Moodle is like a blank canvas from which teachers can create their desired environment for their course. Course areas in Moodle can be very different from one another. From the learner’s perspective, however, this can mean constantly jumping between different structures, navigation methods and types of content. When energy is spent figuring out the environment, there is less left for actual learning.
The available pre-made course templates create a sense of consistency. In addition to these, the Digivisio 2030 project has identified elements that recur in every course and created guidelines for shaping these elements. Even though learning paths and training objectives vary, course instructions, materials, assignments, schedules and learning outcomes are familiar features found on nearly every course. Identifying these recurring elements and standardising their usability can significantly facilitate learning. When a learner knows where to find a certain thing and understands the logic by which the course proceeds, learning becomes smoother regardless of the platform or course. The aim of the recommendation created in the Digivisio project is to improve the learner’s user experience and at the same time provide higher education institutions with better opportunities to produce high-quality, clearly structured content on their own learning platforms. Teachers can use the recommendations as a checklist when designing their course areas.
Utilising the guidelines
When developing the guidelines, the aim was to take into account as comprehensively as possible those content elements that appear in most online courses. This is not a strict template or mandatory structure, but a flexible whole that can be adapted to suit the needs of individual courses and organisations. This also means that the recommendations do not direct how the teaching itself should be implemented, nor the pedagogy or the way assignments should be constructed. The focus is on clarity and usability—not on pedagogical content design. In addition, the recommendations are written to be platform-independent so that they work regardless of the higher education institution or the learning platform in use. Visual guidelines are also not strictly defined. Thus, each higher education institution can adapt the appearance of the elements to fit their own visual identity and the platform in use—without compromising usability.
Structure and purpose of the elements
The project identified ten key elements that guide learning:
- Course Introduction: Provides an overview of the course, including its topic, objectives, and structure.
- Instructor Introduction: Enhances presence, builds trust, and facilitates communication.
- Communication and Announcements: Centralized communication for course-related announcements and discussions.
- Schedule and Completion Instructions: Provides the learner with information on the course timeline and instructions for course completion
- Technical Instructions and Support: Provides students with technical guidance and support contacts
- General Study Guidelines: Provides a centralized resource for university[1]wide study policies and regulations
- Progress Tracking: Progress Tracking is an important tool for the learner. It helps students and instructors monitor course progress.
- Workload Estimation: In order to estimate the workload required by the course and to manage one’s time, it is useful for the learner to know, how much time and resources should be reserved for reading the course materials and completing the course assignments
- Course Conclusion: A well-structured and clear ending assures the learner that all required assignments have been completed and instructs the learner on how and when he/she will receive credits for the course completion.
- Material Licencing: Makes it possible to license, ie. to describe clearly and understandably how others may reuse, modify and/or redistribute the course material.
Read more
Download and read the guidelines: A uniform learner experience on learning platforms
Work carried out by Jere Majava from the University of Helsinki and Matti Strengell from South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences : Article: A uniform user experience on learning platforms benefits both learners and higher education institutions
Digivisio’s digital pedagogy quality criteria