Using Page

Why a page and not a file?

1. Opens seamlessly - no clunky attempts to launch third party software (e.g. Microsoft Word) which some users may not be able to access.
2. Can be accessed by mobile devices e.g. smartphones (again, not all smartphones can handle word-processed documents)
3. Much easier for the Teacher to edit (i.e. saves time)
4. Much more accessible, and readily configurable for reading (easier to resize text, change colours, etc, in the web browser)
5. Can contain links - e.g. to files, to web pages, or to Glossary entries

When to use a page rather than a file

Use a page if:

• The document doesn't need to be printed
• You need to update it fairly often
• You don't need to impose strict control over the way it looks (for accessibility reasons you should, if educationally appropriate, avoid taking control)
• Your students may need to refer to it (on their smartphone for example) frequently for reference e.g. timetable, schedule, tutorial groups, reading list.

How to create a page

Typing directly into the Editor

1. Log in, go to your course page, and Turn Editing On.
2. In the section where you want the link to your Page to appear, click its Add A Resource menu; the menu displays.
3. From the menu select Page; the Adding A New Page To Topic [X] page loads containing the settings for your new Page.
4. In its Name field, enter a title - this will eventually appear as a link on your course page so keep it concise but descriptive.
5. In its Description field, enter a concise description no longer than index length.
6. If the Name is insufficient on its own to communicate the contents of your new Page, then select the checkbox to Display Description on Course Page.
7. Into the Page Content field you can then enter the content of your page including a range of media as needed. N.b. if you are pasting from an existing document e.g. word processed, you'll need to follow the instructions below.
8. The remaining fields stipulate who can access the page and when - complete these as appropriate.
9. Ensure all fields with asterisks are complete, and when you are ready click the Save And Display button at the bottom of the page; your new Page loads.

If you need to make subsequent changes, to edit the Page you can either open it and in its Settings block click Edit Settings, or from your course page (after you've Turned Editing On) you can click its adjacent Update icon.

Pasting from another document

To safeguard against unpredictable, ugly, and inaccessible results, it's important to take some easy extra steps when pasting word processed and other text into web authoring software including Moodle.

1. Open the document containing the text you want to paste into your new Page, and copy that text ready to paste.
2. Follow steps 1-6 for the section above on 'Typing directly into the editor'.
3. When you are ready to paste the content into Moodle, you have two choices:
   • If you want to keep the original formatting then click the Paste From Word icon; a pane loads containing an empty text field and you can press your keyboard's Control and V keys to paste what you copied into the text field; then click the Insert button; your text appears and can be edited within learn.gold. N.b. if the original formatting does not conform to Web accessibility requirements, it won't be transferred.
   • Alternatively, if you want to strip away all formatting, rather than the Paste From Word icon you instead click the Paste As Plain Text icon and proceed to paste directly.
4. Follow steps 8-9 for the section above on 'Typing directly into the editor'.