Manual Objective: · Web viewClick on Add Resource and get the available resources and choose the one you want to add Click on Add an Activity o get to the available Activities and

Lecturer’s Moodle Training Manual

Date: April 2019

eLearning at UCU – Moodle training Manual 2019

UCU eLearning Management System training manual for Lecturers

Table of ContentsManual Objective:..................................................................................................... 3

The UCU eLearning Platform............................................................................. 3

A course on the learning platform...............................................................3

Recommended Systems........................................................................................ 3

Logging on to the UCU eLearning Platform:.........................................4The General Moodle Outlook......................................................................................5

Updating user Profile.............................................................................................. 6

To edit your profile:................................................................................................. 6Things to note when updating the User Profile................................................................8

Creating a course:..................................................................................................... 9Accessing your course............................................................................................................... 9Designing a course (Adding a Resource or an Activity to a course)..............13Adding a Resource or an Activity to your course...........................................................14

A quick guide to adding resources and activities.................................................17Adding Resources (File (as explained above), Label, External Link, Video)........17Adding Activities (Assignment, Discussion Forum, Chat, Quiz)................................18

Grading assignments........................................................................................... 19Contact Information:............................................................................................................... 22


Manual Objective:

Help lecturers learn how to set up and manage courses on Moodle Learning Management System.

The UCU eLearning Platform

The UCU eLearning platform is customised from Moodle LMS. Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is an open source Learning Management System designed to help educators create online courses that enhance their interaction with students.

The eLearning platform can be used for fully online courses or can be used to supplement/enhance the delivery of face-to-face courses known as blended learning.

A course on the learning platform

A course means a place or an area where a lecturer uploads resources in terms of course content and other learning activities like assignments, discussion forums etc.. for the students.

Recommended Systems

BrowsersBefore logging on to Moodle, make sure you have the right browser. Recommended browsers when using Moodle include:

Google C h rome Fire fox Safari

Other ApplicationsIn order to view some files, media or other items that may be available in your course, you may need some of the following software:

Adobe Flash


Windows Media Player Java Adobe Reader

Logging on to the UCU eLearning Platform:

Open your browser and go to: https://moodle.ucu.ac.ug/

You will get to the window similar to the one below:

Click on the Log in Button at the top right hand corner to get to a window similar to the one below:


https://moodle.ucu.ac.ug/

Fill in the information:

Username is your UCU email address e.g. [email protected]

Password: The same password you use to access your UCU mail.

Click Log in.


mailto:[email protected]

To log on click on one of the links below:

1. (Log in) link at the top right corner or 2. (Login) button in the middle of the page or 3. (Lecture on line Icon) as shown above

Each one of the above links leads you to the window similar to the one below:(If you experience any difficulties logging in, please contact eLearning office Ext. 896/826 or UIS at Ext. 815/816 the eLearning Centre using the contact information provided at the end of this document).

Successful log on will lead you to the window similar to the one below:


This middle column is for the courses just as shown in the window above

Click on your Faculty or Department to get to your course unit

The General Moodle Outlook

Moodle course template is divided into three columns as shown above.

From the left to the right:

1. The first column on the left is the Administration column with the following:

a. The Navigation block under which we find the: Dashboard (takes you to the platform’s home page), My courses (takes you to your courses) Site home (takes you back to the log on page).

b. The Administration block under which we find links to the: Users, Grade book, Courses, and other links (as shown above) that allow

you to manage your courses.

2. The middle column has all the different faculties, and to find your courses, click on your faculty, then department, programme, and the course.

All the course content; resources and activities like assignments, discussion forums etc. are found in the middle column.

3. The third column on the extreme right is the social column. This column contains the blocks for the system calendar, upcoming


This third column is the Social Column

The Administration column

events, shows you the users that are logged on to the system, and many other links.

Updating user Profile

It is important for every person that has an account on Moodle to update the user profile before doing anything else. By default the user profile is viewable by any other users in the system and it displays personal information such as first and last name email address last access date and other personal details that the user decides to share.

The User Profile helps to build a sense of community in the class, and helps the students to get to know their lecturer.

To edit your profile:

Click on the drop down button that is beside your name at the top right hand corner of your screen and chose profile to go to the profile page.

