00. Basic Moodle features and login Contents
00. Basic Moodle features and login Contents
What is Moodle?
Moodle is a Learning Management System (LMS) software for creating web pages for classes. Moodle is chosen mainly by educational institutions around the world as a useful tool to supplement face-to-face classes by encouraging students' self-directed learning outside of class and communication between faculty and students. Moodle is open source software and is constantly being improved by volunteers.
Moodle provides a learning environment for students to prepare and review by providing lecture materials and a variety of other teaching aids in Moodle courses binded with its lecture.
Moodle has various features. This manual explains only its basic uses.
Chiba University Moodle can be accessed from the following URL.
https://moodle.gs.chiba-u.jp/moodle/
To use Chiba University Moodle, you must be a student, faculty, staff or researcher at Chiba University and have been issued an ID (username) for the University Information and Communication Systems.
Chiba University Moodle accounts are managed using Chiba University’s integrated authentication system managed by the CUDTEC(Chiba University Digital Transformation Enhancement Council).
Please prepare in advance your username (the ID used for educational devices), which is the ID of the information infrastructure system, and password.
Please access the site from the following URL.
https://moodle.gs.chiba-u.jp/moodle/
Click “Login” in the upper right corner of the screen to open the login screen.
Enter your “Username” and “Integrated Authentication Password” and click “Login”.
Language selector (Japanese/English)
On the Home screen before login, on the login screen, and in the icon menu, there is a "Language Settings" menu that allows you to switch the language used in Moodle between Japanese and English.
If your account is not enrolled in Moodle, the "Edit Profile" screen will appear when you log in.
Please edit "Last Name," "First Name," and "Select your department". Remember to click 'Update profile' when you have finished.
The first name and last name edited here will appear in the list of participants in the course.
(1)Edit first and last name *Required
Please edit your First name, Last name as reported to Chiba University. If you changed it later, please notify Moodle Support (moodle-support◆chiba-u.jp) (change "◆" to 1 byte "@").
(2)Select your department
Please choose “Select your department” from the pulldown menu. If you have multiple accounts, please choose the department that distributed your logged-in username.
Settings Faculty and Staff Email Addresses
When using Chiba University Moodle, the system is going to send notifications and messages from other users to your Chiba University integrated email address (e.g., ...@chiba-u.jp or ...@faculty.chiba-u.jp).
It is not possible to change the email address that Moodle uses. If you would like to receive emails from Moodle to the other address as well, please set the forward setting in your own Chiba University Webmail.
*Student email addresses are set differently depending on the year of admission. Please check here.
Moodle has the following features
Publication and Download of Materials
Students can upload slides and handouts used in lectures.
Materials can be posted in a variety of file formats, such as PDF, Word, and PowerPoint files so that students can download them.
Publishing Videos (SCORM)
This function allows you to upload videos to Moodle and have students watch them on Moodle.
By creating and using a SCORM package on the HLS video management site, you can check students' video viewing history.
Presenting Assignments
Moodle makes it easy to present and receive reports, and can be used for centralized management of reports.
Moodle allows you to check the status of submitted reports on a list screen, and also allows you to set due dates for reports. It is also possible to give feedback on submitted reports, such as returning them with comments.
Quizzes
Quizzes can be administered and graded in Moodle.
The quiz results can be checked before class, and detailed explanations can be given in class for questions with low percentages of correct answers.
The system can create various types of questions, such as Multiple choice, True/False, Matching, and Embedded answers (Cloze) questions.
Feedback (Questionnaire)
Survey or Feedback is a feature that allows you to collect feedback and information from your students on Moodle.
There are a variety of question types, including multiple choice and long answers.
The feedback created can be used as a template that can be imported and used in other courses, making it useful for administering the same content survey in multiple courses, such as an evaluation survey for a class course.
The responses can be anonymous, and in the case of surveys, the date and time of submission can be recorded.
Forum (Announcements)
Forum provides a forum for mutual learning where students can express their own opinions and questions about matters related to the class.
Students and faculty members can post making students allow to exchange their opinions and impressions on a single topic among multiple students by posting.
Posts to the "Announcements" section at the beginning of every course will be sent via email to all enrolled students in the course.
Wiki
Wiki is a tool feature for creating an internal glossary on the Web base. You can create a "Collaborative wiki" where the whole class can edit the glossary together, or each student can create a "Individual wiki" that is visible only to himself/herself and the teacher.
