MOODLE TRAINING BOOKLET FOR FACULTY - Averett

MOODLE 2.3.3
GETTING-STARTED
GUIDE
FOR FACULTY
By Carter Neal, Mark Nickens, Jennifer Palmer
4 January 2013 Update by Kim McMurtry;
please e-mail kmcmurtry@averett.edu with
suggestions for improvement.
Contents
Contents ................................................................... 2
Moving from Blackboard to Moodle ....................... 3
Some Features New to Moodle 2.3.3 ...................... 4
Logging in to Moodle .............................................. 5
Orientation to the Interface ...................................... 7
Adding Your Course Syllabus ............................... 10
Setting up Groups .................................................. 15
Setting up the Gradebook and Grading ................. 17
Adding Resource Files .......................................... 19
Adding Resource Web Pages ................................ 21
Adding a Forum Activity....................................... 23
Adding an Assignment .......................................... 26
Messaging Students ............................................... 29
Uploading Your Photo to Your Moodle Profile .... 33
Additional Moodle Help ........................................ 34
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Moving from Blackboard to Moodle
Faculty accustomed to using Blackboard may find this comparison helpful:
Blackboard Terms
Announcements
How to post a syllabus
How students communicate with each other &
faculty member
Discussion board
How to set up groups with discussion board
How to post links to articles
How to embed audio and/or video files
How to create a test
How to post grades
Assignment options
Moodle Tools
News forum
Add Resource, File
Messages or Quickmail
Forum
Settings block, Course administration, Edit
settings: set Group mode to Visible groups; then
Settings block, Course administration, Users,
Groups: assign students to groups.
Add Resource, URL
Add Resource, File
Add Resource, Quiz
Settings, Course administration, Grades
Add Resource, Upload a single file or Online text
or Offline activity
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Some Features New to Moodle 2.3.3
Faculty familiar with Moodle 2.2 may be interested in these new features:

File picker: offers icons, table, and list views; drag and drop files from your desktop*; images display
as true thumbnails

Blocks: can be dragged and dropped around the course page

Course resources: can be dragged and dropped around the course page; new editing icon allows quick
editing of the title directly on the course page; to add a file, drag and drop it onto the course section; to
add a folder of files, zip the folder and then drag and drop it onto the course section

Assignment module: has been significantly upgraded to combine the previous assignment types
(upload a single file, advanced uploading of files, online text, offline activity) into a single assignment
with editable settings

