Realizing the provision of online classes with Moodle
Enabling the provision of classes even during school closures
The introduction of Moodle has made it easier to respond to unexpected situations. It is now possible to communicate with students about class matters even outside of class hours, allowing for asynchronous communication related to the classes.
Hachimonji Gakuen Educational Institution Mito Electronic Vocational School
Department of Information Processing, Mr. Shinsuke Aida
- Implementation and Operation Support
- Educational Institution
Customer Requests
"We were considering the introduction of Moodle as a tool to provide online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic."
Human Science: We provided support from the inquiry received on the website in April 2020 until the implementation was completed in May. Please tell us about the background of the e-learning implementation.
Mito Electronic Vocational School: In April 2020, a state of emergency was declared, and despite new students just having enrolled, we were forced to close the school. At that time, classes were primarily conducted in person, but starting around February, when the impact began to be felt, we started gathering information about e-learning to provide classes online and contacted your company.
Human Science: You specified Moodle at the time of your inquiry, but were you also considering other e-learning systems?
Mito Electronic Vocational School: Yes, we considered multiple e-learning systems, but,
① It is open source and the implementation cost is reasonable
② The manuals available online are comprehensive
③ It has a high market share in universities
for these reasons, we decided on Moodle.
Human Science: Could you tell us the reasons for deciding to place an order with Human Science?
Mito Electronic Vocational School: We compared several Moodle partners, and based on the following reasons,
・The quality of response during inquiries
・The proposal of a plan tailored to the school's size (up to 200 students)
・The extensive track record in operation and maintenance at universities
we have decided to request your company for assistance.
Key Points of the Proposal
"Continuing classes without time loss even in unforeseen circumstances. We are also working on initiatives to improve the quality of education."
Human Science: I heard that Professor Aida was responsible for promoting the use of Moodle, but specifically, how was it carried out?
Mito Electronic Technical School: There are 15 faculty members, but since most of them were new to Moodle, I created a manual and provided a lecture on how to use it. Being faculty in the information processing field, they learned smoothly, and after understanding the basic usage, they began to refer to the Moodle web manual on their own to remember how to use it. When it came to more advanced usage, I researched and expanded on it.
Human Science: How are you currently utilizing Moodle?
Mito Electronic Vocational School: We are making the most use of it as a tool for remote online learning in situations where we cannot attend school, such as during school closures.
When a school closure occurs, if we interrupt the classes that have been conducted so far and start preparing to transition online from there, it inevitably leads to a loss of time.
However, by having the regular classes in a hybrid format in advance, we can create a system that allows for a smooth transition even during school closures.
Classes are still mainly conducted in person, but we are exploring hybrid methods such as showing preview videos and conducting classes, or flipped learning. We are making efforts to enhance the quality of classes while exploring things that cannot be done with just in-person classes.
However, if we completely change the way we have been doing things, there is a risk that the quality of in-person classes may decline, so we are proceeding while ensuring that aspect.
Human Science: What are the benefits of implementing Moodle?
Mito Electronic Vocational School: It has become easier to respond to sudden unforeseen circumstances. Additionally, the transition to remote learning has minimized the impact.
Furthermore, it is great that communication regarding classes can be made to students even outside of class hours, allowing for asynchronous communication related to lessons.
Nowadays, classes utilizing ICT are advancing and diversifying in elementary, junior high, and high schools. As one form of providing online classes, we regularly use Moodle, allowing us to accumulate know-how.
It is also a positive aspect that online classes can be conducted with smartphones or tablets, providing opportunities for students who do not own a computer to participate in lessons.
Mr. Shinsuke Aida, Information Processing Department, Mito Electronic Vocational School, Hachimonji Gakuen Educational Institution
Customer Feedback from Clients
"We were able to implement Moodle in two weeks, and the quick response was helpful."
Human Science: How was the response regarding Human Science?
Mito Electronic Vocational School: I made an inquiry in April, and it was implemented in May in about two weeks, which was very helpful due to the quick response.
Additionally, the provision of the user manual was also helpful.
Before the contract, I received careful answers to questions that would normally fall under paid support, which gave me a sense of reassurance.
"I want to focus on career development through group work utilizing Moodle."
Human Science: Please let us know if you have any future prospects or insights.
Mito Electronic Vocational School: At our school, we place great importance on group work, where multiple people communicate and tackle challenges from the perspective of career development. However, it is currently difficult to conduct group work while avoiding close contact.
In the future, we would like to engage in effective group work utilizing Moodle.
Additionally, we aim to provide more opportunities for faculty to use Moodle and encourage high-quality usage.
