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{{Course admin}}
{{Courses}}
A teacher, or other user with the [[Capabilities/moodle/course:update|update course settings capability]], can change course settings in ''Administration > Course administration > Edit settings''.


[[Image:Settings.gif]]'''Course settings''' control how the things appear to the participants in a course. It is the first page viewed after creating a course. It can be edited through the '''Settings''' link in the [[Course administration block]] menu.  This page has links to other pages that may describe a setting in more detail. Different versions of Moodle may not have all the settings listed below.
==General==
 
===Course full name===
 
This is the name of the course.  It is displayed as a link on course lists on the [[Front page]] and on the [[Dashboard]] and in reports. It is also used in the browser title bar when the course is viewed.
 
The capability [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changefullname|moodle/course:changefullname]] controls whether a user can edit the course full name.
 
===Short name===
 
Many institutions have a shorthand way of referring to a course, such as BP102 or COMMS.  Even if you do not already have such a name for your course, make one up here.  It will be used in several places where the long name is not appropriate, such as the Navigation block.
 
The capability [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changeshortname|moodle/course:changeshortname]] controls whether a user can edit the short name field.


By default, only course full names are displayed in the list of courses. However an administrator can enable short names to be displayed too if required by ticking the checkbox in ''Administration > Site administration > Appearance > Courses''.


==General==
=== Course category===
[[Image:generalsettings1.gif|thumb|General settings]]
===Category===


The site administrator may have created course categories to help teachers and students find their courses easily.
The site administrator may have created course categories to help teachers and students find their courses easily.  Course categories may be reflected in the [[Navigation block]].


The capability [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changecategory|moodle/course:changecategory]] controls whether a user can edit the course category.
The capability [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changecategory|moodle/course:changecategory]] controls whether a user can edit the course category.


===Short name===
===Course start date===
Many institutions have a shorthand way of referring to a course, such as BP102 or COMMS. Even if you do not already have such a name for your course, make one up here. It will be used in several places where the long name is not appropriateThe most common use is in the navigation bar that is at the top of most pages and this provides an active link to the course home page.
 
This setting affects the display of logs and the weekly format topic dates.
 
If you use the "Weekly" course format, the start date will appear in the first section of the course. For example selecting 27 July, will display "27 July - 2 August" in the first section (when default display is selected for that section).   
 
This setting will have an effect on the display of logs. This will be the earliest possible date the log activity will display.  


[[Image:Assignment nav trail.jpg|Point to Assignment, part of the Features course, in a site called Moodle]]
This setting will '''not''' affect courses using the 'social' or 'topics' formats.


The above example has the short course name, "Features", in the navigation links (breadcrumb). The short name also appears in the subject line of email messages that are part of the course.
:''TIP:'' If your institution runs on a weekly schedule, you may want to consider setting the start date for courses on the first day of the week, like a Monday. Please note that the 'first day of the week' is set by the [https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Translation_langconfig langconfig file] of your [[Language]], and might be different from the default Monday of the English language pack.


The capability [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changeshortname|moodle/course:changeshortname]] controls whether a user can edit the short name field.
:''TIP:'' In general, if your course does not have a real starting date then set the date to yesterday and use the availability setting to reveal the course to students.


===ID number===
:''TIP:'' See self enrolment course settings to prevent students from entering the course before a certain date/time.
The ID number is an alphanumeric field.  It has several potential uses.  Generally, it is not displayed to students.  However, it can be used to match this course against an external system's ID, as your course catalog ID or can be used in the certificate module as a printed field.


The capability [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changeidnumber|moodle/course:changeidnumber]] controls whether a user can edit the ID number.
===Visible===


===Summary===
Here you can "hide" your course completely. It will not appear on any course listings, except for managers, course creators, teachers and any other users with the [[Capabilities/moodle/course:viewhiddencourses|view hidden courses capability]]. Even if students try to access the course URL directly, they will not be allowed to enter.


The summary appears on the course listings page.
The [[Capabilities/moodle/course:visibility|hide/show courses capability]] controls whether a user can hide a course.


