Moodle I - Getting Started
Version 2.8
Operating Systems
Moodle is an online learning management system that will run smoothly on your
Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. Your most recent version of Windows, Mac OSX,
or Linux will be supported. You can even find smartphone and tablet versions by
searching for Moodle Mobile.
Internet Browsers
Internet browsers are programs on your computer that allow to you to view and navigate websites. The
most commonly used internet browsers for Windows users are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft
Internet Explorer (IE). Mac users use Firefox, Chrome, or Safari as their browser. NOTE: The browser versions
must be the newest updated version for Moodle to work correctly.
e-LIS Supports these internet browsers for Moodle:
Chrome
FireFox
Internet Explorer
Safari
Course Activation Timeline Summary
• Courses will be available to instructors, as a blank shell, one month before it officially starts.
• You will be able to start building the course, including copying a previous course at any time afterwards.
• Courses will be available to students one week before it officially starts.
Course Design and Best Practices
• A course that is 100% online should be designed in chronological order via weeks in Moodle. For
example, all links students need in the first week of class is in topic 1. A blended, or hybrid course can be
divided up into modules, weeks, or topics. No matter what, the flow should be logical and consistent for
students and easy to follow.
The number of topics in your Moodle course is automatically based on the course start and end date. For
example, Fall and Winter semester courses are given 15-16 weeks, and Summer semester courses have
7-8 weeks.
• Add headings to each week for consistency. With editing turned on, use the gear icon at the top of the
course to create a title of the course at the top of the course page, along with the instructors name, and
preferred contact information/office hours. Each subsequent week can be named by week, date, and/or
weekly class topic.
• Use the News forum to broadcast emails to the entire class. Then, decide which method of email
contact you want between external OU email (add Quickmail) or internal inside the Moodle course (add
Internal Email). With this in mind, make it clear on your syllabus your preferred method of email contact.
• If your are using Moodle to supplement a face-to-face course, the Attendance module can help you take
attendance more efficiently.
Updated January 16, 2015
e-Learning & Instructional Support Oakland University - Creative Commons License
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Logging In
1. Open your web browser.
2. Type in moodle.oakland.edu in the address bar.
3. Type in your NetID Username, which is the first part of your Oakland e-mail address.
4. Type in your NetID Password, which is your e-mail password.
5. Click on the Log in button to enter your MyMoodle page.
NOTE: If you forgot your password, you can reset it by clicking on Forgotten your username or
password? below the login form. Click on Continue to Change/Reset/Obtain Password and follow the
few simple steps.
6. There may be important messages from e-LIS at the top of your Moodle’s home page.
7. Find your enrolled courses in the middle of the MyMoodle page. You may show or hide past semesters
by clicking on the folder icon next to the semester.
8. Enter a course by clicking the desired course title.
Blocks
The blocks appear on each side of your course content. You have the ability to rearrange, add, or remove
blocks in the course. All of the students will only see blocks in the order that the teacher designs that
particular Moodle course.
Hiding blocks - Blocks can be hidden. Click on the [-] icon to hide the block’s content. The heading of the
block will still appear. To show the block content, click on the [+] icon. This is an individual user setting that
does not affect the student view of the blocks in the course. Students can choose to hide blocks for their
own viewing preferences.
Docking blocks - Clicking on the small [<] icon in the upper right corner of a block will put the block into
a tabs area call the dock. The dock is a column on the left side of your screen and only appears if you have
blocks in the dock. Mousing over the tab will make the block pop-out temporarily. You can undock blocks by
clicking on the [>] icon. This is an individual user setting that does not affect the student’s view of the blocks
in the course, although they can choose to dock blocks for their own viewing preferences.
Moving blocks
- You can move
blocks by
dragging the
icon above, below
or in between
other blocks.
To hide block
DOCKED
BLOCKS
NOTE: The left
margin of the
browser is the
dock area that
shows docked
blocks as tabs
that pop out.
To dock
block
To add a block
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Adjusting Course Settings
Although much of this information will be filled out automatically from Banner, you may want to change a
few items.
