Settings in the Moodle Course

Course administration -> "Edit settings" -> "Course format"

Course administration -> "Edit settings" -> "Appearance"

Service area

• Greeting as text, video or audio track (customise label)

• Image

• Contact details

• Overarching learning objectives

• Information about the course structure

• Communication channels (forums, chat ...)

• Indication of consultation hours

• If applicable and consistent throughout the semester, course room

Lesson area

• Learning objectives

• Input, material

• Descriptions

• Tasks for the week with approximate times

• Literature

• If applicable, knowledge test

• If applicable, coloured bars for orientation (use HTML codes)

Groups and groupings

In Moodle, students can be divided into groups and groupings. This has the advantage that activities and materials can be used differently by individual groups.
This makes it possible to combine courses with similar content that were previously divided into three or more course environments (e.g. for each seminar group) into one Moodle course and additionally create areas for group work.

Conclusion: the group mode makes it easier to differentiate in terms of content and methods in Moodle.

There are three group modes in Moodle:

1. No groups: there are no groups in the course, each course member belongs to the overall group.

2. Separate groups: each group is only able to see the members of its own group. The other groups (and their activities, e.g. forum posts or wiki entries) are invisible.

3. Visible groups: each group works for itself, but sees the members of the other groups (and their activities, but with read-only access).

When should I use groups?

Example: for group work as part of a seminar. 

• Groups are suitable, for example, if you would like students to discuss, exchange or work together in small groups.

  • Internal group discussion forum

  • Internal group etherpad for collecting ideas

  • Internal group wiki

When should I use groupings?

Example: I can use groupings to differentiate the content and students for a seminar I am teaching to parallel groups (seminar group 1 and seminar group 2).

• Groupings, in turn, make it easy to provide certain groups with materials and activities that other groups should not have access to.

Course administration -> Users -> Enrolment methods

The "Edit" column makes it possible to enable or disable the enrolment methods (eye symbol) and edit the settings.
e.g. to protect self-enrolment with a password

Examples:

• You can enrol colleagues and assistants manually.
  Enrolment methods -> Manual enrolments -> Enrol users -> [new window] search for names in the search field of the “Not enrolled users" section -> Assign course role (lecturer) -> Add
  URZ manual enrolment guide

• Self-enrolment is usually used for students. You store a key in the Moodle course settings and communicate it to your students, e.g. via the self-service portal (HIS). They can then enrol in the Moodle course independently.
  URZ self-enrolment guide
  URZ instructions for deleting participants from course

Participants -> Roles: Pencil symbol -> Select role -> Save

• Select "Participants" (or in the block "Course administration" in the section "Users" select the option "Enrolled users")

• The column "Roles" is usually set to "Participant" by default. To the right of it is (easy to miss) a pencil icon. Click on the pencil and in the drop-down menu click on the corresponding role - for us this is "Lecturer” (Dozent/in).

• Don't forget to save

Example: send a message to all course participants

1. Select "Participants”

2. Filter by "Participant" and check all boxes

3. Select "Send a message" in the drop-down menu

4. Enter and send the message