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{{Moodle site - basic structure}}
{{About Moodle}}
<p class="note">'''Please refer to [[TOC_with_notes#Moodle site - basic structure|these notes]] before editing this page.'''</p>
==How does Moodle work?==
Moodle's basic interface structure is organized around courses.  For a teacher or student, this is similar to a computers file system or a paper filing cabinet. A [[Context]] in Moodle is a location in the structure. Moodle assists the user to navigate and view/edit/create pages within it's structure.  
===The Front page===
*The [[Front page]] of a Moodle site - the page you reach from your browser -  usually includes information about the establishment itself and can be highly customised. (Note that it is also possible to lock the front page down so that all a user sees when they click on the Moodle URL is a log in screen.)
*How  users [[Authentication|join a Moodle site]] depends on the establishment: they might be given logins; they might be allowed to make accounts themselves, or they might be signed in automatically from another system.


An overview and hierarchy of the basic structure in simple terms:
===Inside Moodle===
*Moodle's  basic structure is organised around [[Courses|courses]]. These are basically pages or areas within Moodle where teachers can present their learning [[Resources|resources]] and [[Activities|activities]] to students. They can have different layouts  but they usually include a number of central sections where materials are displayed and side [[Blocks|blocks]] offering extra features or information.
*Courses can contain content for a year's studies, a single session or any other variants depending on the teacher or establishment. They can be used by one teacher or shared by a group of teachers.
*How students [[Enrolment|enrol]] on courses depends on the establishment; for example they can self -enrol, be enrolled manually by their teacher or automatically by the admin.
*Courses are organised into categories. Physics, Chemistry and Biology courses might come under the Science category for instance.


*The Moodle site - the largest context, the entire file cabinet.
===Teachers, students and other Moodle users===
*[[Category]] - A place to organize courses, a file drawer.
*You don't enter Moodle with the "teacher" or "student" role.
*[[Front Page]] - A special course, with it's own file drawer.
*Everyone who logs into Moodle has no special privileges until they are allocated [[Roles_and_capabilities|roles]] by the administrator according to their needs in individual courses or contexts.
*[[Course]] - A place to enroll users, a large hanging file folder in a file drawer.
*[[Course sections|Course sections/topics]] - A way to visually organize Activities and Resources, a special type of folder in a course.
*[[Activities]] - Interactive tools the teacher can place in a course, each is a different colored folders placed in a topic.
*[[Resources]] - Passive tools that may link to other places, a different colored folders placed in a topi.c
*[[Blocks]] - Areas in a course that are not visually in a topic, each has its own colored folder in a course.
*Pages - visually what is seen at any moment, individual sheets of paper filed away.
 
For example, a course can contain 1 or more sections, each section can contain many activities and resources. One section might contain 3 different resource links to pdf files, 2 links to other webpages, 2 [[Lesson]]s, 2 [[Assignment]]s and 1 [[Quiz]]. The teacher determines what a student is going to see and when. 
 
:What the user can do or see, depends upon their role in any specific context. Thus a teacher will see pages in a different way than a student.  For example, a student can not see the "Editing and updating Quiz" page in the Features Moodle Course, in topic 8, for a quiz activity calleed  "A listening quiz".  However, both a student and teacher can view and interact with different question pages in that quiz activity.


===Finding your way around===
*A logged in user can access areas of Moodle such as their courses or profile from the [[Navigation block]] and [[Settings block]]. What a user sees in these blocks depends on their role and any privileges granted them by the administrator.
*Each user has their own customisable page, accessed from the [[My Moodle|Myhome]] link.


==See also==
==See also==
* [http://www.slideshare.net/mark.drechsler/moodle-structural-overview Structural overview slide show by Mark Drechsler]
* [http://www.slideshare.net/mark.drechsler/moodle-structural-overview Structural overview] slide show by Mark Drechsler
* [http://www.slideshare.net/moodlefan/what-is-moodle-explained-with-lego-presentation What is Moodle explained with Lego] presentation by Tomaz Lasic

Latest revision as of 18:20, 10 August 2012

How does Moodle work?

The Front page

  • The Front page of a Moodle site - the page you reach from your browser - usually includes information about the establishment itself and can be highly customised. (Note that it is also possible to lock the front page down so that all a user sees when they click on the Moodle URL is a log in screen.)
  • How users join a Moodle site depends on the establishment: they might be given logins; they might be allowed to make accounts themselves, or they might be signed in automatically from another system.

Inside Moodle

  • Moodle's basic structure is organised around courses. These are basically pages or areas within Moodle where teachers can present their learning resources and activities to students. They can have different layouts but they usually include a number of central sections where materials are displayed and side blocks offering extra features or information.
  • Courses can contain content for a year's studies, a single session or any other variants depending on the teacher or establishment. They can be used by one teacher or shared by a group of teachers.
  • How students enrol on courses depends on the establishment; for example they can self -enrol, be enrolled manually by their teacher or automatically by the admin.
  • Courses are organised into categories. Physics, Chemistry and Biology courses might come under the Science category for instance.

Teachers, students and other Moodle users

  • You don't enter Moodle with the "teacher" or "student" role.
  • Everyone who logs into Moodle has no special privileges until they are allocated roles by the administrator according to their needs in individual courses or contexts.

Finding your way around

  • A logged in user can access areas of Moodle such as their courses or profile from the Navigation block and Settings block. What a user sees in these blocks depends on their role and any privileges granted them by the administrator.
  • Each user has their own customisable page, accessed from the Myhome link.

See also