Introduction to Moodle

Software Requirements

To use the online discussion program that is Moodle, you need to have:

• A reliable connection to the Internet.

• A recommended web browser with cookies enabled (see the

Moodle Browser Test page for confirmation or help with this).

The following web browsers are recommended for use with Moodle.

For PCs:

• Internet Explorer: versions 6.0, 7.0

• Mozilla Firefox: version 2.0

• Netscape: versions 7.0, 7.1, 8.0 and 8.1

For Macs:

• Mozilla Firefox: version 2.0

• Safari: version 2.0

• Netscape: versions 6.2.x (OS 9.x and OS X), 7.0, 7.1, 8.0 and 8.1 (OS
X)

If you are not certain what version of web browser you are using, open your
browser and:

• Click on HELP in your browser menu bar

• Find and select text that says (for example) "About Internet Explorer".
Your browser will show you a page describing what version you are
using.

Moodle Browser Test

To see if your computer and internet browser are configured to use Moodle
properly visit the Moodle Browser Test at:

http://distance.uvic.ca/onlinehelp/tutorials/moodle/browser.htm
Logging in to Moodle
When Can I Log In?

The date you can log into your Moodle Course Website is listed in the access
letter you received from the Program Area delivering your course. It is
typically noon of the Friday preceding the first week of your course.

Where Do I Log In?

Your access letter will direct you to the appropriate page to use in accessing
your Moodle Course Website, but you can navigate to any distance education
course supported by Distance Education Services (DES) from the DES
website found at:

http://distance.uvic.ca

• From this page select ‘Course Login’ under the ‘For Students’ tab.

• From the list select your program area.

• Select your course.

Alternatively you can proceed directly to:

http://moodle.uvcs.uvic.ca

Your Username and Password

The username and password you will use with your Moodle Course Website
will be sent to you by your Program Area. If you have difficulty accessing
Moodle please contact the Onlinehelp Desk at

• onlinehelp@uvcs.uvic.ca

• (250) 721-8476

• http://distance.uvic.ca/onlinehelp/

Once you are at the Moodle main page you will find a login section in the
upper left corner.
Once you log in you will see the courses that you have access to in the
central section of the page under ‘Available Courses’. Select the course title
to proceed to your Moodle Course Website.
Using Moodle
Navigation
You can navigate within your Moodle Course Website using links that are
grouped by unit or module, or by using links that are grouped by type of
resource or activity.

On the home page you will see the units or modules of your course grouped
into sections in the central part of the page. Each unit or module on this
page (as shown in the example below) includes links to relevant text
resources, forum (discussion) tools and assignments.

Most courses will also include a block of navigation links on

the left margin (as shown in the example to the right) that
lead directly to each of the major items for each unit or
module. This navigation block will be available on most
pages on the Moodle Course Website.

The text resources, forums and assignments available

within each unit or module can also be accessed through
the ‘Activities’ block, typically found in the left margin.
Select ‘Assignments’, ‘Forums’ or ‘Resources’ within this
block to present a list of all the items matching that
category.

Your Moodle Course Website includes a series of

‘breadcrumbs’ that move from left to right across the top
of your page, each item representing an entity in which the next is nested.
For example the breadcrumb:

DES > HPEO 404 > Readings > Unit 2 | Readings

indicates that the current page is the readings page for Unit 2. The links in
the breadcrumb will lead to: all readings (Readings); the HPEO 404 home
page (HPEO 404); and the main login page (DES).

Moodle supports the use of the back and forward buttons on your internet
browser. You should be aware that, as detailed below, if you are composing a
message in Moodle and you navigate away from the composition page
without posting your message, your work will be lost.

Moodle Help
Automated contextual help is available for most activities and resources
inMoodle. These are indicated by an icon next to a text box, button or
some other Moodle feature. If you select the icon a new window will open
with brief instructions about the relevant item.

Comprehensive documents on certain tools and functions in Moodle are

available where you see the icon . This will open the Moodle document
in a new window.

Moodle Activities | Forums

Forum activities in Moodle are used for class or group online discussions and
for sharing files with other members of the class. In many ways, a forum
resembles regular e-mail. You can Post messages and Reply to messages
posted by other members of your class, but you do not need to be online at
the same time as the other members of your class to do so. Most courses
will provide a direct link to each Forum activity within the unit or module
groupings on the home page. Some will also have a detailed navigation
block in the left margin. Forums can also be accessed through the Forums
link in the Activities block found in the left or right margin.

