The Reimagined Approach to Promote the Use of Moodle in Teaching and Learning of First-Year Students

Abstract

Teaching and learning in the contemporary era require technological or digital advancement. Various learning technologies offer a wide range of opportunities to enhance effective engagements between lecturers and students in institutions of higher learning. Consequently, this study explored the understanding of higher institutions in maximising the use of digital teaching and learning strategies to foster student success. In addition, the researchers investigated the proper provisioning of digital tools to successfully utilise online learning platforms. A total of 239 Science Foundation Students in the 2021 cohort participated in this study. A questionnaire with open and closed-ended questions regarding the availability of gadgets, university data provisions and network connectivity was administered. Results of this study revealed that 95 students had laptops while the rest used their smartphones, 52 students received university data during the investigation period and 186 managed to connect to the Internet mostly by utilising the university’s free Wi-Fi. These findings have significant implications for the development of effective planning prior to the implementation of digital teaching and learning. Furthermore, results showed reasonable students’ engagement regarding viewing quiz questions from the Modular Object-Orientated Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) platform and an infectiveness for the report posting exercises.

1. Introduction

The umbrella term blended learning methodology is defined as a combination of traditional face-to-face and online computer-based lessons. It claims to redesign the learning environment to meet the needs of the present situation [1, 2]. de Brito Lima, Lautert and Gomes [3] exhibit that those educational practices associated with blended learning require discussion and experimental investigation. In most cases, blended learning is implemented using diverse strategies for varied reasons such as data analyses and student engagement. Technological advancement has impacted educational practices, and to date, traditional classrooms are no longer constrained to conventional teaching methods [4]. Learning technologies offer a wide range of options to enhance the interaction between lecturers and students in universities [5]. However, being equipped with technology does not mean that students and lecturers can use it effectively [6]. Some institutions use their institutional learning management systems (LMS) as the leading technology for blended learning strategies [7]. Subsequently, LMS platforms such as Modular Object-Orientated Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) and Blackboard have limitations for analysing data [8]. Moodle is open source and is the most common LMS globally [9]. In addition, the platform is a widely tested, high-availability system, allowing students to log in and carry out their specific tasks [10].

Moodle array tools such as files, assignments and quizzes can be easily operated by users who do not have very advanced digital competencies [11]. For instance, Moodle quiz as a tool can support student engagement with learning through content flexibility and a variety of question types [12]. The provision of quiz questions in conjunction with automatic and timely feedback is a powerful means to foster learning [13]. According to Gamage et al. [14], active learning environment necessitates higher learning outcomes. Martín-Blas and Serrano-Fernández [15] indicated that quizzes are a valuable tool for students to test their level of knowledge.

On the contrary, historically disadvantaged institutions consider the Blackboard LMS as expensive.

The mission of this study is to develop an understanding of the reasons why institutions of higher learning are not maximising their digital teaching and learning strategies. Furthermore, this work aims to investigate a set of approaches that can hopefully lead to the successful use of LMS by the University of Venda, especially for first-year science foundation students. The latter will expedite early identification of at-risk students and further provide immediate support that may boost academic success [16].

2. Literature review

E-learning is the term that was coined following the emergence of new technology-informed education wherein the Internet is utilised to convey information [17]. Noteworthy, e-learning is achieved through the utilisation of electronic gadgets to enhance educational understanding [18]. Recognition of e-learning education gained popularity in higher education institutions (HEIs) sectors to set clear opportunities for critical and innovative thinking, and development of reasonable problem-solving capabilities [19]. However, it is important to note that e-learning’s benefits extend to the workplace by assisting with the betterment of productivity and efficiency of employees [20]. The understanding must remain that the introduction of e-learning does not serve as a replacement for the education system, however, it is just enhancing the pedagogical approach by introducing easier ways of teaching and learning for creativity and innovation [21].

2.1 Moodle e-learning

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), in conjunction with learning management systems (LMS), enhance the instructional designs of educators. One platform, the Modular Object-Orientated Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle) platform; an open-source e-learning platform, provides creativity, communication and delivery; allows student and peer collaboration and various assessment activities [20]. Moodle is widely used by higher education institutions for the features it offers, for example, the creation of various online assessments, that is, quizzes, assignments, etc. Educators can upload their course contents, PowerPoint presentations, content animations and videos; all of which ease the workload on the educator; assist students learning; foster active communication via chats or group discussions, and hence aid the academic performance of the students [22].

Various learning management systems (LMSs) are used by different universities to develop, manage and distribute digital resources for face-to-face and online teaching and learning [23]. The University of Venda piloted and adopted the Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle), as a learning management system (LMS) for improving, accelerating and enhancing tuition [24]. Most importantly Moodle fosters innovation, and pedagogically informed instructional design to increase student engagement [21].

