“Oh man! When is that psychology paper due again? I hope it’s not tomorrow!”

“I forgot all about that big assignment due in English! I don’t even remember what to do. I am totally going to fail!”

“Oh, no, Mom, I don’t have any tests to study for.”

These are just a few of the issues that Charleston Catholic High School is attempting to address with its recent addition of Moodle to the school’s web site. Moodle is a Web 2.0 application that allows teachers to put long term assignments, quiz and test dates, announcements and more online. This program, and others like it, is used by colleges – including Marshall University – and other schools to provide online programs for distance-learners.

Instead of providing entire courses online, Charleston Catholic teachers are putting important dates and deadlines, and some class resources online for parents and students to access. Students can then log on, search for their classes, access their class information, click on links to useful materials, and even print out classroom resources like worksheets and reading materials.

In looking for ways to improve communication with Charleston Catholic parents and students, Moodle seemed like a natural fit.  While some schools put student grade information online, Charleston Catholic has chosen a more contextual communication method by using Moodle. 

Principal Debra Sullivan remarked that “the mission of our school in developing self-reliant, responsible, focused, interactive, young people is supported by our choice of technology.”  One teacher commented, “Putting important dates and deadlines online puts the onus on the student and the parent to stay current with assignments.  The focus is on the work that the student is responsible for, not this abstract number.  If you’re only looking at that number – the final result – you’re too late to do anything about it.” 

On the tech side, David Hoffmann, the school’s technical coordinator, says that the system is ideal.  “I was looking for a course management system to manage my own course, mostly to give multiple choice quizzes and tests. The more I used Moodle, the more uses I found for it. We currently run a Moodle server on an extranet site to communicate test/quiz and project dates for each course to our parents. In addition, we have set up classroom competitions and forums to get feedback from students and staff on issues at hand.” 

The biggest difficulty in transitioning to this new form of communication was perhaps introducing new routines to the teachers.  “It’s probably not a big deal for young teachers who have grown up using computers, but for those of us who haven’t, it just sort of feels overwhelming,” remarked one teacher, “but if it helps students to stay on top of their assignments, it’s worth it.” 

Hoffmann commented, “There is a lot of upfront work but, after the first year, a teacher has a framework on which to improve the course.”  Commenting on future plans for Charleston Catholic, he went on to say, “I would like to do more training with our teachers who are interested in moving curriculum and assessment to our intranet Moodle server. As a computer science teacher, it has been a natural and appropriate transition for my curriculum. For other disciplines, it may take a little more creativity but, ultimately, it is an extraordinary organizational and content delivery tool.” 

At current, most teachers are using the system to post long-term assignments and test dates, but a few tech-savvy teachers have included Powerpoint presentations, printable resources, and other interactive materials to help students stay on top of things.  “As teachers see what other teachers are doing with their classes, they will be inspired to use Moodle in new ways that benefit their specific subjects,” said Alissa D’Brot, English teacher. 

So far, the response from parents and teachers has been great.  “Parents are overwhelmingly positive.  They appreciate having first-hand knowledge about dates for tests, quizzes, and long-term assignments,” says Sullivan.  Teachers are, for the most part, positive, as well.  Theology instructor Diana Mehle says, “There is a lot of potential with this technology.  As I learn more about it, I think it will be a useful tool for students, teachers, and parents.” 

Librarian, Dara Krack, agrees, citing the ecological impact of using more electronic delivery of information and less paper copies, “instead of printing out information from websites that I want my students to read, I will be posting them on Moodle to save paper.”  “Work can be overwhelming for students at times,” says junior English teacher Shannon Vollmer.  “Hopefully, this will allow them to plan ahead and be better organized and prepared.”

Most students seem to like Moodle.   “I like that I can log on and double-check assignments and due dates from home,” said one student.  “Yeah, but so can my Mom,” chimed another student, “so I know she’s not going to let me do anything until I do my homework first!”  Moodle is all about opening up new lines of communication between students, their parents, and the school. 

Principal Sullivan states it best:  “Effective communication is key to the success of any venture.  Anything we as a school faculty and staff can do to help our students and parents more fully understand school and classroom expectations is a bonus that will pay off in terms of our students’ achievement.”

by Rebecca Church, teacher, Charleston Catholic High School