MoodleDocs - User contributions [en]

Google Drive converter

2018-10-24T19:20:54Z

Rexlorenzo:

{{Document converters}}
Files submitted by students in assignments may be converted to PDF files with the Google Drive converter. Teachers can then annotate directly on the submissions. This option provides a useful alternative for those organisations who are unable to install [[Universal Office Converter (unoconv) |Unconv]] for document conversion.

==Using the Google Drive converter==

To enabling the Google Drive converter, an admin must

# Set up and configure the [[OAuth 2 Google service]].
# Connect the Google service to a system account.
## Go to Site administration > Server > OAuth 2 services
## Click on the icon under "System account connected" column if there is a red X for Google.
# Go to 'Document converters' in the Site administration and enable the Google Drive converter.
# In the settings, select Google as the OAuth 2 service, then save changes.

A link is available to test the document conversion is working correctly. If you obtain a message saying that the system account is not linked, go to the OAuth 2 Google service settings and re-connect the Google service to the system account.

==See also==

* [https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=361138 Privacy concerns using the Google Document Converter] forum discussion

[[Category: OAuth 2]]

[[es:Convertidor Google Drive]]
[[de:Google Drive Konverter]]

MySQL full unicode support

2017-03-28T22:23:49Z

Rexlorenzo:

{{Environment}}
==UTF-8==

UTF-8 is a character encoding that most websites use. It encodes each of the 1,112,064 valid code points. To store all of this information, four bytes is required. The most popular values are in the three byte region. MySQL by default only uses a three byte encoding and so values in the four byte range (eg. Asian characters and Emojis) can not be stored. Any attempt to enter a text that contains four byte characters will result in a Moodle database error.

MySQL does provide full four byte UTF-8 support, but it requires certain database settings to be configured. From version 3.3 on Moodle uses full UTF-8 for both MySQL and MariaDB by default. Existing databases will still run with partial support, but it is recommended to move over to full support.

Moodle comes with a Command Line Interface (CLI) script for converting to full UTF-8 for MySQL (and MariaDB). Before Moodle versions 3.1.5 and 3.2.2 this conversion tool would only change the Collation to some variant of 'utf8_bin'. 'utf8_unicode_ci' was the recommended Collation. We now recommend using 'utf8mb4_unicode_ci' which supports four byte characters (utf8_unicode_ci only supports three).

This script will attempt to change the database Collation, Character set, default table settings and column definitions.

To summarise:

* Fresh installs of Moodle 3.1.5 and 3.2.2 onwards will use utf8mb4 by default, if the database server is configured appropriately (see below).
* Sites upgrading to Moodle 3.1.5 or 3.2.2 can use the script to update to utf8mb4. In Moodle 3.3 a warning will show that the database isn't using full UTF-8 support and suggest moving to 'utf8mb4_unicode_ci', but you may choose to keep using 'utf8_*'.

===File format===

To allow for large indexes on columns that are a varchar, a combination of settings needs to be set. The file format for the system needs to be using "Barracuda". This allows for the row format to be set to "Compressed" or "Dynamic". To enable this setting see the upgrade steps listed below.

===File per table===

To enable this setting see the upgrade steps listed below.

===Large prefix===

This in conjunction with the row format being either "Compressed" or "Dynamic" allows for large varchar indexes above 191 characters.
To enable this setting see the upgrade steps listed below.

==Steps to upgrade==

Most important: Please backup your database before making any changes or running the CLI script.

* Change configuration settings for MySQL (exactly the same for MariaDB). This step is optional. You can run the script and it will try and make these changes itself. If errors occur then try manually changing these settings as listed below.
** On Linux based systems you will want to alter my.cnf. This may be located in '/etc/mysql/'.
** Make the following alterations to my.cnf:
<code>
[client]
default-character-set = utf8mb4

[mysqld]
innodb_file_format = Barracuda
innodb_file_per_table = 1
innodb_large_prefix

character-set-client-handshake = FALSE
character-set-server = utf8mb4
collation-server = utf8mb4_unicode_ci

[mysql]
default-character-set = utf8mb4
</code>
* Restart your MySQL server.
* Run the CLI script to convert to the new Character set and Collation (requires Moodle 3.1.5, 3.2.2 or newer):
<pre>
$ php admin/cli/mysql_collation.php --collation=utf8mb4_unicode_ci
</pre>

'''NOTE: For large sites, this script will be slow. It is recommended to dump and reimport your data according to https://docs.moodle.org/34/en/Converting_your_MySQL_database_to_UTF8#Default_Mysql_character_set'''

* Adjust the $CFG->dboptions Array in your '''config.php''' to make sure that Moodle uses the right Collation when connecting to the MySQL Server:
<pre>
$CFG->dboptions = array(
…
'dbcollation' => 'utf8mb4_unicode_ci',
…
);
</pre>
* Try adding some Emojis 🇦🇺👏🎓 to your Moodle site to verify that the upgrade was successful.

[[Category:Environment|UTF-8]]
[[Category:UTF-8]]

[[es:MySQL soporte unicode completo]]
[[fr:Support unicode complet pour MySQL]]

Database activity FAQ

2015-04-13T19:54:24Z

Rexlorenzo: /* How do I export/import picture fields from a database activity from one course to another */

{{Database}}
==Where can I download additional database presets?==

See the Presets and See also sections in [[Building Database]] for various places with presets for download.

==How can I add to the list of database presets available for users to choose from?==

[[File:databasepresetsnew.png|thumb|Database presets]]

There is one default preset, Image Gallery. It is possible to create your own presets.

When you have created your database that you desire to set as a preset; go to the "Presets" tab of the database and choose "Save as preset". Give the preset a name and the database fields and templates will now be available as a preset for the rest of the site. You will need site admin rights to do this.

Please see the [[Database presets]] for other available presets you can import into your system.

==How can I create a database in which students can only view their own entries?==

Either:
*Set up the database so that entries require approval. If the entries are never approved, then only the student that added a particular entry and the teachers can view it.

Or:
*Set the group mode of the database to "Separate groups" and assign each student to a separate group.

==How can I enable a sort function by clicking on the field headings?==

For sorting, you need to manually create the link in the template around that heading. To find the URL you need, you can do a sort using the menus and then look in the URLs. Take out everything but the d, sort and order parameters. For example,

http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&sort=44&order=ASC

http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&sort=44&order=DESC

==How can I add highlighting like on the Module and plugins page?==

In the repeated part of the template (note onmouseover and onmouseout to change the classes):
<pre><tr onmouseover="this.className='trhighlight'" onmouseout="this.className='trnormal'">
<td class="c0"><b><a href="##MoreURL##">[[Name]]</a></b></td>
<td class="c1">[[Type]]</td>
<td class="c2">[[Requirement]]</td>
<td class="c3">[[Status]]</td>
<td class="c4">[[Summary]]</td>
<td align="center" class="c5">##Edit## ##Delete## ##More## ##Approve## </td>
</tr></pre>

In the CSS template there are two styles:

<pre>.trnormal td {
background-color: #FFFFFF;
}
.trhighlight td {
background-color: #EEEEEE;
}</pre>

==How can I list database information horizontally instead of vertically?==
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=74243 How can I list database information horizontally instead of vertically? Forum discussion]

==Can't get columns to line up in list view==
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=84050 Can't get columns to line up in list view forum discussion] including moodle.org presets for download

==How can I make an Encyclopedia database preset?==
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=87560 Encyclopedia database preset forum discussion] including encyclopedia-style preset for download

==Is there a Time stamp for database entries?==

<nowiki>##timeadded##</nowiki>

==How can I make the title of an entry into a link?==

To make the title of an entry in list view link to the single view, add the following code to the list template:

<nowiki><a href="##moreurl##">[[Title]]</a></nowiki>

==How can I make email addresses clickable?==

To make email addresses clickable, add the following code to the single template:

<nowiki><a href="mailto:[[Email]]">[[Email]]</a></nowiki>

where 'Email' is the text field for inputting email addresses.

==How can I hide a database entry which was previously approved?==

There is currently no user interface for hiding a database entry which was previously approved i.e. setting it to require approval again. However, an entry can be hidden using [[MySQL Admin]] by editing it in the ''data_records'' table and changing the approved value from 1 to 0.

==How can I add a default sort order of entries?==

In the Fields tab, select a default sort field, choose ascending or descending then click the Save button.

==Why is my database so slow to show each page?==

Try to go to "Administration > Miscellaneous > XMLDB editor" and choose "Check Indexes". If you have any missing indexes found; upgrade your Moodle to the latest weekly build of your version; re-run the test; backup your site database and then run the suggested SQL from the test on your site database. This should speed up your database activity load times.

==How can I prevent students from adding entries?==

An override may be used to close/archive a database activity, or have a database in which only teachers can add entries, but students can view the entries.

# Follow the Permissions link in the settings block under Database activity administration
# Remove Student from the capability [[Capabilities/mod/data:writeentry|mod/data:writeentry]] by clicking the 'X' next to it.
# Click the continue button to confirm.

==How can I empty a database / remove records from a database en masse?==
In List view, there is a checkbox next to each entry. Click to select the ones you wish to delete and then click the 'Delete selected' button. Alternatively, click the 'Select all' and 'Delete all' buttons. A warning message will appear asking you to confirm what you wish to delete.

==I get an error message when importing a csv of entries==
One thing to try is to open up the csv file in Excel and save it again as a csv file - with another name - and then try importing it agin. Sometimes this just works :)

==How do I export/import picture fields from a database activity from one course to another?==
You cannot export/import database entries with picture fields using the csv option, you will need to use Moodle's backup and restore functionality. Please note that you will need to backup and restore the database activity with user data in order for the entries to be carried over.

==See also==
Using Moodle forum discussions:

*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=87005 New preset, please review, and make suggestions!] including FAQ preset for download
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=88727 Design a Database Preset for Document Sharing] including preset for download
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=55338 Look of the database module]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=61179 For those who want the display of Moodle Site's Modules and plugins]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=94854#p457252 Looking for some stellar examples of Moodle courses] including book reviews preset for download
*[https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=268206 Database 2.7 List and Single View: Possible to view only entered fields?]

[[Category:FAQ]]

[[de:Datenbank FAQ]]

Database activity FAQ

2015-04-13T19:54:08Z

Rexlorenzo: Importing picture fields

{{Database}}
==Where can I download additional database presets?==

See the Presets and See also sections in [[Building Database]] for various places with presets for download.

==How can I add to the list of database presets available for users to choose from?==

[[File:databasepresetsnew.png|thumb|Database presets]]

There is one default preset, Image Gallery. It is possible to create your own presets.

When you have created your database that you desire to set as a preset; go to the "Presets" tab of the database and choose "Save as preset". Give the preset a name and the database fields and templates will now be available as a preset for the rest of the site. You will need site admin rights to do this.

Please see the [[Database presets]] for other available presets you can import into your system.

==How can I create a database in which students can only view their own entries?==

Either:
*Set up the database so that entries require approval. If the entries are never approved, then only the student that added a particular entry and the teachers can view it.

Or:
*Set the group mode of the database to "Separate groups" and assign each student to a separate group.

==How can I enable a sort function by clicking on the field headings?==

For sorting, you need to manually create the link in the template around that heading. To find the URL you need, you can do a sort using the menus and then look in the URLs. Take out everything but the d, sort and order parameters. For example,

http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&sort=44&order=ASC

http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&sort=44&order=DESC

==How can I add highlighting like on the Module and plugins page?==

In the repeated part of the template (note onmouseover and onmouseout to change the classes):
<pre><tr onmouseover="this.className='trhighlight'" onmouseout="this.className='trnormal'">
<td class="c0"><b><a href="##MoreURL##">[[Name]]</a></b></td>
<td class="c1">[[Type]]</td>
<td class="c2">[[Requirement]]</td>
<td class="c3">[[Status]]</td>
<td class="c4">[[Summary]]</td>
<td align="center" class="c5">##Edit## ##Delete## ##More## ##Approve## </td>
</tr></pre>

In the CSS template there are two styles:

<pre>.trnormal td {
background-color: #FFFFFF;
}
.trhighlight td {
background-color: #EEEEEE;
}</pre>

==How can I list database information horizontally instead of vertically?==
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=74243 How can I list database information horizontally instead of vertically? Forum discussion]

==Can't get columns to line up in list view==
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=84050 Can't get columns to line up in list view forum discussion] including moodle.org presets for download

==How can I make an Encyclopedia database preset?==
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=87560 Encyclopedia database preset forum discussion] including encyclopedia-style preset for download

==Is there a Time stamp for database entries?==

<nowiki>##timeadded##</nowiki>

==How can I make the title of an entry into a link?==

To make the title of an entry in list view link to the single view, add the following code to the list template:

<nowiki><a href="##moreurl##">[[Title]]</a></nowiki>

==How can I make email addresses clickable?==

To make email addresses clickable, add the following code to the single template:

<nowiki><a href="mailto:[[Email]]">[[Email]]</a></nowiki>

where 'Email' is the text field for inputting email addresses.