The utilisation of Moodle poses a variety of merits as it allows students and academic staff to access and engage in a wide range of educational material [25]. Other advantages of Moodle are that students’ and academic staff’ engagement is in the real-time, easy platform to navigate through, keeping a register of grades and downloading the spreadsheets and easy creation of backup copies as well as information restoration [26]. Despite the merits of Moodle outlined by some scholars, Petrovici and Ciobanu [22] identified the disadvantages encompassed in the LMS. There are possibilities that students end up not studying what they were supposed to study when using Moodle. Most disturbingly, it becomes difficult for academic staff to assess the abilities and competencies of students for their creative and critical thinking capabilities. Furthermore, solving tasks can be achieved by copying and posting.

2.2 The role of ICTs in education

The incorporation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education has improved teaching and learning inside and outside the classrooms as well as revolutionised the teaching practices of educators. Information and communication technology (ICT) impacts the quality of learning, student engagement and student motivation in classrooms, [27]. “Using ICTs is essential in the teaching-learning process since many systems are used to disseminate knowledge, store and distribute information between students and teachers” [27].

Traditional education resources fall short of those compared to ICTs. A few examples of the usage of ICTs include: (i) Diverse information—access to a large amount of information online, is readily available. (ii) Instructional flexibility—students’ learning occurs at their own pace and can revisit problematic areas online during their own time. (iii) Increased motivation and collaborative work—students are eager to work with ICTs as they can work on their own and love the creativity that ICTs provide them when doing group assignments [21]. (iv) Improved educational effectiveness: With the availability of educational resources and new ICT tools, educators can develop new and different teaching strategies to meet the needs of their students [23].

2.3 Background and significance of Moodle in higher education

Due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), higher educational institutions were globally brought to a standstill as lockdown restrictions were instituted to limit the spread of the virus [28]. By the virtue of this pandemic wave, many institutions were compelled to transform from face-to-face to virtual teaching and learning digitally using different learning management systems (LMS). This change made digital media become a driving force for virtual learning. Digital technologies are now an integral view of the university students’ experience used to enhance students’ learning [29].

E-learning systems are increasingly enhancing an important part of the strategy for delivering online and flexible e-learning and the main advantage of e-learning is the opportunity for students to interact electronically with each other and their teachers [30]. Most universities officially adopted Moodle LMS. Moodle LMS is an open-source platform that is built on a collaborative pedagogical approach and offers a wide range of activities and resources, which support content management, e-assessment and online collaboration in various formats, which the user can implement and personalise according to their specific needs. Modern technologies compel higher education to set up to improve their teaching and learning approaches.

Challenges associated with the adoption and utilisation of Moodle by first-year students.

Though the use of Moodle LMS is advantageous, in South Africa, most first-year students are not covered by the method of technology-aided learning during their high school career, especially those from disadvantaged regions [31]. While more homegrown students are now getting into higher education than ever before, using technology-aided learning and teaching approaches introduces first-year students to a new and unfamiliar territory that could be excitingly experimental to some, but that can also act as an educational shock to others [32]. Furthermore, students who have never used digital instruments for learning had to switch overnight to virtual learning; this transfer placed them at a disadvantage. There is a need for higher education institutions to provide the necessary resources to facilitate the smooth assimilation of first-year students into their new environment.

3. Methodology

3.1 Study design

We hope to gain a deeper understanding of digital learning and teaching using the following research questions. Online learning activities are evaluated in terms of student engagement and performance. They assess digital tools’ availability and use among students. Answering these questions can lead to insights and recommendations for improving higher education institutions’ digital teaching and learning implementation and effectiveness. This is especially beneficial to students funded by the Science Foundation.

1. How are higher education institutions maximising digital teaching and learning strategies to benefit students?

2. What digital tools are available to students to use online learning platforms effectively?

3. Is there any information about how Science Foundation students use devices, data access and network connectivity?

4. When it comes to digital teaching and learning activities, especially quizzes and reports, how are students engaging with them?

5. How do the facilitation index and discrimination index compare across quizzes, and what lessons can be drawn from them?

3.2 Selection of participants

The study involved 239 Science Foundation students from the class of 2021. In this class, students were taught six different modules: Physics, Information Technology, English, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology. Participation in the study was voluntary, and students’ identities were kept confidential.

