I'm curious to hear what strategies and tactics folks are using to help their students use Moodle.Ê

Here are a couple of odds and ends I've found helpful (teaching in a college setting, using Moodle to support face-to-face classes):
Make creating a user account and enrolling in the course (I use enrollment keys for security) the homework assignment for day 1 one of the class.Ê The idea is to establish from the very beginning that using Moodle for discussions, readings, and homework is going to be integral to the course.
Require students to upload a picture to go along with their profile.Ê I find this a great way to help me learn student names in the class, and also because it seems to make online discussions more personal and social.Ê If students don't have a digital picture of thesmelves, I offer to scan a regular photograph of their choice or I just take a quick picture of them with my cell phone (has a camera built in) and send it to them.Ê (As an interesting alternative to this, one group of students that I'm hosting on Moodle,Êwho areÊusing it as a sort of groupware app for their teamwork and all have instructor access to their "class",Êused pictures of their favorite movie stars in their profiles as a kind of icebreaking exercise to get to know other group members.)
During the first week or so of the class, give a homework assignment of submitting a paper (assignment) online.Ê The "paper" just needs to be a single sentance--"this is a test paper"--but that way I get to troubleshoot any students having problems with the interface before a significant assignment comes due.Ê
"Participation" is a grade in most of my courses, and I've told students that online discussion forums count toward that, just as much as speaking up in class does.Ê


John