Forums use a distinctive icon and appear like this:

Topic #1 Discussion

Forum Tool Layout

• To enter a specific Forum activity, select the Forum link within the
appropriate unit or module block, or from the list of Forums found
under the Forum link in the Activities block.

The image below shows what a Forum activity page looks like. From here
you can start a new discussion topic or select an existing post to read.
Each discussion topic is listed under ‘Discussion’ along with the
corresponding author, number of replies, and date of the last post.

• View a post by selecting the title link under the ‘Discussion’ heading.

The post along with indented replies is displayed, by default, in what is

called a ‘nested’ layout. From a drop-down box just above the top post you
can select from four layouts for the display of posts.

Display replies All posts are displayed without indentation. The posts are
flat, with oldest ordered from oldest at the top to newest at the bottom.
first

Display replies All posts are displayed without indentation. The posts are
flat, with newest ordered from newest at the top to oldest at the bottom.
first

Display replies in The post currently being viewed is displayed in full and
threaded form links to any replies are displayed, indented by the degree
to which they are removed from the currently viewed
post. Multiple reply posts at the same level are displayed
with the newest at the top.
Display replies in All posts are displayed in full, with each reply indented
nested form beneath the post to which it is a reply. Multiple reply
posts at the same level are displayed with the newest at
the top.
 • Return to the Forum activity page by selecting the Forum activity title
in the breadcrumb navigation at the top of the page, or by using your
browser back button.

• Start a new topic by selecting the ‘Add a new discussion topic’ button.
Note that you can only start a new topic at the initial forum page. If
you are viewing a post you can only reply to that post.

The new page contains composition boxes for a topic subject and message.
There are formatting tools for use within the message body and attachments
can be added if allowed in the Forum. Remember that if you navigate away
from this window while composing a message, or if your browser or internet
service falters while composing a message, you will lose anything you have
typed. For long posts it is always better to compose your message off-line in
a word processor and then copy and paste it into the Moodle post
composition box.
 • Enter a topic subject and some message text. Then, if you wish, select
‘Browse’ to attach a file.

A window will open to allow you to navigate to the file on your computer that
you wish to upload. Once you have selected a file the window will close and
the path to the file will appear in the ‘Attachment’ line.
See more about attaching files in the ‘Attaching Files’ section.

• Select ‘Post to forum’ to complete your post.

Reply to a Message

To reply to a message you must first be viewing the message to which you
wish to reply.

• Select ‘Reply’ in the lower right corner of the post you are viewing.

The new page contains composition boxes for a topic subject and message.
The ‘Subject’ line will already contain the subject of the message to which
you are replying, but you can alter it if you wish. The message to which you
are replying is shown at the top of the page. There are formatting tools for
use within the message body and attachments can be added if allowed in the
Forum.

• Enter a topic subject and some message text. Then, if you wish, select
‘Browse’ to attach a file.

A window will open to allow you to navigate to the file on your computer that
you wish to upload. Once you have selected a file the window will close and
the path to the file will appear in the ‘Attachment’ line.

• Select ‘Post to forum’ to complete your post.

• A window will open to allow you to navigate to the file on your

computer that you wish to upload. Once you have selected a file the
window will close and the path to the file will appear in the
‘Attachment’ line.

• Select ‘Post to forum’ to complete your post.

Search Forums

You can search the subject line, text and author of the posts within the
forums for you course. You can find the ‘Search forums’ box within the
forum tool at the upper right hand corner of each page, or on the course
home page in a block on the left or right margin. The ‘Search forums’ block
on the course home page also includes an ‘Advanced search’ option.
Keyword Search

• Enter a suitable keyword in the text box beside ‘Search forums’ at the
upper right corner of your page and select ‘Search forums’.

Posts that contain that term in their subject or text will appear, with the
keyword highlighted.

• Select ‘See this post in context’ to view the post placed appropriately
within its forum.

If no results were found for your search you will be forwarded to the
‘Advanced search’ page.

Advanced Search

The advanced search allows you to apply more criteria to your search,
including author name and date range.

