Moodle User Guide for faculty members

01. Basic operation Contents

1. Basic operation

Moodle provides students with a learning environment to prepare for and review lectures by preparing lecture materials and various other teaching materials assigned for each lesson in their course. This section provides information on how to "Accept students into a course", "Edit a course", and "Confirm a course from the students’ perspective", all of which is essential for faculty members to become a course administrator and manage their course.

When using Moodle, users are assigned a role for each course, namely a teacher or student role. Instructors who have been assigned a teacher role have the authority to edit the course they are in charge of and prepare various contents for the course. Meanwhile, students are assigned a student role. The student role does not generally have editing authority, and is mainly for students to access content provided by an instructor.

1 . 1 What is Moodle?

Moodle is a software for creating lesson web pages called a Learning Management System (LMS). It is used mainly by educational institutions around the world as a useful tool and supplement to face-to-face classes that promotes students' voluntary learning on the web outside of class, and communication between teachers and students. Moodle is also an open-source software that is constantly being improved by volunteers.

Moodle enables the following.

Presentation of lecture materials
Presentation of assignments and submission of reports
Quizzes
Questionnaires
Provision of a forum for discussions
Collaboration using Wikis
Communication with students in the class

Moodle has various other features, but this manual explains only its basic uses.

Chiba University Moodle can be accessed from the following URL.

https://moodle.gs.chiba-u.jp/moodle/

1.2 Logging into Chiba University Moodle

Chiba University Moodle accounts are managed using Chiba University’s integrated authentication system managed by the Chiba University Digital Transformation Enhancement Council.

Please prepare in advance your user number (the ID used for educational devices), which is the ID of the information infrastructure system, and password.

Chiba University Moodle login

Access

https://moodle.gs.chiba-u.jp/moodle/

on your browser.

Enter your "User number" and password in the "Login" block on the top left of the screen and click "Login".

１　You can choose between Japanese and English as the language used in Moodle．

User information registration

If your account is not registered in Moodle, you will be prompted to enter your user information (profile) when you log in for the first time. After setting the following three items, click "Update profile" at the bottom of the screen to update your registered information.

（１）Enter first and last name

Please enter your last name and first name that is on file at the university. If your last name or first name changed at a later date, please contact Moodle Support (moodle-support◆chiba-u.jp).

（２）Select affiliation

Select your affiliation from the pull-down menu.

（３）About Email addresses

When using Chiba University Moodle, system notifications and messages from other users can be checked via your Chiba University email address ("... @chiba-u.jp" or "... @faculty.chiba-u.jp", etc.). You cannot change the email address in Moodle. If you wish to receive notifications with another Email address, please adjust the forwarding settings on your page in the Chiba University webmail system.

1 .3 Dashboard

When you log in to Moodle, you will see the "Dashboard" screen.

It displays alerts for notifications and messages, and basic information such as "Timeline", "Recently accessed courses", "Overview of courses", and "Calendar".

Block drawer
This feature has been added not only to the dashboard, but to all screens in Moodle.

By clicking the "<" shown in 1., a screen called the "block drawer" will appear.

The block drawer displays information from the main screen and about any necessary operation menus.

The following is a description of the dashboard screen.

Timeline

The "Timeline" in the dashboard displays schedules, such as deadlines for submitting assignments given by the teacher.

Recently accessed courses

Displays a list of your most recently accessed courses.

Overview of courses

"Overview of courses" in the dashboard shows all available registered courses. They are classified as follows according to the course period.

■ In progress : Displays courses that are currently in progress.

■ Future : Displays courses that will be held in the future.

■ Past : Displays past courses.

■ Starred : Displays courses that have been marked with a star.

■ Removed from view : Displays courses that have been deleted from the dashboard display.

These classifications are set by the "Start date" and "End date" in the settings screen of each course (displayed from "Course management" > "Edit course settings" in the management block) (Refer to 1-6 course preparation "Course settings"). Note that even when a course has ended, this does not mean that you will not be able to access the course.

1 .4 My Course

My Course

A screen similar to the "Overview of courses" in "1.3 Dashboard" will be displayed.

1 .5 All courses and course search

Course search

Selecting "Category" will display courses in the appropriate category.

１　Select the "Category" of the course you wish to search
２　Courses in the selected category will be displayed.

You can search for a course from "Search courses".

To search for a course, enter the course name or class code in the "Search for a course" field and click on the magnifying glass icon.

