Instructional Support Tools

Ally

Ally is a built-in accessibility checker for Moodle. It lives inside Moodle and checks files uploaded to Moodle for accessibility. This happens seamlessly in the background.

Ally Quick Start for Instructors

H5P enables instructors to create various types of interactive content in Moodle.

• H5P – Accordion Content Type
• H5P – Chart Content Type
• H5P – Flashcards Content Type
• H5P – Course Presentation Content Type

H5P Tips

• You must be in the course you want to use the activity in when you create it.
• Once added to Moodle, the default setting is for H5P activities is to be graded, to turn this off, Edit the activity, expand the Grade setting, and change Type to None.
• To copy an H5P activity from one course to another, use the Moodle import feature, uncheck all boxes at the Import Settings page except for include activities and resources and include content bank content. At the next page, uncheck all boxes except for the H5P activity that you want to import.

NetTutor

NetTutor is the College’s online tutoring platform. It can be accessed by students and employees through Moodle. Tutoring is available in a variety of course specific subjects.

All courses have access to the Paper Review where students can submit a paper for assistance with topic development, thesis statement, organization, grammar and mechanics, word choice, sentence structure, formatting, and citations and reference. For more information, visit the NetTutor Online Tutoring page.

• NetTutor Instructor Guide
• How to Refer a Student in Net Tutor (video)
• Sample Paper Review

openNCCC is a library of open educational resources available for NCCCS faculty and staff.

• openNCCC website – https://opennccc.nccommunitycolleges.edu/
• openNCCC Quick Start Guide

Personalized Learning Designer (PLD) is a feature in Moodle which allows instructors to perform automatic actions to students when specified conditions are met. Some examples include:

• Send a welcome message to your students providing important course information to help them get started when they first enter your course.
• Send personalized reminders for assessment deadlines to students who have not yet submitted
• Send personalized feedback to students dependent on their final grade on an activity
• PLD Introduction
• PLD Sample Rules
• PLD Resource Article

LockDown Browser is a locked browser for use with quizzes in Moodle. It prevents students from printing, copying, going to another URL, or accessing other applications during an assessment. If a Moodle quiz requires that LockDown Browser be used, students will not be able to take the quiz with a standard web browser. LockDown Browser should only be used for taking Moodle quizzes. It should not be used in other areas of Moodle.

• Instructions for adding Respondus LockDown Block in Moodle courses 
• Respondus LockDown Browser for Instructors 
• Respondus LockDown Browser for Students 
• More information about Respondus Lockdown Browser

Note: Respondus LockDown Browser will end support for Windows 7 on June 28, 2023. Users must have Windows 10 or greater to use this product.

SafeAssign

SafeAssign works with the Moodle Assignment activity to check the originality of student work. Visit the links below for more information on using this tool.

• SafeAssign for Open LMS (video)
• SafeAssign Documentation

Screencast-o-matic

Screencast-o-matic allows users to create videos that record their screen or themselves delivering a lecture. In addition, the robust video editor allows you to edit your videos to zoom in on specific topics, add text and images, add automated captioning, and more! Plus, you can host your videos at Screencast-o-matic, YouTube, or Google Drive, then easily link them in Moodle.

You can download the App through Apple AppStore or on GooglePlay.

Step 1:

Request and accept your invitation to join the Wilson Community College Screencast-o-matic account.

Step 2:

Go to https://screencast-o-matic.com/wilsoncc and login with the credentials provided by the Screencast-o-matic administrator at your institution.

Step 3:

Create a video using the screen recorder tool.

Step 4:

Edit your video and add captions use the video editing tool.

Step 5:

Save your video to Screencast-o-matic.com

Step 6:

Copy the link to the video provided by Screencast-o-matic.

To add a Screencast-o-matic video to your Moodle course, use the “Create Learning Activity” button and choose the “URL” resource.

Employees may contact Jennifer Harrell at jharrell@wilsoncc.edu to request an account.

• Screencast-o-matic Login – https://screencast-o-matic.com/wilsoncc
• Screencast-o-matic Tutorials – https://screencast-o-matic.com/tutorials

NEW features –

• Call-to-Action and Annotation buttons – https://screencast-o-matic.com/tutorial/cta-and-annotation-buttons/  

SmartDraw

SmartDraw is a powerful drawing tool that can be used for flowcharting, network diagrams, organizational charts, schematics, family trees, math diagrams, and much more. See https://www.smartdraw.com/diagrams/ for more available diagram types.

SmartDraw Login: https://www.smartdraw.com/

Employees may contact Technology Support Services at support@wilsoncc.edu to request a SmartDraw account.

Several options are available for web conferencing and live class meetings.

Note that this information is not all-inclusive and is subject to change. Please make the best decision to support your instructional needs.

Collaborate

• Available for faculty/adjuncts in Moodle to hold virtual sessions with students.
• Instructions for creating a Collaborate session in Moodle
• Moderating a Collaborate session
• Collaborate engagement features
• Collaborate instructions for students 
• Collaborate issues with iOS6 and older Chromebook devices

Google Meet

• Available for employees through the College’s GSuite subscription.
• Follow the Google Meet Scheduling Instructions to create and schedule a meeting through Outlook.
• Live captions available.
• Google Meet tips
• Meet Support – https://support.google.com/meet/?hl=en#topic=7306097

Microsoft Teams

• Available for employees and students through the College’s Office 365 subscription.
• Users must download and install Teams to create sessions and utilize all features. Teams can be downloaded at the Office 365 web portal at https://login.microsoftonline.com/login.srf
• Live captions available.
• Teams Support – https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams
• Teams Quick Start Guide 
• How to use live captioning in a Teams meeting
• How to set up a group chat in Teams
• Teams Training Videos
• Instructor led Teams training videos
• Teams webinar video series

Zoom

• Moderator initiated live and recorded captioning
• Integration with Outlook for easy scheduling
• This platform is recommended for WCC employees that hold events with participants that are outside of the college.
• Zoom Help Center – https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
• Please contact Technology Support Services to request a Zoom account.