Metacourse Request Form (opens in a new window)
]]>Faculty and Students will not have access to courses on Moodle 1.9 during this time. This includes all official university courses, metacourses, sandboxes and other miscellaneous Moodle 1.9 courses.
Also on May 18, in Online Services, the link titled "Moodle" will start pointing to the new Moodle 2.2 server.
When Moodle 1.9 returns on May 22, it will be appear in Online Services as "Moodle Archive." This is to support faculty for migration of course content from Moodle 1.9 to 2.2, and for possible grade appeals. All Moodle Archive courses will be set to be unavailable to users with the student role. Moodle Archive should not be used for live classes or other production work.
Moodle 2.2 is available now. All Summer and Fall 2012 courses have been loaded. Faculty who want assistance with moving course content from Moodle 1.9 to 2.2 should contact the Faculty Center.
Email: centerf@sonoma.edu
Phone: (707) 664-2659
Drop-in: Schulz 1125
SSU's new Moodle 2 server is now available. To access it, login to Online Services and click Moodle Future.
Summer 2013 courses have been loaded, and faculty may start adding content and activities.
Instructions for copying course content from Moodle 1.9 to Moodle 2 can be found in the Moodle Users Group course. Faculty and others with the Moodle Teacher role can contact the Faculty Center for assistance.
Email: centerf@sonoma.edu
Phone: (707) 664-2659
Drop-in: Schulz 1125
Yes. For most courses, converting a 1.9 course to Moodle 2 will be just like copying a course from a past semester into a new course.
No. Conversion is "self-serve." Faculty should decide which courses they want to carry forward. But don't worry - it won't be difficult. Step-by-step instructions will be available for faculty who wish to convert an older course to Moodle 2, and hands-on support will be available in the Faculty Center. Moodle 1.9 courses will be available on a Moodle Archive server until the end of May, 2013. Faculty may also download a backup of any course to save on their own computer.
No. Effective Summer 2012 session, Moodle 2 will be SSU's production Learning Management System. SSU's Moodle 1.9 server will not be available for use with live courses. Moodle 2 is very similar to Moodle 1.9, and should not require completely re-learning how to use Moodle.
Yes. All official University courses will automatically be created and populated in Moodle based on CMS course and enrollment data.
There are many improvements in Moodle 2. Some of these are:
Moodle 2 will be in use for Summer 2012 courses (and beyond). Moodle 1.9 will not be used for live courses after the Spring 2012 semester.
| Place: | Faculty Center, Schulz 1125 |
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| Time: | Noon-1:00pm |
| Dates: | Wednesday, March 7 |
| Thursday, March 8 |
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| Thursday, March 15 |
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| Friday, March 16 |
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| Wednesday, March 21 |
| Place: | Faculty Center, Schulz 1125 |
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| Time: | Noon-1:00pm |
| Dates: | Tuesday, April 3 |
| Thursday, April 5 | |
| Monday, April 9 | |
| Wednesday, April 11 | |
| Tuesday, April 17 | |
| Wednesday, April 18 | |
| Sign Up: | Register Online with Seawolf ID |
Will my Moodle 1.9 course work in Moodle 2?
Yes. For most courses, converting a 1.9 course to Moodle 2 will be just like copying a course from a past semester into a new course.
Will all my Moodle 1.9 courses be automatically converted to Moodle 2?
No. Conversion is "self-serve." Faculty should decide which courses they want to carry forward. Step-by-step instructions will be available for faculty who wish to convert an older course to Moodle 2, and hands-on support will be available in the Faculty Center. Moodle 1.9 courses will be available on a Moodle Archive server until the end of May, 2013. Faculty may also download a backup of any course to save on their own computer.
Can I just keep using Moodle 1.9 until I'm ready to use Moodle 2?
No. Effective Summer 2012 session, Moodle 2 will be SSU's production Learning Management System. SSU's Moodle 1.9 server will not be available for use with live courses. Moodle 2 is very similar to Moodle 1.9, and should not require completely re-learning how to use Moodle.
Will I still automatically have access to my courses? And will my students still be automatically enrolled?
Yes. All official University courses will automatically be created and populated in Moodle based on CMS course and enrollment data.
What improvements will faculty and students see?
There are many improvements in Moodle 2. Some of these are:
More information about Moodle 2 will be posted at www.sonoma.edu/moodle as it becomes available.
If you have questions about the Moodle 2 upgrade, contact Barbara Moore barbara.moore@sonoma.edu.
If you have questions about using Moodle 2, contact Martha Ezell martha.ezell@sonoma.edu, or Tim Hensel hensel@sonoma.edu, in the Faculty Center.
]]>Register here (Seawolf ID required)
For faculty who want to learn how to get started using Moodle.
How to use the Forum and Messages tools for effective communication with students, without overly impacting your email inbox.
Learn how to easily add a variety of library resources and materials in your Moodle course.
Tips for easier use of Moodle's Grades tool.
Make an appointment with Faculty Center staff to go over any Moodle Gradebook issues you might encounter.
]]>Please use this form to apply for the Fall 2011 Faculty Moodle Training Program. (Sorry, applications are no longer being accepted.)