On the profile page click on the Edit profile tab in the middle of the page.


Click on profile to go to the profile page

The edit profile tab will take you to the window similar to the one below. Update your profile by filling in all the necessary fields including uploading your picture.


Click on Edit Profile to go to the profile page

After filling in the necessary information, save by clicking on the UPDATE PROFILE tab at the bottom of the page as shown above.Things to note when updating the User Profile

1. You’ll see your username and email address already filled in. You will not be able to change these here as they are linked to your other logon details in the UIS database.2. Email display allows you to choose who can see your email address. Your choices are to hide your email from everyone, allow


The Description box is used to talk about yourself! Keep in mind that the text in this box will be shown to everyone, so it is supposed to be appropriate.

Upload your picture in this box. Drag and drop your photo here or click on the blue arrow to find the photo on your desktop and upload it.

Click any of theses to additional names, Interests, and on Optional to add more contact information as needed.

Click on Update profile to save your profile

only the people in your classes to see it, or display it for everyone who logs in to the site. If you choose to hide your email from other people, they will not be able to send you email directly from Moodle.

3. After setting your city and country, you can choose your preferred language. Setting your language here makes it your default language for all pages.

4. The time zone setting can be very important, especially if you’re working with an international audience or will be traveling and accessing the system. Be sure to set the time zone to your local time, not the server’s local time.

5. The description box gives you a place to tell your Moodle community a little about yourself. If you don’t feel comfortable writing a description, just put a couple of characters in here and the system won’t complain.

Creating a course: By default, not everybody is able to create a course on Moodle. To add a new course to Moodle, you need to have either, Administrator, Course Creator or Manager rights.

If you need to have a course on Moodle, send a message to [email protected] or [email protected] with the following information:1. Course Name e.g. Intermediate Accounting2. Faculty e.g. Business Administration and Management3. Department e.g. Finance and Accounting4. Programme. e.g. BBA Year 25. Lecturer – Your name

The course will be created for you, and you will be given administrative rights that will allow you to design your course (add resources, activities, grade assignments, and edit the course as needed).

Accessing your course

There are two ways to get to your course:

1. Your courses will be listed under My Courses, or



2. Click on your Faculty; choose your department, choose the program, and then click on your.


These are your courses, click on the one you want to work on.

Another way to get to your courses is to click on your Faculty to lead you to your department and to the program as shown below

Click on the program

A newly created course will look like the one below. It will only have sections with the default wording and no content.

To be allowed to design the course (add resources or activities), you need to Turn Editing On. Click on the Turn Editing on Button to turn editing as shown below.

When editing is on, you will get a window similar to the one shown below.


Click on the Course

Click on the Turn editing on button.

With the window above, we are now ready to design the course, but it is important to customise the course to make it appeal to the learners. Customising a course means that you are going to replace some of the default section names with your own words or images etc.. which reflect what you want to talk about in that particular section. E.g. if the section named Topic 1 is going to present the course description and course outline, you can replace “Topic 1” with “Course Outline”


To change the Default wording, click on Edit, and choose Edit topic

Repeat the same process for all the sections that you would like to customise.

Designing a course (Adding a Resource or an Activity to a course)

Before designing a course in Moodle it is very important to plan for it. Careful planning of the course will help to create a positive and effective learning experience for the students.


Click on the Custom box

Click here to save your change

Type the word you want to customise with

One way to plan is to carefully review your current teaching strategies, the learning outcomes for the course, the activities that will enhance the learning process, and help assess the learning outcome.

In designing a course, Moodle uses two design categories: Resources and Activities.

1. Resources are non-interactive items used to distribute information to the students. Resources are all those items that you want the student to read, to watch, study, and research for the purposes of learning. You can call resources your teaching content. Below are some of the commonly used Moodle resources:

a. File – Different file formats e.g. PPT (power point file), Word document, Excel (Spread sheet) document, PDF document, Image file, Audio file, A video file etc..)b. Folder – A folder helps to organize files, and one folder may contain other folders.c. Label - Can be a few displayed words or an image used to separate resources and activities in a topic section, or can be some sort of description or instructions.d. Page - The student sees a single, scrollable screen that a lecturer creates with the inbuilt HTML editor.e. URL – Directs the students to any website they can reach using their web browser e.g. www.ucu.ac.ug is a URL for the UCU website.