1 .6 Creating a course in Chiba University Moodle

1.For a class course application

Courses are created in Chiba University Moodle by application.

There are two main ways to apply for a course. For details, please refer to the "Course application/course usage information (for faculty members)".

For a class course application
Click on the "Apply" button under "Create Moodle course" in the syllabus editing system. The course will be automatically created within about one day after the application is submitted.

For the teacher in charge (teacher role), the teacher registered in the "Teacher in charge" section of the syllabus is automatically registered with the "Teacher role" for the Moodle course.

For applications other than class courses and for other applications
Contact Moodle Support to apply, referring to the "Course application/course usage information (for faculty members)".

A class course refers to a course that is registered in the student portal syllabus.

If you have any questions when creating a course, please refer to "Q3-1. Creating and Setting Up Courses" in the "Q&A" section of the manual.

TF/TA student course registration

Please apply from "2. Registering a TF/TA student course" in Moodle course “For faculty members: Course application/course usage information”.

2. Importing past course content into a new course

You can import course content from a previous year and from another course of the year into a new course.

For details, please refer to "14. Importing" in the manual.

1 .7 Course home screen layout

１．When you log in to Moodle and access a course for which you have been assigned a teacher role, you will see the course home screen as shown in the figure.

２．Click the button on the left side of the screen to open the "Course index". You can easily view a list of course topics and rearrange their order.

On the right side of the screen is a button to open the "Block drawer," which, when clicked, displays the Administration block for the course.

The center contains the "Course section," which is a space for positioning content used in the course.

Ａ：　You can check system notifications and messages.

Ｂ：　You can adjust your profile settings by clicking your first and last name displayed in the upper right corner of the screen. You can also log out from here.

Ｃ：　This button is used to toggle edit mode on/off. You can use edit mode to add various contents to the course.

Ｄ：　Open the "Course index".

Ｅ：　Open the "Block drawer" to display the management block.

Ｆ：　This section contains course content description and is used to add content for the class.

1 .8 Course preparation

This section explains "Course settings" and "Student registration to a course" in preparation for students to use the course.

Confirming and editing course settings

１．Course settings can be adjusted from "Settings" under the course name, or from "Settings" in the administration block that appears when the block drawer is opened.

The menu under the course name is called "Course navigation".

２．A course setting screen labeled as "Edit course settings" will then be displayed.

Ａ：　Set by administrator, so please use as is.

Ｂ：　Set "Course Visibility" to "Show" so that students can access the course. If it is set to "Hide", the course will not be displayed nor available to students. If you want to prepare a 4th term course during the 2nd term, you can temporarily hide it so that it cannot be accessed by students during the period.

Ｃ：　Please indicate the start date and end date of the class.

Ｄ：　The administrator will set the date, but please modify it accordingly. If you apply for a course from the syllabus, the start date and end date of the course will be set according to the syllabus.

Ｅ：　By default, the course format is the "Topic format" separated by course topic. A "Weekly format" that divides the course into weeks is also a convenient setting for weekly lessons. When using the weekly format, set the "Start date" in addition to the "Number of sections".

Examples of "Topic format" and "Weekly format"

Topic format

Weekly format

Tabs are closed and hidden except for the main configuration items. To configure an item included in this category, click on the category name to display the configuration item.

Registering students in a course

Automatic registration through enrollment
In Chiba University Moodle, students are automatically registered for a course after enrolling in it. Therefore, it is generally unnecessary to register for a course with a Enrolment key.

When registration is not automatic (course registration with a Enrolment key)
If students are not registered automatically, they can register on their own. In this case, it will be necessary to set a password known as the "Enrolment key" to access the course. Please refer to "Enrolment key" below for details on the process covering enrolment key setting to student self enrolment in a course.

When registration is not automatic (manual registration)
If students are not registered automatically, they can be registered manually. Please refer to "Manual registration" below.

Course registration with a Enrolment key

１．Open the block drawer on the right side of the course screen to display the management block.

From the management block, click on Users > Enrolled users > Enrolment methods.

２．Click on the gear icon to the right of Self enrolment (students) to display the settings screen.

3．Set the "Enrolment key" (click the eye icon to display the entered characters).

Also make sure that "Allow new registrations" is set to "Yes" so that the new registrations are valid.

Disabling Self enrolment
If you wish to prohibit student self enrolment, click the "Eye" icon in step 2 above to show a slash over the icon (the eye icon is next to the gear icon). The self enrolment option will then be grayed out and the feature will be disabled.

