DLP User Guide for the Trainer Development Program
NPS
Trainer Development Program:
Distributed Learning Platform (DLP)
User Guide
May 2009
Introduction
The National Park Service Trainer Development Program (TDP) Distributed Learning Platform (DLP) site contains information and links that will allow you to engage in activities related to your course: review upcoming assignments, discuss coursework with fellow participants, and upload completed assignments. This manual will progress through each area within the course site to illustrate precisely how it functions.
Logging In
To begin using the DLP site, you must first log in to Eppley.org (http://eppley.org/). Note: There is no “www” in the URL. On the right hand side of the screen you should see a “Login to view your courses here” area. Log in using your email address and the password that has been sent to you.
Figure 1: Logging In to Eppley.Org
The first time you log in, you should change your password. To do this, click the My Account link at the top of any page. This will open another login screen.
Once you have logged in again, you will see a page titled “My Account Information”. There are several things you can do from this screen, but you will select Change my account password. The final step happens in the final screen, where you will be able to enter your current password and then the new one. The new one will be entered twice as a way of confirming your choice. There are basically no limits to the password construction, though we suggest that it be at least 6 characters in length.
Once you are logged on to the course, you will come to the My courses screen.
Figure 2: My courses page on Eppley.org
Under the heading My courses, you will see the titles and descriptions of all of the courses for which you are registered. One of those will be “Trainer Development Program.” (It may be the only one, which is fine.) Click the course title to enter the site.
Course Portal
Once you have entered the DLP, you will see a screen with one main section in the center and small, shaded boxes surrounding it, as depicted in Figure 3. This is the main page; the central portal for the DLP. You will have access to this site during the entire course of study, not simply for one course.
Figure 3: Front page of Trainer Development Program Course
We will first examine the center section of the course page: Topic outline.
The Topic outline section displays all the documents, activities and discussions that are a part of your course. This is the primary location for information on the course site.
Icon Glossary
As you become familiar with the icons on your screen; it will be easier to identify and locate activities when using the course site.
Assignments
Each assignment outlines a task students are required to complete. An assignment is generally submitted by uploading it to the site.
Forum
It is here that discussions take place between members of a course and the course instructor. The postings can be viewed in a variety for formats and can include attachments. By subscribing to a Forum, participants will receive copies of each new posting in their e-mail.
Resources
Resources are any type of content that the instructor brings into the course, including files uploaded to the course server; pages edited directly in system, or external web pages made to appear as part of this course. They are there to support your learning.
Grades
This function allows you to view your Grades as assigned by the instructors.
Help
Clicking on this icon will provide you with further information on the activity you are viewing or trying to complete.
External Links
Clicking any of these links will take you to an external website. External links could link to a Tel, DOI, Inside NPS, or other site outside of moodle.
Word or PDF documents
These are downloadable documents that you can open, save and/or print. They typically contain instructions or templates that you will need to be able to complete assignments.
People
To view any student’s profile, click on the Participants link in the People box on the front page of the course. This will bring you to a list of your classmates who also have access to the DLP. Click on the name of the person whose profile you would like to view. A new screen will open. In the image, you will note that the Profile tab is active and you can read the individual’s specific information.
Figure 4: Participant profile page
Tabs:
1. Profile – default setting, showing a participant profile.
2. Forum posts –allows you to view the forum postings for that individual
3. Blog – allows you to read (and post to) that participant’s blog
Creating and Editing Your Profile
As you, too, are a participant in these courses, you will have to enter your own profile information. The first time you log on, you should create your profile. To do this, click the Participants link in the People box, then find your name in the participant list and click on it. You will notice that you have an additional tab, titled Edit profile (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: Your profile page
Once you click on the Edit profile tab, you will be able to enter your name and other relevant information. In the box titled “Required” you can enter your demographic information. The Description box should be used to briefly (70 words or less) introduce yourself to the other course members. You should include some small details of personal information that will help other students and the instructor get to know you. If you make mistakes, you can clear the box and begin again.
