Changing Your Moodle Course Grade Expression

By default, Moodle displays grades in the gradebook in points. Here is how you can have the grades expressed in different ways.

The Proper Moodle Mobile App for LBCC

We have sensed some student confusion on which Moodle mobile app to use. The regular, official Moodle Mobile app is not compatible with LBCC Moodle, but that's not a bad thing, because the app that does work has more features! Here is the app you DO NOT want:

… and here is the app you DO want:

If you would like some clear instructions for your students, here you go:

1. Click to get the Open LMS mobile app or scanning the QR code below.

2. Launch the app and enter this URL (one time only) into the app text field: moodle.linnbenton.edu

3. Use your login credentials to sign in to the LBCC Single Sign-On (SSO) portal.

Introducing The Accessible Roadrunner

Dionna Camp, Accessible Technology Specialist in Accessibility Resources will be sending out monthly newsletters that will contain information on how to create accessible documents, videos, activities, and more.

Each month, we encourage you to institute the discussed accessibility aspects in your course materials. You are also welcome to submit materials for an accessibility audit. You can find details on how to submit materials in our first ever edition of Accessible Roadrunner - October 2023. 

In addition, Dionna will have drop-in times available for folks who would like to discuss aspects of accessibility within their own materials and disciplines. Check out Drop-In with Dionna - October 2023 for available drop-in times.

Moodle Announcements Forum Duplication

New Moodle courses have an Announcements forum pre-loaded, and thus, care must be taken when importing content so as to not duplicate this forum because having more than one will break the emailing processes.

Read more here.

Also check out our new eLearning Support site (bookmark it!), where you will find all kind of great support info and resources, including most of our help guides. We are adding great stuff to the site, so stay tuned!

Asking ChatGPT to Compare Moodle and Canvas

Which LMS is better: Moodle or Canvas?

Moodle and Canvas are two popular learning management systems (LMS) used in educational institutions. Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, and the choice between them will depend on the specific needs and requirements of the institution or organization.

One of the main advantages of Moodle over Canvas is its flexibility. Moodle is an open-source LMS, which means that it can be customized and modified to meet the specific needs of an institution or organization. Moodle supports more than 12 types of assessments, and there are multiple grading alternatives available to grade different assessments in different ways. Moodle also has an optional, fully-branded mobile app. However, Moodle has limited support, and organizations will need to contact their Moodle partner for additional support.

In contrast, Canvas is a closed-source LMS, providing fewer opportunities for customization. Canvas is equipped with various in-built features, but it is less adaptable than Moodle when it comes to personalizing the platform. Canvas LMS offers more robust collaboration features, and it has more robust support than Moodle. However, Canvas can be more expensive than some other LMS platforms, while Moodle is free to use as it is an open-source platform.

Ultimately, the best LMS platform for an institution or organization is the one that meets its specific needs in the most effective way, regardless of cost.

Which LMS is better: Canvas or Moodle?

Moodle and Canvas are two popular Learning Management Systems (LMS) used by educational institutions and businesses worldwide. Both LMSs have their strengths and weaknesses, and the choice between them depends on the specific needs of the organization.

Moodle is an open-source LMS that offers more control and advanced customizations for e-learning programs. It is the most used LMS globally, with a modular design and open-source technology. Moodle is free to use, and users can build a powerful learning environment from scratch with high flexibility. Moodle is suitable for both schools and businesses, and it has an optional, fully-branded mobile app. However, Moodle has a stale interface, which some users find unappealing.

Canvas, on the other hand, is a premium LMS that offers a modern, prettier interface for students to interact with. It is suitable for beginners who need a simple LMS to work with. Canvas is exclusively available to schools, colleges, and universities. It has more integrations than Moodle, giving users more freedom to customize the LMS to their needs. Canvas also offers more robust collaboration features. However, Canvas is limited in terms of functionality compared to Moodle.

In terms of user reviews, Canvas has a higher rating than Moodle. Canvas has 3617 reviews and a rating of 4.54 / 5 stars, while Moodle has 2912 reviews and a rating of 4.3 / 5 stars. Both LMSs offer networking conferences for users to exchange ideas. Moodle cloud users can contact only Moodle Partner, whereas Canvas provides additional support in the form of email and phone.