==How can I hide a database entry which was previously approved?==

There is currently no user interface for hiding a database entry which was previously approved i.e. setting it to require approval again. However, an entry can be hidden using [[MySQL Admin]] by editing it in the ''data_records'' table and changing the approved value from 1 to 0.

==How can I add a default sort order of entries?==

In the Fields tab, select a default sort field, choose ascending or descending then click the Save button.

==Why is my database so slow to show each page?==

Try to go to "Administration > Miscellaneous > XMLDB editor" and choose "Check Indexes". If you have any missing indexes found; upgrade your Moodle to the latest weekly build of your version; re-run the test; backup your site database and then run the suggested SQL from the test on your site database. This should speed up your database activity load times.

==How can I prevent students from adding entries?==

An override may be used to close/archive a database activity, or have a database in which only teachers can add entries, but students can view the entries.

# Follow the Permissions link in the settings block under Database activity administration
# Remove Student from the capability [[Capabilities/mod/data:writeentry|mod/data:writeentry]] by clicking the 'X' next to it.
# Click the continue button to confirm.

==How can I empty a database / remove records from a database en masse?==
In List view, there is a checkbox next to each entry. Click to select the ones you wish to delete and then click the 'Delete selected' button. Alternatively, click the 'Select all' and 'Delete all' buttons. A warning message will appear asking you to confirm what you wish to delete.

==I get an error message when importing a csv of entries==
One thing to try is to open up the csv file in Excel and save it again as a csv file - with another name - and then try importing it agin. Sometimes this just works :)

==How do I export/import picture fields from a database activity from one course to another==
You cannot export/import database entries with picture fields using the csv option, you will need to use Moodle's backup and restore functionality. Please note that you will need to backup and restore the database activity with user data in order for the entries to be carried over.

==See also==
Using Moodle forum discussions:

*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=87005 New preset, please review, and make suggestions!] including FAQ preset for download
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=88727 Design a Database Preset for Document Sharing] including preset for download
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=55338 Look of the database module]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=61179 For those who want the display of Moodle Site's Modules and plugins]
*[http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=94854#p457252 Looking for some stellar examples of Moodle courses] including book reviews preset for download
*[https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=268206 Database 2.7 List and Single View: Possible to view only entered fields?]

[[Category:FAQ]]

[[de:Datenbank FAQ]]

Quiz settings

2014-06-10T21:57:27Z

Rexlorenzo: Writing out the 3 options for when time expires

{{Quiz}}
Creating a new quiz is a two-step process. In the first step, you create the quiz activity and set its options which specify the rules for interacting with the quiz. In the second step you add questions to the quiz.
This page describes the options you can set for the quiz activity. The page [[Building Quiz]] describes how to set up the questions for the quiz.

==Quiz administration==
When you first set up your quiz from ''Add an activity or resource > Quiz'', (or, if you don't have this link, the dropdown ''Add an activity>Quiz'') you will get the following settings, (which can also be changed later in the Edit Settings link of the Quiz administration settings block) All settings may expanded by clicking the "Expand all" link top right.

==General==
{|
|[[File:Quizgeneral.png|thumb|448px|General settings expanded by default]]
|}
;Name
:This is the standard name field. This name will appear on the home page of the course, navigation menu and other places which will show or provide links to this quiz.

;Description
:Describe the purpose of the glossary and provide instructions or background information, links etc. Click the icon top left to expand the toolbars, and drag the bottom right of the text box out to expand it.

;'''Display description on course page'''
:If ticked, the quiz description will appear on the course page directly under the quiz name.

==Timing==
(These settings are collapsed by default)
{|
|[[File:quiztiming.png|thumb|452px|Timing settings expanded]]
|}

;Open the quiz
:You can specify times when the quiz is accessible for people to make attempts. Before the opening time the quiz will be unavailable to students. They will be able to view the quiz introduction but will not be able to view the questions. Quizzes with start times in the future diasplay both the open and close date for students.

Note: You can make the quiz available at different times for different groups or users in the Group or User override sections of the Quiz Administration settings block.

;Close the quiz
:After the closing time, the students will not be able to start new attempts. Answers that the student submits after the quiz closing date will be saved but they will not be marked.

: Even after the quiz has closed students will still be able to see the quiz description and review their attempts. What exactly they will see depends on the settings you choose for review options (see below).
;Time limit
:By default, quizzes do not have a time limit, which allows students as much time as they need to complete the quiz. If you do specify a time limit, several things are done to try and ensure that quizzes are completed within that time:
{|
|[[File:quiz timer.png|thumb|Navigation block showing quiz timer]]
|}

# A countdown timer is shown in the quiz navigation block
# When the timer has run out, the quiz is submitted automatically with whatever answers have been filled in so far
# If a student manages to cheat and goes over the allotted time, no marks are awarded for any answers entered after the time ran out

Note: You can make the quiz available last a different period of time for different groups or users in the Group or User override sections of the Quiz Administration settings block (see below).

;When time expires..

There are three options as to what will happen when the time limit is up. Choose the one you need from the dropdown menu:
# Open attempts are submitted automatically
# There is a grace period when open attempts can be submitted, but no more questions answered
# Attempts must be submitted before time expires, or they are not counted (default)

If you select "''There is a grace period...''" then you can check the box to enable the "Submission grace period" and specify a period of time during which learners may still submit the quiz after the time is up.

===Examples of how timing is handled===

#A student starts a quiz at noon. The quiz has a one-hour time-limit, and a 1 hour delay between attempts. The student gets distracted, and so actually does not submit (using the overdue handling) until 1:30pm. ''They are allowed to start their second attempt at 2. pm''
#The quiz count-down timer submits a student's quiz attempt at the last second when time expires. Because the server is heavily loaded, it takes 30 seconds to process the student's attempt. ''The submission is accepted nonetheless.''
#Same situation as above but with a 120 second delay: ''The submission is rejected.''
#The delay is not because of server load but because the student found a way to cheat the timer. ''Moodle cannot know what causes a delay.The behaviour is controlled by the admin setting(quiz | graceperiodmin), 60 seconds by default.''
#A student is a member of 3 groups,all of which have different override settings. Which limits will apply to this student? ''If there is any user-specific override, then that is used, and the group overrides for that setting are not used at all. Otherwise, if there are multiple group overrides, the most generous values are used (the earliest open date, the latest close date, the longest time limit, the most number of attempts, and the student can type any of the passwords).''

==Grade==
(These settings are collapsed by default)
{|
|[[File:quizgrade.png|thumb|312px|Grade settings expanded]]
|}

;Grade category
If you have categories in your gradebook, select the one you wish the quiz to be in here.
;Attempts allowed
:Students may be allowed to have multiple attempts at a quiz. This can help make the process of taking the quiz more of an educational activity rather than simply an assessment. If the quiz is randomized then the student will get a new version for each attempt. This is useful for practice purposes.

Note: You can change the allowed number of attempts for different groups or users in the Group or User override sections of the Quiz Administration settings block.

;Grading method
:When multiple attempts are allowed, there are different ways you can use the grades to calculate the student's final grade for the quiz.
* Highest grade - the final grade is the highest (best) grade in any attempt
* Average grade - the final grade is the average (simple mean) grade of all attempts
* First grade - the final grade is the grade earned on the first attempt (other attempts are ignored)
* Last grade - the final grade is the grade earned on the most recent attempt only

==Layout==
(These settings are collapsed by default)
{|
|[[File:quizlayout.png|thumb|422px|Layout settings expanded]]
|}

;Question order
:If 'Shuffled randomly' is selected, then the order of questions in the quiz will be randomly shuffled each time a student starts a new attempt at the quiz. The intention is to make it a little harder for students to copy from each other.

;New page
:For longer quizzes it makes sense to stretch the quiz over several pages by limiting the number of questions per page. When adding questions to the quiz, page breaks will automatically be inserted according to the setting you choose here. However, you will also be able to move page breaks around by hand later on the editing page.
:'''Note that changing this setting has no effect on questions you have already added to the quiz'''. The setting will only apply to questions you add subsequently. To change the page breaks in an existing quiz, you need to go to the quiz editing screen, tick the 'Show page breaks' checkbox, then use the repaginate control.

;Navigation method (available by clicking ''Show More'')

By choosing ''Sequential'' instead of ''Free'', the teacher is forcing the student to progress through the questions in order without being able to go back to a previous question or skip to a later one.

==Question behaviour==
(These settings are collapsed by default)
{|
|[[File:quizquestionbehaviour.png|thumb|447px|Question behaviour settings expanded]]
|}
;Shuffle within questions

If set to 'yes', then each time the student takes a quiz the parts of the question will be shuffled randomly.
;How questions behave
* '''Deferred feedback''' - Students must enter an answer to each question and then submit the entire quiz, before anything is graded or they get any feedback.
* '''Adaptive mode and Adaptive mode (no penalties)''' - Allows students to have multiple attempts at the question before moving on to the next question.
* '''Interactive mode''' - After submitting one answer, and reading the feedback, the student has to click a 'Try again' button before they can try a new response. Once the student has got the question right, they can no longer change their response. Once the student has got the question wrong too many times, they are just graded wrong (or partially correct) and get shown the feedback and can no longer change their answer.
**There can be different feedback after each try the student makes.
**The question can adapt itself to the student's answer, for example by giving some hints before asking the student to try again.
* '''Immediate feedback''' - Similar to interactive mode in that the student can submit their response immediately during the quiz attempt, and get it graded. However, they can only submit one response, they cannot change it later.
* '''Deferred feedback or Immediate feedback''' with '''Certainty-based marking''' ('''CBM''') - With CBM, the student does not only answer the question, but they also indicate how sure they are they got the question right. The grading is adjusted by the choice of certainty, so that students have to reflect honestly on their own level of knowledge in order to get the best mark. See the ''See Also'' section below for an example quiz using CBM and a blog post explaining the philosophy.

''Note:'' There is also an option "Manual grading" which can be enabled from A''dministration>Site administration>Plugins>Question behaviour'' This causes all questions in the quiz to require manual grading.
===Certainty-based marking===
When a student answers a question they also have to state how sure they are of the answer: not very (less than 67%); fairly (more than 67%) or very (more than 80%). Their grading is then ajusted according to how certain they are, which means that for example if they answered correctly but were only guessing, their mark is adjusted from 1 to 0.33. If they answered wrongly but were very sure, their mark is adjusted from 0 to -2.

''For detailed information on how CBM works and how students can benefit from it, see [[Using certainty-based marking]].''
{|
| [[File:cbm03.png|thumb|correct answer; very sure]]
| [[File:cbm05.png|thumb|correct answer; fairly sure]]
| [[File:cmb04.png|thumb|correct answer; not very sure]]
| [[File:cbm01.png|thumb|wrong answer; very sure]]
| [[File:cbm99.png|thumb|wrong answer; not very sure]]
|}

;Each attempt builds on the last (available by clicking "Show more")
:If multiple attempts are allowed and this setting is set to Yes, then each new attempt contains the results of the previous attempt. This allows the student on the new attempt to concentrate on just those questions that were answered incorrectly on the previous attempt. If this option is chosen then each attempt by a particular student uses the same questions in the same order, independent of randomization settings. To show a fresh quiz on every attempt, select No for this setting.

(See also the forum discussion: [https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=225920 CBM too harsh?]

==Review options==
(These settings are collapsed by default)
{|
|[[File:quizreview.png|thumb|600px|Review options expanded]]
|}

This section controls what information students will be shown when they review their past attempts at the quiz, and during the attempt in adaptive mode. It is a matrix with check boxes.

The various pieces of information that can be controlled are:
; The attempt: Will show how the student responded to each question.
; Whether correct: Displays whether the students response to each question is correct or incorrect.
; Marks: Reveals the marks awarded to the student and the grade for the quiz.
; Specific feedback: Will show the feedback for the response to the answer as set when adding the question to the quiz. Each response to a question can have feedback for both correct and incorrect answers.
; General feedback: Displays the general feedback for the whole question as set when adding the question to the quiz. You can use the general feedback to give students some background to what knowledge the question was testing.
; Right answer: Reveals the correct answer to each question, whether the student answered correctly or not (See note below).
; Overall feedback: Displays feedback for the entire quiz as set in the quiz settings (See note below).

For each of the above items, you can determine the timeframe when the students will see them:
; During the attempt : is only available when ''‘How questions behave’'' has been set to ''‘Immediate feedback’'', ''‘Immediate feedback with CBM’'' and ''‘Interactive with multiple tries’''. If set to one of these options then a ''‘Check’'' button will appear below the answer and when clicked the student will submit that response and then receive immediate feedback.
; Immediately after the attempt : means within 2 minutes of the student clicking "submit all and finish".
; Later, while the quiz is still open : means after 2 minutes, but before the close date (if the quiz does not have a close date, this phase never ends).
; After the quiz is closed : means what it says (you never get here for quizzes without a close date).