2. Activities are everything that a student does to interact with you the lecturer and with other students. Below are some of the commonly used activities:

a. Assignments - Enable the lecturer to grade and give comments on uploaded files and assignments created on and off line.b. Chat - Allows participants to have a real-time synchronous discussionc. Discussion Forum – Allows students and lecturers to have asynchronous discussions.d. Quiz - Allows the lecturer to design and set quiz tests, which may be automatically marked and feedback given. It can also be set up to explain to students why the choice is correct or wrong.


Adding a Resource or an Activity to your course

The above window has put the Activities and Resources on one drop down, but depending on the settings of your computer, you may get a window that separates Resources from Activities. When you click on Add a Resource, a drop down of the available resources comes, and/or when you click on Add an Activity a drop down of the available activities comes. Just like in the window below


2. Scroll down to choose the Resource or Activity that you would like to add to your course and click on it

1. Click on Add an Activity or a Resource to get to the Activities and Resources

Click on Add Resource and get the available resources and choose the one you want to add

When you choose the resource or the activity you want to add to your course, information explaining the resource or activity will appear to help you understand the importance of the resource or the activity.

To proceed follow the following steps:

a. After reading the information, Click on the Add button to take you to the next page.


Click on Add an Activity o get to the available Activities and choose the one you want to add.

2. Information explaining the resource or activity of your choice

1. Click on the Resource of your choice

3. Click on Add to proceed to the next window

b. The next page that comes will depend on the kind of resource you choose.

For example, if you want to add a file, choose File and click on ADD to proceed to the Add a new File window that will look like the one below.

c. Add the file name in the box after Name, put a brief description if needed (Not a requirement), go under Content and attach the file, Go under Appearance and specify the appearance as needed, then save your changes by clicking Click Save and Display or Save and Return to Course

d. Add the file name in the box after Name, put a brief description if needed (Not a must), go under Content and


3. Drug and drop the file here.

1. Give the file a Name (Required)

2. Put the description for the file if needed (Not a requirement)

If you do not use the Drag and Drop function in (3), you can click here to attach the file (Follow instructions as you click)

5. Click here to save your Changes.

This sentence has to reflect the Resource you want to add.

4. Click here to choose the way you want your file to appear when the student clicks on it.

attach the file, Go under Appearance and specify the appearance as needed, then save your changes by clicking either Save and Display or Save and Return to Course.

e. When you Save and Return to Course you will get a window similar to the one below.

Note: The steps for adding resources and activities to a course in Moodle are similar; you just need to follow the directions on the screen.

A quick guide to adding resources and activities

Adding Resources (File (as explained above), Label, External Link, Video)

To add a LABEL1. Go to your Course 2. Click Turn Editing On (As explained on page 11 of this manual) 3. Go to section where you would like to add the Label 4. Click Add an activity or resources 5. Choose Resources > Label > Click Add 6. Insert label text (description) in the text box, you can format the text font, size and color, align the paragraph & space, etc. 7. Click Save and return to course

To add an EXTERNAL LINK 1. Go to your Course 2. Click Turn Editing On (As explained on page 11 of this manual)


This is the resource you have added in form of a pdf. file

This section is customised from the default section name

3. Go to specific section/topic where you would like to add the external link. 5. Choose Resources > URL > Click Add 6. Input Name and Description of the URL 7. Input URL address into Content External URL by copy paste the URL address. 8. Set Options Display to In Pop-Up 9. After finish, click Save and Return to Course

To add an Embed Video 1. Go to your Course 2. Click Turn Editing On (As explained on page 11 of this manual)3. Go to specific section/topic where you would like to add the Video 4. Click Add an activity or resources 5. Choose Resources > Label > Click Add 6. In the label’s text box click Insert Moodle media (video icon

) 7. In the General click Find or Upload Audio, Video 8. Select YouTube video or the video on your desktop9. Input the keyword of the video in the search videos, then Click Search 10. Choose the video, then click Select this file, the video will automatically appear in the preview 11.Click Insert 12.After finish, click Save and return to Course