《Setting the registration period 》

If you wish to limit the period during which self enrolment is possible to a certain range, check "Yes" for "Start date" and "End date" in the "Self enrolment" settings, and set each date. Meanwhile, there is also a similar option labeled "Registration period" which is for setting the period during which users who have self-registered for the course can access it. Therefore, please note that if the registration period is set to four weeks for example, self enrolment will become disabled (paused) four weeks after self enrolment, and students will not be able to access the course even if class is still in progress.

Manual registration

Students can be registered manually from the screen.

１．First, open the "Enrolled users" screen by one of the following methods.

・Click "Participants" from the menu under the course name.
・Open the "Administration block" from the block drawer and click on "Users," then "Enrolled users".

２．Click "Enrol users" on the "Enrolled users" screen.

Enter the student's user number, student ID number, or name (insert a space between their last name and first name) in the "Select user" field, and a list of candidates will appear. Make a selection by clicking on the student you wish to register.

Make sure that the "Assign role" field is set to "Student".

Click "Enrol user".

1 .9 Editing a course

When you click the "Edit mode" button at the top right of the course home screen and switch to edit mode, you will be able to edit the course. To start editing, first try entering text in the topics section (editing using the "Add an activity or resource" feature will be introduced in the following chapters).

１．Click "Edit mode" to switch to edit mode.

2．You can change topic names displayed in the course, "Add an activities or resources" to a topic, or add a topic itself.

1 .10 Editing a topic

１．The edit screen is displayed.

Topics displayed on screen

　A　 Click on the "︙" next to the topic displayed on the screen to open the edit menu,

　B　 Select "Edit topic" from the edit menu to display the topic editing screen.

In addition, you can set highlights, show/hide topics, move/delete topics, etc. from the menu that appears.

　C　The topic name can also be changed by clicking on the pencil icon.

２．Editing a topic

Check the "Custom" checkbox if you wish to enter the "Section name" field.
Enter the name of the class unit, etc., and it will become the name of the topic.

You can enter a description of the topic in the "Summary" field.

If you wish to set usage restrictions for each topic, you can do so here.

Click "Save changes" to save your edited content.

1 .11 Editing activities and resources

The edit menu for activities and resources added to each topic can also be accessed by clicking the "︙" button displayed on the screen to the right of the item.

Each activity and resource can be configured to "Edit Settings", "Move", "Show/Hide", "Duplicate", "Assign Roles", and "Delete".

1 .12 Description of editing icons

In Moodle, you can edit a course using various editing menus (editing icons). The main editing icons are introduced below.

1 .13 Confirming a course from the students’ perspective

　Courses are set up and their content is added from the instructor's perspective, but in managing the course, it is also important to confirm how the course appears to students. Teachers and students in the course differ in what they can do in the course due to the differences in authority. This section explains how to confirm the course from the students’ perspective to ensure the content you want to show is visible not only to instructors but also to students.

Use the "Switch roles" feature to view from the students’ perspective.

１．Click the username icon in the upper right corner of the screen to display the menu, then click "Switch role to...".

２．The "Switch role to..." screen will display.

Select "Student".

３．You will be switched to the student role, so check if files etc. posted in the topics section can be accessed from the students’ perspective.

To return to your original teacher role, click "Return to normal role" from the menu at the top right of the screen.

Topics, activities, and resources that are set to "Hide" or "Hide from students" on the teachers’ screen will not be displayed on the students’ screen.

Materials posted in a course that are not open to students can be hidden from students from the "Edit" menu for each topic.

《Confirmation of graded activities from the students’ perspective》

When you wish to confirm graded activities such as assignments and quizzes (explained in Chapters 3 and 4, respectively) from the students’ perspective, you will need to set yourself as a "Student" who is subject to grading. To do so, it is necessary to set up an actual student role, as it is not sufficient to simply switch to the student role. Here, confirmation of an assignment will be used as an example. Click on the assignment you wish to confirm from the students’ perspective, and "Manage assignment" will be displayed in the management block on the left side of the screen. By selecting "Locally assigned role" here, you will be able to set a new role for the current assignment only, so select "Student" to set a student role for yourself.

This will allow yourself to be subject to grading, just like the other students are, and receive a grade and feedback after submitting the assignment. After confirming, exit the student role in the same way.

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