:''Tip:'' Checking any of the boxes in the timeframe row, will reveal the test to the student. For example, to allow students to see their quiz immediately after taking it but not later, make sure none of the boxes in "Later" or "After" rows are checked. The student will be able to see their grade but not get into the quiz.

Note: Currently, the Answers display is a bit inconsistent between different question types. For example, the matching question type shows students which of their responses are correct, but does not tell them the right answer for the ones they got wrong. The short answer and multiple choices question types do tell the student what the correct answer is.

Users with the capability 'View hidden grades' [[Capabilities/moodle/grade:viewhidden|moodle/grade:viewhidden]] (typically teachers and administrators) are not affected by these settings and will always by able to review all information about a student's attempt at any time.

In your list of review options, you must have 'The attempt' (the first option in the lists) selected before you can enable the options to show 'Whether correct', 'Specific feedback', 'General feedback', and 'Right answer'. If you choose not to let the students review the attempt, your only options are to display 'Marks' and 'Overall feedback'.

==Appearance==
(These settings are collapsed by default)
{|
|[[File:quizappearance.png|thumb|470px|Display settings expanded]]
|}

:Show the user's picture
It is now possible, when displaying the user's profile picture for proctoring purposes, to choose whether a large image or thumbnail will be displayed.

;Decimal places in grades
:This option determines how many digits will be shown after the decimal separator (see [[dev:Translation_langconfig|langconfig]] ) when the grade is displayed. A setting of 0 for example means that the grades are displayed as integers. This setting is only used for the display of grades, not for the display or marking of answers.

==Extra restrictions on attempts==
(These settings are collapsed by default and are available by clicking "Show more")
{|
|[[File:quizextrarestrictions.png|thumb|470px|Extra restrictions settings expanded]]
|}

;Require password
:This field is optional.

:If you specify a password in here then participants must enter the same password before they are allowed to make an attempt on the quiz. This is useful to give only a selected group of students access to the quiz.

;Require network address
:This field is optional.

:You can restrict access for a quiz to particular subnets on the LAN or Internet by specifying a comma-separated list of partial or full IP address numbers. This is especially useful for a proctored (invigilated) quiz, where you want to be sure that only people in a certain room are able to access the quiz. For example: 192.168. , 231.54.211.0/20, 231.3.56.211

:There are three types of numbers you can use (you can not use text based domain names like example.com):

# Full IP addresses, such as 192.168.10.1 which will match a single computer (or proxy).
# Partial addresses, such as 192.168 which will match anything starting with those numbers.
# CIDR notation, such as 231.54.211.0/20 which allows you to specify more detailed subnets.

:Spaces are ignored.

;Enforced delay between attempts
:These two fields are optional.

:You can set a time (from seconds to weeks) between the first and second attempt of a quiz. You can also (or alternatively) set a time from seconds to weeks for subsequent attempts after the second attempt. Thus, you might allow a student to take the quiz twice immediately with no delay, but if they want to improve their score with a third attempt, they are forced to wait a week and use the time for extra revision.

;Browser security
:This is by default an advanced field, visible by clicking "Show advanced".
:The options in this section offer various ways to try to restrict how students may try to 'cheat' while attempting a quiz. However, this is not a simple issue, and what in one situation is considered 'cheating' may, in another situation, just be effective use of information technology. (For example, the ability to quickly find answers using a search engine.)

::Note also that this is not just at problem of technology with a technical solution. Cheating has been going on since long before computers, and while computers make certain actions, like copy and paste, easier, they also make it easier for teachers to detect cheating - for example using the quiz reports. The options provided here are not fool-proof, and while they do make some forms of cheating harder for students, they also make it more inconvenient for students to attempt the quizzes, and they are not fool-proof.

:'''Full screen pop-up with some JavaScript security'''

:There is a limit to what the quiz, which runs on a web server, can do to restrict what the student sitting at their computer can do while attempting the quiz. However, this option does what is possible:

:* The quiz will only start if the student has a JavaScript-enabled web-browser.
:* The quiz appears in a fullscreen popup window that covers all the other windows and has no course navigation controls.

{|
|[[File:seb24.png|thumb|465px|Student view of quiz question with full screen popup. (Click to see enlarged)]]
|}
:* The students are prevented, as far as is possible, from using facilities like copy and paste.
:* This setting does not work well with the MyMobile theme for mobile devices included in the standard installation. In particular, quiz time limits do not function correctly (MDL-32047).

:'''Require the use of Safe Exam Browser'''

:This option will only appear if your administrator has enabled it in ''Settings > Site administration > Development > Experimental > Experimental settings''.

:[[Safe exam browser|Safe Exam Browser]] is a customised web browser that must be downloaded and installed on the computer that the student uses to attempt the quiz. It restricts student use more effectively than a pop up window option. Features include full screen, without web navigation options, shortcut keys including copy and paste are disabled and of course surfing the web during an exam.

==Overall feedback==
(These setttings are collapsed by default)
{|
|[[File:quizoverallfeedback.png|thumb|448px|Overall feedback settings expanded]]
|}
Overall feedback is shown to a student after they have completed an attempt at the quiz. The text that is shown can depend on the grade the student got. Click "Show editing tools" to display the rich text editor, and drag the bottom right of the text box out to expand it.

For example, if you entered:

:Grade boundary: 100%
:Feedback: "Well done"
:Grade boundary: 40%
:Feedback: "Please study this week's work again"
:Grade boundary: 0%

Then students who score between 100% and 40% will see the "Well done" message, and those who score between 39.99% and 0% will see "Please study this week's work again". That is, the grade boundaries define ranges of grades, and each feedback string is displayed to scores within the appropriate range.

Grade boundaries can be specified either as a percentage, for example "31.41%", or as a number, for example "7". If your quiz is out of 10 marks, a grade boundary of 7 means 7/10 or better.

Note that the maximum and minimum grade boundaries (100% and 0%) are set automatically.

You can set as many or as few grade boundaries as you wish. The form allows you up to 5 ranges at first, but you can add more by clicking the "Add 3 fields to form" button underneath.

If you're getting confusing error messages about a boundary being out of sequence (when it's obviously *in* sequence), or "boundaries must be between 0% and 100%" (and they are) -- check that the Maximum Grade for this quiz is set to something greater than zero.

==Common module settings==
(These settings are collapsed by default)
See [[Common module settings]]

==Restrict access/Activity completion==
(These settings are collapsed by default)

The Restrict access and Activity completion settings are visible if [[Conditional activities]] and [[Activity completion]] have been enabled in the site and the course.

==Group and User overrides==

[[File:overridesquiz.png]]

Dates, timing and number of allowed attempts may be changed for individual users or groups by following the links ''Group Overrides'' or ''User Overrides'' in the Quiz Administration settings block.

===Group overrides===
To change a quiz setting for a particular group, click the "add group override" button in ''Quiz Administration>Group overrides'', make the changes you wish and save or enter another override.

===User overrides===
To change a quiz setting for a particular user or users, click the "add user override"button in ''Quiz Administration>Group overrides'', make the changes you wish and save or enter another override.

[[Image:groupuseroverride.png|groupuseroverride.png]]

==Site administration settings==

The quiz module has additional settings which may be changed by an administrator in ''Administration > Site administration > Plugins > Activity modules > Quiz''.

;Autosave period
:If enabled, student responses will be saved every minute/two minutes/five minutes (according to selection) This is useful so that students don't lose work but does increase the load on the server.

How questions behave can be configured in ''Administration>Site administration>Plugins>Question behaviours>Manage question
behaviours''

==See also==
*[http://youtu.be/MCLGZTpfG60 Moodle 2.x Quiz] MoodleBites video on YouTube
*[http://school.demo.moodle.net/mod/quiz/view.php?id=1496 School demo example of a quiz with CBM] Log into with username "parent" and password "moodle"
*[https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=225920 Forum thread: Certainty based marking - too harsh?]
*[http://helderenwijzer.nl/2011/10/certainty-based-marking-in-moodle/ Blog post on CBM (Certainty Based Marking)in Moodle]

[[fr:Ajouter/modifier un test]]
[[de:Test konfigurieren]]
[[es:Configuraciones del examen]]

Talk:Backup and restore FAQ

2013-12-10T01:14:30Z

Rexlorenzo: Created page with "For the "How can I extract original files from a Moodle backup file?" section, it only gives an option to extract files from a backup for 1 particular file. But we have folks ..."

For the "How can I extract original files from a Moodle backup file?" section, it only gives an option to extract files from a backup for 1 particular file. But we have folks who want to recover files in bulk. I would like to add in an external URL to this python script: http://www.reades.com/2012/11/29/mb-archives/

But unsure of the restrictions against this, since it isn't "core" Moodle.

Sharing Cart

2013-06-17T22:32:51Z

Rexlorenzo: Updated github link

==Version History==
*New >> Sharing Cart 2.4 released
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 1 - 2008.10.15
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 2 - 2009.02.19
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 3 - 2009.03.16
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 4 - 2009.04.14
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 5 - 2009.04.24
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 6 - 2009.06.22 (upload/download to the Moodlelang.org Repository)
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 8 - 2009.09.18 (update for Moodle ver. 1.9.5+)
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 9 - 2009.11.30 (adds a bulk delete/empty cart feature)
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 10 - 2009.12.28 (update for Moodle ver. 1.9.7, help revised)
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 11 - 2010.01.26 (common module settings are now retained, icons follow theme)
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 12 - 2010.02.12 (fixes a missing file bug introduced in release 11, tested OK on Moodle 1.9.9)
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 14 - 2010.09.30 (fixes a minor bug where the Sharing Cart would strip the Grade Category from a graded module)
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 15 - 2012.05.29 (supports Postgres)
*Block: Sharing Cart 1.9 release 16 - 2012.12.05 (supports sticky blocks)
*Block: Sharing Cart 2.1 beta release - 2011.07.31
*Block: Sharing Cart 2.2 release 1 - 2012.04.26 (fixes a bug where multiple items copied into the SC, only the first item would copy out of the SC)
*Block: Sharing Cart 2.2 release 2 - 2012.09.04 (this version is now also compatible with Moodle 2.3)
*Block: Sharing Cart 2.3 release 1 - 2012.09.13 (new options: moving user data in glossary, forum, wiki and database activities)
*Block: Sharing Cart 2.4 release 1 - 2012.12.05 (recommended update because new API in Moodle 2.4 hides Sharing Cart 2.3 admin settings)

==Purpose==
The Sharing Cart is a block for duplicating course items into a personal library and an easy way to move those Moodle resources and activities between multiple courses on your site. With just three clicks, the Sharing Cart copies and moves a single course item from one course to another. It copies without user data—similar to the “Import” function in Course Administration. From version 2.3, user content in Forums, Wikis, Glossaries and Databases can optionally be included. In addition, items can be collected and saved on the Sharing Cart indefinitely, serving as a library of frequently used course items available for duplication. The Sharing Cart is viewable only by teachers, course creators and administrators.

==Requirements==
# Moodle version 2.3.1 or greater. A previous version for 1.9 is also available.
# PHP 5.3.3
# Javascript/AJAX: A browser with JavaScript and AJAX turned on in Moodle is required.
# MySQL 5.1, PostgreSQL 8.4, SQL Server 2008 (= MSSQL10): Postgres now supported in 1.9.

==Installation==
# download latest 2.4 release from [https://github.com/VERSION2-Inc/moodle-block_sharing_cart Github]
# download latest 1.9 release from [https://github.com/VERSION2-Inc/moodle-block_sharing_cart/tree/MOODLE_19_STABLE Github]
# download older 1.9 release from [http://download.moodle.org/download.php/plugins/blocks/sharing_cart.zip CVS Contrib]
# unzip the package
# using FTP, open your blocks folder in your moodle program folder on your site
# place the folder "sharing_cart" into the blocks folder
# go to "Notifications" in your site admin area, by clicking the button, you will enable the repository plugin, and automatically generate database tables
# inside any course, "Turn editing on", go to Blocks "Add...", and you should see "sharing cart" in the list of blocks in the menu.
# if you are going to share Quiz Questions, you may need to add a new system role called Question Creator (see note below in 'Roles')

==Operation==
# '''Turning On and Off''': With editing on, add the Sharing Cart block from the block menu. After adding the Sharing Cart block, you will notice the block stays "on" the next time you enter that course. When you go to another course, add the Sharing Cart block to that new course. Then you can see your Sharing Cart as you roam courses across a site. Click the "X" icon to turn "off" the Sharing Cart, although the contents of the Sharing Cart will remain there when you turn it on again.
# '''Copying to the Sharing Cart''': You will notice a small "Copy to Sharing Cart" icon which appears after each resource or activity in the center column of a Moodle course. Click on that icon to send a copy of that resource/activity into the Sharing Cart. User data will be removed, only the activity itself will be cloned.
# '''Copying from the Sharing Cart''': Click the "Copy to course" icon in Sharing Cart, then you will see many dotted boxes appear in the center column. Choose the location you wish to place your item, and it will be copied there directly.
# '''Making folders inside the Sharing Cart''': Click the "move" icon on a course content item and an input box will appear. Input the name of the target folder there. To move an item into a folder, click the "Move to folder" icon in the Sharing Cart, then a drop-down list appears, and select the target folder. If you click the “Edit” button, you will replace the drop-down list with an input box.

==Roles==
Generally, the Sharing Cart will duplicate any activity in any course that a teacher has access to. However, quiz questions have another set of permissions independent of site roles. Therefore, if you experience difficulty sharing questions in Moodle 1.9 (i.e. students cannot view embedded audio or images), we recommend making a new role within your site:
# '''Add a new role--Question Creator:''' Make this role in Site Admin >> Users >> Permissions >> Define roles, and assign all teachers to this role (in addition to other roles they already have). This role should be given at least the following rights (set permissions to "Allow") under "Course": Manage Activities, Manage Files,Add new questions, Edit all questions, Edit question categories, Move all questions, Use all questions, View all questions.
# '''Set questions to System Question Category:''' If you set questions to course or activity level categories, you may not be able to share them.
''TIP 1:'' ...'''Possibly add another role--Question User:''' If students are unable to view questions, make this role and assign all students to this role. Set to "Allow" the following permissions: Use all questions, View all questions.

These additional roles are likely not needed in Moodle 2.x, because of more robust ways to save media files.

==Known Issues & Roadmap==
* Sharing Cart 2.2 is stable, with no reported bugs. With Sharing Cart 2.2, release 2 (from Sept 4, 2012), you can install it on a new Moodle 2.3 site. Please send feedback directly to Don Hinkelman: hinkel at sgu.ac.jp.
* Sharing Cart 1.9 works well with Moodle standard modules (activities and resources) including Hotpot. Tested OK with the Feedback Module. Please test it and tell us if your third party module does or does not work.
* Some third party modules with incomplete backup/restore will not work with the Sharing Cart and may produce fatal errors. Here is what to do.[[Sharing Cart/Project Format Errors]]
* If you make an administrator setting to enable "split restore" (Admin block>>Miscellaneous>>experimental>>split restore), the Sharing Cart will not work properly. To make it work, turn off split restore.
* Media files are copied (not moved) to each instance of a new duplicate file. This solves many troublesome issues of permissions to access the files. However, for sites with restricted hard disk space, it may fill up space quickly.
* When AJAX course editing is enabled on your site, dragging the Sharing Cart block to a new location in the blocks area may cause trouble temporarily—all blocks may freeze or all the folders freeze (this is a bug in Moodle core). To unfreeze the folders, reload the page.
* From June 2009, release 6 of the Sharing Cart is able to move content to and from the Moodle for Language Teaching Repository. In the future it will be able to move items across any cooperating sites. To test with http://moodlelang.org, download the latest Sharing Cart version from CVS. Or contact Don Hinkelman hinkel at sgu.ac.jp
* For future versions, depending on funding, we plan to build a locking mechanism to prevent the Sharing Cart from copying commercial works or items that the author does not want copied.

==Issues to Consider==
* Moodle 1.9 has a sophisticated system of permissions for the Question Bank. Question categories can be limited to certain teachers. The Sharing Cart operates on the assumption that sharing of questions is desirable and little control is needed. We do not know all possible results that may happen if questions are copied and duplicated. For example, if the question was originally limited to a "Course" category, will it share perfectly to other courses and students? Please report to us any problems you find concerning this question. At the moment, we are recommending sharing questions with the "System" level question category.
* Finally, if your administration wishes to have a high degree of control of questions and activities, the Sharing Cart may be too easy-to-use. In terms of site user policies, we believe sharing permissions should be broadly applied not just to administrators, but to all teachers. Your policy on sharing depends on your institutional culture and values.

==Legacy Repository Connection in Moodle 1.9==
[[Setup Repository Connection]]
A custom repository for Moodle 1.9 was created in 2009 and connected with Sharing Cart 1.9, release 6--this was only set up for one repository--Moodle for Language Teaching. With the advent of the Moodle Hub in version 2.x, the custom repository of 1.9 was no longer needed. The link shows legacy instructions for connecting the Repository with Sharing Cart in 1.9

==Maintainers==
This block was programmed by Akio Ohnishi and Tomonori Maruyama at [http://www.ver2.jp/ Version2] Educational Web Development and released under GPL. The designers and maintainers of this block are Don Hinkelman and Andy Johnson. Funding is provided by Sapporo Gakuin University and the Japan Association of Language Teaching--CALL SIG. We welcome other contributors. For issues and suggestions, please contact Don on the Sharing Cart forums or directly (hinkel at sgu.ac.jp).

==See also==
* [[Project Course Format|Project Course Format: a format for moving sections of a course]]
* [http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/CONTRIB-907/ Moodle Tracker CONTRIB-907]
* [http://download.moodle.org/download.php/plugins/blocks/sharing_cart.zip Download from CVS Contrib]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=87044 Forum discussions]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=2150 Modules and Plugins database]

[[Category: Contributed code]]
[[Category: Block]]

Participation report

2013-03-26T21:25:26Z

Rexlorenzo:

{{Course reports}}
A participation report for a particular activity can be generated by a manager, teacher or non-editing teacher (or any other user with the capability [[Capabilities/report/participation:view|report/participation:view]]) in ''Navigation > Courses > My course > Reports > Participation report''.

[[Image:Participation_report_example.jpg]]

The definition of View and Post for the selected activity type will be given on screen.

For example:
*Forum View: View Discussion, Search, Forum, Forums, Subscribers
*Forum Post: Add Discussion, Add Post, Delete Discussion, Delete Post, Move Discussion, Prune Post, Update Post

An extremely useful feature of the participation report is the option to send a message to all students who have not completed a certain action. Other options with selected users are to add a note or extend enrolment.

NOTE: If a [[Using_Forum#Moving_a_discussion|forum post is moved]], the participation report will show incorrect results for the affected forums. For example, take a student who posted in forum A and had their post moved to forum B. In the course participation report the student will still be listed has having made a post in forum A, but will not be listed as having made a post yet in forum B.

==See also==

* Tracker issue MDL-21415 - Course Participation Report doesn't abide by separate groups

[[es:Reporte de participación]]
[[fr:Rapport de participation]]
[[de:Kursbeteiligung]]

Participation report

2013-03-26T21:25:10Z

Rexlorenzo: Added note that moving a forum post will result in incorrect report in course participantion

{{Course reports}}
A participation report for a particular activity can be generated by a manager, teacher or non-editing teacher (or any other user with the capability [[Capabilities/report/participation:view|report/participation:view]]) in ''Navigation > Courses > My course > Reports > Participation report''.

[[Image:Participation_report_example.jpg]]

The definition of View and Post for the selected activity type will be given on screen.

For example:
*Forum View: View Discussion, Search, Forum, Forums, Subscribers
*Forum Post: Add Discussion, Add Post, Delete Discussion, Delete Post, Move Discussion, Prune Post, Update Post

An extremely useful feature of the participation report is the option to send a message to all students who have not completed a certain action. Other options with selected users are to add a note or extend enrolment.

Note: If a [[Using_Forum#Moving_a_discussion|forum post is moved]], the participation report will show incorrect results for the affected forums. For example, take a student who posted in forum A and had their post moved to forum B. In the course participation report the student will still be listed has having made a post in forum A, but will not be listed as having made a post yet in forum B.

==See also==

* Tracker issue MDL-21415 - Course Participation Report doesn't abide by separate groups

[[es:Reporte de participación]]
[[fr:Rapport de participation]]
[[de:Kursbeteiligung]]

Using Forum

2013-03-26T21:23:06Z

Rexlorenzo: /* Moving a discussion */

{{Forum}}
The teacher can set the format of what the student sees under the introduction by selecting the forum type in [[Forum settings]].

==Views==

===A single simple discussion===

Students will see the text you have placed in the [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Forum_introduction|Forum introduction setting]] as the first post of the discussion. Below you will find the replies that have been posted. In the example below, the student sees that their reply was rated.

{|
| [[File:Forum homepage view Simple student mu.png|thumb|Student view of "A single simple discussion" forum type]]

|}

===Each person posts one discussion===
The view will be basically the same as in the previous case, the only difference being the 'Add a new discussion' option. Viewing a forum page, the student will see the text you have written at the 'Forum introduction' space while creating the forum, and, if there are any, the discussions that have been started.

{|
| [[File:Forum homepage view Single student mu.png|thumb|Student view of "Each person posts one discussion" forum type]]

|}

===Standard forum for general use===

In this forum type, students will see the introduction text in a separate space above the discussion field, in which you will see the information such as the title of the discussion (which means the forum's title), its author, the number of replies and the date of the last post.

{|
| [[File:Forum homepage view student mu.png|thumb|Student view of "Standard forum" type]]

|}

===Question and Answer forum===

{|
| [[File:QA1.png|thumb|Inital view of Q&A forum]]
| [[File:QA2.png|thumb|Students cannot see posts until they post]]
| [[FIle:QA3.png|thumb|Other posts visible when editing time is over]]
|}

===Standard forum displayed in blog-like format===

{|
| [[File:Bloglikeforum.png|thumb|Blog like forum]]

|}

In the upper right corner of the home forum screen (above the introduction), the student may see the options the teacher has set for [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Force_everyone_to_be_subscribed.3F|subscriptions to the forum]], and the 'Jump to' field, with which you can 'jump' to any part of the course. This is also place where the teacher will find the "Update this forum" button.

==Display options==
[[Image:forumviewoptions.jpg|thumb|Reply display options]]A discussion thread may be displayed in four ways. Use the pull down menu at the top of each forum discussion to select a display type.

* Display replies flat, with oldest first
* Display replies flat, with newest first - The discussion will be displayed in one line and the chronological order from the newest to the oldest. This is the same as the above, just a different sort order.
* Display replies in threaded form - Only the post starting the discussion will be displayed in its full form; replies will be reduced to the headlines (including information about its author and date of release) and organized chronologically; moreover, replies will be shifted towards the right so that only replies to the same post were in the same line.
* Display replies in nested form - All posts are displayed in their full forms; replies will be reduced to the headlines (including information about its author and date of release) and organized chronologically; moreover, replies will be shifted towards the right so that only replies to the same post were in the same line.

{|
| [[Image:Forum Flat form mu.png|thumb|Flat Forum discussion, example from middle]]
| [[Image:Forum threaded form mu.png|thumb|Posts in threaded form]]
| [[Image:Forum nested form mu.png|thumb|"Nested reply example"]]
|}

==Forum posting==

The default content of '''Subject''' is usually 'Re: <the name of the 'parent' post>'. You can change it though.

When writing text in Moodle there are several formats you can choose to produce your text, depending on your expertise and the type of browser you are using. Please refer to [[Formatting text]] for further information.

=== Sharing images through forums ===

*When an image is "attached" as a file to a forum message, it is immediately displayed full size after the message (i.e. no need to click on an attachment). This an excellent way of sharing images without having to go through the process of uploading them as files and linking them from within web pages.

*Images may be dragged and dropped into the box as well as uploading via the "add" link and the [[File picker]].

[[File:forumdragdrop.png]]

===Sharing sound and video through forums===
*If multimedia filters are enabled, a sound file (mp3) or accepted video file can be attached and it will be embedded into the forum post in an appropriate player.
*As with images in the previous section, multimedia files may be dragged and dropped from the desktop instead of uploaded via the [[File picker]].

===Post length===

Extra-long posts cause problems when doing a forum search and can be difficult to read on screen. Rather than creating a very long post, consider copying and pasting the text into a text file and add it as an attachment to your forum post.

===Post editing time limit===

There is a time limit for editing posts, usually 30 minutes. It is set by an administrator in ''Administration > Security > [[Site policies]]''.

The Using Moodle forum discussion [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=5367 The philosophy underlying "no editing after 30 minutes"] includes reasons why it is a good idea to have a time limit for editing posts.

===Mail now===

A mail now checkbox is available for anyone with the [[Capabilities/moodle/course:manageactivities|capability to manage course activities]], normally teachers and admins.

Checking the "Mail now" box results in an email being sent immediately (i.e. when the [[Cron|cron]] next runs) to everyone subscribed to the forum, rather than after the post editing time limit.

