NEWS ROUNDUP!

What’s happening in e-learning?

Moodle 4.4 has landed

The Moodle LMS 4.4 release has just dropped and contains 285 improvements and new features. Some of the headline features include improvements to the course page and activity icons. Clicking on a section heading or title will now jump to a section page displaying only the content in that particular section, making for a more focused approach to displaying content. To improve the course interface, the activity icons have been redesigned with a softer appearance to make them less prominent. The colour palette has also been revised to enhance accessibility for individuals with varying colour perception. This palette was evaluated against the four most prevalent types of colour blindness to ensure an optimal

Moodle LMS 4.4 offers improved notification features to keep users informed and engaged. When students are manually enrolled in courses, they receive alerts so they can immediately start engaging with new learning opportunities. Additionally, if there’s a risk of students being unenrolled due to inactivity, they will be notified, allowing them to re-engage and continue their educational journey. These, along with many useful improvements, including improvements to the forum activity, text editor, multi-factor authentication and ordering question types make for an exciting

Learning Technologies 2024

The Dirtyword team were proud and privileged to exhibit at Learning Technologies 2024 in London in April. We met so many great people, many of you were readers already and we hopefully convinced hundreds more that Dirty Word is THE e-leaning magazine. Either that or we scared them away with our Yorkshire banter. The theme of the day was A.I, and you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about it, although our readers were telling us that the A.I wasn’t convincing enough and seemed shoehorned into many of the platforms on offer and the talks and seminars were more salesfocused than ever, but not on our stand. We had some amazing conversations and laughs and got to meet all of our lovely readers. So thank you for stopping by.

H5P Roadmap

The new H5P roadmap was released in March. In 2024, H5P will release an upgraded version of the H5P Content Hub, which aims to improve searching and allow users to see all content that an organisation has shared.

Smart Import is a new feature, and this was demonstrated at the last H5P Webinar, delivered by H5P Founder Svien TorrGriff. A major design overhaul has also been planned, which may include the ability to set theme colours—something the community has been looking forward to for a very long time. Two new activity types include “Game Map” and “Information Wall” and the ability to drag media and images directly to the project will be a huge time saver.

Yorkshire Moodle User Group

Attention all Moodle users and developers. If you can’t afford to go to the global Moodle Moot in Mexico this year, then maybe you should go to sunny Leeds instead. The Yorkshire Moodle User Group is open to all and is a small, intimate event (with a maximum capacity for 40 people). You had better be quick, though, as tickets are selling fast - book yours at https://www.eventcreate.com/e/ymug

International SOS Launches Refreshed Road Safety eLearning Module

International SOS, a leading provider of medical and security services, has launched an updated version of its Road Safety eLearning module. This 10-minute course, created in collaboration with the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), aims to tackle road crash deaths and injuries, recognised globally as a human-made health crisis.

The module provides practical advice for road safety, including:

- Essential pre-trip planning.

- Road risk assessment and hazard prevention.

- Researching local traffic regulations.

- Vehicle rental tips for safe hiring.

- Pre-trip vehicle safety checks and seat belt use.

- Route planning and dealing with unexpected incidents.

- Incident response in case of a crash.

The updated eLearning module equips participants with essential knowledge to navigate roads safely, offering tools and guidance to reduce accidents and injuries.

IOF Releases New Fair Play E-learning Course

The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) has launched a new basic Fair Play course on its e-learning platform, focusing on the ethics and conduct expected in the sport. This course explores various scenarios, such as knowing the terrain before a race, assisting injured runners in the forest, and responding to requests for directions during events.

Consisting of 14 lessons, the course combines text and video clips, each ending with a short quiz to reinforce learning. It’s designed to provide essential guidance on fair play issues before, during, and after a race. This makes it a valuable resource for anyone interested in enhancing their understanding of sportsmanship.

IOF strongly recommends this course for youth and junior athletes aiming to compete in international events. As part of the Fair Play project, the course is free and accessible to all, offering a straightforward way to stay updated on key fair play concepts.

Can Studios Launches Free LMS

Fireloom LMS has launched a free tier for up to 100 users. Fireloom makes it straightforward to setup users and groups, manage course content (including SCORM), view reports and brand the LMS with your own logo. https://www.fireloomlms.com/

LOCTITE® Launches New E-Learning Module on Fundamentals of Bonding

Adhesive technologies expert LOCTITE® has rolled out its latest module on the XPLORE e-learning platform, named «Fundamentals of Bonding.» This addition provides industry professionals and students with deep insights into adhesive bonding, extending LOCTITE’s educational reach.

Through partnerships with universities like Glasgow Caledonian, Newcastle, Oxford Brookes, Southampton, Surrey, Hertfordshire, Strathclyde, Leicester, and the University of West England, the new module is designed to empower the next generation of engineers. LOCTITE is committed to supporting educational growth by expanding its offerings to students.

The XPLORE platform is now available to over 5,000 students across more than 20 universities, providing free certified learning through mobile phones, tablets, and desktop computers. LOCTITE aims to make specialized knowledge in adhesive bonding accessible to a global audience, continuing its mission to support educational and professional development.