• From the course home page select ‘Advanced search’ in the ‘Forum
search’ block found on the left or right margin.

• Enter appropriate search criteria (fields left blank will be ignored) and
select ‘Search forums’.

Posts that contain the search term(s) within the criteria provided will appear,
with the search term(s) highlighted.

• Select ‘See this post in context’ to view the post placed appropriately
within its forum.

If no results were found for your search you will return to the ‘Advanced
search’ page.

Moodle Activities | Assignments

The Moodle Course Website includes tools that allow you to complete quizzes
online or submit assignments directly to your instructor. Always be careful to
read the assignment instructions – some instructor may still require you to
submit assignments using external e-mail. This instruction details how to use
the File Upload Assignment. There are other types of assignments, all of
them use a distinctive icon and look like this:

Assignment 4

Upload a File to Complete an Assignment

An assignment page in Moodle can, in addition to the assignment

instructions, include an upload tool to send a file directly to the Moodle
system where it will be accessible only to the instructor and the onlinehelp
desk. This portion of the assignment page only becomes visible during a
period of time specified by the instructor. If you cannot see an upload
function on your assignment page it may be that your are either too early or
too late – check with your instructor.

• To upload an assignment navigate to the appropriate assignment

page.

• If enabled, add any explanatory text required in the field called

‘Notes’.
 • Select ‘Browse’ in the ‘Upload a file’ section.

• In the window that appears navigate to the file you wish to upload and
select it.

• Once the path to the file appears in the ‘Upload a file’ section, select
‘Upload this file’.

You can now either send this file for marking, retrieve it for editing, delete it,
upload another file (if allowed), or edit the notes associated with your
assignment submission.
• To download the file select the file name listed under ‘Submission
draft’.

• To delete your file select the ‘x’ to the right of the file name. A window
will appear confirming your decision – select ‘Yes’.

• To upload another file (if allowed) select ‘Browse’ and follow the
instructions listed above.

• To edit the notes associated with your assignment submission select

‘Edit’ below the box for the ‘Notes’ section.
Use the Gradebook

If used by your instructor, the ‘Grades’ tool within the ‘Administration’ block
in the left or right margin will display your marks for the course
assignments. For items like an essay you will have to wait for the instructor
to mark the essays and then enter the grades in the Moodle grade-book. For
online quizzes your score may appear immediately after completing the quiz
or on a date set by the instructor to release the marks.

• To view your grades select ‘Grades’ under the ‘Administration’ block.

Copy/Paste Text into Moodle from Another Source

Compose/Save Offline

For many reasons, it is a good idea to compose long messages offline (e.g.
in Word or WordPerfect) rather than composing them directly in a Moodle
message.

• Composing messages offline will protect you from any Internet

connection "blips" that might interrupt your Blackboard connection,
causing you to lose the message you've worked so hard on.

• Composing messages offline will also allow you to save a local copy of
your message (which is a particularly good back-up to have in the case
of assignments).

Copy/Paste into Moodle

Once you have composed your message offline, you can "copy and paste" it
into a new Moodle message. The following instructions will help you if you
aren't sure how to copy and paste text from one program into another.

• Compose your message in a word-processing program like Word,

WordPerfect, WordPad, etc. Save it as you go.

• Once you have finished your message and are satisfied that it's ready,
save it again. Now click on EDIT at the top of your word-processing
program and then click on SELECT ALL. You will see that all of your
text is now highlighted.

• Again, click on EDIT in your word-processing program. This time, click

on COPY.
 • Now open your Internet browser and login to your Moodle course.
Open a new forum post.

• (Use the instructions provided in the "Moodle Activities | Forums"

section of this Startup Kit for more details on this process.)

• Click your mouse in the composition box of your new message and use
one of the following options to paste your text:

o Use the right button on your mouse (i.e. the one you don't use all
the time. If you have configured your mouse for left-handed use,
then this will probably be your left button.). Clicking on the right-
button here will bring up a small, pop-up menu. Select PASTE and
your text should appear in the message box.

OR

o On your keyboard, press the CTRL and V keys at the same time.
This is the keyboard shortcut for paste. (Mac users: press the
APPLE and V keys.) Your text should now appear in the message
box. Your text should now appear in the message box. Your text
will now appear in the message body of your message.

