Designing your Moodle Course Web.

If your students see this… Your Moodle Course Web is not very effective!

Instead of throwing a bunch of files into Moodle… Plan and organize your course! Add a course introduction Include important course documents (syllabus) Divide content into categories Include labels for visual organization Use folders for numerous file uploads Guide the user through the content

Introductions Course name and section Meeting times Office hours Office Location Course texts and resources Any additional class info you feel will help students be prepared for your course.

Introductions Professor Bio Information on how to use the course web. News or Homework Q&A Forum Consider also adding…

Introduction How to add an 1.Start by looking at the Moodle Course Web you hope to design. 2.Under the Administration block, find and click Turn editing on. 3.In the first block of your course web (where there is a News Forum) click on the settings icon. 4.In the Summary textbox place all course information you want to include. 5.Keep in mind that just adding text may not be appealing or emphasize importance. Be sure to add bolded styles, underlining, links, photos and colors that you believe will visually engage students.

Categories Your course categories will default to weekly dates. However, some professors find it more difficult to break up their content week-by- week and want to use different categories. Other categories can include lesson topics (i.e. articles, photojournalism, photography, Photoshop, etc. as category breakdowns in a media course).

Categories 1.Start by looking at the Moodle Course Web you hope to design. 2.Under the Administration block, find and click Turn editing on. 3.Click on the settings icon just under the section you wish to change the name/category of. 4.On the next page, uncheck the box next to Section name. 5.After unchecking the box, write the name of your new section/category in the box provided. 6.When finished, click Save changes at the bottom. 7.This section will now have a new name, other than the default date Category. How to change

Labels Use the label feature to create subtitles and divisions within categories. Appealing to the eye and provides organizational structure. Allows for the creation of subcategories. The creator of the course shown on the right used labels to create subcategories for each class period. Then they shared the material from each class period in the necessary label.

Labels 1.Start by looking at the Moodle Course Web you hope to design. 2.Under the Administration block, find and click Turn editing on. 3.Click into the section/category where you hope to add a label and click Add an activity or resource. 4.Scroll down to the Resources section and click on Label. 5.Enter the text you hope to include in your label (this can be days of the week, dates, topics, or even lines to show a division between your material. 6.Click Save and return to course. 7.Drag and drop the label to where you need it on your course web. How to add

Labels The labels on the right contain the light purple text and lines to help divide the course into smaller, more manageable parts.

Folders The folder is essential for avoiding a course web that is too long and entails too much scrolling. Placing several files into a folder saves space and makes it much easier for your audience to navigate your course web. The image to the right shows a course web that does not utilize folders (there is a lot of scrolling).

Folders 1.Start by looking at the Moodle Course Web you hope to design. 2.Under the Administration block, find and click Turn editing on. 3.Click into the section/category where you hope to add a label and click Add an activity or resource. 4.Scroll down to the Resources section and click on Folder. 5.Title your folder and choose which files will appear inside. 6.Once all files are added, click on Save and return to course. How to add

Photos and Videos Embedding Adding audio and video not only aids in student learning, but also makes your course web more engaging to viewers. Consider adding multimedia into labels to further engage students.

Overall Design Don’t be afraid to add categories, labels, photos, audio, video and text to help your audience further engage with the course. Explore different colors, bold, italics, and other formats to make the page eye catching. Add a touch of personality!

For Questions Contact: