The Atikkam Academy proudly uses Moodle for our online virtual learning environment (VLE).

Every course we teach, whether classroom-based or entirely online, has its own ‘course home page’ on the VLE. This provides a learning base for each student, where you can access resources for every module and lesson of your course.

Learning resources

At the top of the course home page, you will find orientation materials and guidance for using the system, as well as the course syllabus and learning objectives. Lesson-specific resources may include multimedia files such as PDF chapters, podcasts, video footage, texts for set reading, and also learning activities like lesson forums and interactive applications.

Interaction

We believe that the value of a learning experience is defined not only by high-quality materials, but by the quality of the interaction between student and teacher. The course home page provides a portal for this interaction. You can contact your tutor from here via the messaging service to ask for study support or help with lessons or assignments.

The lesson forums are the primary channel for topic-based discussion and tutor-directed tasks or assignments. They are places where you debate topics as a group, and tutors can use them to assess your needs. Lesson forums offer a powerful way to check learning and explore challenging issues together.

Assessment

Authentic and consistent assessment is a vital component of any structured learning experience. It enables us to check that learning has taken place, to identify and correct any misunderstandings, and to measure the extent to which you are meeting your learning objectives. Most courses use a system of formative assessment – feedback is used to improve your learning as the course proceeds.

In addition to the lesson forums described above, assessment may include a computer-marked quiz with contextual feedback. Also, to encourage autonomous learning, a written assignment or essay is usually set at the end of each module. These are assessed by your tutor, and you will receive detailed feedback along with any learning support that you may need.