1. Click Administration > Course administration > Edit settings.
2. Click Expand all in the upper right corner of the screen to expand all
options.
• General section
• Visible - By default, we allow the students access to Moodle
courses one week before the first day of the semester. You may
alter this setting by choosing: Show or hide the course by choosing Hide.
• Course format section
• Format - Choose whether you want a format on your homepage that is by weeks, topics, or social
(discussion boards only).
• Week Format - Choose the number of weeks the semester lasts and the dates will be
automatically included. This only works with single, consecutive weeks.
• Topics Format - Topics are like module
areas. If you simply want to add a few
files to a course, just choose 1 topic. If you
want files and activities to be organized
sequentially in multiple topic areas,
choose any number of topics.
• Number of Sections - Pick the number
of weeks or topics you need for your
course. Remember the homepage is like a
chronological syllabus. The first topic area is
for the first week or module of work and the last topic area is for the final week or module.
• Appearance section
• Force language - If you force a language, the
interface of Moodle in this course will be in the
selected language for everyone enrolled in the
course.
• Completion tracking section
• Completion tracking - This option allows for
finer instructor control over when students can
view certain content in the course. It is turned on by default.
3. Click the Save changes button at the bottom of the page to save any changes you have made.
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Turning editing on
Turning the editing on is usually the first thing you will do when working on your Moodle course. The Turn
editing on option can be found as a link in the administration block or as a button in the top right corner of
the course homepage. Turn editing on allows teachers to add, edit, delete, or organize course content. You
can turn editing off again by pressing the button or the admin block link again. Only teacher roles, TAs with
editing privileges can turn editing on.
Creating a Heading in Moodle
1. With the editing turned on, click on the gear icon in the top left corner of the desired section.
2. Type the heading in the Summary text box. In the example, the name of the course and teacher
information is being typed as a heading so it can appear at the top of the course page.
3. Highlight the text to make changes using the HTML editor tool bar. The HTML editor will initially only
show one row of editing icons. To show the entire HTML editor toolbar, click on the first button in the upper
left corner. That button will make all of the HTML editor options visible. Notice there are sizing, bold, italic,
and alignment formatting options. Holding your mouse over any of these buttons will bring up a “tool tip”
that explains the button’s function.
NOTE: Images can be shown on the course page by adding them into a heading. Click on the
mountain icon to select an image to upload and display on your course page. You will need to have the
image sized correctly to display well.
4. Click on the Save changes button at the bottom of the page when finished. The course’s main page will
open. If changes need to be made, click the gear icon under the heading to update it.
HTML Editor - Draft Saved
The HTML editor in Moodle has a new feature that will autosave drafts every 60 seconds. When a draft
is saved, a message appears at the bottom left corner of the text box. If your page gets reloaded, the
notification appears that tells you your draft was restored. This feature applies to all text boxes that use the
HTML editor, such as online text assignments and discussion forums.
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Email & Communication Options
There are different options for communication with students. If email communication through OU email is
sufficient, teachers would benefit most by adding and using the Quickmail (block) in each Moodle course
they teach. If not, a best practice would be to add Internal Email instead, and discourage students from
sending you external OU email messages. You will not want to have both Internal Email and Quickmail
coexist in your course because you will need to check too many different inboxes to see emails from your
students. e-LIS recommends using either Quickmail or Internal Email instead of Instant Messaging. Choosing
which one is your preference.
Chart: Communication Methods via Moodle
Internal means that students have to log into Moodle to receive their email.
External means that mail is sent to students oakland.edu email address.
MAIL TYPES
Internal or External Sends to
History
1. News forum
Internal & External
Entire class
News forum posting
Yes
To all, some,
or individual
Sent & drafts
Yes
3. Internal Email Internal only(Moodle) To all, some, or individual
Inbox, sent
& drafts
Yes
4. Moodle
Internal & external
Messages
History exists in Participant’s name
No
2. Quickmail
External only (OU)
To all, some,
or individual
Attachments
1. News forum
Any announcements intended to be sent to the entire class’s OU email is best done through the News
forum. This is an excellent way to send updates to all of your students. It will post to the forum AND send
that message to every student’s OU email that is enrolled in the course. The News forum is a forum in which
everyone is forced to be subscribed, which means that a copy of the message is sent to their OU email.
