The new Tech Ticket is accessible by clicking on the link on our Clark Moodle or eLearning front pages, from the sidebar link here on Smart Penguin, or via Moodle Help which you will see when you first login on Moodle.  Tech Ticket still has our same Smart Penguin alerts and feeds, but it also includes a searchable knowledge base, a diagnostic systems test for required components, and a Smart Form to submit tickets and attach any necessary files.  The online course support is handled in partnership with AeLearn Solutions of Tampa Bay, Florida and will include escalation to Clark eLearning staff for issues higher than basic Tier 1 support.  Students can create tickets and receive Moodle support via email, 7 days/week, from 5 AM to 9 PM Pacific.  Since weekend coverage was being handled with volunteered staff hours when available, the increased coverage should help our online learners tremendously.  Faculty may click here to read more about their options.

We look forward to hearing any feedback you may have as we test out this new system… Click the image to check it out!

If your instructor requires you to use Internet Explorer for your class, you could use Internet Explorer 8 after clicking the “Compatibility View” button.  By placing the IE 8 browser in compatibility mode you will force the browser to behave as an IE 7 version while working in Moodle.  This is important so you can view all content, assignments, forum text boxes, etc.  Moodle users have been reporting multiple incompatibility issues with Internet Explorer 9, so we are advising that users switch to Firefox instead.

You should also be aware that two other popular browsers, Safari and Chrome, are not recommended for use with our current version of Moodle.  Users have reported multiple issues with forum editor tools, Wiris equation editor, display errors, and quizzes.  Once again, Firefox for Windows or Mac should be the browser of choice.  Click the Firefox logo above to download and install.

Note:  Safari and Chrome browsers are not recommended for use with Clark’s Moodle and will cause issues with WIRIS and other editing tools in your online forums.  Click to learn more about what browser to use…

If you’re prepping for an online math course and want to become a WIRIS wiz, here’s a link to the user manual.

Our returning visitors will notice that Smart Penguin has undergone a molt!

Take a look around and feel free to use our Ask eLearning page to let us know if there are any problems or more changes that you would like to see, as we continue to preen and tweak our new look…

Welcome, Smart Penguins, to Fall quarter at Clark College!

To avoid this possibility, when you are in the process of typing a long forum reply or essay and believe you may be close to three hours with no server activity, it’s a really good idea to highlight and copy your text before you request Moodle to save your work.  Either that or type any long responses in another program like Notepad or TextEdit first, and then copy and paste that text into the Moodle text editor.  To prepare for a big essay test, you could also take the extra step of first logging out and back into Moodle, so you’re sure that you have a fresh session to work with.

On the same date, all student Moodle passwords were changed to the last 6 digits of your Student ID number (everything after 940).  Once you login, you will immediately be prompted to change your password.

NOTE:  Changing your password on Clark’s Current Students page will NOT change your Moodle password!

To get acquainted with Moodle before your classes start, check out the Moodle Tutorials page.  There you will find videos, an online orientation, and a link to our schedule for on-campus orientations.  Also, be sure you’re aware of the other changes to student Moodle accounts in First Class Email.

As always, if you’re registered for the current quarter and have trouble logging in after the dates posted here or in our sidebar, file a Tech Ticket to get some help.

To make sure you’re ready for the first day of class, check out your student Gmail account and get it set up and ready to go…

Activate Your Free Student Gmail Account

Download Detailed Step-by-step Instructions

For help, contact student Gmail support:
Phone: 360-992-2010
Email: gmailhelp@students.clark.edu
Visit: Cannell Library computer lab technicians (upstairs)

Another change to Moodle over the summer was the adoption of the new student usernames to match your computer lab logins and Gmail accounts… For more information about that change read MoodleMorphosis. 

SmarterMeasure is meant to be an interesting experience by which you may learn more about yourself and how to succeed in an online or web-enhanced environment.  Take your time to answer the questions about yourself honestly.

