E-Learning capabilities of ipmonline.org

Background

The council of IPM has given the green light for the IT committee of IPM to go ahead with a plan to introduce and implement e-learning capabilities for IPM.  It was a timely decision which is a must for IPM as a learning institution to embrace the new immerging technological tends in the global arena in learning.

As a method of introducing e-learning platform to IPM, a software package called “Moodle” was employed. Moodle is an Open Source Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Moodle has become very popular among educators around the world as a tool for creating online dynamic web sites for their students. To work, it needs to be installed on a web server somewhere, either on one of your own computers or one at a web hosting company.

Word Moodle was originally an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment , which is mostly useful to programmers and education theorists.

Why Moodle

The focus of the Moodle project is always on giving educators the best tools to manage and promote learning, but there are many ways to use Moodle:

•           Moodle has features that allow it to scale to very large deployments and hundreds of thousands of students, yet it can also be used for a primary school or an education hobbyist.
•           Many institutions use it as their platform to conduct fully online courses, while some use it simply to augment face-to-face courses (known as blended learning).
•          Many of our users love to use the activity modules (such as forums, databases and wikis) to build richly collaborative communities of learning around their subject matter (in the social constructionist tradition), while others prefer to use Moodle as a way to deliver content to students (such as standard SCORM packages) and assess learning using assignments or quizzes.

Moodle is free to download and registration is voluntary, however, using what Moodle have, Moodle automatically generate some interesting graphs and numbers on our Statistics page.

Moodle Statistics

Registered sites	72,099
Countries	223
Courses	6,886,542
Users	63,951,767
Teachers	1,290,018
Enrolments	49,341,167
Forum posts	115,018,298
Resources	61,733,534
Quiz questions	134,765,677

 

Country	Registrations
United States	12,254
Spain	6,290
Brazil	5,194
United Kingdom	3,995
Germany	3,017
Mexico	2,959
Portugal	2,184
Colombia	2,006
Australia	1,750
Italy	1,720

Following video describes the features of Moodle :

    

What is ipmonline.org        

 
Ipmonline.org is the official website set up for the e-learning initiative and operational yet under construction. We are yet to launch the website, which will take place during the year 2013.

 

 

The capabilities of ipmonline.org

Let us have a look at the capabilities of ipmonline.org one by one.

Assignment – The assignment module allows teachers to collect work from students, review it and provide feedback including grades. Students can submit any digital content (files), including, for example, word-processed documents, spreadsheets, images, audio and video clips. Assignments don't necessarily have to consist of file uploads. Alternatively, teachers can ask students to type directly into Moodle using an online text assignment. There is also an offline activity assignment which can be used to remind students of 'real-world' assignments they need to complete and to record grades in Moodle for activities that don't have an online component.

Attendance – The Attendance module is designed for teachers to be able take attendance during class, and for students to be able to view their own attendance record. A teacher can mark the attendance status of a student as "Present", "Absent", "Late", or "Excused". These status descriptions are configurable, and more can be added. The teacher adds Attendance as an activity of a course, and then sets up the sessions whose attendance is to be tracked. The Attendance module can generate reports for either the entire class or for individual students. Students may also see their own attendance record if the activity is not hidden.

BigBlueButton – This is an open source web conferencing system for distance education. This makes it very easy for a teacher to define and join a virtual classroom from within Moodle.

Book - The Book module makes it easy to create multi-page resources with a book-like format. Previously created websites can be imported directly into the Book module. Books can be printed entirely or by chapter. The book module allows you to have main chapters and sub chapters, but it goes no deeper as the module is intended to be a simple resource for teachers and students. The book module is not interactive. You can, however, link to choices, forums etc., from within a book. Also, Flash movies and other multimedia may be included in a book

Chat - The chat activity module allows participants to have a real-time synchronous discussion in a Moodle course. This is a useful way to get a different understanding of each other and the topic being discussed – the mode of using a chat room is quite different from the asynchronous forums. The Chat module contains a number of features for managing and reviewing chat discussions.

Checklist - The Checklist Module is a Moodle plugin that allows a teacher to create a checklist for their students to work through. The students should tick off each item on the list, as they complete it and the resulting progress of the class can be monitored by the teacher. The student is also rewarded with a progress bar that shows how far through the checklist they have managed to get.

Database - The database activity module allows the teacher and/or students to build, display and search a bank of record entries about any conceivable topic. The format and structure of these entries can be almost unlimited, including images, files, URLs, numbers and text amongst other things.

Folder - A folder allows a teacher to display several course resources together. The resources may be of different types and they may be uploaded in one go, as a zipped folder which is then unzipped, or they may be added one at a time to an empty folder on the course page. Using a folder to display resources is neater than displaying files one by one in a list. It takes up less space on the course page.

