USP @ the Moodleposium 2009

CFDL staff, Dhiraj Bhartu, at the Moodleposium
2009 held at the University of Canberra, in
Australia.

Two staff members from CFDL, Theresa Koroivulaono and Dhiraj Bhartu, attended the Moodle Symposium held at the University of Canberra, in Australia on 7th and 8th of September, 2009.

The Moodle Symposium or ‘Moodleposium’ was the first of its kind to be organised where tertiary institutions and other stakeholders had the opportunity to share their experiences about the innovative uses of Moodle in learning and teaching. The Moodleposium theme, "New Horizons" encapsulated both the exchange of experiences in implementing and using Moodle, and the future potential of Moodle to enhance education.   

Keynote presentations were delivered by Professor Denise Kirkpatrick, Pro Vice-Chancellor Learning, Teaching and Quality at The Open University, Martin Dougiamas, founder and lead developer of Moodle and Julian Ridden, Moodle evangelist and integrator. The two-day workshops focussed on learning and teaching as well as the technical development of current and future versions of Moodle.

The session-presentations and discussions at the symposium centred on creating and sustaining communities, using Moodle to support University-wide communities, and the pedagogical considerations, staff training and technical issues that have attended the development of Moodle 2.0.

The Moodleposium experience was dynamic, enriching and invigorating. Some of the critical discussions, issues and lessons learnt by the two CFDL staff members have already been shared with the USP community at the Vice-Chancellor’s Learning & Teaching forum on 17th and 18th September. Most importantly, being able to interact with the Moodle international community of practice provides the impetus for the continued rigorous and informed development of Moodle@USP.