In conclusion, the choice between Moodle and Canvas depends on the specific needs of the organization. Moodle is suitable for those who want more control and advanced customizations, while Canvas is suitable for beginners who need a simple LMS to work with and want a modern interface.

Moodle Course Imports into a Collapsed Topics Course

As you know, the "Collapsed Topics" Moodle course format is now our systemwide default for new course shells. We have seen a few issues when a course import is processed into a Collapsed Topics course shell, the instructor doesn't see content imported into their future term course, and then attempts the import a second (or more) time. You can verify that your future term course has content by clicking the "Open All" feature:

​IMPORTANT: If you discover you have multiple copies of course content from duplicate course copy attempt(s), please let us know ASAP, and definitely before any student activity has occurred in your course, at which point it will be necessary to delete redundant resources and activities one at a time.

Downloading Student Assignment Submissions in Your Moodle Course

Have you ever needed to download all of your students' assignment submissions in your Moodle course? Here is an efficient way to download all of the submission files for an Assignment activity, and upload them into your Google Drive.

Addressing a Moodle Course Import Error

Occasionally, some funky HTML in a Moodle quiz question can cause an error when importing content between courses. Here is a simple way to fix it.

Universal Design for Learning in the Moodle environment

"Prior to the advent of UDL, many teachers expected every student to learn the same way. Most often, that meant a textbook. As learning moved online, this static teaching style translated to so many words on a screen. 

That approach left out auditory learners, kinesthetic learners, visual learners, and students with any number of barriers, from disabilities to unfamiliar languages. Multimodal presentation provides a solution. 

Instead of teaching through text alone, UDL asks teachers to present information via multiple media formats at once. With the right digital tools available in the LMS, students can choose the features that help them learn."

Read more here.

Tips for (Google) Tasks

Google Tasks is one of the lesser-used apps in the Google Apps suite, but it's a powerful app when you use it to combine and compliment the functionalities of various apps.

OpenLMS Moodle Mobile App Update

On April 28, the “old Open LMS” app will be removed from from the Google & iOS App stores (add to Google Calendar). You will still be able to use the old app, but will not be able to update it.

We recommend you delete the "old Open LMS" app, and ensure you have the latest version of the new app installed. The screenshot below shows the new app highlighted in yellow, and the old app is highlighted in red:

Create a Calendar Event from a Gmail Message

Have you ever decided to hold a meeting based on an email message thread, and then navigated back and forth between your Gmail and Google Calendar to create the event? Here is how you can make Gmail and Google Calendar do all of the work for you… PLUS an added-value trick you may not know about!

 

Open LMS Moodle Mobile App Update

We received a message from our Moodle host today:

As we mentioned in past communications about the Open LMS Moodle mobile application, there are currently 2 versions of the app available in the Apple and Google app stores. One is labeled “Open-LMS” and one is labeled “old Open LMS”.

As of the end of April, new updates and changes to the mobile app will only be available on the “Open-LMS” app version. The “old Open LMS” version will not be updated and will no longer be available in app stores. Technically, this older version will still work until the end of 2021, but new updates will not be included.

As a reminder from previous updates, here is the timeline of app changes:

February 17: We started deploying the new Open LMS App in the Apple and Google app stores and we changed the name of the old Open LMS app to “old Open LMS” in the stores. In the old app’s listing description, we recommend downloading the new App, titled “Open-LMS”.

April 28: We will remove the “old Open LMS” app from the stores. (Users will still be able to use it, but will not be able to update it.)

We recommend you encourage your users to delete the "old Open LMS" app, and ensure they have the latest version of the new app installed. To assist with this process, we’ve updated the icon on the old app to make it clear which one is no longer recommended.

The screenshot on the left is iOS, screenshot on the right is Android. The new app is highlighted in yellow, while the old app is highlighted in red:

Just as a reminder, a new version was created to ensure consistency and clarity with the deployment details in the app store. We do not anticipate this approach will be needed again. We realize that this creates confusion with users and additional work for all involved. Our goal is to make this process as easy as possible for your users, and to provide sufficient notice to you to ensure a smooth transition.