PropaGate Student Guide

Student Guide toPropaGate Learning

Contents1. Logging In .............................................................................................................................................................3Want to change your password?..........................................................................................................................3Forgotten your password?......................................................................................................................................32. Checking your profile....................................................................................................................................... 43. What hardware/software do I need? ......................................................................................................... 64. Accessing your course..................................................................................................................................... 65. Navigating within your course ...................................................................................................................... 6Course Home Page ....................................................................................................................................................7An example of a topic/unit page ......................................................................................................................... 86. Course Forums ................................................................................................................................................... 9Replying to a forum post .......................................................................................................................................10Adding a new topic to a forum............................................................................................................................. 117. Using images ...................................................................................................................................................... 12Uploading images to Propagate forums (also see page 13)...................................................................... 12Using images in a Word document (for uploading as an assignment) ................................................. 128. Resources and Activities................................................................................................................................ 14PDF Notes and Presentation files ....................................................................................................................... 14Watching Videos ...................................................................................................................................................... 15Quizzes......................................................................................................................................................................... 15Uploading Assignments ........................................................................................................................................ 159. Getting help / Contacting tutors and other students.......................................................................... 1610. Grades ................................................................................................................................................................. 17PropaGate Learning Student Guide 2 21/08/2014

Welcome to PropaGate learning!PropaGate Learning uses the Moodle online learning environment – a popular way to provide coursesonline. You can access resources, watch videos, test your understanding and communicate with your tutorsand other people on your course.1. Logging InYou will be given your username or password.Go to propagatelearning.rbge.ac.uk and enter your username and password exactly as theyhave been given to you. Your username will normally be your first initial followed by your lastname (alllowercase). You will be asked to change your password. Make this password memorable but secure. Itshould be at least 8 characters long with at least one number, one lowerscase letter and one uppercaseletter.Want to change your password?You can change your password at any time by clicking on ‘change password’ after you have logged in. Youwill find this option in the Settings Block on the first screen you see or you can use the quick links.Forgotten your password?You can also a request a password reset by clicking on ‘Lost password’ on the main login screen atpropagatelearning.rbge.ac.ukPropaGate Learning Student Guide 3 21/08/2014

2. Checking your profilePlease check the details in your profile and amend/add any details toensure your profile is correct. Click on Edit profile in the Settings blockon the page you see after you have logged in.First name & SurnameThese are self-explanatory. These names will identify you everywhere inyour PropaGate course(s).Email addressThe email address should be an address that you check regularly. It is used for acknowledgements andannouncements from PropaGate Learning, including messages from forums that you are subscribed to. It isalso the address that is displayed to other PropaGate users, depending on your 'Email display' setting (seebelow).Email displayThis controls the visibility of your email address to others. There are three settings but please note 'Hide myemail address from everyone' only hides it from other students. Teaching staff and other staff with editingaccess will always be able to see your email address. It will be set to this by default.Email formatThere are two formats to select from: \"Pretty HTML format\" (messages will be formatted) and \"Plain textformat\" (plain text with no formatting).Email digest typeThis setting determines how you receive any posts from forums to which you are subscribed, allowing youto receive messages individually or on a daily basis by email.Forum auto-subscribeThis setting lets you decide if you want email copies of posts that are added to forums. If you set this tosubscribe, the system will automatically email you copies of new posts in forums that you post in, unlessyou manually override it when posting.PropaGate Learning Student Guide 4 21/08/2014