Moodle includes the "Dashboard Block" that allows you to view all of your enrolled courses, assignment submission schedules etc. at once and the "Course" for creating and running classes.
This is the Moodle home screen.
It is displayed when you access Moodle without logging in.
It is also displayed by clicking on Home in the header menu.
Notifications such as “Notices” and “Maintenance Information” are posted on the Home screen.
The Home screen also contains various operation manuals and other information that can be viewed even if you are not logged in.
This is the screen of a class course. (The image shows the initial screen after the course is created.)
In this section, you can enrol materials, videos, assignments, quizzes, etc. for the class.
The header menu is the same on all screens in Moodle with menus of "Home", "Dashboard", "My courses", "All courses", "User Guide", and "Link". In addition, where you are enrolled for a teacher role with editing privileges the "Edit mode" button is displayed on course screens
a. Notification: appears when there is movement in the course activity. When there are unread notifications, a red number will appear next to the icon. The notifying information can be changed from "Notification preferences".
System notifications sent to your email, such as login notifications, can also be changed here.
b. Messages: Messages can be sent and received among course teachers and participants. When there are unread messages, a red number will appear next to the icon.
If "Notification preferences" is turned on, you will receive messages by email.
c. User menu: You can choose Profile, Grading in the course etc.
“Switch roles to..." will be available when you click here in a course in which you are enrolled as a teacher role. Switching roles makes it capable of checking the view changes of the screen. You can also logout from here.
d. Button for start/stop the Edit mode. Moving into edit mode allows you to add various content to the course.
Clicking on the tabs in the upper right corner of the screen displays an open/close block menu (block drawer).
The block drawer on the Site home displays the calendar, announcements from the administrator, and a list of enroled courses. In addition, on the Course screen enroled in the Teacher Role, the information to be displayed can be selected and rearranged for each block.
The items displayed in the block drawer depend on what is displayed on the main screen.
Click on the tab in the upper left corner of the course screen to display the course index.
Once logging in, "Dashboard" will open. On the main screen of the Dashboard the Recently accessed courses, Timeline, Course overview, and Calendar will be displayed.
In addition, the "Block Drawer" on the dashboard will display the latest announcements, upcoming events, and my courses.
a. Recently accessed courses: A list of the most recently accessed courses will be displayed.
b. Timeline: Activities that require action, such as quizzes and assignment submissions, are displayed. You can also filter the display by date and time or deadline.
c. Course overview: Displays the courses you have enroled for. Select a course to access class information and materials.
Please refer to "Course overview (My Courses)" (1) (2) (3) below for the conditions for displaying courses and how to switch courses.
d. Calendar: Shows assignments, quiz deadlines, and other events.
e. Latest announcements:Maintenance information and other announcements from the administrator are displayed.
f. Upcoming events: Displays a summary of events enroled in the calendar.
g. My courses: Displays the courses you are enroled in.
The "Timeline" block of the dashboard displays a schedule date such as submitting due dates for assignments set by the teacher.
The display can be toggled by due date and other criteria.
The Course overview displays the courses in which you are participating under the account you are logging in. You can use the filters to switch the displaying course. The Course overview also opens when you select "My Courses" from the menu.
As the default setting for all courses in Chiba University Moodle the course duration is from the date the course is created to the end of the current academic year. Please do not change the course duration (startdate and enddate).
(1) Course Switching Filters
All: Displays all enrolled courses except courses that have been removed from view.
AY20xx: Displays courses currently being offered in the 20xx academic year (curriculum year).
Future : Displays courses that will be held in the future.
Past: Displays courses after the course period has ended.
Starred: Shows courses that have been set to be starred.
Removed from view: Displays courses that have been "Removed from view".
(2) How to customize the Course overview layout
Users can specify course display layouts (card/list/summary) from the course overview block.
(3) "Starred" or "Removed from view" Settings
Click on the star symbol in the lower right corner of the card or list to select it.
Star this course: A star will appear at the beginning of the course name and the course will be set as a "starred" course.
Remove from view: The course will be hidden no matter if it is open or not, and will only appear in the "Remove from view" list. Selecting "Restore to view" from the "Removed from View" list will return the course to its normal view.
Courses are arranged in hierarchical categories.
Clicking on a category name will display a list of the courses enroled in that category.
You can also switch categories using the ① select box.
② Enter the "course name" or "class code" in the course search field and click the magnifying glass icon to search for a course.