Course homepage: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 09:23, 28 April 2013

Standard view of a blank course

Our examples will be for a course homepage that is the standard default for a new install on a site. There are many course options that determine a course's appearance and make it look very different from our examples. The example course has a header, a footer (both content largely determined by a theme) and 3 columns in the middle.

Example of Weekly format, teacher view, edit off - full resolution here

Parts of a course homepage

Using the above image, here are the parts of a typical course homepage. It is possible to move and hide parts of the page and different themes display blocks in different regions, so not all courses will look like this.

Column left	Course sections - Center	Column right
*1 Course full name	*6 Section header & News topic	*9 Login information
*2 Navigation bar	*7 Current week - First section	*10 Turn editing on button
*4 Navigation block	*8 Future week - Second section	*11 Latest news
*5 Settings block	*14 "Show only this section"	*12 Upcoming events
*15 "Switch role to"		*13 Recent activity
*16 User profile settings
*17 Site Administration

Course sections

Course sections are displayed in the centre of the course page.

To edit a course section:

Turn editing on
Click the edit icon after the section title

New feature
in Moodle 2.3! If Conditional activities are enabled for the site, access to the section (including all activities and resources within it) may be restricted.

New feature
in Moodle 2.3! The number of course sections in the centre column may be changed in Settings > Course administration > Edit settings or by clicking the plus or minus icons at the bottom of the course page when editing is turned on.

Editing a course section

Changing the number of course sections

To move a course section:

Turn editing on
Click the up/down arrow or the crosshairs icon to move the section
Drag the section to where you want to position it and let go

Blocks

Blocks are displayed in the right and/or left columns of the course page.

To add a block to the course page

Turn on the editing by clicking the button top right or the link in Settings > Course administration
Select a block from the "Add block" dropdown menu (usually situated bottom right of the page)

New feature
in Moodle 2.3! To move a block

Ensure editing is turned on then click onto the block title until the crosshair icon appears
While keeping the block selected, drag it to where you want to position it and let go.

Alternatively

Click on the up/down arrow
Click on the place holder (a zone with a dashed border) where you want the block to appear.

Crosshair icon for moving a block

Up/down arrow icon for moving a block

Activities and resources

To add an activity or resource to the course

Turn on the editing by clicking the button top right or the link in Settings > Course administration.
Click 'Add an activity or resource' to open the new activity chooser. Select an activity or resource then click the Add button, or simply double-click on the activity or resource name.New feature
in Moodle 2.3!

If desired, the activity chooser can be switched off via Settings > Course administration > Activity chooser off. Activities and resources can then be added using dropdown menus. (The setting appears only when editing is turned on.)

Note: The Moodle admin can switch this off by default in Settings>Site administration>Appearance>AJAX and Javascript to avoid confusion for people coming from 1.9 to Moodle 2.3. (This feature is available from 2.3.2)

The activity chooser

New feature
in Moodle 2.3! Alternatively, certain resources and activities may be added using drag and drop:

To add a file, simply drag and drop it onto the course section where you'd like it to appear
To add a folder of files, simply zip the folder then drag and drop it onto the course section where you'd like it to appear, answer 'Unzip files and create folder' to the popup dialogue, then click the upload button
To add a SCORM package, simply drag and drop it onto the course section where you'd like it to appear, answer 'Add a SCORM package' to the popup dialogue, then click the upload button

Editing elements on your course homepage

With the editing turned on, each item on your course homepage and each section/block will have icons next to it which all perform different functions such as edit/move/copy/delete/hide. Note: your theme may have icons different from these below::

- the pencil icon allows to rename your item directly on the course page without entering the settings for that item. New feature
in Moodle 2.3!

- the edit icon allows you to change the wording or settings of the item.

- the duplicate icon allows you to copy an activity or resource within your course

- the open-eye icon means an item is visible to students. It will close when you click on it

- the closed-eye icon means an item is hidden from students. It will open when you click on it

- the right icon is used to indent course elements (there is also a left icon)

- the move icon allows course elements to be placed anywhere

- the move here icon appears when moving a course element. Click into the box to re-locate your item.

- the "crosshairs" move icon allows you to move items or sections by dragging and dropping.

- the up/down arrows allow you to move course sections up or down. It appears if you do not have Ajax enabled in your browser or if it has been disabled by an admin for the site in Settings > Site administration > Appearance > Ajax and Javascript.

- the delete icon will permanently delete something from the course

- the groups icon allows you to change between no groups or separate/visible groups

- the roles icon allows you to assign roles locally in the item.