The capability [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changesummary|moodle/course:changesummary]] controls whether a user can edit the course summary.
Note: In earlier versions of Moodle, this setting was named 'Course availability'.


===Format===
=== Course ID number===
[[Image:generalsettings3.gif|thumb|Format section in course settings]]
See [[Course formats]]


===Number of weeks/topics===
The ID number is an alphanumeric field.  It has several potential usesGenerally, it is not displayed to students.  However, it can be used to match this course against an external system's ID, as your course catalogue ID or can be used in the certificate module as a printed field.
This setting is only used by the 'weekly' and 'topics' course formatsIn the 'weekly' format, it specifies the number of weeks that the course will run for, starting from the course starting date.  In the 'topics' format, it specifies the number of topics in the course.  Both of these translate to the number of "boxes" down the middle of the course page.


[[#top|Top]]
The capability [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changeidnumber|moodle/course:changeidnumber]] controls whether a user can edit the ID number.
12


===Course start date===
==Description==
This is where you specify the starting time of the course (in your own time zone). The first week will start on the date you set here when you use the "Weekly" course format.
{|
|[[File:coursesummary.png|thumb|500px|Description settings expanded by default]]
|}


This setting will not affect courses using the 'social' or 'topics' formats.
===Course summary===


However, this setting will have an effect on the display of logs, which use this date as the earliest possible date you can display. It can also make your course not visible to students even if when the course is available to students (see below).
The summary appears on the course listings page. This field is searched when searching for a course and also appears in the Course/Site description block.


:''TIP:'' If your institution runs on a weekly schedule, you may want to consider setting the start date for courses on the first day of the week, like a Monday.
The capability [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changesummary|moodle/course:changesummary]] controls whether a user can edit the course summary.


:''TIP:'' In general, if your course does not have a real starting date then set the date to yesterday and use the availability setting to reveal the course to students.
===Course summary files===


===Hidden sections===
An image (and if allowed by the administrator, other file types) may be attached to the course summary. They will be accessible by anyone from outside of the course just like the course name and/or summary. Only users with [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changesummary| moodle/course:changesummary capability]] are able to upload/change course summary files.
This option allows you to decide how the hidden sections in your course are displayed to studentsBy default, a small area is shown (in collapsed form, usually gray) to indicate where the hidden section is, though they still cannot actually see the hidden activities and texts. This is particularly useful in the Weekly format, so that non-class weeks are clear, or if you have quizes you don't want your students to see.
''Note that if this is not allowed by the administrator, then no box will appear to upload course summary files''.


:''TIP:'' If you choose, these non-available items can be completely hidden, so that students do not even know  that sections or an activity in the course are hidden.
By default, only jpg, gif and png file types are allowed as course summary files. An administrator can change the allowed file types in ''Administration > Site administration > Appearance > Courses''.


[[#top|Top]]
==Course format==


===Show grades===
(These settings are collapsed by default.)
Many of the activities allow [[Grades|grades]] to be set.  By default, the results of all grades within the course can be seen in the Grades page, available from the main course page for students and teachers.
{|
|[[File:coursefomat25.png|thumb|500px|Course format settings expanded]]
|}


:''TIP:'' If a teacher is not interested in using grades in a course, or just wants to hide grades from students, then they can disable the display of grades with this option.  This does not prevent the teacher using or setting grades for an individual activities, it just disables the results from being displayed to students.
===Format===


===Show activity reports===
See [[Course formats]]
[[Activity_report#Individual_Activity_Report|Activity reports]] are available to each student. These reports or logs show their activity and contributions in the current course.  These reports include their detailed access log.
 
===Number of sections===


Student access to their own reports is controlled by the teacher via this course settingFor some courses, these reports can be a useful tool for a student to reflect on their involvement and appearance within the online environment, but for some courses, this may not be necessary.
This setting is only used by the 'weekly' and 'topics' course formatsIn the 'weekly' format, it specifies the number of weeks that the course will run for, starting from the course starting date.  In the 'topics' format, it specifies the number of topics in the course.  Both of these translate to the number of "boxes" down the middle of the course page.