Adding Activities (Assignment, Discussion Forum, Chat, Quiz)

To add an ASSIGNMENT 1. Go to your Course 2. Click Turn Editing On (As explained on page 11 of this manual)3. Go to specific section/topic where you would like to add the Assignment 4. Click Add an activity 5. Choose Activity > Assignment >Click Add 6. Insert Assignment Name and Description of the Assignment / Give Instructions of how to do the Assignment 7. Setting the Assignment Date (Set the Submission Date, the Due Date, and the Cut Off Date) 8. Settings – give the maximum numbers of uploaded files and the maximum file size 9. Set the Grade (score: 1-100) 10. Set the Group Mode to No groups (unless the class has set groups) 11. Click Save and return to course

To add a DISCUSSION FORUM


1. Go to your Course 2. Click Turn Editing On (As explained on page 11 of this manual)3. Go to specific section/topic where you would like to add the Discussion Forum 4. Click Add an activity/or resources 5. Choose Activity > Forum >Click Add 6. Insert Forum Thread Name and Description of the Forum Thread 7. Click Save and return to course 8. To add a topic to your forum, click the icon forum that has been added 9. Click Add new discussion topic 10. Insert Subject topic and the Message description in the Message text box 11. After you finish, click Post to Forum

To add a CHAT1. Go to your Course 2. Click Turn Editing On (As explained on page 11 of this manual)3. Go to specific section/topic where you would like to add the Chat 4. Click Add an activity/or resources 5. Choose Activity > Chat >Click Add 6. Give the Chat a name 7. Put a Description to help students know the purpose of the chat8. Click on chat sessions and fill it out as required giving the date when to begin the chat session, publish times, and whether everyone can view past chat sessions or not.9. Click Save and return to course 10. Click on the created chat to begin the chat session

To add an Online Quiz 1. Go to your Course 2. Click Turn Editing On (As explained on page 11 of this manual)3. Go to specific section/topic where you would like to add the Quiz 4. Click Add an activity > Quiz > Add 5. Input Quiz Name and description 6. Setting the Timing Quiz (Open, Close, Time Limit) 7. Setting Grade (Attempt’s number, etc.) 8. Setting Layout (shuffled questions order? Pages?) 9. Setting Questions behavior (shuffled options?, question behave choose : deferred feedback) 10. Review Option: Thick only Marks and The Attempt on Immediately after the attempt and After quiz is closed 11. Set the Group Mode into No groups or Separate Groups if needed 12. Click Save and return to course


Grading assignments

Grades in Moodle can be calculated and given for most of the activities, such as assignments, forums and quizzes. Depending on what the lecturer wants, grades may have numerical values, or words/phrases from a scale or rating system.

To grade an assignment, click on the assignment as shown below:

Clicking on the assignment activity will lead you to the next window:


The above window gives you the summary of the number of participants in your course, the number of students that have submitted assignments for grading, the assignments that need grading (in case you grade some of the assignments, the number will keep changing until you complete the grading), the assignment due date and time remaining to the due date etc..

Click on the View/Grade all Submissions button, which will lead you to the window that has details of all the assignment submissions as shown below.


The assignment details include: Student’s name, email address, Submission status, Submission date, Assignment file, among other details.

Click on the Grade Column for the assignment that you would like to grade. You will get to window that has the details for that particular assignment.


Click on the assignment file to open it (download it) so that you can read and grade the assignment.

After reading the assignment and grading it, fill the grade in the grade box against the (Grade out of 100).

After filling in the grade, click the Save button at the bottom of the page. Saving is required.

There are several options:

Save changes – saves the grade

Save and show next – Saves the grade and takes you to the next assignment.

Cancel – Cancels everything you have been doing for that particular assignment.

Next – takes you to the next assignment without saving what you have done for that particular assignment.


Remember to always save or update your work. If you do not want to save any changes, click cancel.

Contact Information:


eLearning Centre

Room 310, 2nd Floor - Hamu Mukasa Library

Phone: +256(0)31 235 0826/0896E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

Hours:Monday to Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM


Documents

Manual Objective: · Web viewClick on Add Resource and get the available resources and choose the one you want to add Click on Add an Activity o get to the available Activities and