Case Study: Moodle Help Desk Support and Manual Creation for Educators
"Response Time Reduced by 90%"
During busy periods, we were able to reduce the time spent on responding to inquiries from 100 hours per month to 10 hours per month. By translating our manuals and introducing video manuals, we were able to improve our content and achieve a significant decrease in the number of inquiries.
Tokyo University of Science
Academic Information Systems Department Information Systems Division
Director Matsuda, Mr. Sakuma
- Introduction and Operational Support
- Educational institution
- Improvement Content
- : Moodle Operation Support
・Inquiry Support
・Usage Seminars
・Improvement and Translation of Instructor Operation Manuals (Japanese and English versions)
・Video Manual Production
Customer Requests Received
Human Science (hereinafter referred to as HS): Please tell us about the background of your inquiry to our company.
Tokyo University of Science (TUS) : Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of classes has changed, and especially since the immediate aftermath of the pandemic in 2020, classes have been 100% online. As a result, there has been an increase in asynchronous classes using LMS (Moodle), where students can access assignments, materials, and videos at any time, regardless of class schedule.
Since 2011, we have been using Moodle, but at this time, we have received a significant increase in inquiries from instructors who are using Moodle for the first time, and these inquiries have been handled by the staff within the university.
However, there were over 100 inquiries per month, including basic inquiries, and it became difficult to handle them only within the university.
As a result, we had to search for a company that could provide help desk support, and we found Human Science, a Moodle partner company, on the Moodle website and contacted them for inquiries.
Academic Information Systems Department
Information Systems Division
Mr. Sakuma
Points of Proposal
HS: Please tell us the reason for choosing our company.
TUS: We contacted three Moodle partner companies, including Human Science Co., Ltd., and compared them.
Within the niche business of operating and maintaining Moodle,
・They are a reliable company size
・They have a track record of dozens of operations and maintenance at universities
・They offered a price that met our conditions
Based on these points, we have decided to adopt Human Science Co., Ltd.
In addition, as part of our strategy to reduce inquiries, we can also provide the following services:
・Usage seminars (online training)
・Improvement and translation of manuals (Japanese and English versions)
・Creation of video manuals
・Moodle server construction and performance investigation
This has become a key point for clients to request our services.
Academic Information Systems Department, Information Systems Division, Director Matsuda
Customer Feedback
HS: Did you receive any feedback from reducing work hours or from teachers?
TUS: Inquiries have decreased from 100 hours per month to 10 hours during busy times, resulting in a significant reduction in workload.
The response from Human Science's help desk went beyond just answering the inquiry and included suggestions, which was very helpful as it delved into the content of the class.
Regarding the manual, in the past, there were complaints about it being "difficult to understand" and "difficult to read", but now that it has been improved, those complaints have disappeared.
Originally, Moodle's manual was in PDF format, making it difficult to find information among the vast number of pages. However, after the revision, it was reconstructed using Moodle's book function. As a result, it has been improved to be easier to read online, making it more user-friendly and reducing complaints from teachers.
There have been requests for the English version of the Moodle manual for some time now, but we have not been able to properly address it until now. This was our first time providing an English version of the manual, but it was greatly appreciated as it had been a long-standing request.
In addition, video manuals are also being utilized effectively. It is highly effective to have all the necessary content prepared for teachers to view, and it has resulted in a decrease in inquiries.
HS: Please share your evaluation and requests with our company.
TUS: We held a Moodle usage seminar on Zoom this time. It was a long seminar that lasted for almost 2 hours, but since we couldn't search for specific parts in the video, it was difficult to use it effectively as an archive for review after participating.
As a result, we have created short videos for each function of Moodle. It may have been helpful to inform us of your plans for archiving and provide suggestions for future use when requesting a seminar.
From Human Science representative
In light of the recent impact of the novel coronavirus infection, there has been an increasing demand for utilizing online learning through Moodle, regardless of existing or new users.
As part of this, there is a need for services such as "Inquiry Support" to efficiently and effectively operate Moodle.
We offer implementation and operation support services that "produce results" by leveraging our experience and knowledge as a Moodle Partner.
If you are having trouble with Moodle operation, please feel free to consult with us.
Published on 2021.09.16