Teachers always have access to these reports.  Teachers can use the button or tab visible on each person’s profile page or use the [[Reports]] link in the course administration block.
If the number of weeks/topics is changed for an existing course so that the number is less than the number of course sections containing activities (for example the course contains activities in 3 sections and the number or weeks/topics is set to 2) then when editing is turned on section(s) at the bottom of the course page will be shown with the title 'Orphaned activities'.


Your site administrator may ask you to turn this feature off.  Showing activity reports can place a load on the server, slowing it down at times.  For large or long classes it may be more efficient to keep it off.
The number of weeks/topics may be set to 0, so that only the top general section is displayed on the course page and there are no numbered sections.


[[#top|Top]]
By default, the maximum number of weeks/topics is 52, but an administrator can set a different maximum number which will apply to all courses on the site (see below).


===Maximum upload size===
===Hidden sections===
[[Image:Changeupload.jpg|thumb|Maximum upload size setting]]
This setting defines the largest size of file that can be uploaded by students in this course.  The site administrator can determine [[Site_policies#Maximum_uploaded_file_sizefile |sizes available]] for the teacher to select.  Teachers should be aware of a course's [[Files|file structure]].


It is possible to further restrict this size through settings within each activity module.
This option allows you to decide how the hidden sections in your course are displayed to students.  By default, a small area is shown (in collapsed form, usually grey) to indicate where the hidden section is, though they still cannot actually see the hidden activities and texts.  This is particularly useful in the Weekly format, so that non-class weeks are clear, or if you have quizzes you don't want your students to see.


===Force theme===
:''TIP:'' If you choose, these non-available items can be completely hidden, so that students do not even know  that sections or an activity in the course are hidden.
If the site administrator has allowed the teacher to set a course [[Themes|theme]], this pull down menu will appear with a list of themes on the site.


===Is this a meta course?===
===Course layout===
A [[Metacourses|metacourse]] only gets its enrollments from one or more other courses.  Many metacourses can get their enrollment from the same course.  A metacourse can get its enrollment information from many other courses.
''TIP:'' Turning this on prematurely before the meta courses are properly setup will cause Moodle to return 'This course does not allow public access' when users would ordinarily be able to access through internal enrollment. Verify that the linked course(s) exists.  Remember a meta course ONLY gets its enrollment from other courses.


[[#top|Top]]
The Course layout setting determines whether the whole course is displayed on one page or split over several pages. The setting currently applies to the topics and weekly core course formats and contributed collapsed topics course format only.


==Enrolments==
Teachers choose from the dropdown whether they wish to "show all sections on one page" in the familiar scrolling format, or "show one section per page".  
[[Image:generalsetting4.gif|thumb|Enrolment settings]]
===Enrolment plugins===
This setting allows you to choose an interactive [[Enrolment plugins|enrolment plugin]], such as [[Internal enrolment|internal enrolment]] or [[Paypal]]. If you use a non-interactive enrolment plugin, this setting has no effect.


===Default role===
If one section per page is selected, the course page is abbreviated to a list of links to individual sections. If an individual section is shown, next and previous sections may be accessed via links above and below the section.


From Moodle 1.7 onwards, a default course role, such as student, may be set.
{|
| [[File:one section per page course format.png|thumb|Course page for course using one section per page course layout]]
| [[File:Single_section_page.png|thumb|Individual section of a course using one section per page course layout]]
|}


===Course enrollable===
Visit the School demo site course [http://school.demo.moodle.net/course/view.php?id=37 The Types of Sport] to see the "Show one section per page" course layout in action!
This setting only affects interactive enrolment plugins, such as [[Internal enrolment|internal enrolment]] and [[Paypal]]. It has no affect at all on non-interactive plugins (e.g. External Database, LDAP). Setting it to "no" or if it is outside the specified date range will result in the student being told the course is "Not enrollable" and being returned to the front page, if they are attempting to enroll using an interactive plugin.


