Syllabus Preview Project

SYLLABUS PREVIEW PROJECTAUG 6, 2013

ABOUT ME• SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/rexlorenzo• CCLE lead developer (Common Collaboration & Learning

Environment) at UCLA• Working with Moodle since 2011• Particularly helper Moodler

OUTLINE1. Background2. Walkthrough3. Lessons learned

1. BACKGROUND• History• Instructor concerns• Students concerns• Our “solution”

HISTORY1. IEI fee – renewed in 2007, seed funding for CCLE

• Students expecting more from class websites2. Increasing time until graduation

• Difficulty in getting classes3. Anderson School joining CCLE

• Needed way to tag syllabi for student course shopping

INSTRUCTOR CONCERNS1. Intellectual thievery

• My syllabus is my intellectual property• I have had other schools “take” my course without

permission2. Course “shopping”

• “Shopping” for courses? Are they for sale?• Students who pre-read syllabi are trying to find the “easier”

class to take.3. Extra chore

• It is really annoying to get those messages asking, asking, asking for a syllabus in advance

STUDENT CONCERNS• Unable to make informed decisions

• Look at past syllabus• Word of mouth• Bruinwalk

• Want to find courses that “fit”• Don’t just want “easy” courses• Want balance

OUR “SOLUTION”• Allow instructors to control access to syllabi• Identify courses with syllabi• Flag “preview” syllabi

2. WALKTHROUGH• How instructors can upload a syllabus• How students access syllabi• Future plans

REMINDER

SYLLABUS MANAGER

ADDING A RESTRICTED SYLLABUS

ADDING AN “UNRESTRICTED” SYLLABUS

MANAGING SYLLABI

VIEWING A SYLLABUS

SYLLABI BROWSING

Public

UCLA

Enrolled only

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PLANS• Integrate with UCLA Registrar course listings• Integrate with MyUCLA class planner

UCLA REGISTRAR COURSE LISTINGS

MYUCLA CLASS PLANNER

3. LESSONS LEARNED• No one reads email!• Defaults matter• “Marketing”

NO ONE READS EMAIL!Adding syllabus reminder

Courses w/ syllabi

General public

Logged in

Restricted

0 1020304050607080

Spring 2013Winter 2013

~2X increase!

A problem

DEFAULTS MATTER

General public

Logged in

Restricted

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Summer 2013Spring 2013

DEFAULTS MATTER

“MARKETING”• Choose words carefully

• “Course shopping”• Sell, Advertise, Promote• Expectations, Appropriate, “Time to degree”

• Who’s job is it get faculty post early syllabi?

CONCLUSION/QUESTIONS?Github

• https://github.com/ucla/moodle-local_syllabusSlides

• http://www.slideshare.net/rexlorenzo• http://goo.gl/R01p2r

My info: Rex Lorenzo <rex@oid.ucla.edu>