Forum - The forum module is an activity where students and teachers can exchange ideas by posting comments. There are four basic forum types. Forum posts can be graded by the teacher or other students. A forum can contribute significantly to successful communication and community building in an online environment. You can use forums for many innovative purposes in educational settings, but teaching forums and student forums are arguably the two more significant distinctions.

Glossary - The glossary activity module allows participants to create and maintain a list of definitions, like a dictionary. Glossary can be used in many ways. The entries can be searched or browsed in different formats. A glossary can be a collaborative activity or be restricted to entries made by the teacher. Entries can be put in categories. The auto-linking feature will highlight any word in the course which is located in the glossary.

IMS content package - IMS is a body which helps defines technical standards for various things, including e-learning material. The IMS Content Packaging specification makes it possible to store chunks of material in a standard format which can be re-used in different systems, without having to convert the material into new formats.  The IMS content package in Moodle enables such content packages to be uploaded and included in Moodle courses. There are various options for displaying content in a pop-up window, with a navigation menu or buttons etc.

Lesson - The lesson module presents a series of HTML pages to the student who is usually asked to make some sort of choice underneath the content area. The choice will send them to a specific page in the Lesson. In a Lesson page's simplest form, the student can select a continue button at the bottom of the page, which will send them to the next page in the Lesson.

Lightbox Gallery - This allows you to create image galleries within your Moodle course. The Lightbox system is a set of scripts than can be used to apply various effects to image galleries.

 External Tool - A teacher can add an external tool from their course page and an administrator can make an external tool available to all teachers on the site.

 Page - A page resource creates a link to a screen that displays the content created by the teacher. The robust Text editor allows the page to display many different kinds of content such as plain text, images, audio, video, embedded code or a combination of all these. In certain cases it might be preferable to use the page resource instead of uploading a word-processed document, particularly if the document contains text that is just to be read and not downloaded.

Quiz - The Quiz activity module allows the teacher to design and build quizzes consisting of a large variety of Question types, including multiple choice, true-false, and short answer questions. These questions are kept in the Question bank and can be re-used in different quizzes.

File - When you wish to share with your students a simple file such as a Word-processed document or slideshow (eg created in MS Word, Powerpoint, or Open Office) you use the File resource type. It allows you to upload and display a variety of resources on your course. How your students access them depends on your choices in File module settings. Note also that they will only be able to open your files if they have the appropriate software on their own computers.

SCORM package - The SCORM module enables you (the teacher) to upload any SCORM or AICC package to include in your course. SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is a collection of specifications that enable interoperability, accessibility and reusability of web-based learning content. SCORM content can be delivered to learners via any SCORM-compliant Learning Management System (LMS) using the same version of SCORM.

URL - A URL (Uniform or Universal Resource Locator) is a link on the internet to a website or online file. Teachers can use the URL module to provide their students with web links for research, saving the student time and effort in manually typing out the address. The URLS can be displayed in various ways -see URL module settings for example, opening in a new window so a student can access and use the URL, close it and return easily to their original Moodle course page.

Workshop -  Workshop is a peer assessment activity with many options. Students submit their work via an on line text tool and attachments. There are two grades for a student: their own work and their peer assessments of other students' work. Workshop is similar to the Assignment module and extends its functionality in many ways. 

Should you have any clarifications or further information please make a comment to this blog including your email address.

Based on an article by Dr. Wickrema Weerasooriya, under the heading “Highlights of Labour Tribunals and efficacy of changing contractual terms during employment in the Labour Tribunal Journal 2012 published by Labour Tribunal Presidents’ association.

The importance of Labour Tribunals

Labour Tribunals, hereafter indicated as LT,  have been in existence since May 1959. There have been several judgments of the LT that have reached the appellate courts and those final decisions constitute “binding precedents”. Without the LT Presidents who heard the evidence and delivered the original judgment, the appellate Courts would not been able to develop this branch of the law.

 Importance of Labour Tribunals:

      I.    Employees go to these widely known courts for relief when their services have been unlawfully terminated.

      II.     LTs have given a forum for afflicted employees who were previously able to get relief only from the normal civil courts or by referral for Arbitration through the Minister or Commissioner of Labour. LTs have the single power of granting reinstatement to workers which is not exercised by any other court.

    III.     They have jurisdiction with regard to termination of employment of workmen in the private sector and also in relation to semi-governmental institutions as well, ie. State sponsored Banks, Corporations, Boards etc. Workers of Public Corporations can go to a LT is a privilege and a double advantage because such workers can also obtain relief by Fundamental rights applications. Private sector workers do not have this luxury.