Learn more about using shortcut keys for common tasks at:
http://distance.uvic.ca/onlinehelp/tutorials/keybrd.htm

Attaching Files
Attach a File to a Forum Post

• Start a new topic by selecting the ‘Add a new discussion topic’ button
or select ‘Reply’ on an existing Forum post.
 • Enter a topic subject and some message text. Then select ‘Browse’ to
attach a file.

A window will open to allow you to navigate to the file on your computer that
you wish to upload. Once you have selected a file the window will close and
the path to the file will appear in the ‘Attachment’ line.
Select ‘Post to forum’ to complete your post.

Open Attachments

To open an attached file open the post

that contains the file and select the
linked file name found between the
post subject heading and the post text.
You should save the file to your
computer (to allow it to be scanned for
viruses) before opening it with an
appropriate program.

Should I Attach Files to my Moodle Messages?

The short answer to this question is "No", but there is nothing to prevent
you from sending an attachment if you wish.

You should only use the attachment function in Moodle Forums if you have
been required to submit an assignment/activity as an attachment. (And, if
you do submit an attachment, ALWAYS make sure you have included your
name on the document; if you don't, your instructor will not be easily able to
identify whose assignment they are marking. See Naming Convention for
Attachment Files for help with this.)

If you aren't required to submit an assignment as an attachment, just enter

your message into the body of the Forum message. This will avoid
attachment access-problems completely (e.g. for classmates/instructors who
have problems opening your attached file). Also, if you attach a file to a
Moodle message, your classmates and instructor will have to download the
file before they can open and read it. If a classmate or your instructor
returns to review your message a second or third time, they will have to
download your attachment each time they want to re-read it. Embedding
your text within a message means that anybody can read the text just by
opening the message.

Finally, if you embed your text in a message rather than posting it as an

attachment, your classmates and instructor won't need to feel as worried
about getting viruses from the electronic files.
Preferred File Format for Attachments

To prevent the problems that can result from software incompatibilities (e.g.
between Macs and PCs, or between Office 2003 and Office 2007), please
save and send all of your e-mail and Moodle attachments for the course in
Rich Text Format (.rtf). Any word-processing program can read this file
format and most formatting options are supported.

Saving in RTF (see also the graphic below):

• In your word-processing menu, select FILE and choose SAVE AS.

• In the SAVE AS… pop-up box that appears, type in the name of your
document (eg. LSmith_nurs325_assign1) in the File Name box.

• Click on the down-arrow at the far right of the "Save as Type" box.
This will bring up the menu of different file types. Scroll down to the
Rich Text Format option.

• Click on Save.
The steps are essentially the same in Office 2003 Word, Office 2007
Word, and in Word Perfect, although some of the wording in the steps
may differ slightly.
Naming Convention for Attachment Files

Before you send anyone a file attachment, check to make sure that your file-
name meets the following criteria. If it does not, please resave/rename your
file according to these criteria. Incorrect file names may prevent you from
being able to post your file and other users from being able to open your
attachment.

Does your file name include:

• any "illegal" characters?

Your filename should not contain any non-alphanumeric characters

(e.g. ! @ # $ % &)

The only acceptable non-alphanumeric character is an underscore ( _ )

.

• any spaces?

Filenames should not contain any spaces. For example "Progress

Report.rtf" is wrong; "Progress_Report.rtf" or "ProgressReport.rtf" are
correct.

• enough information to make sense to a recipient once the file

has been downloaded to his/her computer?

Try to keep your filenames short but meaningful, and ideally, include
your name. For example, "LSmith_nurs325_assign1.rtf" would help the
recipient to quickly identify that this file had been created by "L.
Smith" and probably had something to do with "Assignment #1" for
the course "NURS325".

This is particularly important for files you are submitting for your
instructor. Remember, you will not be the only one submitting
(required) files to your instructor and clear filenames will help your
instructor to keep track of everyone's submissions.
Logging Out of Moodle
On most Moodle Course Website pages you will see a message reading ‘You
are logged in as (your name) (Log out)’. This will be in the upper right
corner on most resource pages and in the middle toward the bottom on
activity pages.

• To log out of Moodle select the linked text ‘Log out’.