The Picture box allows you to upload any picture of yourself or of something you would like to have identified with you. As specified on the page, the picture must be in JPEG or GIF format and the image size should be 1 MB or smaller. To upload a picture, press the Browse button next to the empty bar and select the correct JPEG or GIF file from your computer.
Once you have completed this page and are satisfied with what you’ve entered, press the button entitled Update Profile. This will save your most recent changes to the profile and also allow this profile to be visible to other students and your instructor.
From this screen, the Messages button allows you to check for messages that have been sent to you from the moodle classroom site.
Activities
This box (located on the left side of the screen) contains a link to seven types of activities (see Figure 6). Clicking on an activity type opens a screen listing all of that type of activity (all Forums or all Assessments). Each link works basically the same as the others, so it should be simple for you to learn the process. The following is a short summary of the three main types of activities you will need to access in the DLP.
Assignments
The Assignments link opens a screen listing all of the assignments for the course (see Figure 7). You can locate a type of activity either from the Topic outline, or from the Activities box in the DLP. Once you reach the assignment list, clicking on the name of an individual assignment will open that assignment for you, allowing you to participate and /or post.
Figure 7: Assignments list
1) To upload an assignment, click the “Upload this file” button. To delete a file you have uploaded, click on the X that appears near the file name.
2) You can also leave a note by clicking the “Edit” button. Type your note and then click the “Save changes” button.
3) To complete submission, click “Send for scoring” button.
Forums
A forum is where instructor and learner discussions are posted. Participants have the opportunity to reply to one another and share their thoughts on a particular topic. The first time you enter a forum you will have to subscribe. You do this by clicking the Subscribe to this forum link in the upper right corner of the course screen (Figure 8). Everyone is automatically subscribed to the “News” forum.
Figure 8: Forums list
1) Click the link to the forum in which you wish to take part. This will lead you to a page that has a list of participants and their forum discussion topics.
2) Read the discussion question and all replies, then post your comment(s).
3) To post a new comment, click the Add new discussion topic button at the bottom of the forum.
4) To reply to someone else’s posting, scroll down to the Discussion section. Click a link to view their entire post. Then, Click the Reply link in the bottom right corner of that box.
Resources
Resources are documents provided by the instructor that will aid your understanding of certain topics.
1) If you click on a Resource link in one of the Topic outline boxes, it will bring you directly to that particular resource.
2) If you click the Resources link (in the Activities box) you will be able to view a list of all resources by Topic number. Scroll to the resource you would like to access and click on the Name of the resource.
Administration
The Administration box has only one important link: to your scores. Clicking Scores will open a screen containing the scores for all your assignments to date in the TDP course.
Latest News
Located in the upper right side of the screen, this box contains information, announcements, and anything of interest or importance for the course. This box is updated by the instructor, so you should check it regularly.
Figure 10: Latest News and Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
There are two functions in this box; Go to calendar and New event. Clicking on the Go to calendar opens the activity calendar for this DLP. All deadlines are entered in the calendar, which allows you to track target dates and plan your work. From this link you can also post New Events using that button in the upper right corner. If you have a new event to post, you can also click the New Event link in the Upcoming Events box. To post a New Event, you will have to provide a Name (for the event), description, Date (of the event), Duration (how long the posting should be visible on the class site, and Repeats (how often the event will recur). When you are finished, click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the screen.
Acknowledgements
Author
Carol Watson
Moodle site development
Christy McCormick
Matthew Wolf
Graphic Designer
Matthew Berry
This document may not be duplicated without the permission of the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands, Indiana University. The National Park Service and federal agencies may duplicate it for training and administrative purposes, provided that appropriate written acknowledgement is given. No other state or local agency, university, contractor, or individual shall duplicate the document without the permission of Indiana University
Copyright 2009, the Trustees of Indiana University
on behalf of the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands
5/1/2009 1 | Page