Realizing Online Classes with Moodle
Possible to Provide Classes Even During School Closures
With the introduction of Moodle, it has become easier to respond to unexpected situations. In addition to class time, students can now communicate about classes outside of class time, allowing for both synchronous and asynchronous communication.
Yamamoto Technical Writing and Translation Company
Information Processing Department, Mr. Shinsuke Aida
- Introduction and Operational Support
- Educational institution
Customer Requests Received
"We were considering implementing Moodle as a tool for providing online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic."
Human Science Co., Ltd.: We received an inquiry on our website in April 2020 and provided support until the implementation was completed in May. Can you tell us about the background of introducing e-learning?
Mito Electronic Technical School: In April 2020, a state of emergency was declared and despite new students having just enrolled, we were forced to close due to the pandemic. At the time, our classes were mainly conducted in person, but around February when the effects of the pandemic began to be felt, we started gathering information about e-learning, which allows for online classes. We reached out to your company for inquiries.
Human Science Co., Ltd.: Did you consider other e-learning systems in addition to Moodle when you inquired?
Mito Electronic Technical School: Yes, we considered multiple e-learning systems,
①It is open source and has a reasonable introduction cost.
②The online manual is well-equipped.
③It has a high market share in universities.
Therefore, we have decided on Moodle.
Human Science Co., Ltd.: Can you tell us the reason for choosing Human Science Co., Ltd. for your order?
Mito Electronic Technical School: After comparing with several Moodle partners, we have decided to ask your company for the following reasons:
・Excellent response during inquiries
・Providing a plan tailored to the size of our school (up to 200 students)
・Extensive experience in operation and maintenance at universities
Points of Proposal
"We continue our classes without any time loss even in unforeseen circumstances. We are also working on initiatives to improve the quality of education."
Human Science Co., Ltd.: It is said that Professor Aida was in charge of promoting the use of Moodle, but how exactly was it carried out?
Mito Electronic Technical College: There are 15 teachers, but most of them were new to Moodle, so I created a manual and gave instructions on how to use it. As an information processing teacher, learning was smooth and after understanding the basic usage, they were able to refer to the Moodle web manual and learn how to use it. When using more advanced features, I would research and expand on them.
Human Science Co., Ltd.: How are you currently using Moodle?
Mito Electronic Technical College: When the situation arises where students are unable to attend school, such as during school closures, we make the most use of online learning tools for remote learning.
In the event of a school closure, classes that were previously held are interrupted and there is inevitably a loss of time if we start preparing and transitioning to online learning from there.
However, by hybridizing regular classes beforehand, we have been able to create a form that allows for a smooth transition even during school closures.
While face-to-face classes are still the main method, we are exploring methods such as showing pre-lesson videos and implementing hybrid methods like flipped learning. We are also making efforts to improve the quality of classes by searching for things that cannot be done in face-to-face classes.
However, if we completely change our approach, there is a risk that the quality of face-to-face classes will decrease. Therefore, we are proceeding while ensuring that this is not the case.
Human Science Co., Ltd.: What are the benefits of implementing Moodle?
Mito Electronic Technical College: It's great that we have become more able to respond to sudden unforeseen events. In addition, the transition to remote learning has had minimal impact.
Also, we are now able to communicate with students about classes outside of class time, and it's been great to be able to have asynchronous communication with them.
Furthermore, the use of ICT in classes is becoming more diverse and widespread, even in elementary, middle, and high schools. As one form of online learning, we have been using Moodle regularly and have been able to accumulate know-how.
Having a smartphone or tablet allows for online learning, and it's also a great advantage that students without a computer can still have access to classes.
Hachimoji Gakuen Mito Electronics Technical College Information Processing Department, Mr. Shinsuke Aida
Customer Feedback
"We were able to implement Moodle in 2 weeks and greatly appreciated the quick response."
Human Science Co., Ltd.: How was the response from Human Science Co., Ltd.?
Mito Electronic Technical School: Inquired in April, and was able to introduce it in about 2 weeks in May, and the response was quick and helpful.
Also, the provision of the user manual was helpful.
Before signing the contract, I was able to gain a sense of security by receiving polite answers to questions that would normally fall within the scope of paid support.
"We want to focus on career development through group work using Moodle."
Human Science Co., Ltd.: Please let us know if you have any future prospects.
Mito Electronic Technical School: At our school, we place great importance on group work where multiple people communicate and work on tasks from a career development perspective. However, it is currently difficult to do group work while avoiding close contact.
In the future, we would like to focus on effective group work using Moodle.
We also plan to provide more opportunities for teachers to use Moodle and work towards using it in a high-quality manner.
