Guide for MPI’s Virtual Classrooms

1. Logging in to MPI’s Virtual Classrooms

Participants do not need to register for MPI’s Virtual Classrooms. MPI will add you as a user and to the course for which you have been accepted. You will receive an email with your username and password (see example below). You may need to check your spam/junk mail folder for this email.

Please note that you will be asked to change your password the first time you log in. Passwords must be a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters.

You may log in at the top right of any page or you may go to the login page is here: https://mpiasia.net/mpivc/login/index.php

Please contact us if you are having any difficulty.

Sample Email:

Hi, Name,

A new account has been requested at MPI's Virtual Classrooms using your email address. To confirm your new account, please go to this web address: https://mpiasia.net/mpivc/login/index.php In most mail programs, this should appear as a blue link which you can just click on. If that doesn't work, then cut and paste the address into the address line at the top of your web browser window. If you need help, please contact the site administrator …

2. Forgotten Password/Username

If you have forgotten your password or never received an email with your username and password, try the following:

1. On the MPI Virtual Classroom Login page, click on the "Lost Password?" button.
   
2. Enter either your username, if you know it, or your email address and then click on "Search." You will then receive an email with information how to reset your password.
   

If you are still having difficulty, please contact us.

3. User Profile

Once you log in and change your password, we recommend that you review your profile.

Go to the top right corner of the page and click on your user icon then “Profile.”

Once you are on your profile page, click on "Edit profile" under the User Details section to edit your entire profile. The only required fields are your username, first name, surname, email address, and password. We would recommend setting your Time Zone. 

Be sure to check “Additional names,” “Interests,” “Optional,” and Additional Institution Information" at the bottom of the page to see if there is any information you would like to fill in there.

4. Dashboard

Whenever you log in to MPI’s Virtual Classrooms, you will always be brought to the dashboard. The dashboard is where you have quick access to information and your course or courses. While this page can be useful, the course pages are the most important.

You can also customize your dashboard by clicking on the “Edit Mode” slider in the upper right-hand corner. 

This will allow you to make changes to your dashboard. You may add a block, configure, hide, or delete it. You can also move blocks to different places on the page by clicking on the double arrow and moving the block. Don’t worry about making any changes. This only affects your dashboard, and you can always click “Reset page to default” to restore it to the original layout. Click on the “Edit Mode” slider again when you are finished.

5. Course Page

The course page is the most important page for interacting with the facilitators and other participants through MPI’s Virtual Classrooms outside the Zoom classes. It is here where you can see the list of participants, interact with them through discussion boards or chats, submit assignments, and more, depending on what the facilitators have posted. Below is a sample of what a course page may look like.

All courses include an announcement board where a facilitator or class assistants can post messages for all participants. The participants will be notified of the announcement by email.

On the left side, you will see the navigation menu to the topics and sections available for your course. You will also find a link to the list of participants under the course title.

6. Activities and Resources

The core elements of the Virtual Classrooms are the activities and resources. These are added by the facilitators or the classroom assistants. If it is an activity, you will be instructed what to do in response. Resources are generally materials that can be downloaded or links to external materials.

Common activities are:

Assignments – Enable participants to upload files on which the facilitators can give comments.

Feedback – Allows the facilitators to collect feedback, such as for evaluations.

Forum – Allows participants to have asynchronous discussions.

Workshop – Another way for submitting assignments that allows for peer assessment.

Common resources are:

File – A picture, a pdf document, a spreadsheet, a sound file, a video file.

Folder – Contains several files/documents.

Page – The participant sees a single, scrollable screen that a facilitator or class assistant creates. This is where embedded recorded videos of previous classes can be found.

URL –Any place that can be reached through a web browser, for example, Wikipedia.

7. Text Editor

For some of the activities, you can enter text through a basic text editor. When you first open the activity, such as a forum, it will show the very basic editing bar like the image below. This acts as a basic text editor. You can change the paragraph style (A), include bold font (B), or italicized font (I). You may have a bulleted or numbered list and indent or outdent a paragraph. You may link text to an external source and unlink it if you change your mind.

To see an extended version of this editor, click on the down arrow (highlighted in red). You will then see an editing bar similar to the one here.

You now have additional formatting options, such as underline and strikethrough as well as alignment and inserting a table.

The three buttons highlighted in red allow you to (from left to right) upload a picture, embed a video, or upload a document. If there are participants with visual imparities in your class, you can check accessibility with two icons just before the last button.

8. Discussion Forum

The discussion forum is a commonly used activity. This allows participants to post messages using the text editor in Chapter 6.

Here is a short video on using a Discussion Forum. You may also read the instructions below.

When you first begin a new discussion topic or reply, you are presented with a place to enter the subject and a message. Depending on how the forum was set up, it may refer to a topic or a question. It will look like the following image:

Down below the message block is where you can open the advanced features of the forum. Just click on the "Advanced" button at the bottom next to canceled. You will then see the advanced features in the image below.

With the advanced features, you can do the following:

• Unsubscribe from the discussion so you are not notified by email by unchecking the box before "Discussion subscription."
• Add an attachment.
• Remove the time-delay for your post (highlighted in red). All posts have a 30-minute time delay that allows you to go back and edit or delete your post if you changed your mind. Checking this box posts your discussion right away.

Below that you can also have a display period (from a certain date and time to another date and time) and you can add tags.

9. Feedback

Most classes will use the Feedback activity for evaluation purposes. Generally, there will be an opportunity give feedback at the end of each week of classes. Below is a short video demonstrating how to give feedback.

10. Assignments

Some facilitators may utilize the Assignment activity. Assignments allow participants to submit work to the facilitators that can only be viewed by the facilitators. The work may be text typed online or uploaded files of any type the facilitators request.  Participants may submit as individuals or in groups.

Below is a diagram of what it may look like:

• Participants click the assignment link and click “Add submission.” (1)
• Depending on the assignment settings, there will either be a text box into which you can type your work or an upload area to submit your file(s). (2)
• You may be able to return to your work and redraft it, or you might have to click a submit button to send in a final version that cannot be changed.

11. Moodle App

The MPI Virtual Classrooms is set up to work with the Moodle app on a smartphone or tablet. You may want to install it. With the Moodle app you can:

• Easily access course content - browse the content of your courses, even when offline
• Connect with course participants - quickly find and contact other people in your courses
• Keep up to date - receive instant notifications of messages and other events, such as assignment submissions
• Upload images, audio, videos and other files from your mobile device
• Complete activities anywhere, anytime - attempt quizzes, post in forums, play SCORM packages, edit wiki pages and more - both on and off-line

You can see a complete list of feature here.

There is a list of Frequently Asked Questions here.