The following icons are visible when editing is both on and off

The following icon only applies to sections

- the highlight icon allows you to highlight a section as current

Tips and tricks

Make your course home page look more like a webpage - see Course FAQ
Activity and resource descriptions can be displayed on the course page just below the link to the activity or resource by clicking the 'Display description on course page' checkbox in the activity or resource settings.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-There are several formats for a course homepage (see below). Most course formats have [[Blocks (teacher) | block areas]] on the left and right sides, with course [[Category:Modules|Activity modules]] and [[Resources]] grouped by [[Course sections | sections]] in the center column.
+{{Courses}}
 == Standard view of a blank course==
-Generally speaking, the first or top section is not numbered and was designed for general information and to contain activities and resources useful during the course.  Most courses will have at least one additional [[Course sections | section]].
+Our examples will be for a course homepage that is the standard default for a new install on a site.  There are many course options that determine a course's appearance and make it look very different from our examples. The example course has a header, a footer (both content largely determined by a theme) and 3 columns in the middle.
-The look of your course homepage also depends on which block areas you choose to appear using the Blocks field. All of the blocks can be moved up or down or to the other outside column according to one's liking.  Activities and resources can be moved to any place within the center column.  And the HTML editor can turn a plain homepage of text into a visual riot if required.
+[[Image:Blankcourselayout.png|thumb|600px|none|Example of Weekly format, teacher view, edit off - [https://docs.moodle.org/20/en/File:Blankcourselayout.png full resolution here]]]
-Here are basic elements of a course page and links to Moodle documentation.
-[[Image:Course edit on new 3w.JPG|thumb|600px|none|Example of Weekly format, teacher view, edit off - [https://docs.moodle.org/en/images_en/d/dc/Course_edit_on_new_3w.JPG full resolution here]]]
 ===Parts of a course homepage===
+Using the above image, here are the parts of a typical course homepage.  It is possible to move and hide parts of the page and different themes display blocks in different regions,  so not all courses will look like this.
 {| style="width:75%; height:200px" border="1"
 |-
-| Column left || [[Course sections]]-Center || Column right
+| Column left || Course sections - Center || Column right
 |-
 |-
-| *1 [[Course_settings#Full_name|Course full name]] || *7 Section header & [[News forum|News topic]] || *10 [[Log in|Login information]]
+| *1 [[Course_settings#Full_name|Course full name]] || *6 Section header & [[News forum|News topic]] || *9 Login information
 |-
-| *2 [[Course_settings#Short_name|Navigation bar]] ||*8 Current week - First section || *11 [[Getting_started_for_teachers#Editing_course_section|Edit on button]]
+| *2 [[Course_settings#Short_name|Navigation bar]] ||*7 Current week - First section || *10 Turn editing on button
 |-
-| *3 [[Course_settings#Summary|Course description]]|| *9 Future week  - Second section|| *12 [[Latest News block|Latest news]]
+| *4 [[Navigation block]]|| *8 Future week  - Second section|| *11 [[Latest News block|Latest news]]
 |-
-| *4 [[Participants|Participant list]]||  || *13 [[Upcoming Events block|Upcoming events]]
+| *5 [[Settings block]]||*14 "Show only this section"  || *12 [[Upcoming Events block|Upcoming events]]
 |-
-| *5 [[Forum module|Forum list]]||  || *14 [[Recent Activity block|Recent activity]]
+| *15 "Switch role to"||  || *13 [[Recent Activity block|Recent activity]]
 |-
-| *6 [[Course administration block|Course administration block]] ||  ||
+| *16 User profile settings ||  ||
+|-
+| *17 Site Administration || ||
+|}
+==Course sections==
+Course sections are displayed in the centre of the course page.
+To edit a course section:
+# Turn editing on
+# Click the edit icon after the section title
+{{New features}}If [[Conditional activities]] are enabled for the site, access to the section (including all activities and resources within it) may be restricted.
+{{New features}}The number of course sections in the centre column may be changed in ''Settings > Course administration > Edit settings'' or by clicking the plus or minus icons at the bottom of the course page when editing is turned on.
+{|
+| [[File:editing a section.png|thumb|Editing a course section]]
+| [[File:increasereduce.png|thumb|Changing the number of course sections]]
+|}
+To move a course section:
+#Turn editing on
+#Click the up/down arrow or the crosshairs icon to move the section
+#Drag the section to where you want to position it and let go
+==Blocks==
+Blocks are displayed in the right and/or left columns of the course page.