:''TIP:'' If you are using Internal enrolment and you have not set an enrolment key, you should seriously consider setting this to ''No'' otherwise any user can enrol on your course.
For further details plus screenshots, see blog post [http://www.somerandomthoughts.com/blog/2012/05/08/moodle-2-3-section-per-page/ Moodle 2.3 – Section per page] by Gavin Henrick.


[[#top|Top]]
==Appearance==
===Enrolment duration===
This setting specifies the number of days a student can be enrolled in this course (starting from the moment they enroll).  Set this value with care - setting it when not required is a common origin of the complaint,  "my students keep disappearing after n days".


:''TIP:'' This is useful for rolling courses without a specific start or end time. Students are automatically unenrolled after the number of days has expired in this setting.
(These settings are collapsed by default.)


:''TIP:'' This setting can be used as an alternative to a manually unenrolling students or using a clean-up function to remove defunct students at some future time.
{|
:''TIP:'' If this course is a metacourse, the enrolment period will not be used.
|[[File:appearancecourse252.png|thumb|500px|Appearance settings expanded]]
|}


==Enrolment expiry notification==
===Force theme===
[[Image:generalsettings5.gif|thumb|Enrolment expiry notification settings]]
These settings determine whether teachers and/or students are notified that their enrolment is about to expire and how much notice they should be given.


[[#top|Top]]
If the site administrator has allowed the teacher to set a course [[Themes|theme]], this pull down menu will appear with a list of themes on the siteTeachers can use this to choose a different look for the course from the rest of the Moodle site.
==Groups==
[[Image:generalsettings6.gif|thumb|Groups settings]]
===Group mode===
Here you can define the [[Groups|group mode]] at the course level by a pull down menu. "[[Groups#No_groups|No groups]]", "[[Groups#Separate_groups|Separate groups]]" and "[[Groups#Visible_groups|Visible groups]]" are the choices. The selected setting will be the default group mode for all activities defined within that courseThe group setting can affect what users see in the [[Participants]] list.  


:''TIP:'' You may leave it set to "No groups" and still have specific activities use groups. In this case the force setting below should be set to "no". For example, the teacher can use a group setting to completely separate cohorts of students such that each group is unaware of the other in the course.
=== Force language===


===Force===
If you force a language in a course, the interface of Moodle in this course will be in this particular language, even if a student has selected a different preferred language in his/her personal profile.
If the group mode is "forced" at a course-level, then this particular group mode will be applied to every activity in that course. This will override any activities that may have a special group setting.


:''TIP:''The force setting is useful when the teacher wants to set up a course and not have to change each activities group settings.
The capability [[Capabilities/moodle/site:forcelanguage|moodle/site:forcelanguage]] may be allowed by the admin for users who need to override this language (for example, when testing problems in a course in a language they do not know.)


[[#top|Top]]
===News items to show===
===Default grouping===


{{Moodle 1.9}}If [[Groupings|groupings]] are enabled (in Moodle 1.9 onwards), a default grouping for course activities and resources may be set.
How many news items should show the [[Latest news block]].   Set it to 0 and Latest news block will not appear.


==Availability==
The Latest News block relies on the use of the associated News Forum. News posted in other forums do not display in the latest News block


[[Image:generalsettings7.gif|thumb|Availability settings]]
===Show gradebook to students===
This option allows you to "hide" your course completely. It will not appear on any course listings, except to teachers of the course and administrators. Even if students try to access the course URL directly, they will not be allowed to enter. 


:''TIP:'' The [[Course_settings#Course_start_date|Start Date]] of the course can also effect course visibility.  
Here you can decide whether to allow students to see the link to [[Grades|grades]] in the Administration block. If your course doesn't use graded activities, it makes sense to disable this. If grades are used and this link is disabled, students can still see their grade from the actual activity itself, such as an [[Assignment|assignment]]
[[#top|Top]]
===Enrolment key===
A course [[Enrolment key|enrolment key]] enables access to courses to be restricted to those who know the key. This feature is typically used on sites which encourage self enrolments or use an external database process to register students in a course.  The idea is that Teachers or course administrators will supply the key to authorized people using another means like private email, snail mail, on the phone or even verbally in a face-to-face class.