Course topics/weeks: can be dragged and dropped around the course page

Marking guide: a new grading method with features including saving frequently used feedback
*Minimum browser requirements for 2.3.3 are: Firefox 4, Internet Explorer 8 (IE 10 is required for drag and
drop of files from outside the browser into Moodle), Safari 5, Google Chrome 11, Opera 9
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Logging in to Moodle
1. On the Averett University home page (http://www.averett.edu), in the “My Averett” dropdown menu,
click “Moodle Login.”
2. On the Moodle “Home” page, click “Login” in the top right corner.
3. On the “Login to the site” page, type your Averett username and password and click “Login.”
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Your courses (all courses to which you are associated as a student, teacher, etc.) will be listed on “My home”
page under “Course overview.”
4. Click on the course title you’d like to open.
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Orientation to the Interface
See the diagram below for these key features:
Breadcrumbs: Located in the upper left, breadcrumbs show where you are in the site and provide hyperlinks
to navigate to previously viewed pages.
Blocks: Blocks appear in the left and right columns and contain groups of settings, such as the “Navigation”
block and the “Settings” block. Blocks may be docked or moved to other locations on the course page.
Additional block types are available.
Settings: “Course administration” is located in the “Settings” block; click “Grades” under “Course
administration” to access the gradebook, or click “Users, Enrolled users” to add or remove students from the
course. Also in “Settings,” click “Switch role to…Student” to see how your course will look from a student’s
perspective.
Navigation: The “Navigation” block provides quick access to other areas of the site, including “My profile”
and “My courses.” Click “My private files” under “My profile” in the “Navigation” block to access a
repository to upload files that can be used in multiple courses.
Online course support: This block provides a link to 24/7 support for faculty and students.
Folder View format: Course content is added to the widest column, usually located in the center of the
screen. Folder View format organizes course content into topic folders. Click the folder icon to expand (or
collapse) it to show the resources and activities in that topic section, or click the topic title (such as “Week 7”)
to view the resources and activities for that section on a new page.
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Turn editing on: Click the “Turn editing on” button in the upper right corner to make changes to your course;
this reveals editing icons and four new links near the top:
1. “Add Topic” to add a topic section.
2. “Add Resource” to add a resource or activity. A resource is information for the student to read or
view, such as lecture notes in a Word file or PowerPoint. An activity is something you want students to
do for a grade, such as write and submit an essay file, participate in a discussion forum, or develop a
wiki.
3. “Add Block” offers a variety of additional blocks to enhance your course.
4. “Topic Settings” allows you to edit the zero topic section, such as changing “Welcome to Averett” to
your own course title.
Editing icons: Hover your mouse on the editing icons to see their functions; they are:
Edit title
Move right
Move (up or down)
Update (to edit that item)
Duplicate
Delete
Hide (or show if closed)
Groups setting (options are no groups, groups, or separate groups)
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Assign roles
Personalized Learning Designer
Each topic section offers these additional editing icons:
Add Resource (to add an activity, assignment, or resource to that topic section)
Topic Settings (to adjust the topic section name and add a summary)
Highlight this topic in yellow to designate it as the current topic
Show only this topic (opens the topic section on a new page)
Hide (or show) topic
When showing only one topic, use the Topic list icon or click the “Topic list” hyperlink to return to the course
home page. Use the “Jump to” dropdown menu to return to the course home page or to show a different topic
section.
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Adding Your Course Syllabus
Before adding files to your course, upload them to the “My private files” repository. “My private files” is
accessible from all of your Moodle courses, so it’s a great place to store files that may be needed for other or
future courses.
1. In the “Navigation” block, click “My private files” under “My profile.”
2. On the “My private files” page, simply drag and drop files from your computer (minimum browser
requirements are Firefox 4, Internet Explorer 10, Safari 5, Google Chrome 11, or Opera 9).
Alternatively, use the “Add” button to browse and add files. Note that a “Create folder” option is
available to organize the files. When finished uploading files, click “Save changes.”
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Now you can post your course syllabus. Return to your course by clicking the course name under “My
courses” in the “Navigation” block.
The course syllabus should be posted in the zero topic section. To post your syllabus:
1. Turn editing on.
a. If this is a GPS course, a Word file placeholder has been provided for you; you will need to
replace that file with your syllabus file. Beside the words “POST Course Syllabus,” click the
Update icon and then skip to Step #4.
b. If this is not a GPS course, proceed to Step #2.
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2. At the top of the page, click “Add Resource.”
3. In the “Add Resource” menu, click “File” under “Resources.”
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4. In the “General” section of the “Adding a new/Updating File” page, type the “Name” of the resource
(something like Course Syllabus) and a “Description.” If this is a GPS course, you will be replacing
the name “POST Course Syllabus.”
5. In the “Content” section:
a. If this is a GPS course, delete the placeholder Word file (right click on the file and choose
Delete from the pop-up menu). Then click “Add…” to add your syllabus.
b. If this is not a GPS course, click “Add…” to add your syllabus.
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6. In the “File picker” window that pops up, click “Private files” and click the file you want to post.
7. In the pop-up window, choose “Make a copy of the file” to put a copy in the course or “Create an
alias/shortcut to the file” to create a shortcut in the course; then click “Select this file.”
8. Click “Save and return to course” at the bottom of the “Adding a new/Updating File” page.
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Setting up Groups
Group settings enable you to have groups of students work on activities separate from other groups within the
same course.
For example, using groups within a discussion forum restricts interaction among the students to their own
groups. The “Separate groups” mode allows only students in the same group to see and participate in
discussions within a particular forum. The “Visible groups” mode allows students to see other groups’
discussions, but only participate in their own group’s discussions.
To set up groups in a course:
1. In the “Settings” block, click “Groups” under “Users,” which is under “Course administration.”
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2. On the “Groups” page, click “Create group.” On the “Create group” page, type a “Group name” and
click “Save changes.” Repeat for all of the groups you’d like to create.
3. On the “Groups” page, click the “Add/remove users” button and then “Add” to add students to a
group.
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Setting up the Gradebook and Grading
To view the gradebook, in the “Settings” block, click “Grades” under “Course administration.”
As you create graded assignments and activities, they will be automatically linked to and will appear in the
gradebook.