Every course in Moodle starts with a News forum in it.
NOTE: Students cannot post to this forum. They cannot start new topics, or reply to your News forum
postings. Students only receive your postings as announcements. They see your announcements in both
their OU email inbox and also the News forum in your course. They can reply to the email, and that will go to
your OU email.
2. Quickmail
Quickmail is a great way to send OU email to students without having to leave Moodle
or look up email addresses. Quickmail sends out OU email. Replies to email sent with
the Quickmail block go to your OU email.
Quickmail is not automatically in your course. To add it, scroll to the left side until you see Add a block,
click the Add dropdown menu and then click Quickmail. To send a message, find the Quickmail block,
click Compose New Email and then check the box(es) by the names of the recipients. Fill out the Subject,
Message, and then click Send Email. The students will receive this mail in their OU email.
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3. Internal Email
If you teach multiple classes, or want to keep course email from cluttering your OU email, Internal Email is a
great choice. Direct your students to use it and you will have a specific internal email inbox for that course.
This solution is completely outside OU’s traditional email and is specific to your Moodle course.
Internal Email is not automatically in your course. To add it, click on Add an activity or resource and then
click Internal Email. When you add this activity, you need to give it a name. Most teachers simply title the
activity Internal Email, and click Save and return to course at the bottom. To send a message, click the
Internal Email link and then Compose new email tab at the top. Instead of using email addresses, click on
Add Contacts. Choose the student name(s) that you want to send the mail to and then click the appropriate
arrow to put them in the right column. The students will need to login to the Moodle course to see their
email.
It is also advantageous to add an Internal Email block. To add it, locate the
Add a block dropdown menu and select Internal Email from the list of
available blocks. The block shows the number of unread messages in your
Internal Email inbox. It is also a good idea to move this block to the top of
your course for best appearance.
NOTE: To check your Internal Email, you must log into that particular Moodle course.
4. Moodle Messages
Moodle messages are not course specific messages. Any Moodle user can send you send a message. This
is not a desirable method of contact because there is no reference to the course in which the message is
referring to unless the sender puts it in the message. This is not an email, rather a messaging system that
stays within Moodle. The top right Profile dropdown menu has a link to check messages. By default, it
can copy the message as OU email if the user is not logged in, and you have the option of emailing if the
recipient is logged into Moodle.
Edit Your Moodle Profile
Your Moodle profile has no image by default. You may edit it to add your picture, and a description about
yourself. There are other preferences you set while editing your profile such as theme and language. Be
sure if you change any profile settings that you are aware of what it will change. The default settings work
efficiently and it is not necessary to update any settings in your profile. To avoid having that blank silhouette
image in your Moodle course postings (like forums etc.), upload an image of your own face by editing your
profile.
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Adding An Image to Your Moodle Profile
1. In the profile menu in the top right corner Click on My profile.
2. Click Administration > My profile settings > Edit profile.
3. Click Expand all in the upper right corner of the page.
4. Scroll down to the area titled User picture.
5. Drag and drop your picture file into the New picture dotted area to add a new
picture, or click on the
button to upload an image with the File Picker.
The File picker allows you to upload from a variety of sources other than your
computer desktop.
6. Click the Update profile button at the bottom of the page.
(optional) You may type in a profile description in this area.
When users click on your name in Moodle they see your profile
picture and can read the description you typed in this area.
Drag an image file here
to add a profile picture
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Managing Students and TAs
Adding Students
You will not add your own students. All courses will be imported from Banner one month before a semester
starts and all students will be added when they register. They will have access to their registered courses
one week before the semester starts. If an enrolled student is not showing up in the course, first be sure the
student is enrolled by contacting the Registrar, then contact e-LIS.