==Exporting forum posts==
Users with the ''mod/forum:exportdiscussion'' or ''mod/forum:exportownpost'' or ''mod/forum:exportpost'' permission can export forum posts to any portfolio the administrator has enabled:

[[File:Exportforum.png]]

==Moving a discussion==

Teachers and other users with the [[Capabilities/mod/forum:movediscussions|capability to move discussions]] can move a discussion to any other forum in the course for which they have appropriate rights.
# Click on the arrow in the 'Move this discussion to...' dropdown menu in the top right corner of the page and select a destination forum.
# Click the Move button.

NOTE: Moving a forum post will display incorrect results in the [[Participation_report|course participation report]] for the affected forums. For example, take a student who posted in forum A and had their post moved to forum B. In the course participation report the student will still be listed has having made a post in forum A, but will not be listed as having made a post yet in forum B.

==Guidelines for Teaching and Learning Forums==

When you decide to use a discussion forum as an activity in an e-learning environment, it is important to be aware that your time will be needed in some sense in order to make the activity successful. If your goal is to encourage discussion, the forum will only work if:

a) '''participants feel there is a need/reason to participate and they will gain something from the experience.''' Incentives for learning, gathering support, etc. should be explored and encouraged early on in order to clearly convey the purpose of the forum to others. Anyone considering offering grades or marks for participation is advised to think very carefully about the difference between quantity and quality of discussions in forums.

b) a sense of community and purpose can be fostered amongst participants. This sense of community can be fostered through tutor/teacher initiative and scaffolding, or primarily through the students/participants themselves depending on the intentions of the activity.

==Selecting forum type==

Moodle has four kinds of forums each with a slightly different [[Viewing a forum|layout]] and purpose.

Which of the forums will best suit your needs for a particular activity? In order to answer this question, it is useful to think how you might lead such a discussion in a face-to-face environment. Would you throw the question out to the class and sit back to observe them in their answers? Or would you break them up into smaller groups first and ask them to have discussions with a partner before bringing them back to the main group? Or perhaps you would like to keep them focused on a particular aspect of a question and ensure that they do not wander away from the topic at hand? All of the above approaches are both valid and useful, depending on your learning outcomes, and you can replicate all of them in Moodle forums.

===A standard forum for general use===
The standard forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#Standard_forum_for_general_use|view here]]) probably most useful for large discussions that you intend to monitor/guide or for social forums that are student led. This does not mean that you need to make a new posting for each reply in each topic, although, in order to ensure that the discussion does not get 'out of control', you may need to be prepared to spend a significant amount of time finding the common threads amongst the various discussions and weaving them together. Providing overall remarks for particular topics can also be a key aspect of your responsibilities in the discussion. Alternatively, you could ask students to summarize discussion topics at agreed points, once a week or when a thread comes to an agreed conclusion. Such a learner-centred approach may be particularly useful once the online community has been established and, perhaps, when you have modeled the summarizing process.

===A single simple discussion===
The simple forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#A_single_simple_discussion|view here]]) is most useful for short/time-limited discussion on a single subject or topic. This kind of forum is very productive if you are interested in keeping students focused on a particular issue.

===Each person posts one discussion===
This forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#Each_person_posts_one_discussion|view here]]) is most useful when you want to achieve a happy medium between a large discussion and a short and focused discussion. A single discussion topic per person allows students a little more freedom than a single discussion forum, but not as much as a standard forum where each student can create as many topics as he or she wishes. Successful forums of this selection can be active, yet focused, as students are not limited in the number of times they can respond to others within threads.

===Question and Answer forum===
The Q & A forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#Question_and_Answer_forum|view here]]) is best used when you have a particular question that you wish to have answered. In a Q and A forum, tutors post the question and students respond with possible answers. By default a Q and A forum requires students to post once before viewing other students' postings. After the initial posting and once the editing time (usually 30 minutes) has elapsed, students can view and respond to others' postings. This feature allows equal initial posting opportunity among all students, thus encouraging original and independent thinking.

''Note:'' Students do not see the "add a new question" button in the Q & A forum. If you wish students to be able to add new questions, they need to be given the capability [[Capabilities/mod/forum:addquestion|mod/forum:addquestion]]

===Standard forum displayed in blog-like format===
This forum behaves in the same way as the default standard forum for general use, allowing users to start their own discussions. However, it displays differently in that the first post of each discussion is displayed (as in a blog) so that users can read it and then choose to respond by clicking the "Discuss this topic" button bottom right of the post.

====Tips for Question and Answer====
When the Question and Answer mode is selected, Moodle hides the replies to the initial thread post by the teacher but not the entire forum itself.

:''Tip:'' Post each question as a thread in the forum and then have students post replies to the question. In this fashion, Moodle will protect the replies from being viewable (subject to the caveat above) by other students but allow the initial post/thread visible for reply by all students.

:''Tip:'' Do not post the question in the forum summary because every student answer will become a thread and visible to all students. In this scenario, it may appear as if the Question and Answer forum is not working correctly, since the new initial posts in the thread are intentionally designed not to be hidden, just their replies.

:''Tip:'' If you have set up groups for your forum the facilitator needs to post a question to each of the groups and not to 'all participants' as questions asked of all participants (students) are able to be read by ALL students. Questions posed to group members are only visible to those group members and replies are only visible once a group member has posted a message.

==Forum subscription==

When a person is '''subscribed''' to a forum it means that they will be notified (according to their [[Messaging settings]] preferences) of every subsequent post in that forum. Posters have 30 minutes by default to edit their post before it is sent though this time limit can be changed by an administrator.

People can usually choose whether or not they want to be subscribed to each forum. However, if a teacher forces subscription on a particular forum then this choice is taken away and everyone in the class will get notified.This is especially useful in the News forum and in forums towards the beginning of the course (before everyone has worked out that they can subscribe to these emails themselves).

Note that even if you force subscriptions every user can elect not to be notified in [[Messaging settings]], or elect to have all email sent once a day in a digest contain either all posts or simply the subject headings.

Choosing ''Everyone can choose to be subscribed'' enables you to check (and modify) the number of subscribers (''Settings > Forum administration > Show/edit current subscribers'') and to subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) the forum ('Subscribe to this forum' / 'Unsubscribe from this forum').

An overview of your forum subscriptions is available on the forums index page e.g. http://moodle.org/mod/forum/index.php?id=5

==Concepts for use in forums==
===Participation and Scaffolding ===

Whilst one of the great advantages of e-learning is the flexibility it affords participants, this does not mean that days or weeks should pass without response and discussion in a forum (unless it is appropriate for it to do so). This is perhaps most especially true at the beginning of a course or programme when students and tutors are new to each other and in need of welcome messages/encouragement. Whilst e-learning, and discussions in particular, can support learning that is not always tutor/teacher-centred, your role will be important, especially as an online community begins to develop. It is during these initial stages of introductory material that a group of students can become a community of participants who begin to grow in their understandings of course material and individual contributions to the knowledge construction process.

As the discussions progress and learners become accustomed to the mechanics and the tone of the forums then there are key ways in which your input can be reduced, thereby helping to foster a community that is less dependent on the tutor/teacher. Even then, however, you will probably want to be a presence in the discussions although you may choose to be one of many contributors rather than the font of all wisdom.

===Commitment and Participation===

Ask yourself if

# you wish to have involvement in the forum or if you want the students to lead and own the space
# you want the forum to add value to the face to face environment or have a life of its own in its own right outside the lecture theatre/classroom or seminar room
# you are prepared to make appropriate contributions to the discussion in order to:
## encourage discussion if students are quiet
## help shape ideas if students begin to wander off-task
## your role will be defined as discussions/a course progresses
## you will explicitly but gradually relinquish control of the discussions
## you will encourage and support learners to share control of discussions(for example you might ask a learner/group of learners to summarise contributions to a discussion thread/topic or you might ask learners to initiate discussion topics)

===Student Centered Forums===

With the growing popularity of social networking software like Facebook, Bebo, MySpace and the like, students are leaving schools and coming to Higher and Further Education with a new technological sophistication and with new expectations for communication. And as school, colleges and universities recognise that reflective and life long learning are significant goals in education, student centered learning and the creation of student centered spaces online are also gaining credence in educational settings. We know that effective learning requires access to social and academic networks for both study material and emotional support; as such, online communities can offer a holistic knowledge construction and support mechanism and recognize that affective activity is effective.

Social forums, often called ‘Virtual Cafes’ or ‘Common Rooms’ can be set up for courses or for programmes, depending on the student need. Such spaces provide a common area for students to come together and discuss unlimited topics, including social activities and educational ideas. They are supportive spaces for students, most successful with large first and second year courses where students would not otherwise have the opportunity to communicate with others outside their own tutorial group. It is arguable that students will experience a greater sense of community within and a sense of belonging to an educational institution or individual department having had the experience and convenience of the social forum on their course; this could arguably have implications for retention.

These spaces are typically highly active, especially in first term. Depending on your institution, they are usually self monitored by students, who understand that the same ‘rules’ and ‘netiquette’ that apply to them within any computing space, also apply in Moodle.

===The News Forum===

Moodle courses automatically generate a [[News forum]] which defaults to automatically subscribe all participants in a course. The name of the News Forum can be changed to something more appropriate, such as ‘Important Announcements’ or the like. This is a useful feature and many use this forum in a Moodle course to announce exam dates, times or changes to exams, lectures or seminars, as well as important information about course work throughout a term or special announcements relating to events.

===Teacher/Tutor forums===
A teacher/tutor-only forum may be added to a course by creating a hidden forum. Teachers are able to view hidden course activities whereas students cannot.

==Some forum suggestions to consider==

#If your course is at a distance, if your face to face time is limited, or if you just wish to foster a sense of community in your Moodle course which supplements your face to face course, it is good practice to begin with a welcome or introductory message or thread in one of your forums. This welcome or introduction from you invites participants, for example, to post some specific details to introduce themselves to you and their peers. This can be your icebreaker or you can have an icebreaker separately.
#If you have two questions for participants to answer, starting the two strands or topics within the forum itself will both help learners to see where to put their responses, and remind them to answer all parts of your question.
#Remember that you are communicating in an environment that does not have the benefit of verbal tone, eye contact, body language and the like. Careful consideration of your communication is, therefore, necessary.
#Postings to a forum are always written but they can take different forms and you may wish to consider what form best suits the activity. For instance, you might choose to articulate a form of contribution in order to be explicit. Thus you might say, 'This is a think-aloud forum in which, together, we will try to tease out ideas and possibilities' or 'This is a formal forum in which you are invited to share your ideas on (topic)' and, where you select the latter, you might have already suggested learners plan those ideas offline or in another kind of activity within Moodle.
#Create a forum where only the teacher can start discussions, but the students can only reply. Each thread you start contains an essay question (or several similar ones). The students make a bullet point plan for the essay and post it as a reply. This works well as a revision strategy as the students can see how others have approached the same task. Once everyone has posted their plan, you can start a discussion as to which plans seem better and why. Creating a scale to use for rating the posts can be useful so that the students can see how helpful other people think their effort were. (Note: At this time, there is no option to hide the "Add new discussion topic" button, so you need to tell your students not to start discussion threads, but to only reply to threads started by the teacher. If you only need one thread, then you can use the "a single simple discussion" format and the "Add new discussion topic" button is not available to the students.)

===Grading forums===

The teacher can use the [[Forum ratings|ratings]] [[Scales|scales]] to [[Grades|grade]] student activities in a forum. There are several methods for calculating the grade for a forum that can be found in the [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Grade|Forum settings under grades]]. There are 5 ways to [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Aggregate_type|aggregate ratings]] automatically to calculate a forum grade for the [[Gradebook]]. These include: Average, Max, Min, Count and Sum.

==Forum ratings allow users to evaluate posts in a forum==

Forum ratings use [[Scales]] to standardize the reporting of performance. A forum rating can be included as part of a student's [[Grades|grade]]. For example, a teacher might use a custom rating scale in a forum and allow students to rate forum posts.

Forum ratings must be allowed and the potential rater must have [[Roles|role]] permission. Teachers by default have this ability. The teacher role is also able to give permission to a [[Student|student role]] in a specific forum to be able to assign a rating to a post. Forum settings and [[Forum_permissions#Enabling_students_to_rate_posts| Enabling student ratings]] has more information.

===How to use===
[[Image:Forum rating example1 mu.png|thumb|Teacher view of a previously rated student post]]When rating is allowed, the qualified user will see "Rate this post" and a pull down menu after an entry (not their own). The menu displays a [[Scales|scale]] that the forum creator selected in the [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Grade|Forum grade settings]]. The user can rate more than one post at a time. When finished they should click the "submit my ratings" button at the bottom of the page.

===AJAX forum rating===

Forum rating can be made more user-friendly with the use of AJAX. Users can rate forum posts almost instantly without needing to scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Send in my latest ratings" button.

AJAX forum rating requires AJAX to be enabled by an administrator in ''Settings > Site administration > Appearance > [[AJAX and Javascript settings|AJAX and Javascript]]'' and by users in their [[Edit profile|user profile]].