When the key is left blank and [[Course_settings#Course_enrollable|self enrolment]] is allowed, then anyone who has a Moodle username on the site will be able to enrol in the course.
===Show activity reports===


:''TIP:'' A student can be manually enroled in the course and will not have to supply the required key when they enter the course for the first time.  
Here you can decide whether to show students their [[Activity_report#Individual_Activity_Report|activity reports]]. Doing so places a load on the server however, which is why the setting is disabled by default.


:''TIP:'' If this password "gets out" and you have unwanted people enrolling, you can unenrol them (see their user profile page or unassign them from the [[Assign roles|student role]] in the course) and change this key. Any legitimate students who have already enrolled will not be affected, but the unwanted people will not be able to get back in.
==Files and uploads==


:''TIP:'' If you are using a non-interactive enrolment, system (e.g., External Database, LDAP) and you do not want students who fail the initial check to be asked for an enrolment key that they will not have, set ''Course Enrolable'' to ''No''.
(These settings are collapsed by default.)


:''TIP:'' You can control who is displayed as providing the Key when someone is requested to supply the key. See [[Internal enrolment]]
===Maximum upload size===


[[#top|Top]]
Here you can decide the largest size of file that students can upload to a course.  The site administrator can determine [[Site_policies#Maximum_uploaded_file_sizefile |sizes available]] for the teacher to select.


===Guest access===
Editing teachers or other users may be allowed to upload files larger than the maximum size by giving them the capability [[Capabilities/moodle/course:ignorefilesizelimits|moodle/course:ignorefilesizelimits]]


Allows any authenticated user (i.e. logged in) to access the course (as a [[Guest role|guest]]), including those who have logged in "as guest". You can choose if they need an enrolment key or may enter without one.
==Completion tracking==


People can log in as guests using the "Login as a guest" button on a login screen, where that feature is enabled for the site. When the user tries to enter a course, they will see the [[Log in|login screen]]. If you only need people authenticated via your normal authentication method to access courses (as Guest or not) it is probably wise to disable "Login as a guest" for a slight improvement in site security. See [[Manage authentication]].
(These settings are collapsed by default.)


Guests in a course ALWAYS have "read-only" access - meaning they cannot leave any posts or otherwise mess up the course for real students.  No use information is stored for a guest.
Completion  tracking must be enabled for [[Activity completion]]. [[Course completion]] criteria may also be based upon Activity completion values found in the activity's settings.


:''TIP:'' This can be handy when you want to let a colleague in to look around at your work, or to let students see a course before they have decided to enroll.
==Groups==
:''TIP:'' You have a choice between two types of guest access: with the enrolment key or without. If you choose to allow guests who have the key, then the guest will need to provide the current enrolment key EVERY TIME they log in (unlike students who only need to do it once). This lets you restrict your guests. If you choose to allow guests without a key, then anyone can get straight into your course.


For more information see [[Guest role]].
(These settings are collapsed by default.)
{|
|[[File:coursegroups25.png|thumb|500px|Groups settings expanded]]
|}


===Group mode===


[[#top|Top]]
Here you can define the [[Groups|group mode]] at the course level by a pull down menu. "[[Groups#No_groups|No groups]]", "[[Groups#Separate_groups|Separate groups]]" and "[[Groups#Visible_groups|Visible groups]]" are the choices. The selected setting will be the default group mode for all activities defined within that course.  The group setting can affect what users see in the participants list and who they can interact with in activities.
===Cost===


If [[Paypal]] or [[Authorize.net Payment Gateway]] is set as the [[Enrolment plugins|enrolment plugin]], then the course cost can be set in the cost field.
===Force===


==Language==
If the group mode is "forced" at a course-level, then this particular group mode will be applied to every activity in that course. This will override any activities that may have a special group setting. 
[[Image:generalsettings8.gif|thumb|Language settings]]


If you force a language in a course, the interface of Moodle in this course will be in this particular language, even if a student has selected a different preferred language in his/her personal profile.
===Default grouping===


[[#top|Top]]
If [[Groupings|groupings]] are enabled, a default grouping for course activities and resources may be set.