Faculty have the opportunity to participate in extensive Introduction to Teaching with Moodle online training this Fall 2011. This will begin with a face-to-face session with award-winning Moodle trainer, Joan Van Duzer, Friday, September 23 from 9:00 am -1:00 pm (lunch included). The training will then move online for four weeks, with approximately 1-2 hours of participation per day. Though participation is designed to be daily, there is flexibility to move ahead or catch up, within reason.
As part of the training, faculty participants will develop an actual Spring 2012 course and may choose to develop other courses, simultaneously. This will put these instructors in a strong position for effective use of Moodle from Spring 2012 forward.
We seek a broad and diverse level of faculty involvement and are open to participation by instructors of all backgrounds and expertise levels related to online teaching and learning.
Information Technology will pay for the training, which is normally $200 per person. Up to 20 faculty participants will be accepted into the project.
Questions? Email barbara.moore@sonoma.edu.
]]>Quicktime is required to view the videos.
If you'd like to follow the videos and build your own sample course, download these training files (ZIP). If you don't already have a blank Moodle course on SSU's Moodle server, contact the IT Web Office to request a Sandbox course. A Sandbox is an empty course you can use to explore Moodle. Students don't have access to Sandbox courses by default.
]]>This video features Chris Mattia, the narrator of the Lynda Moodle Training videos. He explains that Moodle works on 3 levels:
1. Disseminating knowledge and information
2. Creating a collaborative community where ideas can be exchanged
3. Assessing the progress of students
Moodle is an online learning management system. The most common use of Moodle is to create an online adjunct to a face-to-face classroom.
]]>Turn Editing On
If you are unsure how to do this please see directions here. (opens in new window)
Content Block
These are the blocks of information found in the middle of a Moodle page. At the top of this block is an "Edit" icon. This will allow you to change the header information for that block.
Items Within a Content Block
Each item within a content block has a set of icons that allow you to edit the item.
Indent will slide that particular item over like a tab in a word processor. This is useful for organizing hierarchies of content.
Move will display a series of boxes where you can move the content up or down. Just click on the box where you want to move the item. You can even move it to another content block.
Edit opens the item's setup menu, allowing you to change its settings.
Delete removes the item.
Hide/Show will make the item visible or invisible to students. If the eyeball is open then students can see the item when they check the Moodle page. If the eyeball is closed then the item is hidden from students, and will appear "greyed out" on your teacher Moodle page. This allows you to create an item ahead of time, like a test, but not have it visible to your students until you choose to make it visible.
Add a Resource / Activity
When editing is turned on there are two drop down menus in each content block: "Add a Resource" and "Add an Activity". Resources are information files you want to provide to your students. Activities are things you want your students to do or hand in.
Altering & Moving a Content Block
On the right hand side of every content block is a series of block icons, used to alter the block's appearance and location on the Moodle page.
Show Block icon will make that content block the only one visible, except for the header block. Push it again to return the other content blocks to your Moodle page.
Highlight Block icon will color that content block, so your students know which block to focus on.
Hide/Show icon will make that content block appear or disappear on the page.
Move Block icon will move the content block up or down on the Moodle page.
Switch Roll To
This drop-down menu in the upper right hand corner of the Moodle page will allow you to switch between your teacher access and that of a student, so you can see what your site looks like to them. To return just hit the button to return to teacher roll. Make sure to turn editing back on if you want to continue to change things.
Click on your name on the upper right of the Moodle page. Hitting the "Edit Profile" tab will allow you to change your personal information. Make sure your email address is correct. The "Description" box will change the information that appears near the top of your profile. You can select a picture of yourself by clicking on the "Browse" button on the "Picture of" section. Make sure to fill in a "picture description" under that section.
If you want to add additional contact information click on the "Advanced" button on the bottom.
When you click "Update Profile" your new profile will appear.
You can also use this screen to change your password for this class, unenroll yourself from this class, or send messages to any other moodle user. You can find your Forum Posts here, as well as make a new blog entry. The "Notes" section is for posting information that will be visible by other teachers. "Site Notes" will be visible by all teachers using Moodle. "Course Notes" will be visible by all teachers teaching that course. "Personal Notes" will only be visible by you.
Note: SSU Moodle uses your official SSU email address. For students, this is in the form of username@seawolf.sonoma.edu. For faculty and staff, this is in the form of username@sonoma.edu OR first.last@sonoma.edu, depending on your Exchange email preferences. If you try to change your email address in the Moodle profile, the automatic enrollment update will reset it to your official email address.
]]>The Moodle page defaults to a "Topic Outline" setting. However some teachers prefer a format that allows you to lay out assignments by week. You can change this by going to the Administration Block on the left and click "Settings". You should not have to modify the names or course ID numbers. The Summary is for the catalog description of the class.
Under this is a dropdown for "Format". Here you can change the format to "Weekly", set the number of weeks for the course and the start date. If you plan to have students working in groups you can enable that under the "Groups" dropdown. There are two choices here: "Separate Groups" can only access the work of those in their own group, while "Visible Groups" can see all the work that is being done in the class. You can of course see everyone's work regardless.
Tip: If most of the assignments in the course are not group assignments, then leave the groups mode at "No groups." You can always change this setting for specific assignments later.
If you are still setting up your course you can decide whether or not your students can access it or not using the "Availability' dropdown. Here you can also make your site available to visitors who are not enrolled in the class.
Make sure to hit "Save Changes" when you're done. When you return to your site you'll see it's now laid out in weekly content blocks
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