In the “Grader report,” you can add or change grades manually by clicking “Turn editing on.” A dropdown
menu is provided at the top of the gradebook page to allow access to various views of the gradebook.
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Some of the choices in the drop-down menu include:
1. User report: Allows you to view one student’s grades at a time.
2. Categories and items/Simple view: Allows you to assign categories to graded items and set weights
on those categories. As you create assignments and activities, these will be added automatically to the
gradebook; however, consider setting categories in your gradebook first so you can assign items to the
categories as you create them. For example, forum postings could be grouped under a category entitled
“Participation,” and while each post might be worth 10 points, the category could be weighted as 15%
of the overall course grade. Click the “Add category” button to add a category. In addition, you can
add a graded item in this view by clicking “Add grade item.”
3. Export/Excel spreadsheet: Consider doing this at the end of the course to save a copy of the
gradebook for yourself.
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Adding Resource Files
You can add a file to any section of your course as a resource for your students; examples include a Word
document of lecture notes or a PowerPoint slideshow. To post a file:
1. Turn editing on.
2. In the topic section in which you’d like to add the file, click the Add Resource icon.
3. In the “Add Resource” menu, click “File” under “Resources.”
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4. Proceed just as you did to add your syllabus (see the earlier section entitled “Adding Your Course
Syllabus”; upload files to “My private files” first, if needed).
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Adding Resource Web Pages
To provide content to your students on a Web page:
1. Turn editing on.
2. In the topic section in which you’d like to add the page, click the Add Resource icon.
3. In the “Add Resource” menu, click “Page” under “Resources.”
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4. In the General section of the “Adding a new Page” page, type a “Name” and “Description.”
5. In the Content section, type the “Page content.”
6. Click “Save and return to course” at the bottom of the page.
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Adding a Forum Activity
To create a graded discussion forum:
1. Turn editing on.
2. In the topic section in which you’d like to add the forum assignment, click the Add Resource icon.
3. In the “Add Resource” menu, click “Forum” under “Activities.”
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4. In the “General” section of the “Adding a new Forum” page, type a “Forum name.”
5. In the “General” section, choose a “Forum type.” Click the help icon next to “Forum type” for an
explanation of each type; “Standard forum for general use” is the most common.
Choose other options on this page as needed; click the help icon for explanations. For example, if this will be a
graded activity and you have set up categories in your gradebook, choose the appropriate “Grade category”
from the dropdown menu in the “Grade” section.
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6. To enable grading for this forum, in the “Ratings” section, choose an “Aggregate type” other than “No
ratings”; “Sum of ratings” is the most common. Choose a “Scale” (the total number of points possible
for posts in this forum). These steps will link this activity to your gradebook.
7. Click “Save and return to course.”
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Adding an Assignment
To create a graded assignment requiring students to submit a file (such as an essay written in Word):
1. Turn editing on.
2. In the topic section in which you’d like to add the assignment, click the Add Resource icon.
3. In the “Add Resource” menu, click “Assignment” under “Activities.”
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4. In the “General” section of the “Adding a new Assignment” page, type an “Assignment name” and a
“Description” of the assignment.
5. In the “Assignment settings” section, set a “Due date” and time for the assignment, or uncheck the
“Enable” box. Additional assignment settings are available.
6. In the “Submission settings” section, choose whether the submission will be online text or a file.
Additional submission settings are available.
7. In the “Feedback settings” section, choose whether you’d like to provide feedback comments and/or
feedback files.
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8. In the “Grade” section, set the number of points the assignment is worth next to “Grade.”
9. Choose a “Grading method.”
10. If you have set up categories in your gradebook, choose a “Grade category.”
11. Choose other options on this page as needed; click the help icon for explanations. Then click “Save
and return to course.”
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Messaging Students
Moodle offers several ways to send messages to students via their Averett University e-mail:
1. News forum: Each course is provided a “News forum” in the zero topic section; use this forum for
course news and announcements. (NOTE: In GPS, this forum is called “Announcements.”) Only
faculty are permitted to post in news forums. The default subscription mode for news forums is
“Forced subscription,” which means students will receive a copy of each forum post as an e-mail
message, too, and they may not unsubscribe from receiving the posts in e-mail. In addition, links to
your most recent posts in the “News forum” will appear in the “Latest news” block.
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2. Quickmail: Quickmail is a Moodle plug-in that enables you to send e-mail to students.
a. In the “Quickmail” block, click “Compose New Email.” (If the block does not appear in your
course, you can add it using the “Add Block” link at the top of the page.)
b. On the “Quickmail” page, select recipients using the “Add” or “Add All” buttons.
c. Prepare your message and send.
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3. Moodle’s internal messaging system: An internal messaging system is available to send a message to
one or more of the students in a class, and these messages will also be sent to the students’ Averett email, if their Profiles are set up to receive them. To send a message using the internal system:
a. In the “Navigation” block, click “Participants” under the course title under “My courses.”
b. On the “Participants” page, tick the boxes of students you’d like to message.
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c. At the bottom of the page, “With selected users,” choose “Send a message.” Then type your
message in the space provided and send. Students will receive the message in their Averett email as well as receive notification of the message in Moodle in the “Messages” block.
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Uploading Your Photo to Your Moodle Profile
1. In the Settings block under “My profile settings,” click “Edit profile.”
2. On the “My profile settings” page, scroll down to the “User picture” section and either drag and drop a
photo file from your computer or click “Add” to browse your computer for the file. The file type must
be JPG or PNG. It’s best to use a headshot of your face, since Moodle will be cropping the photo to a
square and resizing it to 100 X 100 pixels.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the “My profile settings” page and click “Update profile.”
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Additional Moodle Help
1. At the bottom of every Moodle screen, a link to “Moodle Docs for this page” is provided.
2. Many features in Moodle provide information on that feature in a pop-up window; click this icon:
3. For more detailed information on Moodle, visit http://moodle.org and view the Moodle Docs for 2.3.
4. Participate in Moodle training workshops offered regularly by Averett’s Instructional Technologist.
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