    IV.     There is no procedure laid down for inquires before a LT which is not the case in normal Civil Litigation which is governed by the Civil Procedure Code.

      V.    According to the Industrial Disputes Act, section 36 (4), provisions of the Evidence Ordinance shall not apply to proceedings before a LT.  However it is better to follow the guidelines set out in the Evidence Ordinance in LT proceedings according to several judicial pronouncements. As a result of non-application of the provisions of the Evidence Ordinance, confession is admissible in proceeding before a LT.

    VI.     Since there is no Civil Procedure Code available in proceedings before LTs, issues with regard to amendment of caption, pleadings, amendment of pleadings, substitution of parties, dissolution of companies, legal standing of unincorporated bodies, ex parte inquiries are there. However some of these issues are provided with solutions from the judicial pronouncements been made by the Appellate Courts.

  VII.      Employers are discourages from appealing against LT orders since they have to deposit the amount awarded by the LT before lodging the appeal. This is not found in other civil appeals.

 

On what grounds can Contracts of Service be changed?

Simply said, can an employer change the terms and conditions of the original contract of service? If so what must the employer do? Can he do so partially? Is the employee bound by such changes and if so under what conditions?

To find answers to above, let’s look at the importance played by the common law principles in developing labour law. The labour law originated from the law of master and servant, from the law applicable to domestic or household servants. Then came to “Independent Contractors” and lawyers and judges talked of the difference between “contracts of service and “contracts for services”.

Since the original article did not verify the difference between the contracts of service and Contracts for Services, I tried to find the major difference between them. According to literature available, the fundamental difference between contract of service and contracts for services is that:

• An employee-employer contract is a contract of service
• A contractor-client contract is a contract for services

Discontent, lawyers and judges employed the well-known “the control test”, the “integration test”, the “economic reality test” and even the “multiple” or dominant impression” test. With the continuous development of workplace practices, the legal debate will also continue.

 The current trend of employment is outsourcing. While outsourcing of “janitorial”, “canteen” and “security” are most popular, areas such as “transport” and even “clerical” out sourcing will follow. All the above issues are finally linked with the “contract of employment”. Even the definition of “workman” in the Industrial Disputes Act gives the “contract”. According to the Industrial Disputes Act “workman” is:-

“ Any person who has entered in to or works under a contract with an employer in any capacity, whether the contract is expressed or implied, oral or in writing , and whether it is a contract of service or of apprenticeship, or a contract personally to execute any work or labour, and included any person ordinarily employer under any such contract whether such person is or is not in employment at any particular time, and includes any person whose services have been terminated”

Above shows that the existence of a contract with one’s employer is the prerequisite for identifying a workman.

 

Though the contract of employment can be verbal or implied, for purposes of discussion let’s look at a normal written letter of appointment which is the contract.  Many employees have never studied or read the document. Employees do not remember the terms and conditions in them.

 

General Terms and Conditions found in a letter of appointment

The normal two to three page letter of appointment carries requisites by both parties but principally by the employee.

Almost all of the “terms”, “words” and “expressions” in the letter of appointment have been judicially explained and have been the subject of case law. When a dispute arises case-law comes in to act. 

 

Changes to the contractual terms must be just and equitable

Many employers now inserts a specific clause in to the employee’s letter of appointment about changes to terms of the employment.  An example of such a clause is:

 The Employer reserves the right to make reasonable changes to any of your terms of employment from time to time; such changes may be made by way of a general notice applicable to all employees or by way of specific notice to you. Any such changes shall take effect immediately.

At least one month’s written notice will be given to you of any significant changes which may be given by way of an individual notice or a general notice to all employees.

It is the author’s view that any unreasonable changes to terms and conditions of employment which are implied by the employer, without the written consent of the employee, can be rejected by a LT as not being “just and equitable”. A employer of a group of companies gets a transfer to another company within the group.  This transfer must be agreed to by the employee as well. The employee’s period of service at his prior company should be taken in to consideration in the current company when calculating gratuity.

While the author of this article highlights the importance of applying developed common law principle in deciding labour law issues, it must be noted that the contract of employment is also crucial.

One must also recognize that this contract of employment is different to the other contracts such as a contract for the purchasing of a laptop, a DVD player. In the later type of contract one has only to look at the document itself and understand and apply the terms set out in the contract.

However the LT president has to take in to consideration that behind the letter of contract is a living human being the employee. While by tradition LTs are expected to be sympathetic toward the employee, our appellate courts have said that LTs must still observe “a level playing field”. Simply said they must consider the issue before them keeping in mind the employers interests as well.