3.3 Methods of collecting data

A questionnaire was created that included questions regarding the availability of digital tools, the provision of university data and connectivity to a university network. To assess student Moodle usage, a summative test was developed. For this experiment, we developed an assignment quiz consisting of seven questions to engage students. The quiz questions consisted of multiple-choice, true/false, short answers and numerical. The quiz was opened on Thursday, 9 September 2021, at 5:20 PM, and closed Friday, 10 September 2021, at 5:20 PM.

3.4 Data analysis

A spreadsheet was used to analyse data regarding laptops, smartphones, Internet connectivity and university data provision. Analysing student engagement, activity views and post-test feedback provided insight into the use of the Moodle LMS for a summative physics test. An assessment of the effectiveness of the LMS in supporting student learning was accomplished through the use of statistical parameters, such as the facility index (FI) and the discrimination index (DI). The facility index (FI) was used to find the most straightforward question for students and is calculated using [14]:

$$FI=100\ast \frac{\overline{x_i}}{x_{i\left(\max score\right)}}$$E1

where $x_{i\left(\max \right)}$ is highest score in each question,$\overline{x_i}$ is the mean score.

The discrimination index is a measure of how the good students are doing versus the poor students on a question and is given by [33, 34]. In this study, the discrimination index was used to find the correlation between the score for individual questions and the score for the whole quiz and was calculated based on the following equation:

$$DI=\frac{\overline{G}–\overline{P}}{maxscore}$$E2

where $\overline{G}$is the mean score obtained by the good students, $\overline{P}$is the mean score obtained by the poor students and the max score is the maximum score of the quiz.

4. Results and discussion

4.1 Provision of digital tools

This section reports the findings regarding the availability of data, laptops and Internet connectivity. Figure 1 displays the availability of digital teaching and learning tools. As depicted on the graph, 95 students had laptops, and the rest had none. The findings of this study are congruent with the study conducted by Reisdorf et al. [16] who elucidated that the unavailability of laptops hinders class participation and flexibility in online tutorials.

Figure 1.

Availability of digital tools.

Subsequently, 186 students did not have a problem with connectivity, while only 53 students experienced connectivity challenges. It is evident that since most of the students were on campus, Internet connectivity was mainly university Wi-Fi that is all over the campus. It was disadvantageous for off-campus students since they do not have university Wi-Fi at their respective residences.

With respect to university Internet data, only 52 students receive data during the investigation period. This has been exacerbated by the students’ change of contact numbers without informing the institution. The number of those who did not receive Internet data is equal to those who experienced network connectivity, with the exception of one student who did not receive Internet data. In the same vein, of 95 students with laptops, 43 of them did not receive Internet data.

4.2 Assessing the use of Moodle by science foundation students

4.2.1 Moodle induction to students

To access Moodle LMS, students were advised to use one of the two available login options, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2.

Moodle login options.

The Microsoft login option was the most preferred since many students activated their Microsoft accounts. Microsoft login uses [e-mail] followed by a given access password. Once a student has logged in, his or her name will appear on the top right corner of the page. In addition, on the very same page, a module code and introduction are displayed, as shown in Figure 3 the introductory section, click here to access: Lecturer details and Course outline. Assessment information, study guide/Presentation.

Figure 3.

Course code and other details.

4.2.2 Teaching and learning activities on Moodle

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are essential part of country’s educational advancement. Furthermore, they are mandated to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving opportunities [19]. Therefore, implementing the mandatory usage of Moodle LMS to teach and assess students may benefit this rural-based institution. Microsoft PowerPoint presentations containing voice-recorded slides were uploaded on the Moodle LMS for students’ use on a daily basis, as shown in Figure 4. The time allocation for each prevideo lecture is less compared to live lectures [35] hence, offer benefits to students. The benefits include but are not limited to revisiting lectures, flexible to attend classes or adjusting the speed of lectures arbitrarily [36]. In addition, an announcement plugin was used to send an email to students informing them about the availability of scheduled lectures to engage students.

Figure 4.

Microsoft PowerPoint presentations containing voice-recorded slides.

4.2.3 Activity views and post report

Figure 5 shows all activities (views and posts) from the 9th to 16th of September 2021. As of the 9th of September 2021, the recorded number of student views and posts was 2085 and 139. On the 10th of September 2021, student views and posts were 9332 and 139. The number fluctuated from 11th until the 16th of September due to lecture viewing as well as quiz submissions.

Figure 5.

Activity views and posts by students.

4.2.4 Assessment performance report

The quiz was opened on Thursday, 9 September 2021, at 5:20 PM, and closed Friday, 10 September 2021, at 5:20 PM. In addition, the statistical quiz report on the Moodle LMS was recorded to view students’ progress, as shown in Table 1. Within the 24 hour period, we recorded 233 (95%) attempts by students.

