2010 marks the first year in which Lifeway College has adopted the E learning service known as Moodle. The result? Creating the most effective 3D visualization & animation education qualification possible.

Moodle stands for 'Modular, object orientated, Dynamic Learning Enviroment'. It is a free open source software and the worlds most popular online learning system, used by universities, businesses, schools and independent teachers worldwide.

"Essentially, what makes this electronic learning software so great, is that it has the potential to release the pressure from our teaching staff by giving students free access to realtime, supportive online learning utilities that can be easily managed and updated by us at any time, from anywhere" Craig Hansen, Principal of Lifeway College

Utilising Moodle, Lifeway College has the ability to do things such as post links to helpful tutorials, use calendars to set assignment dates with email reminders, reminding students of approaching assignments and other important events pertaining to their courses.

Another useful aspect of moodle is the use of Forums, where students can sign in and discuss various topics led by course supervisors. The teachers and students can interact, post relevant answers, add new ideas and share helpful websites to support learning.

Course supervisors at Lifeway have even utilised the Forums to run assessments; students must answer specific questions relating to their studies and then proceed to offer feedback on the answers of fellow students.

Moodle has also proven to be incredibly useful for when it comes to briefing new teachers at Lifeway. Using the online service, they are able to quickly browse through the site content and see every subject that the students have covered throughout the year, as well as the learning materials they currently have access to. This supports a successful teacher Induction.

"Moodle has been really great to use. It's so easy to update and keep the information relevant for students. When it comes to teaching a subject like 3D Animation in particular, it's ideal, because the industry is always evolving with new trends and job opportunities popping up all over the place. Moodle not only helps students to keep up to date with their studies, but it also helps us to assist them in finding employment opportunities when they graduate from their studies" Ken Nifo, Lifeway College 3D Animation lecturer

In the past there has always been a great deal of pressure placed on teachers to ensure that all of their students are up to scratch with their learning. With online learning at the educators disposal to support their classroom teaching, it places more of the responsibility for learning on the student, and thus the teacher can progress with the years curriculum knowing that if any student fails to grasp a subject, they can always jump on moodle and find the information they require at any time.

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