===Separate and connected knowing===
You can rate forum posts with the [[Separate_and_Connected_Knowing| Separate and Connected Knowing]] scale here.

===Best Practice and shared discussions===
*There are lots of discussions about Forum best use and Forum assessment in the Teaching Strategies Forum http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=41.

*A useful discussion about Forum assessment can be found here http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=66008.

== See also ==

* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?f=116 Forum module]
*[http://www.moodleblog.onet/?page_id=148 Peer Assessment using a Moodle Forum] blog post with screencast

Using Moodle forum discussions:
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=5367 The philosophy underlying "no editing after 30 minutes"]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=66008 Best Practices for grading discussions]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=88000 Two Courses, One Forum?]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=93304 Using a forum for 1 to 1 teaching]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=95470 Technicalities of managing a Forum]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=67360 Role names showing next to posting photos]

[[de: Forum nutzen]]
[[fr:Afficher un forum]]
[[ja:フォーラムの閲覧]]

Using Forum

2013-03-26T21:22:13Z

Rexlorenzo: /* Moving a discussion */

{{Forum}}
The teacher can set the format of what the student sees under the introduction by selecting the forum type in [[Forum settings]].

==Views==

===A single simple discussion===

Students will see the text you have placed in the [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Forum_introduction|Forum introduction setting]] as the first post of the discussion. Below you will find the replies that have been posted. In the example below, the student sees that their reply was rated.

{|
| [[File:Forum homepage view Simple student mu.png|thumb|Student view of "A single simple discussion" forum type]]

|}

===Each person posts one discussion===
The view will be basically the same as in the previous case, the only difference being the 'Add a new discussion' option. Viewing a forum page, the student will see the text you have written at the 'Forum introduction' space while creating the forum, and, if there are any, the discussions that have been started.

{|
| [[File:Forum homepage view Single student mu.png|thumb|Student view of "Each person posts one discussion" forum type]]

|}

===Standard forum for general use===

In this forum type, students will see the introduction text in a separate space above the discussion field, in which you will see the information such as the title of the discussion (which means the forum's title), its author, the number of replies and the date of the last post.

{|
| [[File:Forum homepage view student mu.png|thumb|Student view of "Standard forum" type]]

|}

===Question and Answer forum===

{|
| [[File:QA1.png|thumb|Inital view of Q&A forum]]
| [[File:QA2.png|thumb|Students cannot see posts until they post]]
| [[FIle:QA3.png|thumb|Other posts visible when editing time is over]]
|}

===Standard forum displayed in blog-like format===

{|
| [[File:Bloglikeforum.png|thumb|Blog like forum]]

|}

In the upper right corner of the home forum screen (above the introduction), the student may see the options the teacher has set for [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Force_everyone_to_be_subscribed.3F|subscriptions to the forum]], and the 'Jump to' field, with which you can 'jump' to any part of the course. This is also place where the teacher will find the "Update this forum" button.

==Display options==
[[Image:forumviewoptions.jpg|thumb|Reply display options]]A discussion thread may be displayed in four ways. Use the pull down menu at the top of each forum discussion to select a display type.

* Display replies flat, with oldest first
* Display replies flat, with newest first - The discussion will be displayed in one line and the chronological order from the newest to the oldest. This is the same as the above, just a different sort order.
* Display replies in threaded form - Only the post starting the discussion will be displayed in its full form; replies will be reduced to the headlines (including information about its author and date of release) and organized chronologically; moreover, replies will be shifted towards the right so that only replies to the same post were in the same line.
* Display replies in nested form - All posts are displayed in their full forms; replies will be reduced to the headlines (including information about its author and date of release) and organized chronologically; moreover, replies will be shifted towards the right so that only replies to the same post were in the same line.

{|
| [[Image:Forum Flat form mu.png|thumb|Flat Forum discussion, example from middle]]
| [[Image:Forum threaded form mu.png|thumb|Posts in threaded form]]
| [[Image:Forum nested form mu.png|thumb|"Nested reply example"]]
|}

==Forum posting==

The default content of '''Subject''' is usually 'Re: <the name of the 'parent' post>'. You can change it though.

When writing text in Moodle there are several formats you can choose to produce your text, depending on your expertise and the type of browser you are using. Please refer to [[Formatting text]] for further information.

=== Sharing images through forums ===

*When an image is "attached" as a file to a forum message, it is immediately displayed full size after the message (i.e. no need to click on an attachment). This an excellent way of sharing images without having to go through the process of uploading them as files and linking them from within web pages.

*Images may be dragged and dropped into the box as well as uploading via the "add" link and the [[File picker]].

[[File:forumdragdrop.png]]

===Sharing sound and video through forums===
*If multimedia filters are enabled, a sound file (mp3) or accepted video file can be attached and it will be embedded into the forum post in an appropriate player.
*As with images in the previous section, multimedia files may be dragged and dropped from the desktop instead of uploaded via the [[File picker]].

===Post length===

Extra-long posts cause problems when doing a forum search and can be difficult to read on screen. Rather than creating a very long post, consider copying and pasting the text into a text file and add it as an attachment to your forum post.

===Post editing time limit===

There is a time limit for editing posts, usually 30 minutes. It is set by an administrator in ''Administration > Security > [[Site policies]]''.

The Using Moodle forum discussion [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=5367 The philosophy underlying "no editing after 30 minutes"] includes reasons why it is a good idea to have a time limit for editing posts.

===Mail now===

A mail now checkbox is available for anyone with the [[Capabilities/moodle/course:manageactivities|capability to manage course activities]], normally teachers and admins.

Checking the "Mail now" box results in an email being sent immediately (i.e. when the [[Cron|cron]] next runs) to everyone subscribed to the forum, rather than after the post editing time limit.

==Exporting forum posts==
Users with the ''mod/forum:exportdiscussion'' or ''mod/forum:exportownpost'' or ''mod/forum:exportpost'' permission can export forum posts to any portfolio the administrator has enabled:

[[File:Exportforum.png]]

==Moving a discussion==

Teachers and other users with the [[Capabilities/mod/forum:movediscussions|capability to move discussions]] can move a discussion to any other forum in the course for which they have appropriate rights.
# Click on the arrow in the 'Move this discussion to...' dropdown menu in the top right corner of the page and select a destination forum.
# Click the Move button.

NOTE: Moving a forum post will display incorrect results in the [https://docs.moodle.org/24/en/Participation_report: course participation report] for the affected forums. For example, take a student who posted in forum A and had their post moved to forum B. In the course participation report the student will still be listed has having made a post in forum A, but will not be listed as having made a post yet in forum B.

==Guidelines for Teaching and Learning Forums==

When you decide to use a discussion forum as an activity in an e-learning environment, it is important to be aware that your time will be needed in some sense in order to make the activity successful. If your goal is to encourage discussion, the forum will only work if:

a) '''participants feel there is a need/reason to participate and they will gain something from the experience.''' Incentives for learning, gathering support, etc. should be explored and encouraged early on in order to clearly convey the purpose of the forum to others. Anyone considering offering grades or marks for participation is advised to think very carefully about the difference between quantity and quality of discussions in forums.

b) a sense of community and purpose can be fostered amongst participants. This sense of community can be fostered through tutor/teacher initiative and scaffolding, or primarily through the students/participants themselves depending on the intentions of the activity.

==Selecting forum type==

Moodle has four kinds of forums each with a slightly different [[Viewing a forum|layout]] and purpose.

Which of the forums will best suit your needs for a particular activity? In order to answer this question, it is useful to think how you might lead such a discussion in a face-to-face environment. Would you throw the question out to the class and sit back to observe them in their answers? Or would you break them up into smaller groups first and ask them to have discussions with a partner before bringing them back to the main group? Or perhaps you would like to keep them focused on a particular aspect of a question and ensure that they do not wander away from the topic at hand? All of the above approaches are both valid and useful, depending on your learning outcomes, and you can replicate all of them in Moodle forums.

===A standard forum for general use===
The standard forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#Standard_forum_for_general_use|view here]]) probably most useful for large discussions that you intend to monitor/guide or for social forums that are student led. This does not mean that you need to make a new posting for each reply in each topic, although, in order to ensure that the discussion does not get 'out of control', you may need to be prepared to spend a significant amount of time finding the common threads amongst the various discussions and weaving them together. Providing overall remarks for particular topics can also be a key aspect of your responsibilities in the discussion. Alternatively, you could ask students to summarize discussion topics at agreed points, once a week or when a thread comes to an agreed conclusion. Such a learner-centred approach may be particularly useful once the online community has been established and, perhaps, when you have modeled the summarizing process.

===A single simple discussion===
The simple forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#A_single_simple_discussion|view here]]) is most useful for short/time-limited discussion on a single subject or topic. This kind of forum is very productive if you are interested in keeping students focused on a particular issue.

===Each person posts one discussion===
This forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#Each_person_posts_one_discussion|view here]]) is most useful when you want to achieve a happy medium between a large discussion and a short and focused discussion. A single discussion topic per person allows students a little more freedom than a single discussion forum, but not as much as a standard forum where each student can create as many topics as he or she wishes. Successful forums of this selection can be active, yet focused, as students are not limited in the number of times they can respond to others within threads.

===Question and Answer forum===
The Q & A forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#Question_and_Answer_forum|view here]]) is best used when you have a particular question that you wish to have answered. In a Q and A forum, tutors post the question and students respond with possible answers. By default a Q and A forum requires students to post once before viewing other students' postings. After the initial posting and once the editing time (usually 30 minutes) has elapsed, students can view and respond to others' postings. This feature allows equal initial posting opportunity among all students, thus encouraging original and independent thinking.

''Note:'' Students do not see the "add a new question" button in the Q & A forum. If you wish students to be able to add new questions, they need to be given the capability [[Capabilities/mod/forum:addquestion|mod/forum:addquestion]]

===Standard forum displayed in blog-like format===
This forum behaves in the same way as the default standard forum for general use, allowing users to start their own discussions. However, it displays differently in that the first post of each discussion is displayed (as in a blog) so that users can read it and then choose to respond by clicking the "Discuss this topic" button bottom right of the post.

====Tips for Question and Answer====
When the Question and Answer mode is selected, Moodle hides the replies to the initial thread post by the teacher but not the entire forum itself.

:''Tip:'' Post each question as a thread in the forum and then have students post replies to the question. In this fashion, Moodle will protect the replies from being viewable (subject to the caveat above) by other students but allow the initial post/thread visible for reply by all students.

:''Tip:'' Do not post the question in the forum summary because every student answer will become a thread and visible to all students. In this scenario, it may appear as if the Question and Answer forum is not working correctly, since the new initial posts in the thread are intentionally designed not to be hidden, just their replies.

:''Tip:'' If you have set up groups for your forum the facilitator needs to post a question to each of the groups and not to 'all participants' as questions asked of all participants (students) are able to be read by ALL students. Questions posed to group members are only visible to those group members and replies are only visible once a group member has posted a message.

==Forum subscription==

When a person is '''subscribed''' to a forum it means that they will be notified (according to their [[Messaging settings]] preferences) of every subsequent post in that forum. Posters have 30 minutes by default to edit their post before it is sent though this time limit can be changed by an administrator.

People can usually choose whether or not they want to be subscribed to each forum. However, if a teacher forces subscription on a particular forum then this choice is taken away and everyone in the class will get notified.This is especially useful in the News forum and in forums towards the beginning of the course (before everyone has worked out that they can subscribe to these emails themselves).

Note that even if you force subscriptions every user can elect not to be notified in [[Messaging settings]], or elect to have all email sent once a day in a digest contain either all posts or simply the subject headings.

Choosing ''Everyone can choose to be subscribed'' enables you to check (and modify) the number of subscribers (''Settings > Forum administration > Show/edit current subscribers'') and to subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) the forum ('Subscribe to this forum' / 'Unsubscribe from this forum').

An overview of your forum subscriptions is available on the forums index page e.g. http://moodle.org/mod/forum/index.php?id=5

==Concepts for use in forums==
===Participation and Scaffolding ===

Whilst one of the great advantages of e-learning is the flexibility it affords participants, this does not mean that days or weeks should pass without response and discussion in a forum (unless it is appropriate for it to do so). This is perhaps most especially true at the beginning of a course or programme when students and tutors are new to each other and in need of welcome messages/encouragement. Whilst e-learning, and discussions in particular, can support learning that is not always tutor/teacher-centred, your role will be important, especially as an online community begins to develop. It is during these initial stages of introductory material that a group of students can become a community of participants who begin to grow in their understandings of course material and individual contributions to the knowledge construction process.

As the discussions progress and learners become accustomed to the mechanics and the tone of the forums then there are key ways in which your input can be reduced, thereby helping to foster a community that is less dependent on the tutor/teacher. Even then, however, you will probably want to be a presence in the discussions although you may choose to be one of many contributors rather than the font of all wisdom.