+To add a block to the course page
+#Turn on the editing by clicking the button top right or the link in ''Settings > Course administration''
+#Select a block from the "Add block" dropdown menu (usually situated bottom right of the page)
+{{New features}}To move a block
+#Ensure editing is turned on then click onto the block title until the crosshair icon appears
+#While keeping the block selected, drag it to where you want to position it and let go.
+Alternatively
+#Click on the up/down arrow
+#Click on the place holder (a zone with a dashed border) where you want the block to appear.
+{|
+| [[File:moveblocksnew.png|thumb|Crosshair icon for moving a block]]
+| [[File:Moveblocks.png|thumb|Up/down arrow icon for moving a block]]
+|}
+==Activities and resources==
+To add an activity or resource to the course
+#Turn on the editing by clicking the button top right or the link in ''Settings > Course administration.''
+#Click 'Add an activity or resource' to open the new activity chooser. Select an activity or resource then click the Add button, or simply double-click on the activity or resource name.{{New features}}
+If desired, the activity chooser can be switched off via ''Settings > Course administration > Activity chooser off''. Activities and resources can then be added using dropdown menus. (The setting appears only when editing is turned on.)
+'''Note:''' The Moodle admin can switch this off by default in ''Settings>Site administration>Appearance>AJAX and Javascript'' to avoid confusion for people coming from 1.9 to Moodle 2.3. (This feature is available from 2.3.2)
+{|
+| [[File:activity chooser.png|thumb|The activity chooser]]
 |}
-==Examples of course formats==
+{{New features}}Alternatively, certain resources and activities may be added using drag and drop:
-===Topic format example===
+*To add a [[File|file]], simply drag and drop it onto the course section where you'd like it to appear
-[[Image:Course top topic mu1.jpg|thumb|300px|none|Example of Topic format.  Click on image to enlarge]]
+*To add a [[Folder|folder of files]], simply zip the folder then drag and drop it onto the course section where you'd like it to appear, answer 'Unzip files and create folder' to the popup dialogue, then click the upload button
-This is a downloaded version of demo.moodle.org, using the Topic course format.
+*To add a [[SCORM module|SCORM package]], simply drag and drop it onto the course section where you'd like it to appear, answer 'Add a SCORM package' to the popup dialogue, then click the upload button
-===Weekly format example===
+==Editing elements on your course homepage==
-[[Image:Course top weekly mu1.jpg|thumb|300px|none|Example of Weekly format, teacher viewing as student]]
+With the editing turned on, each item on your course homepage and each section/block will have icons next to it which all perform different functions such as edit/move/copy/delete/hide. '''Note:''' ''your theme may have icons different from these below:'':
-This is a downloaded version of demo.moodle.org, using the weekly course format.
-===Social format example===
-[[Image:Course top social mu1.jpg|thumb|300px|none|Example of Social format.  Click on image to enlarge]]
-This is a downloaded version of demo.moodle.org, using the Social course format.  The existing activities  seemed to disappear.  The teacher added two forums and a student added a third popular topic.
-===Other format examples===
+:[[Image:quickrename.png]] - the pencil icon allows to rename your item directly on the course page without entering the settings for that item. {{New features}}
-There are also [[SCORM/AICC module|SCORM]] and [[LAMS]] course formats.
-==Course themes==
+:[[Image:Edit.gif]] - the edit icon allows you to change the wording or settings of the item.
-Some sites may allow teachers to select [[Themes |themes]] for their courses that are different from the Moodle site homepage. A theme can effect colours, font sizes and page layouts.
-In [[Course settings#force|course settings]], Teachers will see a "Force theme" drop down menu in the general section that contains a list of available themes.  Non-editing teacher can not alter this setting.  The default course theme is the site theme or the category theme.
+:[[File:Duplicateicon.png]] - the duplicate icon allows you to copy an activity or resource within your course
-The site administrator or course manager should look at [[Theme_settings]] or Administration>Configuration>Variables (older versions of Moodle) and change the allowcoursethemes to yes.
+:[[Image:Open.gif]] - the open-eye icon means an item is visible to students. It will close when you click on it
-==Drag and drop==
+:[[Image:Closed.gif]] - the closed-eye icon means an item is hidden from students. It will open when you click on it
-Be aware that drag and drop for course sections currently (25th Feb 2008) has an issue and only support dragging a course section onto an adjacent section. Fix on the way: MDL-11539
-==Tips and tricks==