Question number	Attempts	Facility index (%)	Standard deviation (%)	Discrimination index (%)
Q1	233	66.30	47.33	48.04
Q2	233	73.10	44.41	43.55
Q3	233	98.64	11.59	6.31
Q4	233	47.83	50.02	58.20
Q5	233	41.03	49.26	73.47
Q6	233	60.05	49.05	53.15
Q7	233	33.15	47.14	63.97

Table 1.

Statistical quiz report.

The statistical quiz report consisted of parameters such as facility index (FI) and discrimination index (DI). Question 3 was multiple-choice and the most straightforward question for students with a 98.64% facility index. On the other hand, Question 7, which involved calculation, was the most challenging for students with a 33.15% facility index. The reasons for this performance seem to be computer illiteracy, and incompetence in the use of Moodle symbols in responding to the question. Based on the DI, the correlation between the score for individual questions and the score for the whole quiz is 73.47%. The latter means that students who scored highly on Question 5 are the same students who scored highly on the whole quiz.

5. Conclusions and recommendations

Considering the information provided, we can make several conclusions, including that Moodle is a valuable educational tool for undergraduate science students, that they use Moodle, and that they contribute to Moodle. Using this information, online learning can be concluded to be an opportunity and a challenge in educational settings.

In the study, digital tools are found to be a crucial requirement for students. Among the comprehensive students, only 95 had access to laptops, while the remainder did not. It is likely that those without access to laptops will have a significantly negative learning experience because of this significant discrepancy in laptop availability. To facilitate online learning, laptops are essential for students to access course materials, participate in virtual classes and complete assignments. In addition to making participation in class difficult, students’ ability to participate in online tutorials may also be limited. The importance of providing equal access to digital tools for all students should, therefore, be addressed by educational institutions.

A reliable Internet connection is also crucial for effective online learning, according to the study. Almost all students, especially those on campus, had access to the Internet via the university’s Wi-Fi network. In contrast, students living off-campus faced difficulties accessing the university’s Wi-Fi since they did not have access to university Wi-Fi. Students off-campus may experience difficulties accessing online learning resources, participating in virtual courses and submitting assignments when they lack a reliable Internet connection. The university should offer mobile data plans or support local Internet service providers in order to ensure equal access to online education.

A study shows that Moodle users preferred the Microsoft login option for accessing the learning management system (LMS). Since many students already had Microsoft accounts activated, this preference is understandable. Students who used Microsoft login could access Moodle using their email address and password. Having a simpler login process increases usability and facilitates access to Moodle. Student user experience can be improved by integrating user-friendly login options into LMS platforms at educational institutions.

The article also highlights Moodle’s use in teaching and learning. To provide students with an alternative to live lectures, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations with recorded slides were uploaded daily to Moodle. There were several benefits to these pre-recorded lectures, including revisiting lectures later, adjusting attendance requirements and adjusting lecture pace. It is possible to improve the learning experience by incorporating multimedia elements such as voice recordings, which can cater to the learning styles of different students. Students were also actively involved in the learning process by using an announcement plugin in Moodle to notify them about upcoming lectures. By using this real-time communication tool, students stay informed of course-related updates and events.

Through activities and posts on Moodle, the study also explores student engagement and participation. 9–16th September 2021 saw a variety of activity levels. Based on fluctuations in viewing lectures and submissions of quizzes, it indicates that students are actively using Moodle for course materials and exams. Lecturers can identify areas that require additional support or intervention by monitoring and analysing activity views and contributions. For an active online learning community, teachers must encourage active participation and regular interaction on the Moodle platform.

Finally, the study involves a quiz on Moodle. A high participation rate was recorded: 95% of students attempted the quiz. The quiz performance statistics included parameters such as facility index (FI) and discrimination index (DI) for each question, providing valuable insights into how students performed. Multiple-choice questions (Question 3) were well answered by students, whereas calculation-based questions (Question 7) were problematic. These performance variations can be attributed to factors such as computer illiteracy and inability to use Moodle symbols. As a result, the findings emphasise the importance of digital literacy, as well as the need for educators to provide adequate support and resources to students so they can enhance their technical skills. These challenges can be addressed, and online tools can be used effectively to improve student performance and learning outcomes.

The rigorous and timeous training should be mandatory for all the students and staff to ensure the maximum utility in all the programmes. The E-learning practitioners should constantly monitor and evaluate the minimal online presence of the students. The distribution of the gadgets should be done early and yearly to the first entrants at the institutions of higher learning in South Africa.

Funding

This research received no funding from any agency in public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Competing interest statement

The authors declared no conflict of interest in this study.