What is Moodle?
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The word Moodle is an acronym for Modular Object- Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. Moodle is an open source Learning Management System (LMS). Moodle allows instructors to easily post course information, hold class discussions, communicate with students, and administer online exams. Faculty do not need to know how to build a website to use Moodle; files created in Word, Power Point, Excel, and various other programs can be added directly through the use of online forms. Moodle also provides advanced learning content development tools, such as the Glossary, Book, and Lesson modules. Moodle is an alternative to commercial LMSs that is distributed free under GNU open source licensing.
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Why should I use Moodle in my courses?
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Moodle is currently used by a large community in more than 140 countries. It is pretty intuitive and instructors worldwide say that the more they use it, the more they like it.
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What is the URL for Moodle at AUB?
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What is MyMoodle?
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MyMoodle is the first page you see after you log in using your username and password. It contains links to all of your online courses. It also includes announcements, notices of events, a calendar and links (in the main menu box) to resources for instructors and students. Once you are inside your course, you will see a navigation bar starting with MyMoodle at the top of each page. Clicking on this link will take you back to your MyMoodle page.
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How many different types of accounts are there in Moodle?
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Apart from administrative accounts, there are five account types in Moodle:
- Primary Instructor – Every Moodle course starts with a primary instructor, who has full control over the course
- Co-Instructor – If necessary, co-instructor accounts can be created for other instructors who co-teach the course or who provide assistance on course content development and maintenance. The co-instructor is also called "Instructor with Editing Permissions" and s/he can do exactly what the primary instructor does (e.g., create course activities, provide feedback to students, and so on)
- Teaching Assistant - Also called "Instructor without Editing Permissions", a teaching assistant can provide students with feedback (e.g. assign grades, comment on assignments, etc.), but cannot add/modify course content
- Student - Students enrolled in a Moodle course can access the course material and post assignments, but they cannot change the course content
- Guest - Guests can view the course material, but they cannot modify it in any way or participate in any activity in the course.
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How can I create a Moodle account?
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Every student, faculty and staff member at AUB already has a Moodle account since the username and password for it are the same as their AUBnet ID.
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How can I create a Moodle course?
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Fill in the New Moodle Course form. Please read and accept the Moodle course agreement as well. Within 24 hours, the Moodle administrator will inform you that your course has been created and added to your MyMoodle page.
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How can I add students to my Moodle course?
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How can I remove students from my Moodle course?
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To remove students from your Moodle course, you need to send an e-mail to the Moodle Administrator specifying: your course title, course ID, and the AUBnet ID (e.g. abc99) of the students to be removed. The system administrator will notify you once the students have been removed from your course. If you need more information, call the Moodle administrator at 3518 / 3588 / 3586.
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How can I add/remove a teaching assistant or another instructor to my Moodle course?
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To add a teaching assistant or another instructor to your course, you need to fill out the Add AUB Users form. To remove a teaching assistant or another instructor from your course, you need to e-mail the Moodle administrator.If you need more information, call the Moodle administrator at 3518 / 3588 / 3586.
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What is guest access and how do I control it?
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Any person who clicks "Login as guest" on the main Moodle site is considered a guest in Moodle. You can decide, through the course settings, whether to allow/deny guest access to your course. The default setting is “Do not allow guests in”, but it can be changed to give access to guests with/without an enrollment key. Note that guests cannot change anything in a course: they are not allowed to access quizzes, submit assignments, or post to forums. They can only read or see certain parts of your course (forums, documents, etc.).
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How do I use Moodle for my committee or organization?
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To use Moodle for your Committee or organization, please fill out the New Moodle Project form. The Moodle administrator will create an empty project which you can customize like any Moodle course.
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Can anyone access courses on Moodle?
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No. Only students registered in a Moodle course may access it. However, instructors may allow guest access (see above) to a course.
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Can I connect to my Moodle course from off campus?
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You can access Moodle from any computer connected to the Internet:
In case these don't work, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to inform the staff there about the problem.
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What can I do if I have trouble accessing Moodle from my own computer?
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If you have enabled cookies, java-script, and pop-ups, and still have problems, check for any firewall or web proxy that might be running on your computer.
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Why can't my students save PDF file(s) from my Moodle course?
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Be sure that your students are using Adobe Acrobat version 4.0 or higher. If they are using Adobe Acrobat 3.0, they cannot save PDF files on their hard disk: they can only read or print them. A free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded from the Adobe Acrobat site.
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How do I log out of a Moodle session?
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In order to end a session you must click on Log out in the top right corner of your screen. If you do not log out your account will remain active. The next person to use that computer will have full access to your account.
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What should I do if I forgot my password?
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Moodle usernames and passwords are the same as the AUBnet IDs. When you forget your password, you need to contact Computing and Networking Services (ext. 2260) to reset your password.
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What should I do at the beginning of each semester?
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What should I do at the the end of each semester?
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Which Internet browser is the best for running Moodle?
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You may use Netscape (version 6.2x or above) or Internet Explorer (version 5.0 or above), Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and others. Some old versions of Internet browsers are not supported by Moodle. If you are posting quizzes and essay questions in Moodle, you should use Mozilla's Firefox since essay questions extensively use the HTML editor which works well in Firefox. You can have unexpected results (browser halt/crash), however, if you post essay questions using Internet Explorer! Firefox is open-source and free! You can download it from here.
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Do I need to install any software plug-in so that I can use Moodle?
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Please note that no special hardware is needed to run Moodle, however, files posted on Moodle may need a particular application for viewing. If you are attempting to view a MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint document, for example, make sure that the computer you are using has Microsoft Office. If you do not have Microsoft Office installed, you can download a viewer to view those Office documents. If you are attempting to view Flash material and you don't have a Flash player installed on your computer, then download the most recent Flash player from the Macromedia site. Other common, free plug-ins that you can download to your computer to access audio and video files include:
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Can I write equations in Moodle?
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The Dragmath equation editor is now installed in Moodle and accessible via the HTML editor's toolbar.
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Can I upload MS Office 2007 (.docx, .xlsx) to Moodle?
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Yes, you can upload MS Office 2007 documents to Moodle.
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Where can I learn how to use Moodle?
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The Academic Computing Center offers workshops on Moodle every semester on fixed dates or upon request at any other time. Check the Scheduled Sessions for times and dates or fill out the Request a Session form to schedule a Custom Session. You can also learn how to use Moodle through the tutorials available on the right hand side of the Moodle home page. Also you can experience the various activities and resources that Moodle can accommodate through the Hands-on Moodle course
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Where can I get help on Moodle?
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You can get help in several ways:
- Check the questions posted on this page and/or post a question by clicking on the blue icon at the top of the page
- Check the Moodle tutorials on the right hand side of the Moodle Home page
- Send an e-mail to the Moodle administrator
- Call the Moodle administrator (3518 / 3588 / 3586)
- Ask the Moodle Community Forums
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Important things to remember
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Your Moodle ID must be the same as your AUBnet ID (e.g. ab99). Always close your browser when you finish working with Moodle. Otherwise, others can assume your identity when they use the same machine. This applies to your students also. Always use the MyMoodle navigation bar and NOT the Back/Forward buttons of your browser for easier navigation in the Moodle pages. Do not use special characters in your filenames or passwords. Special characters such as a blank space, * / \ ? " ' { } etc., are not allowed in filenames or passwords.
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