Dr. SOEURN Visal
From Semester 1 2019-2020, UP introduced its very own the Moodle Learning Management System to students in Foundation Year as well as some courses in later years. Branded as “UPOP” the University of Puthisastra’ s Online Platform, the system has proved very popular with both lecturers and students, making learning all the more enjoyable by providing a range of learning options, and providing opportunities to re-visit previous lessons to re-inforce the learning. Its also the modern way of learning with blended and flipped learning being rapidly adopted by the top universities worldwide.
Some of the benefits of UPOP are:
- Active learning: Our students work and learn together in forums and wikis, and this encourages self-reflection and peer assessment using dedicated UPOP tools. Both learners and teachers get rapid feedback through polls and surveys. Much more effective and fun for students and lecturers alike.
- Online Exam: UPOP has inbuilt assessment tools, such as Quizzes (with setup options such as multiple choice, true/false) ready to be populated for in-semester testing.
- Online grading: For in-semester assessment tasks, lecturers can implement grading scales and rubrics, assign different markers to assignments, and control when marks are released. Much easier for students and lecturers.
- Online and offline: UP students can submit assignments, post in forums, and more – on and offline – using either the UPOP Desktop or UPOP Mobile app on devices (phones, tablets and laptops).
- Analytics and tracking: Allows UP to manage teaching much more effectively and identify students who may need additional help.
UPOP’s analytics monitor our students’ learning activities using enhanced completion tracking and personalised learning plans, built from competency frameworks and learning objectives. These help our teachers to predict and support students’ learning outcomes. With the current challenge of closed campuses as a consequence of COVID-19, UP is really grateful for the commitment of lecturers to use UPOP to make sure classes can continue to run in Foundation Year.
For Year 2 and above, our six dedicated Learning facilitators are rapidly training our dedicated teachers to use Google Meet as a starting point to deliver learning materials to students ready for Semester 2. Faculty teams, together with colleagues from Information Technology Services and the Quality, Learning and Teaching, and Students Department are working together to ensure that our students’ learning is interrupted as little as possible by the necessary restrictions of movement to control the spread of COVID-19.
As we begin Semester 2, teachers in Year 2 and above will also transition to UPOP, to provide continuity and modern and best learning and teaching practice through flexibility and student-centred modes of teaching.