Forum trackingEnabling forum tracking means highlighting the posts you have not read yet, which should improve yourforum navigation. We recommend you switch this on.Text EditorWe recommend you leave this as the default editor. The editor gives you the tools for adding text anywherewithin PropaGate Learning.City / CountryPlease add your location if it has not been added already.TimezoneThis field is used to convert time-related messages on the system (such asassignment deadlines) from the local timezone (the time inEdinburgh/London) to the correct time in whichever zone you have selected. If you use PropaGateLearning from outside the UK, could you please amend your timezone in your profile. You can select anamed timezone specific to your Area and Location (e.g. America/New_York) – pease don’t use a UTCsetting. It would still be a good idea to check your timezone in your profile after a daylight saving change,although it should update automatically .Preferred language and themeYou can view PropaGate in several different languages and colour themes, which you can select via thesetwo options. Note: changing the preferred language only affects the Moodle interface, not the coursecontent! We recommend you stay with the rbge2 theme as this will ensure course content is easy to use.DescriptionIn this field you can enter some text about yourself: e.g. information about your studies, hobbies,qualifications or anything else you choose.User pictureThis section is optional and allows you to choose your own profilepicture. Your current picture is shown, if you have already chosen one.PropaGate Learning Student Guide 5 21/08/2014

3. What hardware/software do I need? 1. You will need a computer with reliable online access. Most resources will be compatible with a tablet. 2. An up-to-date browser – please make sure that your browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome) is updated to the latest version to ensure all features of PropaGate Learning work correctly.4. Accessing your courseWhen you log in you will see your own home page which is called ‘My courses’ (shown below) which hasbuttons to quick links, useful blocks of information on the right hand side and also a link to your courseunder ‘Course Overview’. Also note the ‘Breadcrumbs’ across the top which show which page you are on inrelation other pages on the site. ‘Breadcrumb RBGE Quicklink Click the course title to access your course Blocks5. Navigating within your courseOnce you have clicked on your course, you will be taken to the Course Home Page which is shown in the‘breadcrumbs’ as the Course Title – in this case it shows Certificate in Practical Horticulture but yoursmay be different. On the next page you will see a screen shot of your course home page, showing all themain parts. You will notice that there is a main section to the left and blocks to the right. On the left of yourcourse home page you will find Summary Sections of the units of your course. Each of these links to itsown page. On the right are blocks – these can contain extra useful tools or links.PropaGate Learning Student Guide 6 21/08/2014

You can Course Hoclick thetab to Breadcrumbs: Shows wjump to are in relation to other sitthe fullunit Forums: Please use the forums to ke announcements, ask questions and s in ‘My Space’ in some courses) Unit Summary: This is the first mo the full module by clicking the gree link in the navigation block to the r page click on the course name in t the button at the bottom of the pag page’ More unit summaries follow further d

ome Pagewhere you te pages. Course Welcome Area: Click on the General Course Information button or the section tab for more information.eep up to date with courseshare ideas with other students (foundodule summary area. You can go to Blocks: Please remember to referen title tab, the green button or the to these to see upcoming quizzes,right of the page. To get back to this latest news and Grades. You canthe breadcrumbs at the top, or on also use the Navigation block toge entitled ‘Return to main course jump to different sections of the course.down the page.

An example of a topUse navigation buttons to go back or forwards through sections

pic/unit page Breadcrumbs: Shows where you are in relation to other course pages To go back to main course home page or jump to other sections, use the ‘Jump to’ option at the bottom of the page by clicking on the down arrow, OR use the breadcrumbs across the top of the page

6. Course ForumsNetiquetteNetiquette is etiquette on the net!Forums are used a lot in our courses – to share information, swap ideas, ask and answer questions anddiscuss issues. We ask that you contribute to these, use them positively and participate fully. Justremember the following: • Use clear subject heading if you are starting a new topic (usually the Activity name and number) • Think before posting – how do your words come across without the benefit of body language and tone? • Don’t use offensive language • DON’T USE CAPITAL LETTERS – IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE SHOUTING! • Be sensitive to what others are saying • Keep your dialogue professional and brief • Be forgiving of mistakes – anyone can make them! • Add a new topic if you are starting a new forum thread. Click on reply if you are continuing a discussion • If you include images that are not your own, make sure you have permission to use them. Remember everything on the web is subject to copyright unless otherwise stated, so check the Terms of Use on the website before you copy any images.Most courses have a forums section. When you click on the Course forums tab you will be taken to thecourse forum area. (Called ‘My Space’ in some courses). Click on the tab go to the Course Forums page Screenshot from Course homeYou will receive emails for anything that is posted by your tutors in Latest Course News. Other forums canbe used to discuss topics/units and share ideas with your classmates.PropaGate Learning Student Guide 9 21/08/2014

