A few months back, I started finding out more about online learning platforms, partly out of curiosity and partly because I thought I might need to know how to use Moodle in my own language teaching one day.
Since then I've been working my way through the platform's online tutorials. These are self-paced, so you can do them whenever you like and as fast or as slowly as you want. Every time you complete one, you get a badge for that particular subject (or what's now called a "micro-credential" to document your progress in life-long learning). My latest badge is for learning how to create and present course content using the Moodle platform.
The tutorials are a combination of texts you have to read through, short videos to watch and questions to be answered actively in a test of what you've just learnt. You only get a badge if you get enough points in the test. If your percentage is a bit too low, you can read up on the subjects you got wrong and then do the test again soon after.
I've found that using the sandbox feature (my own term for it) really helps you learn how to use Moodle: you get free access to an area of the platform where you can play around with files you create for your own use and try out the new features you've just learnt about in a tutorial.
Whenever you learn about a new subject and how to create material for your students, you can go through the steps in your own section and get some proper, hands-on practice. Learning how to use Moodle involves a lot more than just reading through its guides and how-to tutorials, but the more often you use it, the easier it gets. There's quite a learning curve, to be honest, and the tutorials will keep you busy for hours.
Still, why not try it out yourself? See what you think and find out if it meets your own needs. The trial period is free.
Are there any good alternatives you know of? Particularly for teaching and learning foreign languages? Here are seven suggestions I found today in an article by Aishwarya Lakshmi from April 2025: Top 7 Moodle Alternatives.
Carl
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