==Role renaming==
==Role renaming==
[[Image:rolesimages.gif|thumb|Role renaming settings]]
{{Moodle 1.9}}In Moodle 1.9 onwards, you can rename the [[Roles|roles]] used in your course. For example, you may wish to rename the [[Teacher role]] as "Facilitator", "Tutor" or "Guide". These new role names will appear within the course. For example on the [[Participants|participants]] and the override permissions pages.


Please note that the site administrator or a [[Course managers|course manager]] may have changed the names or added new roles.  These names will appear and the teacher may rename them.
(These settings are collapsed by default.)
{|
|[[File:rolerenaming.png|thumb|500px|Role renaming settings expanded]]
|}
You can rename the [[Roles|roles]] used in your course. For example, you may wish to rename the [[Teacher role]] as "Facilitator", "Tutor" or "Guide". These new role names will appear within the course. For example on the participants and the override permissions pages.
 
Please note that the site administrator may have changed the names or added new roles.  These names will appear and the teacher may rename them.


[[Roles FAQ]] contains information on changing the name for teacher in Moodle 1.7 and 1.8. Prior to Moodle 1.7, the words for teacher and student may be changed in the course settings.
If you want the word for 'Teacher' to be different in all courses on the site, a site admin can edit the roles of teacher and non-editing teacher in ''Administration > Site administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles'' and change the custom full name there.


:''Tip'': Do not worry about changing every role name. Only change the site roles which are used in your course. For example, you may want to ignore renaming roles such as the [[Administrator role]] or the [[Authenticated user role]].
==Tags==
{{New features}}
Teachers can add course tags here, either new tags or official tags. See [[Using tags]] for more information.


:''Tip'': To include new role names in a course backup, users should be included in the backup.
== Site administration settings==


[[#top|Top]]
An administrator can set course default settings in ''Administration > Site administration > Courses > Course default settings''.


==Default course settings==
The maximum number of weeks/topics may be set for all courses on the site. The default value is 52.


An administrator can set course settings defaults in ''Administration > Courses > [[Course default settings]]'' in Moodle 1.9.5 onwards.
==Preventing teachers from editing course settings==
[[#top|Top]]


==See also==
Any/all of the following fields - course full name, short name, ID number and category, summary - may be locked to prevent teachers from editing them. To do so:


*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWOp1oq-TvI Video showing how to create a course in Moodle]
#Access ''Site Administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles''.
#Click the edit icon opposite the teacher role.
#Change any/all of the capabilities [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changefullname|moodle/course:changefullname]], [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changeshortname|moodle/course:changeshortname]], [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changeidnumber|moodle/course:changeidnumber]], [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changecategory|moodle/course:changecategory]], [[Capabilities/moodle/course:changesummary|moodle/course:changesummary]] from allow to not set.
#Click the "Save changes" button at the bottom of the page.


[[Category:Course]]
==See also==
* [http://youtu.be/19ke-cvhnug Moodle Course Settings] MoodleBites video on YouTube 
* [http://youtu.be/rg6rUuBwITo Moodle 2 Administration Courses] MoodleBites video on YouTube


[[de:Kurseinstellungen]]
[[de:Kurseinstellungen]]
[[es:Administración del curso]]
[[es:Configuraciones del curso]]
[[eu:Ikastaroaren_ezarpenak]]
[[eu:Ikastaroaren_ezarpenak]]
[[fr:Paramètres]]
[[fr:Paramètres du cours]]
[[ja:コース設定]]
[[ja:コース設定]]
[[ru:course/edit]]

Latest revision as of 06:09, 19 April 2016

A teacher, or other user with the update course settings capability, can change course settings in Administration > Course administration > Edit settings.

General

Course full name

This is the name of the course. It is displayed as a link on course lists on the Front page and on the Dashboard and in reports. It is also used in the browser title bar when the course is viewed.

The capability moodle/course:changefullname controls whether a user can edit the course full name.