You can unsubscribe from the other forums if you wish (this means you won’treceive email updates). This can be done by clicking the unsubscribe link inthe block on the right of the forums page (see screenshot to the right). If youdo this, please remember to look at the forums when logged into the course.You will be alerted in the Course Overview area (on the first page you seeafter logging in) and in the forum if there are forum posts which you haven’tseen as long as Forum tracking is switched to Yes in your profile:To update your profile click on your name (in the top right of your screen) and then on Edit Profile in theSettings block. Click Update Profile to save changes.Replying to a forum post 1. Click on the Forum Title 2. To reply to a forum discussion, click on the Discussion Topic. 3. Click on Reply to answer a question or query. Bear in mind you can either reply to the original post or to one of the replies. Everyone in the group will see your reply – not just the person who posted the item.PropaGate Learning Student Guide 10 21/08/2014

4. Type your answer in the message box and add a file attachment to your reply if you wish (see below). Click ‘Add…’ to navigate to your file or drag and drop a file from your computer. If you have already uploaded your file elsewhere in the course, click on ‘Recent files’ after clicking Add… Adding a file to a forum 5. Click Post to forumAdding a new topic to a forum 1. Click on the Forum Title on the course page 2. Click on the Add a New Discussion Topic button 3. Type the subject and your message (and add an attachment if you need to) 4. Click the Post to forum buttonYou have 30 minutes to update your post before any email alerts to new posts are sent out to subscribersof that forum (unless you select ‘mail now’ before adding your post).PropaGate Learning Student Guide 11 21/08/2014

7. Using imagesIt is likely that at some point during your course you will need to useimages. You may want to add images to a forum post or use them inan assignment that you will upload to PropaGate Learning. If youhave taken a high resolution photo with a digital camera it is likely tobe too large a file for people to view quickly and easily on the web.A reasonable size for a photo on the web is, approximately, lessthan 600 pixels wide, or less than 600 pixels tall. You should use theJPEG format for photos. Ordinarily the file should be smaller than about 500KB (the original size of a digitalphotograph (JPEG) is likely to be 5-10 times this size, depending on the settings and your camera).Resizing imagesThere are various ways to resize an image, either by using a free online image resizer or using an imageediting application such as Microsoft Paint, Microsoft office, Preview for Mac, Photoshop etc. The exactapproach will differ between applications, but essentially you will need to open the image using one ofthese applications, find the option to resize the image and save it as a new file which will be smaller. (NByou will also have reduced the resolution / quality of your image, so you should save the smaller image as anew file with a different filename so as not to overwrite your original high-quality image).Uploading images to Propagate forums (also see page 13)When making a forum post, the best way to include images is to use the Attachment feature (below whereyou type your post). Choose Add… and you will be taken to the file picker. If it is a new file to upload,choose 'Upload a File' and find the image on your system, then follow the steps to upload it. If you havealready uploaded the image you may find it in the file picker under 'Recent Files'.You can add multiple images to a single forum post, depending on limits set by your course organiser orsystem administrator. The images will appear along with any text you entered for your forum post.Using images in a Word document (for uploading as an assignment) 1) Click on an image in your document to select it. 2) Picture Tools/ Format should be highlighted at the top of your screen. Click on “Picture Tools”.PropaGate Learning Student Guide 12 21/08/2014

3) Click the “Compress Pictures” option Compressing an image makes its file size smaller. As there is less colour information in4) Choose the options shown in the screenshot each pixel, the space the image takes up is above reduced.5) Select OK Deleting cropped areas of a picture will also6) Save file reduce the size of an image. Changing the target output to 96 pixels per inch will reduce the amount of pixels, thus reducing the size of the image. By unchecking ‘Apply to only this picture’ you will compress all images in your documentPropaGate Learning Student Guide 13 21/08/2014

