Moodle: Course Themes and Formats

Overview

Moodle course themes and formats change the overall appearance and style of a course, and these settings can be customized per course. Continue reading to learn more about the themes and formats available in Moodle at Carleton. 

Available Themes

Themes will change the color scheme and sometimes the layout of the course page. Below are the available themes in Moodle.

• LearnR: The current default theme for Moodle at Carleton.
• Boost: Similar to LearnR but the course image does not appear on the course main page.
• MOOVE: An intuitive UI design with special options for visual accessibility in the bottom-left corner.
• Do not force: This option keeps the default Moodle theme at Carleton.

Changing the Course Theme

1. Select the Settings tab located at the top of the page, just below the course title.
2. Scroll to and expand the Appearance section.
3. Open the drop-down menu next to the Force Theme label, and select the desired theme.
4. Click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

Available Course Formats

Course formats can change the layout of the sections of a course and come in a variety of styles. Below are the available course formats in Moodle.

• Weekly sections: The default course format for Moodle at Carleton Sections are divided into weeks, beginning with the course start date.
• Custom sections: Similar to Weekly sections but the ‘Current week’ label is no longer visible. 
• Buttons format: This format displays one section at a time and utilizes button icons to select each section.
• Flexible Sections format: This format allows for collapsible and nestable sections.
• Tiles: A popular course format, used to display unique images per tile on the course main page.

Changing the Course Format

1. Select the Settings tab located at the top of the page, just below the course title.
2. Scroll to and expand the Course format section.
3. Under Format, select the desired format.
4. Click the Save and display button at the bottom of the page.

Questions?

If you need further assistance or have specific questions that aren't covered in this article, please don't hesitate to reach out for personalized support by submitting a Moodle Support ticket. 

Acknowledgments

Contributions from Carly Born, Em Palencia, Sam Johnson-Lacoss ‘24, Aleks Prasolov '24, Paul Claudel Izabayo ‘25, Fiona Ibrahim ‘25 and Seth Bonney ‘27.