===Commitment and Participation===

Ask yourself if

# you wish to have involvement in the forum or if you want the students to lead and own the space
# you want the forum to add value to the face to face environment or have a life of its own in its own right outside the lecture theatre/classroom or seminar room
# you are prepared to make appropriate contributions to the discussion in order to:
## encourage discussion if students are quiet
## help shape ideas if students begin to wander off-task
## your role will be defined as discussions/a course progresses
## you will explicitly but gradually relinquish control of the discussions
## you will encourage and support learners to share control of discussions(for example you might ask a learner/group of learners to summarise contributions to a discussion thread/topic or you might ask learners to initiate discussion topics)

===Student Centered Forums===

With the growing popularity of social networking software like Facebook, Bebo, MySpace and the like, students are leaving schools and coming to Higher and Further Education with a new technological sophistication and with new expectations for communication. And as school, colleges and universities recognise that reflective and life long learning are significant goals in education, student centered learning and the creation of student centered spaces online are also gaining credence in educational settings. We know that effective learning requires access to social and academic networks for both study material and emotional support; as such, online communities can offer a holistic knowledge construction and support mechanism and recognize that affective activity is effective.

Social forums, often called ‘Virtual Cafes’ or ‘Common Rooms’ can be set up for courses or for programmes, depending on the student need. Such spaces provide a common area for students to come together and discuss unlimited topics, including social activities and educational ideas. They are supportive spaces for students, most successful with large first and second year courses where students would not otherwise have the opportunity to communicate with others outside their own tutorial group. It is arguable that students will experience a greater sense of community within and a sense of belonging to an educational institution or individual department having had the experience and convenience of the social forum on their course; this could arguably have implications for retention.

These spaces are typically highly active, especially in first term. Depending on your institution, they are usually self monitored by students, who understand that the same ‘rules’ and ‘netiquette’ that apply to them within any computing space, also apply in Moodle.

===The News Forum===

Moodle courses automatically generate a [[News forum]] which defaults to automatically subscribe all participants in a course. The name of the News Forum can be changed to something more appropriate, such as ‘Important Announcements’ or the like. This is a useful feature and many use this forum in a Moodle course to announce exam dates, times or changes to exams, lectures or seminars, as well as important information about course work throughout a term or special announcements relating to events.

===Teacher/Tutor forums===
A teacher/tutor-only forum may be added to a course by creating a hidden forum. Teachers are able to view hidden course activities whereas students cannot.

==Some forum suggestions to consider==

#If your course is at a distance, if your face to face time is limited, or if you just wish to foster a sense of community in your Moodle course which supplements your face to face course, it is good practice to begin with a welcome or introductory message or thread in one of your forums. This welcome or introduction from you invites participants, for example, to post some specific details to introduce themselves to you and their peers. This can be your icebreaker or you can have an icebreaker separately.
#If you have two questions for participants to answer, starting the two strands or topics within the forum itself will both help learners to see where to put their responses, and remind them to answer all parts of your question.
#Remember that you are communicating in an environment that does not have the benefit of verbal tone, eye contact, body language and the like. Careful consideration of your communication is, therefore, necessary.
#Postings to a forum are always written but they can take different forms and you may wish to consider what form best suits the activity. For instance, you might choose to articulate a form of contribution in order to be explicit. Thus you might say, 'This is a think-aloud forum in which, together, we will try to tease out ideas and possibilities' or 'This is a formal forum in which you are invited to share your ideas on (topic)' and, where you select the latter, you might have already suggested learners plan those ideas offline or in another kind of activity within Moodle.
#Create a forum where only the teacher can start discussions, but the students can only reply. Each thread you start contains an essay question (or several similar ones). The students make a bullet point plan for the essay and post it as a reply. This works well as a revision strategy as the students can see how others have approached the same task. Once everyone has posted their plan, you can start a discussion as to which plans seem better and why. Creating a scale to use for rating the posts can be useful so that the students can see how helpful other people think their effort were. (Note: At this time, there is no option to hide the "Add new discussion topic" button, so you need to tell your students not to start discussion threads, but to only reply to threads started by the teacher. If you only need one thread, then you can use the "a single simple discussion" format and the "Add new discussion topic" button is not available to the students.)

===Grading forums===

The teacher can use the [[Forum ratings|ratings]] [[Scales|scales]] to [[Grades|grade]] student activities in a forum. There are several methods for calculating the grade for a forum that can be found in the [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Grade|Forum settings under grades]]. There are 5 ways to [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Aggregate_type|aggregate ratings]] automatically to calculate a forum grade for the [[Gradebook]]. These include: Average, Max, Min, Count and Sum.

==Forum ratings allow users to evaluate posts in a forum==

Forum ratings use [[Scales]] to standardize the reporting of performance. A forum rating can be included as part of a student's [[Grades|grade]]. For example, a teacher might use a custom rating scale in a forum and allow students to rate forum posts.

Forum ratings must be allowed and the potential rater must have [[Roles|role]] permission. Teachers by default have this ability. The teacher role is also able to give permission to a [[Student|student role]] in a specific forum to be able to assign a rating to a post. Forum settings and [[Forum_permissions#Enabling_students_to_rate_posts| Enabling student ratings]] has more information.

===How to use===
[[Image:Forum rating example1 mu.png|thumb|Teacher view of a previously rated student post]]When rating is allowed, the qualified user will see "Rate this post" and a pull down menu after an entry (not their own). The menu displays a [[Scales|scale]] that the forum creator selected in the [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Grade|Forum grade settings]]. The user can rate more than one post at a time. When finished they should click the "submit my ratings" button at the bottom of the page.

===AJAX forum rating===

Forum rating can be made more user-friendly with the use of AJAX. Users can rate forum posts almost instantly without needing to scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Send in my latest ratings" button.

AJAX forum rating requires AJAX to be enabled by an administrator in ''Settings > Site administration > Appearance > [[AJAX and Javascript settings|AJAX and Javascript]]'' and by users in their [[Edit profile|user profile]].

===Separate and connected knowing===
You can rate forum posts with the [[Separate_and_Connected_Knowing| Separate and Connected Knowing]] scale here.

===Best Practice and shared discussions===
*There are lots of discussions about Forum best use and Forum assessment in the Teaching Strategies Forum http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=41.

*A useful discussion about Forum assessment can be found here http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=66008.

== See also ==

* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?f=116 Forum module]
*[http://www.moodleblog.onet/?page_id=148 Peer Assessment using a Moodle Forum] blog post with screencast

Using Moodle forum discussions:
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=5367 The philosophy underlying "no editing after 30 minutes"]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=66008 Best Practices for grading discussions]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=88000 Two Courses, One Forum?]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=93304 Using a forum for 1 to 1 teaching]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=95470 Technicalities of managing a Forum]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=67360 Role names showing next to posting photos]

[[de: Forum nutzen]]
[[fr:Afficher un forum]]
[[ja:フォーラムの閲覧]]

Using Forum

2013-03-26T21:20:55Z

Rexlorenzo: Added note that moving a forum post will result in incorrect report in course participantion

{{Forum}}
The teacher can set the format of what the student sees under the introduction by selecting the forum type in [[Forum settings]].

==Views==

===A single simple discussion===

Students will see the text you have placed in the [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Forum_introduction|Forum introduction setting]] as the first post of the discussion. Below you will find the replies that have been posted. In the example below, the student sees that their reply was rated.

{|
| [[File:Forum homepage view Simple student mu.png|thumb|Student view of "A single simple discussion" forum type]]

|}

===Each person posts one discussion===
The view will be basically the same as in the previous case, the only difference being the 'Add a new discussion' option. Viewing a forum page, the student will see the text you have written at the 'Forum introduction' space while creating the forum, and, if there are any, the discussions that have been started.

{|
| [[File:Forum homepage view Single student mu.png|thumb|Student view of "Each person posts one discussion" forum type]]

|}

===Standard forum for general use===

In this forum type, students will see the introduction text in a separate space above the discussion field, in which you will see the information such as the title of the discussion (which means the forum's title), its author, the number of replies and the date of the last post.

{|
| [[File:Forum homepage view student mu.png|thumb|Student view of "Standard forum" type]]

|}

===Question and Answer forum===

{|
| [[File:QA1.png|thumb|Inital view of Q&A forum]]
| [[File:QA2.png|thumb|Students cannot see posts until they post]]
| [[FIle:QA3.png|thumb|Other posts visible when editing time is over]]
|}

===Standard forum displayed in blog-like format===

{|
| [[File:Bloglikeforum.png|thumb|Blog like forum]]

|}

In the upper right corner of the home forum screen (above the introduction), the student may see the options the teacher has set for [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Force_everyone_to_be_subscribed.3F|subscriptions to the forum]], and the 'Jump to' field, with which you can 'jump' to any part of the course. This is also place where the teacher will find the "Update this forum" button.

==Display options==
[[Image:forumviewoptions.jpg|thumb|Reply display options]]A discussion thread may be displayed in four ways. Use the pull down menu at the top of each forum discussion to select a display type.

* Display replies flat, with oldest first
* Display replies flat, with newest first - The discussion will be displayed in one line and the chronological order from the newest to the oldest. This is the same as the above, just a different sort order.
* Display replies in threaded form - Only the post starting the discussion will be displayed in its full form; replies will be reduced to the headlines (including information about its author and date of release) and organized chronologically; moreover, replies will be shifted towards the right so that only replies to the same post were in the same line.
* Display replies in nested form - All posts are displayed in their full forms; replies will be reduced to the headlines (including information about its author and date of release) and organized chronologically; moreover, replies will be shifted towards the right so that only replies to the same post were in the same line.

{|
| [[Image:Forum Flat form mu.png|thumb|Flat Forum discussion, example from middle]]
| [[Image:Forum threaded form mu.png|thumb|Posts in threaded form]]
| [[Image:Forum nested form mu.png|thumb|"Nested reply example"]]
|}

==Forum posting==

The default content of '''Subject''' is usually 'Re: <the name of the 'parent' post>'. You can change it though.

When writing text in Moodle there are several formats you can choose to produce your text, depending on your expertise and the type of browser you are using. Please refer to [[Formatting text]] for further information.

=== Sharing images through forums ===

*When an image is "attached" as a file to a forum message, it is immediately displayed full size after the message (i.e. no need to click on an attachment). This an excellent way of sharing images without having to go through the process of uploading them as files and linking them from within web pages.

*Images may be dragged and dropped into the box as well as uploading via the "add" link and the [[File picker]].

[[File:forumdragdrop.png]]

===Sharing sound and video through forums===
*If multimedia filters are enabled, a sound file (mp3) or accepted video file can be attached and it will be embedded into the forum post in an appropriate player.
*As with images in the previous section, multimedia files may be dragged and dropped from the desktop instead of uploaded via the [[File picker]].

===Post length===

Extra-long posts cause problems when doing a forum search and can be difficult to read on screen. Rather than creating a very long post, consider copying and pasting the text into a text file and add it as an attachment to your forum post.

===Post editing time limit===

There is a time limit for editing posts, usually 30 minutes. It is set by an administrator in ''Administration > Security > [[Site policies]]''.

The Using Moodle forum discussion [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=5367 The philosophy underlying "no editing after 30 minutes"] includes reasons why it is a good idea to have a time limit for editing posts.

===Mail now===

A mail now checkbox is available for anyone with the [[Capabilities/moodle/course:manageactivities|capability to manage course activities]], normally teachers and admins.

Checking the "Mail now" box results in an email being sent immediately (i.e. when the [[Cron|cron]] next runs) to everyone subscribed to the forum, rather than after the post editing time limit.

==Exporting forum posts==
Users with the ''mod/forum:exportdiscussion'' or ''mod/forum:exportownpost'' or ''mod/forum:exportpost'' permission can export forum posts to any portfolio the administrator has enabled:

[[File:Exportforum.png]]

==Moving a discussion==

Teachers and other users with the [[Capabilities/mod/forum:movediscussions|capability to move discussions]] can move a discussion to any other forum in the course for which they have appropriate rights.
# Click on the arrow in the 'Move this discussion to...' dropdown menu in the top right corner of the page and select a destination forum.
# Click the Move button.

NOTE: Moving a forum post will display incorrect results in the course participation report for the affected forums. For example, take a student who posted in forum A and had their post moved to forum B. In the course participation report the student will still be listed has having made a post in forum A, but will not be listed as having made a post yet in forum B.

==Guidelines for Teaching and Learning Forums==

When you decide to use a discussion forum as an activity in an e-learning environment, it is important to be aware that your time will be needed in some sense in order to make the activity successful. If your goal is to encourage discussion, the forum will only work if:

a) '''participants feel there is a need/reason to participate and they will gain something from the experience.''' Incentives for learning, gathering support, etc. should be explored and encouraged early on in order to clearly convey the purpose of the forum to others. Anyone considering offering grades or marks for participation is advised to think very carefully about the difference between quantity and quality of discussions in forums.

b) a sense of community and purpose can be fostered amongst participants. This sense of community can be fostered through tutor/teacher initiative and scaffolding, or primarily through the students/participants themselves depending on the intentions of the activity.