+:[[Image:Right.gif]] - the right icon is used to indent course elements (there is also a left icon)
-===Make your course home page look more like a regular webpage===
-Often when a course has a lot of content, students and teachers find the long scrolling tedious and would prefer a 'neater' appearance with hyperlinks to sections in a similar way to the way pages on websites work.
+:[[Image:Move.gif]] - the move icon allows course elements to be placed anywhere
+:[[Image:Movehere.gif]] - the move here icon appears when moving a course element. Click into the box to re-locate your item.
+:[[File:Ajaxmoveicon.png]]- the "crosshairs" move icon allows you to move items or sections by dragging and dropping.
+:[[File:Updownarrow.png]] - the up/down arrows allow you to move course sections up or down. It appears if you do not have Ajax enabled in your browser or if it has been disabled by an admin for the site in ''Settings > Site administration > Appearance > Ajax and Javascript''.
+:[[Image:Delete.gif]] - the delete icon will permanently delete something from the course
+:[[File:Groupsicon.png]] - the groups icon allows you to change between no groups or separate/visible groups
+:[[File:Rolesicon.png]] - the roles icon allows you to assign roles locally in the item.
+The following icons are visible when editing is both on and off
-*Anchors/section links can help. But the course page can still be long.
+The following icon only applies to sections
-*Hiding the activities shortens the list for students, but then they can not be selected by students.
-One method which might be useful is to put the activities into sections which are then made 'unseen' to the student.
+:[[Image:Marker.gif]] - the highlight  icon allows you to highlight a section as current
-''Basic Example''
+==Tips and tricks==
-*Set the number of topics in the course setting to 1 more than students will see.
-**For example, you plan on the students being able to see 6 topics, set it for 7.
-*Add activities in topic 7, such as a quiz (in our example)
-*Get the url of your quiz
-**Copy it and keep it somewhere (such as notepad) for later use
-*Go back to course admin>settings and change your topic/weeks to 6
-**Or one fewer than you had before
-*The section with your quiz will no longer be on the page that the student sees
-*In another section, make a hyperlink to the quiz using its url
-**You can also put it in a topic summary, label or
-**as a resource (link to a file or website)
-You will find that the quiz is accessible to students even though the section  does not physically appear on the course page for the students.  You have shortened the page.
+*Make your course home page look more like a webpage - see [[Course FAQ]]
+*Activity and resource descriptions can be displayed on the course page just below the link to the activity or resource by clicking the 'Display description on course page' checkbox in the activity or resource settings.
-''More advanced example''
+==Course homepage capabilities==
-*There is a youtube video that gives an example of how to do this [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XtHPUh_BaxM here]
-*You can actually set up your whole course using this method.
-*Set  your course to have two topics (or more if you wish)
-*Ignore topic 1 - do not place anything in it.
-*In topic 2, use the resource: ''Compose a webpage'' to make webpages relating to your units of work/topics
-*Add all your resources to topic 2
-*Copy the resources urls into the relevant webpage as hyperlinks
-*In topic 0, the course summary make hyperlinks -or better- images hyperlinked - to each webpage which contains the activities of that unit/topic
-*Go back to course settings and set the number of visible topics to 1.
-The student will only see the top of the page. When they click on a link in the header, they are taken to the hidden webpage resources, where they select the resource or activity they wish.  This creates a very short visual page but keeps all the course material within the course.
+*[[Capabilities/moodle/course:sectionvisibility|Control section visibility]]
+*[[Capabilities/moodle/course:setcurrentsection|Set current section]]
 ==See also==
-*[[Course sections]] - some information about weekly and topic sections
+*[http://youtu.be/Je9udHLCIv0 How to quickly rename activities and use the activity chooser screencast]
-*[[Blocks (teacher)]] - some links to different types of blocks
+*[http://youtu.be/1You5H_NXM0 Quickly add a course section in Moodle 2.3 screencast]
-*[[Adding/editing_a_course]] for more information about a course
+*[http://youtu.be/Yy6-Sg7z7A4 Drag and drop blocks in Moodle 2.3 screencast]
-*For Administrators - Administration block, configuration, variables and interface [[Theme_config#Course_themes |settings]].
 [[es:course/view]]
 [[fr:Page de cours]]
-[[ru:Главная страница курса]]
 [[ja:コースホームページ]]
-[[Category:Teacher|Course/view]]
-[[sk:kurz/prehľad]]
 [[de:Kursseite]]

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