On May 17, 2013, the current Moodle server will be put into Archive mode. The old Moodle archive (hosting courses from Fall 2010-Spring 2012) will be dismantled and no longer available.
Faculty should read the information below and follow links to the Moodle Community course for more information and instructions.
The main reason is performance. Moodle's architecture is such that SSU cannot maintain thousands of courses indefinitely without seriously impacting performance of active courses. The longer a Moodle server is used, the slower it eventually becomes, even when it is diligently maintained.
SSU also needs to keep current with Moodle's major and minor version releases. Upgrading to a new major version (i.e., from 2.3 to 2.4) in place would mean likely disruption of courses, changes to functionality mid-term, downtime and some things breaking unpredictably in live courses.
When IT deployed Moodle on campus last year, we included high availability as a component of the project. Deploying a new Moodle server allows us to move closer to that goal. By the time summer session begins, Moodle will have highly available web frontend, database and storage backends.
So, in order to provide the fastest and most reliable learning management system for SSU faculty and students, SSU IT will deploy a new Moodle server once per academic year. The new Moodle server will have the most recent full version of Moodle, with all available patches, and host the active Moodle courses for that academic year.
See this Moodle Lifespan chart for the full deployment schedule.
Every year, as a new server is deployed, the older Moodle server will be put into archive mode for one year. During this time, faculty can still access the old courses to copy content to the new server, or check on saved student work for grade appeal. Students can also have access to the old courses at the instructor's discretion (as long as the student still has valid Seawolf ID).
After a year in archive mode, old Moodle servers are sent to the Moodle Graveyard, where IT securely dismantles the server and destroys the old data.
Instructors who wish to keep a copy of any old courses can make and download backup files. The Faculty Center can provide advice and assistance to faculty who wish to preserve their own copies of courses and student work.
The old Moodle Archive has reached the end of its lifespan. Effective May 17, 2013, it will no longer be available to faculty and students, and will be dismantled.
Faculty who wish to make copies of courses from the old Moodle 1.9 Archive must do so BEFORE May 17, 2013.
Instructions for downloading copies of Moodle 1.9 courses are available in the Moodle Community course.
The new Moodle 2.4 server will be available to faculty on April 4, 2013. This will allow faculty who teach summer courses to prepare. Initially, the new server will be called "Future Moodle" in the Online Services portal.
On May 17, 2013, after finals and before the summer session begins, the "Future Moodle" link will be renamed "Moodle", and the old Moodle link will be renamed "Moodle Archive." The link to the Moodle 1.9 archive (for courses from 2010-Spring 2012) will no longer be available.
Courses can be copied from the old server to the new one using the same Backup and Restore method used over the last few years. Updated instructions for this process will be posted in the Moodle Community course).
Faculty should prioritize making backups of Moodle 1.9 courses on the current Moodle Archive, as that server will no longer be available effective May 17, 2013.
The Faculty Center staff can assist in moving Miscellaneous courses to the new server as needed. Only courses that need to continue being active should move to the new server. Teachers of Miscellaneous courses will receive email from the Faculty Center with information about how to move those courses.
New sandbox courses can be created on the new server by request. However, the Faculty Center will not move sandbox course content from the old server for faculty. Please keep in mind that sandbox courses are intended as temporary exploration spaces to help instructors learn how to use Moodle. If you used a Sandbox course to build or store a course for future use, remember that you will continue to have access to that Sandbox in Archive mode until Summer 2014.
Some departments and programs offer courses that have start and end dates that don't match the official first and last days of instruction. Faculty who use Moodle with courses that start in Spring 2013 and end in Summer or Fall should contact the Faculty Center to determine the best course of action for their courses and students, ASAP.
Send email to martha.ezell@sonoma.edu, tim.hensel@sonoma.edu, or barbara.moore@sonoma.edu.
Faculty should consider this list of possible To-Dos, ordered by urgency. The Faculty Center can assist Moodle Teachers.
Students will continue to click the "Moodle" link in the portal to access active courses. A small number of students - those who are enrolled in classes with non-standard start of end dates, may need to access a course on "Future Moodle" or "Moodle Archive." Faculty of those classes should inform their students if this is the case.
Contact Martha Ezell or Tim Hensel in the Faculty Center if you need assistance.
Contact Barbara Moore if you have questions about the Moodle Life Cycle or deployment schedule.
]]>Register here (Seawolf ID required)
For faculty who want to learn how to get started using Moodle 2.
This workshop is for faculty who have some experience in the Moodle learning management system and want to learn about the new features now available in Moodle 2.
Drop in to the Faculty Center for hands-on help moving your old course to the new Moodle 2 environment.
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.