Thanks for reading!

Not all of the 100+ languages are 100% completed, but you can get a sense of progress by visiting http://download.moodle.org/langpack/2.0/.

Bonne chance, genießen, enjoy!

The Rocket theme by Julian Ridden (@Moodleman) is a customizable theme to make your site less Moodley (and it succeeds).  The theme has customizable logo, header images and category images and just simply looks great.  It just may be the least Moodley looking theme of all Moodle themes!

Check it out in some screen shots below and get your self a copy at Moodle.org: http://moodle.org/plugins/view.php?plugin=theme_rocket

Moodle 2.2 is one step closer to acceptance by the Collaborative Liberal Arts Moodle Project (CLAMP) with the release of Moodle 2.2.1+LAE (Liberal Arts Edition) v2.0 beta 1.  While not a stable release this is a milestone for Moodle’s acceptance by the group considering their reservations aired in a Moodle 2 Status Report nearly 1 year ago (Feb 2011).

CLAMP’s beta 1 release is,

the inaugural edition of the LAE for Moodle 2.2. The goal of LAE is to provide a coherent package for modules, patches, and code developed (or improved) by the Collaborative Liberal Arts Moodle Project.

This is a beta release, and is recommended for use on development or pilot instances; it is under active development as we assess what issues to resolve and features to include in the LAE.

This package consists of the code that the developers and instructional technologists at CLAMP schools have deemed essential to their operation of Moodle.

Several of CLAMPs featured modules (anonymous forums and quick mail) made the initial beta release while others are being worked on (specifically the LAE Grader report).  Some features like TinyMCE have been removed from CLAMPs distribution and are reflected as core pieces of Moodle code.

For more information about CLAMP or to download a copy of the beta 1 release of LAE visit http://www.clamp-it.org/.

I’ve written a few posts at OpenSource.com/Education and this year I qualified to be in the running for the 2011 People’s Choice Award, specifically for my contribution of an article/interview with Wayne Mackintosh about OER University. Moodle is one of many interests (though I often have trouble finding enough time to write about other subjects).  If you like my writing here and there, consider casting a vote for me (or two votes). The winner of the People’s Choice will be announced at the end of January.

Vote now. No registration required.

A few of the highlights of the CLAMP distro:

• Anonymous forums
• Easy to use file uploads
• The CLAMP Grader Report 
• TinyMCE 
• and more…

This released ushers in several bug fixes and integration into Moodle 1.9.16.  The code is available for download at http://www.clamp-it.org/code/moodle-1-9-16lae-v1-6/.

To learn more about CLAMP and LAE checkout http://www.clamp-it.org/.

The Moot is focusing several strands for Moodlers including Implementing & Developing Moodle, Teaching & Learning with Moodle, Academic takeup of Moodle, Student engagement, Moodle 2 and more.  There’s sure to be something for everyone no matter what your familiarity level with Moodle (plus you get to spend a few days in Dublin which is certainly a treat).

Registration opens soon, so don’t delay! http://moodlemoot.ie and be sure to follow @MoodleIreland to stay in the loop about the event.

What: Ireland/UK Moodlemoot 2012
Where: Dublin, Ireland
When: April 2-4, 2012

Interested in more Moodle events in your area (or across the globe)? Check out our events page: http://www.moodlenews.com/events/

It’s nice looking and easy to navigate (and courses look great with the theme as well).

Enjoy!

Moodlebook for Moodle 2.2.x forum [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=163036] | Download [https://github.com/moodleman/moodle-theme_moodlebook]

The Rubric is available at http://jaredstein.org/cheat/ and you can check out Jared Stein’s Cheatability Factor Presentation at http://jaredstein.org/pres/cheatability/. Mr Stein works for UVU as Director of Instructional Design Services.

What the tool is getting at is the randomness of questions posed to students and what type of opportunities, if any, students have to cheat or collaborate on independent work. While most questions are straightforward there was the occasional curveball like this, “Could students find a paper on the topic just through Google? Or does the paper require individualized selection of topic, interpretation, analysis, and reflection?”  Not quite a yes/no question (but those are exactly the answer choices you have).

I checked out an English Composition course I’ve just finished developing and scored a 64% of 100 (I think higher means less cheatable).  The feedback provided suggested that I focus on the following:

• Don’t keep your gradebook online only; keep a separate copy of student scores is on paper or on your local computer.
• Maintain a high level of instructor presence. Don’t appear to be absent from the course or uninvolved in activities.
• Discourage cheating through your attitude. Carry through with ethical scholarship.
• Use open-ended or “essay” questions in quizzes and exams.
• Always ensure instructor generated load is appropriate for efficient learning at the course level and credit hours.
• Analyze student log and performance stats to look for curiosities and irregularities which may point to cheating or course design flaws.

Which are some solid considerations for an online course.  Is your course cheatable?