignment.

None. This is not a learning activity, but information transfer.

Easy, just like a word processing page, adding multimedia if needed.

Easy way to provide info to students.

Maybe. Depends on the content. E.g. text to be read followed by a quiz.

Maybe. Depends on the content. E.g. text on which to have a common discussion.

4 / 6
Remember, understand, apply, analyse.

Easy, just like creating a set of word processing pages. Embed media if required.

Yes. Ideal for communicating information in a structured form.

Maybe. Depends on the content. E.g. text to be read followed by a quiz.

Maybe. Depends on the content. E.g. text on which to have a common discussion.

4 / 6
Remember, understand, apply, analyse.

Easy, copy/paste a web address (aka URL) that begins with http or https.

Easy way of directing students to information outside of Moodle, e.g. to an article.

Not directly. E.g. link to external activities such as students e-portfolios or blogs.

Maybe. Link to external tools, e.g. calendars, groups, blogs or wikis.

Maybe. You can link to external collaborative tools like Etherpad, wikis or blogs.

6 / 6
Can do all of the levels, depending on where you link to.

Activities – Inform and Evaluate

Easy. Forum has adequate default settings. A name & description is enough.

Share resources as links or files. Risk of losing info if high message volume.

Forum is versatile and allows designing a assessment activity.

Yes. Students communicate with you and peers. Interact as a class or in groups.

Yes. Students can collaborate and explore topics, discuss them and write together.

5 / 6
Understand, apply, analyse, evaluate, create.

Easy. Choose from two types. Both online and offline assignments are possible.

No. However can include contextual content for the assignment.

Yes. Set due dates and maximum grade. Collect assignments and provide feedback.

No. Only allows very limited interaction between teacher and students.

Yes. Allows to do group assignments.

6 / 6
Indirectly. Depends on your assignment design.

Tricky and takes time. Set up quiz, then add questions. Use questions bank.

No. The quiz is aimed at assessment, not as distribution channel.

Many different types of questions. Quiz can be timed and secured. Tip: use as self-diagnostic.

No. Use forums instead.

No. Use forums or wikis instead.

6 / 6
Allows you to test the six levels by being creative.

Can be tricky to set up. Make sure you plan the lesson first. Worth the effort.

Great to present information in a branched, guided way. Implement adaptive learning.

Yes. Allows grading. Use as branched quiz, scenario, case study, role play.

No. This is an individual activity, not a group activity.

6 / 6
Allows you to test the six levels by being creative.

Easy, just like Messenger or iMessage. Requires some effort to manage.

Use for invited speakers. High speed message volume. Risk of non-interaction.

Chat is versatile. Can be used in formative assessment activities.

Yes. Hold debates, small group review sessions and hold drop-in session for Q&A.

Yes. Students can collaborate and explore topics, discuss them and write together.

6 / 6
Allows you to test the six levels in realtime.

Tricky and takes planning and time. Four stages to follow for setting it up.

No. Better to use another tool for this.

Yes, allows peer-assessment, reviewed by the teacher.

No. Allows for feedback but overall limited interaction.

Yes. Use for group tasks, in order to evaluate a result.

6 / 6
Allows you to test the six levels by being creative.

Activities – Share Data

Tricky to set up. Know what you want before you build.

Can be used for teacher to present info, but better to let the students add to it.

Database is versatile and allows evaluation. Design the right learning activity.

Not suited for discussions. Students can comment or rate other entries.

Students can share content in searchable way. Create joint collections.

6 / 6
Allows to test the six levels, by structuring the knowledge.

Easy. Default settings are good. Set display format to show the author's name.

Use glossary to define terms or present info. Better yet, let the students add to it.

Glossary is versatile and allows evaluation. Design the right learning activity.

Not suited for discussions. Students can read other entries and comment or rate.

Yes. The class can collect reviews, resources, etc. Original author can edit her entry.

5 / 6
Understand, Apply, Analyse, Evaluate, Create.

Tricky. Decide on individual and group settings. Can be hard to master.

Yes. Allow editing only by teachers or by any participant.

Wiki is versatile and allows evaluation, e.g. design a formative assessment activity.

Not suited for discussions. Use in brainstorming, planning, collaborative writing, etc.

Yes. Students can collaborate and explore topics, discuss them and write together.

5 / 6
Understand, Apply, Analyse, Evaluate, Create.

Activities – Identify Trends

Easy. Define the options and whether you want to limit numbers per choice or not.

No. The choice is not a distribution tool.

To quickly test understanding via a single multi-choice question.

No. Use the forum or chat instead.

No. Use forums, glossaries or wikis instead.

5 / 6
Requires to be creative in your usage.

Easy but takes time. Configure and then add questions.

No. The feedback is not a distribution tool.

Yes. To have students self-assess their understanding before and after.

No. Only allows one way communication from student to teacher.

No. This is an individual activity.

6 / 6
Allows you to test the six levels by being creative.

Easy. Choose from 3 types to assess Attitudes, Incidents and Constructivism.

No. The survey is not a distribution tool.

Not directly. Used for gathering feedback to help improve the course.

No. Only allows one way communication from student to teacher.

No. This is an individual activity.

2 / 6
Indirectly. Helps student analyse and evaluate the learning.