==Selecting forum type==

Moodle has four kinds of forums each with a slightly different [[Viewing a forum|layout]] and purpose.

Which of the forums will best suit your needs for a particular activity? In order to answer this question, it is useful to think how you might lead such a discussion in a face-to-face environment. Would you throw the question out to the class and sit back to observe them in their answers? Or would you break them up into smaller groups first and ask them to have discussions with a partner before bringing them back to the main group? Or perhaps you would like to keep them focused on a particular aspect of a question and ensure that they do not wander away from the topic at hand? All of the above approaches are both valid and useful, depending on your learning outcomes, and you can replicate all of them in Moodle forums.

===A standard forum for general use===
The standard forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#Standard_forum_for_general_use|view here]]) probably most useful for large discussions that you intend to monitor/guide or for social forums that are student led. This does not mean that you need to make a new posting for each reply in each topic, although, in order to ensure that the discussion does not get 'out of control', you may need to be prepared to spend a significant amount of time finding the common threads amongst the various discussions and weaving them together. Providing overall remarks for particular topics can also be a key aspect of your responsibilities in the discussion. Alternatively, you could ask students to summarize discussion topics at agreed points, once a week or when a thread comes to an agreed conclusion. Such a learner-centred approach may be particularly useful once the online community has been established and, perhaps, when you have modeled the summarizing process.

===A single simple discussion===
The simple forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#A_single_simple_discussion|view here]]) is most useful for short/time-limited discussion on a single subject or topic. This kind of forum is very productive if you are interested in keeping students focused on a particular issue.

===Each person posts one discussion===
This forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#Each_person_posts_one_discussion|view here]]) is most useful when you want to achieve a happy medium between a large discussion and a short and focused discussion. A single discussion topic per person allows students a little more freedom than a single discussion forum, but not as much as a standard forum where each student can create as many topics as he or she wishes. Successful forums of this selection can be active, yet focused, as students are not limited in the number of times they can respond to others within threads.

===Question and Answer forum===
The Q & A forum ([[Viewing_a_forum#Question_and_Answer_forum|view here]]) is best used when you have a particular question that you wish to have answered. In a Q and A forum, tutors post the question and students respond with possible answers. By default a Q and A forum requires students to post once before viewing other students' postings. After the initial posting and once the editing time (usually 30 minutes) has elapsed, students can view and respond to others' postings. This feature allows equal initial posting opportunity among all students, thus encouraging original and independent thinking.

''Note:'' Students do not see the "add a new question" button in the Q & A forum. If you wish students to be able to add new questions, they need to be given the capability [[Capabilities/mod/forum:addquestion|mod/forum:addquestion]]

===Standard forum displayed in blog-like format===
This forum behaves in the same way as the default standard forum for general use, allowing users to start their own discussions. However, it displays differently in that the first post of each discussion is displayed (as in a blog) so that users can read it and then choose to respond by clicking the "Discuss this topic" button bottom right of the post.

====Tips for Question and Answer====
When the Question and Answer mode is selected, Moodle hides the replies to the initial thread post by the teacher but not the entire forum itself.

:''Tip:'' Post each question as a thread in the forum and then have students post replies to the question. In this fashion, Moodle will protect the replies from being viewable (subject to the caveat above) by other students but allow the initial post/thread visible for reply by all students.

:''Tip:'' Do not post the question in the forum summary because every student answer will become a thread and visible to all students. In this scenario, it may appear as if the Question and Answer forum is not working correctly, since the new initial posts in the thread are intentionally designed not to be hidden, just their replies.

:''Tip:'' If you have set up groups for your forum the facilitator needs to post a question to each of the groups and not to 'all participants' as questions asked of all participants (students) are able to be read by ALL students. Questions posed to group members are only visible to those group members and replies are only visible once a group member has posted a message.

==Forum subscription==

When a person is '''subscribed''' to a forum it means that they will be notified (according to their [[Messaging settings]] preferences) of every subsequent post in that forum. Posters have 30 minutes by default to edit their post before it is sent though this time limit can be changed by an administrator.

People can usually choose whether or not they want to be subscribed to each forum. However, if a teacher forces subscription on a particular forum then this choice is taken away and everyone in the class will get notified.This is especially useful in the News forum and in forums towards the beginning of the course (before everyone has worked out that they can subscribe to these emails themselves).

Note that even if you force subscriptions every user can elect not to be notified in [[Messaging settings]], or elect to have all email sent once a day in a digest contain either all posts or simply the subject headings.

Choosing ''Everyone can choose to be subscribed'' enables you to check (and modify) the number of subscribers (''Settings > Forum administration > Show/edit current subscribers'') and to subscribe to (or unsubscribe from) the forum ('Subscribe to this forum' / 'Unsubscribe from this forum').

An overview of your forum subscriptions is available on the forums index page e.g. http://moodle.org/mod/forum/index.php?id=5

==Concepts for use in forums==
===Participation and Scaffolding ===

Whilst one of the great advantages of e-learning is the flexibility it affords participants, this does not mean that days or weeks should pass without response and discussion in a forum (unless it is appropriate for it to do so). This is perhaps most especially true at the beginning of a course or programme when students and tutors are new to each other and in need of welcome messages/encouragement. Whilst e-learning, and discussions in particular, can support learning that is not always tutor/teacher-centred, your role will be important, especially as an online community begins to develop. It is during these initial stages of introductory material that a group of students can become a community of participants who begin to grow in their understandings of course material and individual contributions to the knowledge construction process.

As the discussions progress and learners become accustomed to the mechanics and the tone of the forums then there are key ways in which your input can be reduced, thereby helping to foster a community that is less dependent on the tutor/teacher. Even then, however, you will probably want to be a presence in the discussions although you may choose to be one of many contributors rather than the font of all wisdom.

===Commitment and Participation===

Ask yourself if

# you wish to have involvement in the forum or if you want the students to lead and own the space
# you want the forum to add value to the face to face environment or have a life of its own in its own right outside the lecture theatre/classroom or seminar room
# you are prepared to make appropriate contributions to the discussion in order to:
## encourage discussion if students are quiet
## help shape ideas if students begin to wander off-task
## your role will be defined as discussions/a course progresses
## you will explicitly but gradually relinquish control of the discussions
## you will encourage and support learners to share control of discussions(for example you might ask a learner/group of learners to summarise contributions to a discussion thread/topic or you might ask learners to initiate discussion topics)

===Student Centered Forums===

With the growing popularity of social networking software like Facebook, Bebo, MySpace and the like, students are leaving schools and coming to Higher and Further Education with a new technological sophistication and with new expectations for communication. And as school, colleges and universities recognise that reflective and life long learning are significant goals in education, student centered learning and the creation of student centered spaces online are also gaining credence in educational settings. We know that effective learning requires access to social and academic networks for both study material and emotional support; as such, online communities can offer a holistic knowledge construction and support mechanism and recognize that affective activity is effective.

Social forums, often called ‘Virtual Cafes’ or ‘Common Rooms’ can be set up for courses or for programmes, depending on the student need. Such spaces provide a common area for students to come together and discuss unlimited topics, including social activities and educational ideas. They are supportive spaces for students, most successful with large first and second year courses where students would not otherwise have the opportunity to communicate with others outside their own tutorial group. It is arguable that students will experience a greater sense of community within and a sense of belonging to an educational institution or individual department having had the experience and convenience of the social forum on their course; this could arguably have implications for retention.

These spaces are typically highly active, especially in first term. Depending on your institution, they are usually self monitored by students, who understand that the same ‘rules’ and ‘netiquette’ that apply to them within any computing space, also apply in Moodle.

===The News Forum===

Moodle courses automatically generate a [[News forum]] which defaults to automatically subscribe all participants in a course. The name of the News Forum can be changed to something more appropriate, such as ‘Important Announcements’ or the like. This is a useful feature and many use this forum in a Moodle course to announce exam dates, times or changes to exams, lectures or seminars, as well as important information about course work throughout a term or special announcements relating to events.

===Teacher/Tutor forums===
A teacher/tutor-only forum may be added to a course by creating a hidden forum. Teachers are able to view hidden course activities whereas students cannot.

==Some forum suggestions to consider==

#If your course is at a distance, if your face to face time is limited, or if you just wish to foster a sense of community in your Moodle course which supplements your face to face course, it is good practice to begin with a welcome or introductory message or thread in one of your forums. This welcome or introduction from you invites participants, for example, to post some specific details to introduce themselves to you and their peers. This can be your icebreaker or you can have an icebreaker separately.
#If you have two questions for participants to answer, starting the two strands or topics within the forum itself will both help learners to see where to put their responses, and remind them to answer all parts of your question.
#Remember that you are communicating in an environment that does not have the benefit of verbal tone, eye contact, body language and the like. Careful consideration of your communication is, therefore, necessary.
#Postings to a forum are always written but they can take different forms and you may wish to consider what form best suits the activity. For instance, you might choose to articulate a form of contribution in order to be explicit. Thus you might say, 'This is a think-aloud forum in which, together, we will try to tease out ideas and possibilities' or 'This is a formal forum in which you are invited to share your ideas on (topic)' and, where you select the latter, you might have already suggested learners plan those ideas offline or in another kind of activity within Moodle.
#Create a forum where only the teacher can start discussions, but the students can only reply. Each thread you start contains an essay question (or several similar ones). The students make a bullet point plan for the essay and post it as a reply. This works well as a revision strategy as the students can see how others have approached the same task. Once everyone has posted their plan, you can start a discussion as to which plans seem better and why. Creating a scale to use for rating the posts can be useful so that the students can see how helpful other people think their effort were. (Note: At this time, there is no option to hide the "Add new discussion topic" button, so you need to tell your students not to start discussion threads, but to only reply to threads started by the teacher. If you only need one thread, then you can use the "a single simple discussion" format and the "Add new discussion topic" button is not available to the students.)

===Grading forums===

The teacher can use the [[Forum ratings|ratings]] [[Scales|scales]] to [[Grades|grade]] student activities in a forum. There are several methods for calculating the grade for a forum that can be found in the [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Grade|Forum settings under grades]]. There are 5 ways to [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Aggregate_type|aggregate ratings]] automatically to calculate a forum grade for the [[Gradebook]]. These include: Average, Max, Min, Count and Sum.

==Forum ratings allow users to evaluate posts in a forum==

Forum ratings use [[Scales]] to standardize the reporting of performance. A forum rating can be included as part of a student's [[Grades|grade]]. For example, a teacher might use a custom rating scale in a forum and allow students to rate forum posts.

Forum ratings must be allowed and the potential rater must have [[Roles|role]] permission. Teachers by default have this ability. The teacher role is also able to give permission to a [[Student|student role]] in a specific forum to be able to assign a rating to a post. Forum settings and [[Forum_permissions#Enabling_students_to_rate_posts| Enabling student ratings]] has more information.

===How to use===
[[Image:Forum rating example1 mu.png|thumb|Teacher view of a previously rated student post]]When rating is allowed, the qualified user will see "Rate this post" and a pull down menu after an entry (not their own). The menu displays a [[Scales|scale]] that the forum creator selected in the [[Adding/editing_a_forum#Grade|Forum grade settings]]. The user can rate more than one post at a time. When finished they should click the "submit my ratings" button at the bottom of the page.

===AJAX forum rating===

Forum rating can be made more user-friendly with the use of AJAX. Users can rate forum posts almost instantly without needing to scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Send in my latest ratings" button.

AJAX forum rating requires AJAX to be enabled by an administrator in ''Settings > Site administration > Appearance > [[AJAX and Javascript settings|AJAX and Javascript]]'' and by users in their [[Edit profile|user profile]].

===Separate and connected knowing===
You can rate forum posts with the [[Separate_and_Connected_Knowing| Separate and Connected Knowing]] scale here.

===Best Practice and shared discussions===
*There are lots of discussions about Forum best use and Forum assessment in the Teaching Strategies Forum http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=41.

*A useful discussion about Forum assessment can be found here http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=66008.

== See also ==

* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?f=116 Forum module]
*[http://www.moodleblog.onet/?page_id=148 Peer Assessment using a Moodle Forum] blog post with screencast

Using Moodle forum discussions:
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=5367 The philosophy underlying "no editing after 30 minutes"]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=66008 Best Practices for grading discussions]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=88000 Two Courses, One Forum?]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=93304 Using a forum for 1 to 1 teaching]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=95470 Technicalities of managing a Forum]
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=67360 Role names showing next to posting photos]

[[de: Forum nutzen]]
[[fr:Afficher un forum]]
[[ja:フォーラムの閲覧]]