The 6 categories of questions are:

1. Life Factors
2. Individual Attributes – procrastination, time management, willingness to ask for help, academic attributes
3. Learning Styles – what is your predominant learning style?
4. Technical Competency, Skills, and Knowledge
5. Reading Rate and Recall
6. Typing Speed and Accuracy

You will receive a full report immediately following the completion of all areas of SmarterMeasure.  You may email this report, print it, or download it to save for future reference if you like.  It also provides links to some web tools designed to improve your tech readiness in specific areas.

To login, click here: SmarterMeasure or go to:  www.clark.smartermeasure.com
Then use the following credentials to start your self-assessment…

username:  eClark
password:  Penguin

If you’ve had a course in Moodle before, then you should still have an account and be able to login.  If you’re a returning student from quarters previous to Summer 2010, click here to learn more.

Be sure you’re entering your username and password carefully (usernames are not case sensitive, but passwords are).  If you have forgotten your password and your student Gmail account has been activated, you can use the password reset utility on the Moodle login page.  Just be sure to enter either your username or your student email address.  The password reset utility will only send to your student email address (note: if you have disabled your email in Moodle, that will prevent you from receiving your password reset notifications).

Once you’ve logged in on Moodle, your new classes for the upcoming quarter will not appear until the the session starts.  If you don’t currently have any courses in Moodle, you will see this message, “No course information to show.”  The date below shows the latest date and time when you should expect your fully online courses to be available.

Spring quarter online classes in Moodle should be available by noon on:  April 9th

Some instructors will make their online courses available to students a few days early, but many follow the college schedule.  So the latest you should see your online course appear is noon on the first day of classes.  If not, file a Tech Ticket right away so we can get you going.  Telecourses, hybrid, web enhanced, and face-to-face courses may be turned on later, after you have met with your instructor.  It is also possible that your course may not be using Moodle, so check with your instructor.  Note: Telecourses will usually require face-to-face orientations on their first day, so be sure to check the schedule of classes for the time and place to meet.

While you’re waiting for the new quarter to start, take the opportunity to get acquainted with Moodle by clicking on the glowing green Moodle Help after you first login.  There are resources there to help you check and make sure that you and your computer system are ready for Moodle.  If you decide that you need some help to prepare, you will find the support contacts and orientation information you need there.  For fully online students, be sure to check out the online Moodle tutorials page here on Smart Penguin as well as the Test Taking Tips page.  Finally, since many instructors will send out email announcements to their classes using the college provided student Gmail addresses, you’ll want to make sure that your student Gmail account has been activated, is functioning correctly, and is ready to go.  Taking these vital first steps is the key to your success in a class using Moodle.

Note:  Mobile devices will not provide full feature functionality in Moodle and should NOT be solely relied upon when taking an online or hybrid course.

FYI, our current version of Moodle is 1.9… The apps shown in the videos below can be found here:

Moodle Touch (Moodle on mobiles)

mTouch for iPhone and iPod Touch part 1:

mTouch for iPhone and iPod Touch part 2:

mTouch+ for iPad:

mTouch-U for all platforms:

2011

Q: When will we finally be in just one Learning Management System, instead of having some courses in Blackboard and some in Moodle?

A: Our contract with Blackboard ends at the end of spring quarter.  So beginning this summer, all online coursework will be done in Moodle.

Q: How can I find out what courses will be held in which LMS during this migration?

A: At the beginning of each quarter, eLearning updates a special Moodle Migration webpage that includes a list showing what courses are to be held in Moodle.

Q: Why is my Blackboard and Moodle username staying the same as it was and doesn’t match my new Gmail and computer lab username?

A: Usernames in Blackboard cannot easily be changed and to force it would require us to purge all existing accounts and student records.  This is not feasible, so the decision was made to end the current usernames when we leave Blackboard.  Usernames in Moodle will then be changed to match the Gmail and lab accounts at the beginning of summer quarter.

Q: How can I learn about Moodle and what it’s like?

A: eLearning has been developing online Moodle tutorials and providing on-campus orientations that students may attend at the beginning of each quarter.  In addition, there will be an Intro to eLearning Workshop every Friday at 11:00 AM throughout winter quarter.  Contact the eLearning office for the exact locations or to make arrangements if you require special accommodations.  Online video Moodle tutorials are also on the way, so stay tuned to Smart Penguin and you’ll be the first to know.

