Enhancing moodle for active learning
ENHANCING MOODLE FOR ACTIVE LEARNING
SVTH: Nguyễn Phương Anh Việt
GVHD: ThS Đinh Thị Minh Nguyệt
Tó m tắt - Tương tác đa phương tiện đang ngày càng được sử dụng rộng rã i trong thời gian
gần đây, và giáo dục là một ngành có rất nhiều tiềm năng trong việc á p dụng nội dung đa phương
tiện để tạo ra giá trị cho cả giảng viên và học sinh. Mục đích của bài nghiên cứu này là để khá m
phá và á p dụng tương tác đa phương tiện vào môi trường giá o dục, cụ thể hơn là trong học tập và
giảng dạy chủ động. Nền tảng của nghiên cứu này được dựa trên nguyên lý của đa phương tiện
và học chủ động, cùng với cá c ví dụ thực tế chứng minh rằng cá c nguyên lý này là những yếu tổ
chủ chốt trong việc nâ ng cao giá o dục. Một hệ thống được cải thiện thô ng qua việc triển khai và
kiểm thử cá c cô ng cụ và ứng dụng tí ch hợp tương tác đa phương tiện vào một khó a học thực tế.
Kết quả thu được từ hệ thống củng cố cho luận điểm về việc tương tác đa phương tiện có khả
năng làm cho việc học và dạy chủ động trở nên khả thi và thiết thực, đem lại những lợi í ch cho
giá o dục cả về mặt hiệu quả và phá t triển.
Abstract - Interactive multimedia has become more and more widely used in recent times,
and education is a field that has a lot of potential for applying media content to produce values for
teachers and students. The purpose of this research is to explore and apply interactive media in
the academic environment, specifically in active learning and teaching. The foundations of this
study is based on the technical definitions of multimedia and active learning, along with practical
examples that show how they can be crucial components in enhancing education. A system is
improved, with implementation and testing of tools and applications that integrate interactive media
in a real course. Results produced from the system solidifies the statement of interactive media
having the capabilities of making active learning and teaching possible and practical, bringing
effective and productive benefits to education.
Keywords: multimedia, interactive multimedia, interactive media, active learning, education
I. Introduction
In the ever developing and innovating world of technology, there exists an
uncontrolled, flowing stream of information that tempts us into exploring this sea of
information and converting extracted data into knowledge and values. To be able to get
such values from information takes rapid as well as efficient understanding, and
multimedia is the key to making this process simpler along with more efficiently.
Multimedia has brought a plethora of advantages to many aspects of modern life, with one
underdeveloped field that has potentials being education. Although theoretical research on
applying multimedia in education is available, approaches to applications in practice are
needed. This paper is made to contribute to solving such issues, by demonstrating
application of interactive media in learning and teaching at the Faculty of Information
Technology at Hanoi University. The rest of this paper includes some understandings of
theoretical terms, along with illustrations of improving a target organization’s system
using interactive multimedia applications.
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II. Literature review
1. What is interactive multimedia?
According to Vaughan, multimedia is any combination of text, art, sound,
animation and video delivered to users either by computer or digitally manipulated means
[1]. Interactive multimedia, or interactive media for short, is one main kind of multimedia
where the end user is allowed to have access and control over what, when and how the
elements are delivered. Interactive multimedia is being widely used, and the culprit for
this is its ability to engage the user and interact with them in a way that non-interactive
media does not and cannot do [2]. Through interaction, users become more engaged in
what they are consuming, whether it is information or content. Interactive multimedia is
and can be an amazing method to gain access to information that is difficult to obtain or
understand.
Interactive media is mostly known in the entertainment industry and as a common
means of exchanging ideas and information. Additionally, interactive media is a powerful
tool for education. According to Puteh and Shuhaida [3], when lessons are integrated with
multimedia, lessons become more attractive, more capable of keeping them focused, and
easier to understand. Interactive media is constantly receiving research and development
in education, and it contributes to defining a term that is growing immensely in popularity:
active learning.
2. Active learning
Active learning, as stated by Taka and Heidmann [4], refers to a wide variety of
teaching strategies, in which students are actively participating in learning, in the context
of formal or informal learning activities. The term emphasizes real learning, which truly
takes place when students actively engage in the learning process, understand the core
elements of the lesson’s content, and connect with what they have learned previously. This
is the opposite of standard education - repetition of following the teacher’s lecture at the
classroom, and doing homework after studying the material taught at school - which does
not allow students to have influence on the educational process, be responsible for their
own learning progress, and to develop skills in a manner that students are able to make
real life use out of them. Active learning, however, does not imply ignoring or abandoning
the traditional format, and adding small active learning activities can make old school
lecturing more effective towards knowledge development. Active learning gives students a
kick in the discovery, and enables students to explore, inspire, study and make use of what
they find or are delivered in the ever-growing world of knowledge.
III. Application
Based on the findings of the previous section, it can be seen that interactive
multimedia is an effective component in innovating education, by making active learning
work in an efficient manner, allowing students to be more engaged and motivated to learn
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and apply what they have learnt. With such insights in mind, the rest of this paper
demonstrates the application of interactive media in an educational application.
Specifically, the learning management system for the Faculty of Information Technology
at Hanoi University is improved, using multimedia applications and plugins, to assist and
enhance the learning experience of students as well as teachers at the faculty.
1. System introduction
Currently one of the most well-known and commonly used open-source learning
management systems, Moodle provides students and lecturers with a simple and user-
friendly tool for accessing the resources of course content, exchanging and discussing
information, monitoring the learning and teaching progress, along with recording grades
assessing one’s overall performance. The Moodle system used for demonstration is at
version 3.10.1, which is the latest version at the time of making this paper.
