First Semester with Moodle FAQ

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You've learned how to create your course in Moodle, and have opened it up for your students. Here and there, unexpected things may occasionally happen ... Some students aren't getting copies of important forum posts in their email ... I asked the students to post to the forum, and they can't! ... Students don't want to go into every forum to check and see if there's something new - how can they track that?

The First Semester with Moodle FAQ is a place for collecting information about puzzles that are frequently encountered during the first semester of using Moodle.

New to using Moodle?

For a quick review of the basics, download the Moodle Basics Nov. 2009 version PDF, or re-visit the Getting Started - Course Editors FAQ.
New Student Moodle Quick Reference Guide (pdf)
New Faculty Moodle Quick Reference Guide (pdf)
Experience Moodle as a participant (log-in required)
Can't find what you're looking for? Visit the Moodle Help Forum (log-in required)

Back to the Moodle e-Learning Community Wiki home page

How do I make sure that my students receive an email with each updated forum post?

Make sure that all participants have completed their Moodle profiles with an email address. Without an email address, they will not receive a forum post even though the forum is set at "Force everyone to be subscribed." Click here for More about e-mail subscriptions

My students can't post to the forum!

You may be using the News Forum, which can only be used by Faculty. To involve students, turn on editing, click add an activity, and select Forum. More about adding interactive forums

I've noticed that there are different kinds of Forums available. What kind of Forum best fits my course needs?

Click here for a comparison chart

I forgot the enrollment key for my course.

Your enrollment key is listed in the Administration block under Settings. Click for Detailed Instructions

How do I unenrol students?

Go to the ADMINISTRATION Panel (on the left) and click on ASSIGN Roles. Choose STUDENT and remove student name from existing users. Click here for More about unenrolling students.

How do I create an assignment?

Go to ADD AN ACTIVITY and choose one of four assignment types. Click here for More about creating assignments

How do I attach files to assignments?

Go to ADD AN ACTIVITY, choose one of four assignment types, highlight words in your assignment description and insert link to attach your files. More about attaching files to assignments

How do I update a course description?

Go to ADMIN Panel (on the left) and click on SETTINGS. More about updating course description

How do I display all weeks?

Click on the two little square boxes in the week sections on the main moodle page. More about Displaying All Weeks

How do I hide items or sections?

Click on the HIDE icon (an eye) next to the item or section that you want to hide/unhide. More about Hiding Items.

How do I delete resources?

Go to the main page of your Moodle course, turn editing on and click on X next to the resource you want to delete. More about deleting resources

How do I add another teacher?

Go to ADMIN Panel (on the left) and click on ASSIGN ROLES. Choose TEACHER and select from list of POTENTIAL USERS. More about adding another teacher

How do I give outsiders/guests access to my Moodle?

Go to ADMIN Panel (on the left) and click on SETTINGS. More about giving outsiders/guests access to your Moodle

How can students upload their Powerpoints or other files to Moodle?

Students can attach files to their discussion forum threads. Download detailed instructions.

What to do about non-compatible docx or pptx files?

Download a compatibility package from Microsoft. More about non-compatible files

How do I insert an image?

Go to the ADMIN panel (on the left) and click on FILES to upload your image. More about inserting an image

What to do if my picture is not posting properly?

Make sure that the picture size does not exceed 25 MB (maximum default size) and that the width and height measurements are 100 pixels each. More about posting and cropping pictures

Where can I find more online resources for learning about Moodle?

For a variety of additional print and online resources visit the Non-MIIS Moodle Resources page.