Clark College has changed the student email accounts so they will all have improved usernames effective December 15th.  Google apps are included too, which can be quite useful and free as well.  If you already have a personal email account, it’s still a very good idea to activate your student email and simply set up Gmail forwarding so you don’t miss any important notices, requests, or reminders from your instructors in Moodle.

To get your Clark student email and Google apps account set up with your new username, first download these instructions:

Student Email How-To (pdf)

Then enter your Student ID number and Global PIN on the new “Current Student” site, which is a tab accessible on nearly every Clark College webpage (or use the link below).  Note, if you have already been using a student Gmail account with a username that includes part of your SID, you will need to enter your SID and global PIN on the Current Student site to discover your new username and email address, which will then allow you to login to your student Gmail account:

Current Students

If you have any trouble, check the Student Email webpage for more information and details about how to contact Gmail Support.

NOTE: You’ll discover that your Moodle accounts will automatically have your student email address built into new profiles by default.  This could present a problem if you haven’t activated it!  As many students have reported, missed emails can have a big effect on grades in a course and they have urged us to make that point more clear.

Be forewarned that we will never send you such a request and you should not click on any links in emails such as this, even if it specifies Blackboard or Moodle.  If you are in any doubt, file a Tech Ticket right away.  For those of you with student email accounts, you may also wish to read this information from Gmail Support:

Messages Asking for Personal Information

A favorite tool here in eLearning is Jing, which is free screenshot and screencasting software for PC and Mac. You can use Jing to take a quick picture of your screen, or part of it, or make a video of the issue you’re having to show us the steps you’re taking and what is happening with your computer. Creating a Jing account gives you 2GB of free storage space, making it easy to share your screenshots and screencasts by just pasting a link directly into Tech Ticket. Although our use is mainly for tech support (we might send you a link to show you how to fix a problem, for instance) you could also use this program for special class projects. Watch this video from the creators of Jing, to see if it might be useful to you.

For more details about downloading, installing, and using Jing, be sure to check out “Add Zing with Jing!“, posted by Clark’s techie librarian, Kitty Mackey.

If you decide to download and install Jing, it is available here:

Free Jing from TechSmith

If Jing isn’t for you, a basic screenshot is another way to capture an issue you’re having and that is easily done with the utility programs that come with most operating systems. Since they’re images, they may not paste into some forms such as our current Tech Ticket, but a way around that is to use your “flash drive in the cloud”, as mentioned in our post about Dropbox or use another free image storage service like Flickr. If you have never taken a screenshot, this simple video will show you how:

• Computer doesn’t meet minimum requirements

Check to be sure your computer meets the following specifications:

• Windows XP or higher with the latest updates installed or Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
• Latest version of Firefox browser
• Broadband connection with 500+ Kbps

• Plug-ins aren’t installed or are outdated

To view and update your installed Firefox plug-ins, follow these steps:

1. Open the Tools menu
2. Click Add-ons
3. Click the Plugins tab
4. To check for updates, scroll down to the bottom of the window and click Find Updates.

Here are some links to sites where you can download player/plug-ins:

• QuickTime
• Windows Media Player
• Linux MPlayer
• Flip4Mac
• VLC Media Player
• Adobe Flash

If videos still won’t play, you may need to enable JavaScript.  Below are instructions for enabling JavaScript in your Firefox browser:

Windows version of Firefox

1. From the Tools menu, select Options
2. Select the Content tab
3. Check the Enable JavaScript box
4. Check the Load images automatically box
5. Click OK

Mac version of Firefox

1. Click Firefox to drop down the menu, select Preferences
2. Select the Content tab
3. Check the Enable JavaScript box
4. Check the Load images automatically box
5. Close the Preferences window

Note: These instructions may vary based on your specific computer model and operating system.  If you still need help getting instructor provided videos to play, file a Tech Ticket and we’ll get you going.