Short name

Many institutions have a shorthand way of referring to a course, such as BP102 or COMMS. Even if you do not already have such a name for your course, make one up here. It will be used in several places where the long name is not appropriate, such as the Navigation block.

The capability moodle/course:changeshortname controls whether a user can edit the short name field.

By default, only course full names are displayed in the list of courses. However an administrator can enable short names to be displayed too if required by ticking the checkbox in Administration > Site administration > Appearance > Courses.

Course category

The site administrator may have created course categories to help teachers and students find their courses easily. Course categories may be reflected in the Navigation block.

The capability moodle/course:changecategory controls whether a user can edit the course category.

Course start date

This setting affects the display of logs and the weekly format topic dates.

If you use the "Weekly" course format, the start date will appear in the first section of the course. For example selecting 27 July, will display "27 July - 2 August" in the first section (when default display is selected for that section).

This setting will have an effect on the display of logs. This will be the earliest possible date the log activity will display.

This setting will not affect courses using the 'social' or 'topics' formats.

TIP: If your institution runs on a weekly schedule, you may want to consider setting the start date for courses on the first day of the week, like a Monday. Please note that the 'first day of the week' is set by the langconfig file of your Language, and might be different from the default Monday of the English language pack.
TIP: In general, if your course does not have a real starting date then set the date to yesterday and use the availability setting to reveal the course to students.
TIP: See self enrolment course settings to prevent students from entering the course before a certain date/time.

Visible

Here you can "hide" your course completely. It will not appear on any course listings, except for managers, course creators, teachers and any other users with the view hidden courses capability. Even if students try to access the course URL directly, they will not be allowed to enter.

The hide/show courses capability controls whether a user can hide a course.

Note: In earlier versions of Moodle, this setting was named 'Course availability'.

Course ID number

The ID number is an alphanumeric field. It has several potential uses. Generally, it is not displayed to students. However, it can be used to match this course against an external system's ID, as your course catalogue ID or can be used in the certificate module as a printed field.

The capability moodle/course:changeidnumber controls whether a user can edit the ID number.

Description

Description settings expanded by default

Course summary

The summary appears on the course listings page. This field is searched when searching for a course and also appears in the Course/Site description block.

The capability moodle/course:changesummary controls whether a user can edit the course summary.

Course summary files

An image (and if allowed by the administrator, other file types) may be attached to the course summary. They will be accessible by anyone from outside of the course just like the course name and/or summary. Only users with moodle/course:changesummary capability are able to upload/change course summary files. Note that if this is not allowed by the administrator, then no box will appear to upload course summary files.

By default, only jpg, gif and png file types are allowed as course summary files. An administrator can change the allowed file types in Administration > Site administration > Appearance > Courses.

Course format

(These settings are collapsed by default.)

Course format settings expanded

Format

See Course formats

Number of sections

This setting is only used by the 'weekly' and 'topics' course formats. In the 'weekly' format, it specifies the number of weeks that the course will run for, starting from the course starting date. In the 'topics' format, it specifies the number of topics in the course. Both of these translate to the number of "boxes" down the middle of the course page.

If the number of weeks/topics is changed for an existing course so that the number is less than the number of course sections containing activities (for example the course contains activities in 3 sections and the number or weeks/topics is set to 2) then when editing is turned on section(s) at the bottom of the course page will be shown with the title 'Orphaned activities'.

The number of weeks/topics may be set to 0, so that only the top general section is displayed on the course page and there are no numbered sections.

By default, the maximum number of weeks/topics is 52, but an administrator can set a different maximum number which will apply to all courses on the site (see below).

Hidden sections

This option allows you to decide how the hidden sections in your course are displayed to students. By default, a small area is shown (in collapsed form, usually grey) to indicate where the hidden section is, though they still cannot actually see the hidden activities and texts. This is particularly useful in the Weekly format, so that non-class weeks are clear, or if you have quizzes you don't want your students to see.

TIP: If you choose, these non-available items can be completely hidden, so that students do not even know that sections or an activity in the course are hidden.

Course layout

The Course layout setting determines whether the whole course is displayed on one page or split over several pages. The setting currently applies to the topics and weekly core course formats and contributed collapsed topics course format only.