Figure 1: New learning management system (Moodle v3.10.1)
The overall interface, according to Moodle’s documentation, has seen noticeable
changes, along with new features such as styling and customization [5]. In addition to the
interface, the available multimedia plugins are robust, functional and ready to be used for
assisting in delivering course content. Moreover, various third-party plugins that include
interactive are available for integration into Moodle, resulting in a wide variety of tools
and applications for making the learning experience more exciting and memorable. The
following sections of the paper shows the implementation and application of interactive
content with one of the plugins available in Moodle, along with integration of tools from
one of the plugins from outside sources.
2. Quizventure
There are many plugins that integrate interactive media which are native to Moodle,
and one of the most noticeable plugins is Quizventure, which aims at supporting students
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in developing core knowledge using simple terms. This application is based on the
foundations of gamification in education. By adding game-like elements to non-playful
contexts, learning in this case, students can enjoy the lessons more, develop their skills
based on the results of such practical activities, as well as encourage themselves to step
out of the memorization stage and gain deeper comprehension of the learning content [6].
Quizventure provides students with a more entertaining learning activity, which helps
students obtain knowledge in a more relaxing manner.
Figure 2: Quizventure game
In Quizventure, students have to move their drone and shoot the enemy drone with
the correct answer for the question on top of the screen to gain scores. If the answer is
incorrect, the student will be shot back by the targeted drone, and they have to either
dodge the bullet or get hit and lose one life. The process will continue until the provided
lives drop to 0, and students will be represented with the acquired score. As no grades are
recorded for this plugin, students can play the game indefinitely with no pressure, and the
repetition of answering the questions related to the lesson makes the learning content
much more enjoyable and memorable.
3. H5P Apps
Along with the integrated plugins, there are various third-party software that can be
integrated into Moodle, expanding the diversity of tools that can be used to make lessons
more active and engaging via interactive media. One example of the third-party plugins,
which is used in this system, is H5P. Through Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI)
integration, H5P brings to Moodle a major upgrade, providing a wide range of content
types for creating interactive content based on the required needs for the information of
each course. For the system used in this research, three of available H5P apps were
implemented and tested, which include Multiple Choice and Image Juxtaposition, for the
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purpose of working with interactive image, along with Interactive Video, which is used for
building direct interaction for students when working with information delivered using
video and audio.
Figure 3: Preview of the content types available from H5P
Firstly, the Multiple Choice app provided by H5P works in a similar way as its
Moodle-native counterpart: Students are provided with a question and a number of
answers, and they have to select the correct answer. The main limit of Moodle’s quiz is
that only text content can be implemented for both the question and answers. With H5P,
on the other hand, an image or video can be put into the content of the question, providing
a wider range of information representation. When the answer is selected, the result is
shown immediately, along with the explanation of why each answer is correct or incorrect,
provided that the content creator included the explanations when creating the question.
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Figure 4: H5P - Multiple Choice question
Figure 5: H5P - Multiple Choice result
In addition to Multiple Choices, Image Juxtaposition is also an app for
implementing interaction with multimedia. As stated by Metcalfe, when combined with
the theoretical foundation that explores interactions between the material and discursive
elements of visual content, juxtaposition brings opportunities for qualitative analysis that
uploaded to the app, an image combining the two pictures is then displayed, with each
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picture in one half, either horizontally or vertically, along with a slider. Users can then
drag the slider around to see the two images.
Figure 6: H5P - Image Juxtaposition
Finally, Interactive Video is the most complex application out of all the mentioned
H5P apps. Like Multiple Choice, the lecturer or manager either uploads a video or selects
a link, and adds questions so that students can answer. However, unlike Multiple Choice,
the questions are not below the video, but instead embedded directly into the video in
bookmarks. Students interact with the bookmarks to answer questions, complete the
summary task about the overall content shown in the video. When reaching the end of the
video, the summary task appears, and students are required to complete the statement quiz,
in which the correct answer and progress is updated with each question. Finally, after
completing the summary task, a review will be displayed at the end of the video, showing
which questions have been answered by the student, along with their overall scores.
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Figure 7: H5P - Interactive Video
IV. Conclusion
Throughout the research, the goal of illustrating the capabilities of interactive
multimedia in education is met and can be considered as successful. The system is able to
make use of the integrated modules, along with third-party tools that have proven to have
the ability to enhance the educational experience as well as effectiveness for the target
organization. With the acquired results, it can be confidently affirmed that interactive
media is increasingly available, ready to be used for enhancing active learning and
teaching, producing positive outcomes, both in terms of experience and progress, for the
Faculty of Information Technology at Hanoi University. In the future, exploration of the
tools for applying interactive media will continue in order to find the most effective
applications as well as content for each course available at the faculty. Interactive media
plays an important role in the innovation and development of active learning and teaching,
as well as education in general. Further research will surely make education more
advanced as well as complete, and positive results and achievements for both those who
are on the delivering and receiving ends of wisdom.
REFERENCE
[1] Vaughan T. (2011). Multimedia: Making it Work Eighth Edition
[2] Dhir R, Interactive Media [Online]. Available:
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[3] Cullen M. (2015). How Is Interactive Media Changing The Way Children
Learn? [Online]. Available:
[4] Taka C., Heidmann O., Vlahoutsou N., Tsalapatas H., “Problem-Based Learning
Methodologies and Tools”, SIG Documents, Active Learning in Engineering Education,
April 13 2021. Available:
[5] MoodleDocs (2020). New features in 3.10 [Online]. Available:
[6] Sillaots M., Filodatou M, Taka C. “Gamification in Problem-Based Learning”,
SIG Documents, Active Learning in Engineering Education, April 13 2021. Available:
[7] Metcalfe A.S (2015), “Visual Juxtaposition as a qualitative inquiry in
educational research”, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 28:2, 151-
167. Available:
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