Adding TAs or Other Faculty
1. Click Administration > Course administration > Users > Enrolled users.
2. Click on the Enroll users button in the upper right corner.
2
1
3
6
John Doe
John Doe
7
4
5
3. The Enroll users window will pop up. Click the Assign roles dropdown menu at the top, and select the
role you want, such as Editing TA w/o grading access, Non-editing TA, Teacher, or Course Reviewer.
4. In the search bar below the box, type in the name or OU email address of the person you wish to add.
5. Click the Search button to search for the user.
6. Next to the user’s name in the search results, click the Enroll button. Repeat steps 3-6 for any additional
users as needed.
7. Click the Finish enrolling users button. This will put the selected user(s) into the intended role(s). The
user will have access to your class the next time they login to Moodle.
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Logging in as a Generic Student
Students have less permissions in Moodle than teachers. You have the ability to see your course as your
students see it. Logging in as a generic student is as simple as switching your role to a student.
1. Click Administration > Switch role to... then click on the role you wish to be (Student for example).
2. Navigate Moodle as if you are that role. To switch back to a teacher role, you must select Return to my
normal role from the Administration block or the dropdown menu at the top right of your screen. You will
not be able to log out until you do this.
Return to Teacher
(Top right of your screen)
Switch Role
NOTE: Faculty can request a “test account” where a faculty member can log in as a fake test student to test
content in courses. The test student will have a specific log in and a row in the gradebook. To get a test
account, navigate to the menu across the top of the Moodle screen and click Faculty > Support Forms >
Faculty Test Accounts
Reports & Student Tracking
You have the ability to see logs of your students’ actions in Moodle. From your
course homepage, expand Reports under the Administration block. You are able
to generate activity reports based on a particular student, date, time, resource, or
activity.
After you click on Reports, you are able to view:
• SpeedDater allows you to change open and close dates to all of your graded
items. This will be a common thing to do after your have copied a course from a
previous semester. SpeedDater makes this process quick and easy.
• Logs allow you to select one or all students, a particular or all days, and any or all
links on your Moodle course page. A list will generate to show you who viewed the
content and when. This choice is the most popular.
• Activity Report shows the content in the course and how many times each has
been viewed.
• Course Participation shows the number of student actions in a particular activity.
• Activity completion is a special setting in a link that requires Completion
Tracking to be enabled in your course settings. Activity completion shows the
students and boxes checked for any required resource or activity completed.
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Attendance Module
If you are using Moodle to supplement your face-to-face course, you can take attendance using Moodle.
Taking attendance using the Attendance module is quick and easy. To add an Attendance module, follow
these steps.
1. Click Add an activity or resource > Attendance.
2. The name of the activity is Attendance by default. You do not need to change this. The Maximum points
is set to 100 points by default, you can change this to the total points of attendance for your course.
3. Click the Save and display button at the bottom of the page.
Adding Sessions
1. Click on the Add tab at the top to add a session for every date you will be meeting.
2. You may check Create multiple sessions, the days you have class, and beginning and end semester
dates.
3. When finished, click on the Add session button at the bottom.
In the example above, multiple sessions are being created for a 5pm class that is Mon-Wed-Fri every week
from January 6th - April 20th. The duration of each class is 1 hr 20 minutes.
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Taking Attendance
1. When it comes time to take attendance in your class, click on the Attendance link in your course.
2. Click on the All button to show your complete list of sessions.
3. Click on the green circle icon in the Actions column across from the date.
3. Clicking the P (below) marks everyone in the class present. If someone is late, absent, or excused, you can
change their status from present individually. If you want type remarks, there is a field for that as well.
John Doe
4. You must click the Save attendance button at the bottom to save the attendance records.
Grading Options
The Settings tab shows how many points each attendance option is worth. The numbers may be changed
and saved to fit your grading preferences. The highest number is considered 100% for that day. For example:
Present is 2 points (100%), Late is 1 point (50%), and Absent is 0 points (0%).
The Attendance activity will average the scores earned across the entire semester to give the current running value earned for the attendance in the gradebook.
NOTE: The attendance is designed to earn points throughout the semester. It cannot, for example, drop the
entire course total by a full letter grade based on missing X number of classes. Instead, the student would
earn 0 points for each day he or she did not attend class.
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