Teachers choose from the dropdown whether they wish to "show all sections on one page" in the familiar scrolling format, or "show one section per page".

If one section per page is selected, the course page is abbreviated to a list of links to individual sections. If an individual section is shown, next and previous sections may be accessed via links above and below the section.

Course page for course using one section per page course layout
Individual section of a course using one section per page course layout

Visit the School demo site course The Types of Sport to see the "Show one section per page" course layout in action!

For further details plus screenshots, see blog post Moodle 2.3 – Section per page by Gavin Henrick.

Appearance

(These settings are collapsed by default.)

Appearance settings expanded

Force theme

If the site administrator has allowed the teacher to set a course theme, this pull down menu will appear with a list of themes on the site. Teachers can use this to choose a different look for the course from the rest of the Moodle site.

Force language

If you force a language in a course, the interface of Moodle in this course will be in this particular language, even if a student has selected a different preferred language in his/her personal profile.

The capability moodle/site:forcelanguage may be allowed by the admin for users who need to override this language (for example, when testing problems in a course in a language they do not know.)

News items to show

How many news items should show the Latest news block. Set it to 0 and Latest news block will not appear.

The Latest News block relies on the use of the associated News Forum. News posted in other forums do not display in the latest News block

Show gradebook to students

Here you can decide whether to allow students to see the link to grades in the Administration block. If your course doesn't use graded activities, it makes sense to disable this. If grades are used and this link is disabled, students can still see their grade from the actual activity itself, such as an assignment

Show activity reports

Here you can decide whether to show students their activity reports. Doing so places a load on the server however, which is why the setting is disabled by default.

Files and uploads

(These settings are collapsed by default.)

Maximum upload size

Here you can decide the largest size of file that students can upload to a course. The site administrator can determine sizes available for the teacher to select.

Editing teachers or other users may be allowed to upload files larger than the maximum size by giving them the capability moodle/course:ignorefilesizelimits

Completion tracking

(These settings are collapsed by default.)

Completion tracking must be enabled for Activity completion. Course completion criteria may also be based upon Activity completion values found in the activity's settings.

Groups

(These settings are collapsed by default.)

Groups settings expanded

Group mode

Here you can define the group mode at the course level by a pull down menu. "No groups", "Separate groups" and "Visible groups" are the choices. The selected setting will be the default group mode for all activities defined within that course. The group setting can affect what users see in the participants list and who they can interact with in activities.

Force

If the group mode is "forced" at a course-level, then this particular group mode will be applied to every activity in that course. This will override any activities that may have a special group setting.

Default grouping

If groupings are enabled, a default grouping for course activities and resources may be set.

Role renaming

(These settings are collapsed by default.)

Role renaming settings expanded

You can rename the roles used in your course. For example, you may wish to rename the Teacher role as "Facilitator", "Tutor" or "Guide". These new role names will appear within the course. For example on the participants and the override permissions pages.

Please note that the site administrator may have changed the names or added new roles. These names will appear and the teacher may rename them.

If you want the word for 'Teacher' to be different in all courses on the site, a site admin can edit the roles of teacher and non-editing teacher in Administration > Site administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles and change the custom full name there.

Tags

New feature
in Moodle 3.0!

Teachers can add course tags here, either new tags or official tags. See Using tags for more information.

Site administration settings

An administrator can set course default settings in Administration > Site administration > Courses > Course default settings.

The maximum number of weeks/topics may be set for all courses on the site. The default value is 52.

Preventing teachers from editing course settings

Any/all of the following fields - course full name, short name, ID number and category, summary - may be locked to prevent teachers from editing them. To do so:

  1. Access Site Administration > Users > Permissions > Define roles.
  2. Click the edit icon opposite the teacher role.
  3. Change any/all of the capabilities moodle/course:changefullname, moodle/course:changeshortname, moodle/course:changeidnumber, moodle/course:changecategory, moodle/course:changesummary from allow to not set.
  4. Click the "Save changes" button at the bottom of the page.

See also