Overview
Moodle's upgrade to version 4.2 for the 2023-2024 Academic Year occurs Thursday, November 30, 2023. This new version has a couple changes highlighted below.
New Appearance
Theme Name Change
All new courses are now in LearnR theme (previously known as Fordson) by default. Course navigation is now in tab form, making it easy to access settings, grades, reports and more.
Looking for other themes? You can always change the theme and layout of your course to suit your preferences.
Gradebook Navigation Changes
A new drop down menu with indentation is made to visualize hierarchy and makes it easier to set up and view the Gradebook.
Updated Activity and Resource Icons
Some activity and resource icons have changed to Moodle's new standard set of image icons. However, activity names (i.e. assignment, quiz, file) and external activity icons (Panopto, Language Lesson, hypothes.is) have remained the same.
To find an activity, use the top search bar and type the name of the activity you are looking for. Additionally, you can customize your activity chooser by starring () the activities and resources you use most often. Then, a Starred tab will appear on the left.
Default Dashboard
Courses with no Course image will be defaulted to an aerial view of campus. We highly recommend adding an image to your course so it is more easily identifiable.
To add a course image:
- Enter into the course
- Click the Settings tab
- Scroll down to Course image
- Within the Course image box, click and drag an image or click within the box find an image in your computer
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save and display
Highlights
Stationary Edit mode
The way to turn editing off and on in Moodle has become more streamlined with an Edit Mode rocker switch that always resides on the top-right corner of the screen (no matter which theme or page is selected within a course!)
Edit in Bulk
In Moodle 4.2, activities within a course can now be moved, shown/hidden, deleted, and duplicated in bulk.
Course And Gradebook Visibility in Settings
All course sites start off hidden from students, indicated by gray text on the course title. This gives instructors an opportunity to work on their course before students have access to it.
To change the visibility of your course, go to the Settings tab > choose Hide or Show in the Course visibility dropdown > scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save and display.
ℹ️ Note: Moodle course Announcements will not be sent out to students unless the course is made visible to them
To change the visibility of your gradebook, go to the Settings tab > choose Yes or No in the Course visibility drop down > scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save and display.
Timed Assignments
Instructors can now set a specific amount of time for students to complete their work. Students will see a notification before they start the assignment, which lets them know how long they have to complete it once they begin. As they work on the assignment, a timer is also displayed on screen so they always know how much time they have left.
Personalize your Moodle Profile
Enhance your Moodle profile by adding a profile picture, phonetic spelling of your name, and personal pronouns by clicking on your user menu (top-right corner of the screen) > choose Preferences > click Edit Profile > scroll down and click the Update Profile button.
Profile Picture
Personal Pronouns
Phonetic Spelling
- Mass Messaging is now available within Assignments.
- Add activities between existing activities
- When setting site language to en_us, references to ‘marking’ are changed to ‘grading’.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the information above, submit a Moodle Support ticket.
Acknowledgement
Created by Em Palencia 11/29/2023