Provide the purpose and an overview of the course here.

[Example: This document explains the focus of ENG 331 and how our Moodle class is managed. 

ENG 331 Communication for Engineering and Technology will introduce you to the kinds of communication tasks you can expect to perform after graduation and in the workplace; the course emphasizes the needs of various professional audiences, strategies of adapting organization and style to those needs, and ways of supplementing written communication with oral reports and visual aids.]

How does [COURSE #] work?

Provide an overview of the course structure. 

[Example: Even though the course is online, it follows an organizational pattern very much like an on-campus course. The course is broken up into units, and each unit represents a particular topic. We will be working through one unit at a time. 

Within each unit, you will have unit materials and assignments to complete.  Unit materials may include lectures, readings, and videos. Assignments include group discussion, online quizzes, a team project, and individual projects. 

Although I do not require you to login into class at a specific time, due dates for class discussions, class activities, and projects are given within each unit. I will post class announcements often, which are also sent out via email, throughout the semester, so please check your NCSU email account often. 

The following discusses important components in our Moodle Classroom.]

Course Calendar

Optional: Provide an explanation of the course calendar or schedule

[Example: The course calendar can be found on the Course Schedule page of the class website. Our course is organized by units. The course calendar divides up each unit by weeks and each week gives required instructional materials to review as well as low-stakes assignments (class discussion, check your knowledge quizzes, and peer review) and/or high-stakes assignments (individual or group projects) to complete. The course schedule is set up by weeks to create a pace for you to complete all required unit elements.]

Units/Modules 

Explain the components of each unit or module and how to interact with them.

[Example: Our class is organized by units and each unit is labeled with a title and a time period that you should be completing the unit. Please see the course calendar for specific unit dates and assignment due dates. 

For each unit, there is a brief explanation of each unit, as well as learning outcomes for each unit. In addition, you will see a “to complete” list given for each unit that outlines what you should be completed during the unit’s set time period. 

There are also readings from the textbook assigned for every unit, as well as lectures. The textbook is relevant to our course because it covers topics that are related to technical writing and writing in the engineering field. The textbook presents information that is accessible to students who do not have a background writing technical documents. The course materials are meant to clarify points that are made in the textbook. However, the course materials will not cover all of the information that is presented in the textbook. I have also included the PowerPoints that go along with the textbook. It is not required to use the PowerPoints, but they are available to students who want to use them.

When we start a new unit, I strongly recommend starting with reviewing the course materials before moving to the assignments for each unit. 

Within each unit you will find these main areas:

• Learning Materials– lectures that will cover class concepts. Lectures will help you complete assignments. Lectures can include PowerPoint lectures, H5P lectures, videos, journal articles, and technical document examples. 
• Supplemental Materials – lectures that are supplemental.
• Apply Your Knowledge – you will find class assignments, discussion forums, and class activities.]

Unit Assignments

Optional: Provide information about the types of assignments required in the course.

[Example: The unit assignments include a variety of types of assignments. The unit assessments are designed for you to apply your knowledge absorbed from the course materials to low stakes assignments (practice quizzes, discussion forums) and to high stakes assignments (written documents). Low stakes assignments are designed to test that you have comprehended unit concepts and gain practice applying them.  High stakes assignments are designed for you to apply unit concepts to larger written documents.

To potentially receive “100” for the unit assignments you will need to follow the directions for each assignment. Directions are given for practice quizzes and discussion forums. Comprehensive directions for projects (written documents) are given through the project assignment links.]

Grades

Optional: Provide instructions for accessing the gradebook and viewing grades.

[Example: You can find the gradebook in Moodle by clicking the left menu button. Under this menu, you will find a tab labeled grades. Once you click the tab, you will be able to view your grades.  For projects (high-stakes assignments), you will receive a grade and comments. I require students to submit a word file for projects so that I can download your file and write comments within your document. Once a project has been graded, I will upload your graded file to the gradebook area. When I have added a grade for a project, you will receive a notification (Email). You can then view your grade in the gradebook area. Always download the file I returned to you so that you view my comments as well as your grade.]

Navigation

Provide guidance about how to navigate through different parts of the online classroom in Moodle or WordPress.

[Example: Moodle offers several navigational options. For many of the activities, you’ll simply click on the desired link and content will open in a new window. Just close the window before moving on to another activity so that you don’t get lost in multiple windows.

In Moodle, you can also use navigational “Breadcrumbs” (a sequential list of page names for pages where you’ve previously been). To return to the main page of the course site, you’ll want to click the “[COURSE LINK NAME]” link. If you are new to online learning and the Moodle learning management system, I encourage you to participate in the Moodle Users 101 course. ]

How Do I Succeed in [COURSE #]?

Provide information about expected behavior and tips for learner success.

[Example:  This Course Schedule provides detailed information about topics covered within each unit and due dates for all assignments. Students may want to consider printing this out and/or entering these dates into a calendar to help keep track of them during the semester.

I will typically post an announcement on Moodle at the time that we begin the next unit. It is important that students check the “Announcement” section on the Moodle page throughout the week, as this is also where I will post any changes that may occur. I also send announcements out to your NC State email account.  Check your NC State email account often.

Important: Just because an assignment is due by a certain date does not mean that students should wait until the day of the deadline to complete all the work for that unit. The pace of the course is set so that you have time to review course materials and practice in low stake activities before executing a high-stakes assignment. However, if students wait until the last week or day that a unit is open to complete all of the work, there likely will not be enough time to adequately complete it. 

Please ask for help.  I am here to help you understand unit concepts and learn to apply them to create technical documents. If you are having trouble or just need to talk through your ideas, email me. We can meet in person, communicate through email, or approach working together however best fits your needs.  I am here to help you be successful in this course.]

Getting Technical Help

Provide instructions for getting technical help.

[Example: Since you are reading this, you have already successfully logged into the course Website within the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS). If you ever have a problem accessing your Moodle course site, contact the general NC State Help Desk at 919-515-HELP or help@ncsu.edu. Sometimes, initial access challenges may be related to your Unity ID or password. If you do contact the Help Desk, let them know you are in this course, your section number, and that you are using the NC State Moodle server (http://moodle.wolfware.ncsu.edu/), just in case the issues are with Moodle. You can e-mail me, as well, so that I can be aware of any commonly occurring issues.]