I tried to use a blog/discussion board feature on Sakai last Spring for a senior level discussion course to try to move some of the discussion/prep for class online.  It really didn't work.  Need carrots or sticks or both.  The students weren't engaged in the blog.  It was very open ended.  When I posted more guiding questions, responses improved a little.  Some students *really* resisted using the blog, and weren't shy about telling me so.

For my analytical laboratory, students need to share data and procedures for monitoring ions in the fishtank.  We use a group file sharing area so that all have access to the information they need.

Mostly, I use Sakai as a content delivery tool for supplemental materials (readings, example problems) and an archive for problem sets and keys.  I don't do nearly as many handouts as I used to.  Saving trees.

Adam

Great question Maggie! I'd like some ideas too! I've used Moodle for several years, mostly in my introductory class --both simple things like file storage (course handouts and answer keys) and few "more advanced" things. One thing I've found very useful is the advanced grading module (not something standard but can be added by your campus Moodle administrators)--it has a number of advantages over the standard grading module that comes with Moodle. I do all of my grades online so students can look at any point in the course and see what their overall percentage is. I've used the forums as prelab assignments--students have to pose a question based on the lab and then answer one of their classmates questions. I also post my web links for the class there. I tried a wiki assignment after their Modern Materials lab where they had to find an inorganic material and report on it in a wiki table for the class. This semester that had major problems because the table function is a bit funky and one of the students messed it royally and I had to go reconstruct the table and ask the students to reenter their information. Last year in my inorganic class, I have them upload photos of point group objects. This assignment was based on a posted VIPEr learning object "Point Group Scavenger Hunt" https://www.ionicviper.org/class-activity/symmetry-scavenger-hunt contributed by Lori Watson. I also use the calendar feature on a regular basis and the announcement forum to communicate with the class.

Mostly I use moodle simply as a convenient file storage place for problem sets, web resources, and the like.  But I've also had pretty good success with the forums when I've set them up as a "peer help" type place.  In both gen chem and inorganic, students (usually the "quieter" ones) seem to like asking questions and getting help from their peers.  I don't offer any carrots (or sticks) but point out several times at the beginning how this is a great resource.  I monitor them too, but usually wait about a day before I post an answer (often another student will post an answer first or correct something wrong that was posted).  I have not found forums a very useful place to continue a discussion from class, however.  Something about typing just seems to sap their enthusiasm!

I really like Moodle and use it for a lot of different things in my class. As an ice breaker, I set up a forum and ask the students to interview a prof about the difference between organic and inorganic chemistry (because most of the students are coming out of a full year of organic). My faculty colleagues are very cooperative and come up with a wide range of both serious and humorous answers. The students post the answers to the forum and we spend a couple minutes discussing and laughing about them in class.

I ask the students to write a short chemistry autobiography, which they upload to Moodle. I grade it and give then feedback all electronically, which is nice.

I post links to useful web sites (The Orbitron!), including links to papers we're using for literature discussions.

I put all of their grades up on Moodle, so they always know where they stand. I used to have "invent" an assignment in order to post their test grades, but I think the advanced grading module has made that easier.

I used the wiki function to have students prepare a class study guide for the final exam.

I have also used the photo gallery for putting up pictures of class activities, but that seems to have disappeared from our current installation of Moodle.

All in all, I found learning to use Moodle to be very straightforward, and we have good support on campus when I have questions.

I've used moodle in the past couple of years for online office hours (in addition to the usual posting of websites, assignments, solutions, etc).  Last year for gen chem I had a standing "Monday 9-10 pm" chat session.  Attendance was not consistent (between 0-5 people out of a class of 60-80), so this spring I changed it to an "as needed" basis.  What that has turned out to mean is that I do an office hour one or two nights before each midterm.  When the chat is held the night before a midterm, I've had as many as twenty people log in at once.  It gets busy, and they do answer each other's questions, which is very helpful.

This spring I've also used it the night before a Monday inorganic exam, especially because the students in that class tend to live all over the city.  Good attendance, and those who couldn't "make it" can always read the transcript after the fact.

Education research has shown that students do more of the talking in an online format vs face-to-face.  Women are more likely to contribute, too.  I've really liked that I can carefully think about how I'm phrasing the questions I ask students in response to their questions.  I can take the time to guide them through a problem, sometimes better than I can in person.

Hooray for moodle!

-Anne

I just don't get into the whole chats/post sort of thing for my classes.  I would much rather the kids come see me.  We have a good culture of that in my department and the last thing in the world I would want to do is discourage.  I do give my upper level students my AIM screen name, so I will get an IM once and a while.  What I find as Moodle's greatest feature is that you can set it to count say the top 10 out of 14 quizzes.  With Blackboard (at least when we had it) you could only drop the lowest one.  What a life saver Moodle was.  Yes, I do post my grades on Moodle and I think it saves a lot of 'how am I doing' questions in gen chem.  The other fun thing we use Moodle for is our online general chemistry placement exam.  Last year was the first year we did it, and it went pretty well.  

I've struggled a bit with making the most of these tools. To be honest, they mostly act as big, dumb file servers in my classes. I've used a blog for my Inorganic Chemistry course, which was a qualified success. The magic formula was that students were assigned a post, and all students had to comment on it (we were discussing an outside reading). This wouldn't work for much else. I like the idea of virtual office hours and as a chat space for students to help each other. I will definitely try both those ideas. 

Does anyone have experience/use Chime type plugins for moodle?  I have this idea that it would be great to do moodle point group quizzes WITH rotatable molecules, but the "moodle czar" on my campus is having issues with it.  Any good resources (or other plugins) that I could direct him to?