8. Resources and ActivitiesIn topic areas you will see a selection of different resources and activities with an associated icon.Here’s an overview of the different types of icons you will see on a unit page. In your course, click on thegreen links to access these resources and activities: A web link A new web page will open A book of resources Click to open a forum A folder of files will open A quiz A feedback form to complete A video will open in a new page An assignment upload link An interactive lesson or activityPDF Notes and Presentation files Use to track your progress. Quizzes will update automatically, but you can manually mark items you have viewed or read.Notes and Presentations are provided online for you. The notes will be in PDF format - these are ‘PortableDocument Format’ files which you can access provided you have Adobe Reader installed on your computeror tablet. Just click on the link to download/read the document. They will open in a new window.Presentations are provided for you in 2 formats to help you easily access them – they are usually inPowerpoint Show and PDF format. When you open a PowerPoint you may get a dialogue box asking for aPassword, but if you click the Read Only box, you will be able to open the Presentation. An open folderPropaGate Learning Student Guide 14 21/08/2014

Watching VideosVideos are embedded within PropaGate which means you will not have large files to download – you canwatch it in place. You will be given the option to enlarge the video which is recommended. The videos willplay on tablets, phones and computers.QuizzesIf provided, the quizzes will test your knowledge and understanding of the course materials. 1. Click on the Quiz link 2. Click on Attempt Quiz 3. Complete the questions. You can navigate between questions by clicking Next at the bottom of each page or by using the question numbers in the top right. 4. Flag any questions you would like to come back to (see option in question number area) 5. When you are finished click on Submit all and Finish 6. At this point you will probably get your score and feedback on each question (this can differ between quizzes as it depends how your tutor has set it up). 7. You can review any grades from your quizzes at any time in the Settings block by clicking Grades.Uploading Assignments1. Click on the green assignment upload link (see screenshot to right)2. Read the information about the assignment and check An assignment upload linkthe due date3. Click on Add Submission when you are ready submityour assignment4. Navigate to your file by clicking on ‘Add…’ or drag and drop your file(s) into the boxPropaGate Learning Student Guide Adding a file 15 21/08/2014

5. Click on Save Changes.6. You may be required to click the submit button. You can generally upload draft versions of an assignment until such time as you are ready to submit. This allows you to keep a draft version of your assignment on the system until submission. Once you click the submit button they indicate to your tutor that you have finished working on the assignment.9. Getting help / Contacting tutors and other studentsThere are a number of ways to communicate with the course tutors and also with your own student peergroup (which we highly encourage).Course ForumsAnything you post here can be seen by everyone. This is the place to share ideas, ask general questions,post references for other students etc. It is an essential part of the course to engage with the forums and itis an important area of support and contact for students and tutors. We also encourage you to post areasyou are struggling with on here as the first point of contact – this means that others can also benefit fromthe learning. You should receive a response within a week, but probably much sooner.Contacting others PrivatelyYou may wish to contact your tutors or other students privately – please usethe messages option to send a message direct someone else on PropaGateLearning. You can access messages from the ‘Messages’ block on yourcourse or by clicking on ‘Participants’ in the Navigation block on your coursehome page, selecting the student you wish to message and then clicking on‘Send a Message’. You will need to search for someone by name (it’s a goodidea to add them as a contact by clicking the + icon), compose the message and send it. Messages BlockTechnical HelpIf you have a more technical query (e.g. can’t logon, unable to access course), then [email protected] asked questions can be found on the Moodle website:http://docs.moodle.org/27/en/Student_tutorialsUrgent EnquiryIf your enquiry is urgent then we would suggest directly emailing the Education Administration office [email protected] or telephoning (during office hours) on 0131 248 2937.PropaGate Learning Student Guide 16 21/08/2014

10. GradesIf made available to you, grades from quizzes and uploaded assignmentswill appear in the Grades section which can be found in the Settings Block.The Grades link will give you a summary of your results. You can then clickon any of the Quiz names to look at your results in more detail.You may not see this area if your course does not have any gradedassignmnets or quizzes that count towards your final mark. Settings BlockPropaGate Learning Student Guide 17 21/08/2014