Alliant Information Technology
858-635-4357, option 1
  • Students
  • Moodle
    • Training Videos
    • Moodle 101 for new users >
      • Enabling Cookies
      • New Semester
      • Training Videos
    • Add Resources >
      • Add Collaborate/Blackboard Session
      • Add Folder
      • Add Graphics
      • Add a Link
      • Create a Link
      • Embed a Video
      • Upload Desktop Folder
      • Upload Document
      • Create a wiki page
    • Add Activities >
      • Add an Assignment
      • Choices
      • Databases
      • Duplicate Activities
      • Group Projects
      • My Private Files
      • Turnitin for Beginners
      • Turnitin Instructions
      • Quizzes >
        • Add Questions
        • Quiz Statistics
      • Wiki Pages
    • Course Settings >
      • Add Students
      • Assign TA >
        • Roles/Permissions
      • Course Availability
      • Customize Order
      • Date Range
      • Groups >
        • Groups FAQ
      • Hiding
      • Individual Hiding
      • make-course-availablehide-from-student-view
      • Moodle Settings
      • Moving
      • Opening Documents
      • Self-Enroll Courses
    • FAQs >
      • Attendance
      • Backup/Download >
        • Downloading Course
      • Can't find my course
      • Collaborate/Set-up/Run/Review
      • Complete Report
      • Entering course through portal
      • Forums/Discussions
      • Importing
      • Messaging Options >
        • Messaging Students
        • Message Forum
      • Meta-Linking
      • Quick Tips
    • Forums >
      • Add Discussion
      • Create New
      • Forum Ratings
      • Groups
    • Gradebook >
      • Attendance/Grades
      • Add Gradebook
      • Grade Assignment
      • Grade Conditions
      • Manual Gradebook
      • Return a Graded Doc
      • Student Participation Report
      • 100+
    • Moodle Requests >
      • Course Request
    • Suggestions?
  • Classroom
    • ShareLink
    • Fresno 1
    • Fresno 2
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    • Los Angeles 4
    • Los Angeles 5
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    • San Diego - Daley Hall
    • San Diego - M1 thru M6
    • San Diego - M7 thru M11
    • San Diego - Library
    • San Diego - Lecture Halls & M17
    • San Francisco 1
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    • San Francisco 3
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    • San Francisco Law School
  • Webconference
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    • Collaborate >
      • Error Messages and Solutions
      • Known Issues and Solutions
  • O365
  • Online Resources
    • Academic Technology Discounts
    • Career, Learning Assessment Support Services (CLASS)
    • Forms / Info
    • Qualtrics
    • SPSS
    • Technology Humor
  • Entering Final Grades
  • CFT

How do I use Moodle?

I'm guessing here, but you probably logged into your course expecting to see something like on the right side (below) and instead, you saw the picture on the left and panicked.  
Don't panic, this page will lead you through the steps to make your course look like the one on the right.  
Picture
Picture
1. ALWAYS remember to turn on editing.  This can be done two ways.  First, notice the light blue banner that expands across the top of the screen.  
A). Additionally, you might notice a few items on the left, these are called "bread crumbs," click on them to get back to the screens to avoid click back a bunch of time.  If you follow this blue banner to the right, you will see a button labeled "turn editing on."  If editing is turned on already, this will say turn editing off.  The second way to turn on editing is on the left hand side under the block titled "Administration."  

2.  It is best if you use the upper section of the course shell for material that the student may need to access several times throughout the semester (i.e. syllabus, forms, link to a website).  To add a resource in this section, click the "add activity" just below the "News Forum."

3.  To add an activity or resource (syllabus, power point, PDF, etc) follow the link HERE.  

4.  So now that we have added a few resources, lets play with them a little bit.  Take the image in the upper right-hand side of this page for example, it seems a little bit overwhelming.  We certainly don't want anyone to be overwhelmed when searching for resources, so we can organize them a little bit.  To do this, we are just going to indent items that are similar.  With editing turned on, click on the "edit" drop down button just to the right of the item that you would like to indent.  From the drop down menu select "move to the right."  You may also notice that now you can also move it to the left in case you change your mind. This video shows this process.  CLICK HERE

Below is a list of common needs from users.  All of these instructions were taken from the very site that you are on, but you have them all right here without searching through the site.  This video shows how to navigate the site.  CLICK HERE

In this next section, click on the items in blue for a video or to be directed to another page that shows the steps necessary to complete the desired action.

Enabling the date range for an assignment.  Sometimes it is necessary to set up the course before the term begins and select the dates that they want the assignments, resources, quizzes, etc to be available for the students to view.  
Date range (page)
Another way to allow students to access the assignments is below
Second option (video)
This will show you how to make the course visible.  At the start of each semester, the default setting for all courses is to be hidden.  In other words, it will be hidden until you make it visible. 
Hide the whole course (page)
What can I do when I spend all afternoon entering assignments and resources then decide that I want the content in week 6 to be in week 3?  You can move the resources.
Move resources (page)
I teach several sections of the same course. Is there a way to link them? Or can I just import the content from one course into the other?  
Importing the completed section into the blank section (instead of adding the resources twice) is the easiest way.  
Import your course
The second, and more challenging option is to meta link the courses.
Meta linking
How can I add an assignment?
Add assignment
How can I add a quiz?
Add quiz
Add questions to quiz bank
How can I add a new discussion topic?  There are actually two types of the forum/discussion topics.  The first one comes automatically in your course shell and can be seen at the top.  It is called "news forum.  Think of this as a one way communication.  It's a great place to post course updates, or news about a meeting time.  This option does not allow for an open dialog.  
If you want to allow two-way communication, the best option is a discussion topic.  
Add new discussion topic
Grading assignments.  Anytime that you add a discussion or assignment and enable the grade value feature, the assignment is automatically added to the grade book.  Once you grade the assignment, you can return it by selecting "yes" (feedback files) from the drop down menu of the assignment settings under "feedback settings."
Grading assignments
Returning a graded assignment
If you would like to see examples of courses, and see further training, scroll to the bottom of your courses and find the search box.  Enter "Moodle 2 Training" or course "4949 Etest" and self enroll yourself in the courses.
Self enroll

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Contact the IT Helpdesk at:
ithelp@alliant.edu
858-635-4357, option 1