Course homepage: Difference between revisions

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===Parts of a course homepage===
== Standard view of a blank course==
 
Our examples will be for a course homepage that is the standard default for a new install on a site. There are many course options that determine a course's appearance and make it look very different from our examples. The example course has a header, a footer (both content largely determined by a theme) and 3 columns in the middle.   
Watch the screencasts '''[https://youtu.be/F9ubp7x2Knw What is a course?]''' and '''[https://youtu.be/788ZZ1t9nTY How to lay out your course]''' for an introduction on setting up your course homepage.
 
A Moodle course can look very different according to the theme and course format (layout). Here are a blank course page using the [[Boost theme]] and the Clean theme, both with standard weekly format:
 
[[File:1exampleboosthemecourse.png|thumb|center||600px|Empty course with Boost theme]]
 
[[File:example_course.png|thumb|600px|center|Empty course with Clean theme]]
 
 
 
1.[[Navigation block]]
 
Normally visible on all pages, this block helps you find your way around the course and site.
 
2.[[Administration block]]


Here are basic elements of a course page and links to Moodle documentation.
Again, normally visible on all pages, this block gives different levels of access to teachers and students.
[[Image:Blankcourselayout.png|thumb|600px|none|Example of Weekly format, teacher view, edit off - [https://docs.moodle.org/en/images_en/d/dc/Blankcourselayout.png full resolution here]]]


===Parts of a course homepage===
3.[[Course formats|Course sections]]
Using the above image, here are the parts of a typical course homepageIt is possible to move and hide parts of the page and different themes display blocks in different regionsso not all courses will look like this.
 
{| style="width:75%; height:200px" border="1"
Here is where the learning materials are displayed. This element may be arranged in one or multiple weeks, topics, forums or other (non-standard) layouts.
|-
 
| Column left || Course sections - Center || Column right
4.[[Blocks|Side blocks]]
|-
 
|-
Which blocks you see depend on what the administrator has selected and what you as teacher choose to add.
| *1 [[Course_settings#Full_name|Course full name]] || *7 Section header & [[News forum|News topic]] || *10 Login information
 
|-  
5. Navigation drawer
| *2 [[Course_settings#Short_name|Navigation bar]] ||*8 Current week - First section || *11 Turn editing on button
 
|-
This replaces the [[Navigation block]] and [[Administration block]] in the Boost theme. For course section links to appear, 'Always link course sections' (linkcoursesections) must be enabled by an administrator in the Site administration.
| *4 [[Navigation block]]|| *9 Future week  - Second section|| *12 [[Latest News block|Latest news]]
 
|-
6. Gear menu
| *5 [[Settings block]]|| || *13 [[Upcoming Events block|Upcoming events]]
 
|-
This replaces the course administration settings in the Boost theme.
| *15 "Switch role to"||  || *14 [[Recent Activity block|Recent activity]]
 
|-
===To edit a course section===
| *16 User profile settings ||  ||  
 
| *17 [[Site Administration]] || ||
# Turn editing on
# Click the pencil icon (1 in screenshot below) to quickly rename the section
# Click the Edit menu (2 in screenshot below) to edit the description and other settings.
[[File:31editsection.png|thumb|center|600px|Section editing menu]]
 
If [[Restrict access]] is enabled for the site, access to the section (including all activities and resources within it) may be restricted.
 
===To move a course section===
#Turn editing on
#Click the up/down arrow or the crosshairs icon to move the section
#Drag the section to where you want to position it and let go
 
Note: The ability to move course sections is controlled by the capability [[Capabilities/moodle/course:movesections|moodle/course:movesections]], which is allowed for the default role of teacher.
===To add course sections===
#Turn editing on
#Click 'Add topics/weeks' underneath the bottom section
#Select the number of extra sections you wish and press 'Add topics/weeks':
 
[[File:33Addtopics.png|thumb|400px|center|Adding sections]]
 
===To delete a course section===
 
With the editing turned on, click the 'Edit' link to the right of the course section you wish to delete and then, from the menu that displaysclick 'X Delete'. You will be prompted to confirm your wish to delete the section and its contents. Note that all activities inside the section and their user data will also be deleted. Use the [[Recycle bin]] to reverse this if you do it by mistake.
 
===To link course sections===
 
An admin setting ''Always link course sections'' can be enabled from ''Site administration > Appearance > Navigation'' and will link course sections so that when a course section name is clicked in the navigation block or the central content area, it will go directly to that section.
 
==Blocks==
 
Depending on the theme, blocks are displayed in the right and/or left columns of the course page. The [[Boost theme]] only displays blocks on the right, and when using the [[Moodle Mobile app]] blocks do not display at all.
 
To add a block to the course page
 
#Turn on the editing from the gear menu of the button top right depending on your theme.
#Select a block from the "Add block" link, either at the bottom of the nav drawer on the left or a drop down menu usually on the right.
 
To move a block
#Ensure editing is turned on then click onto the block title until the crosshair icon appears
#While keeping the block selected, drag it to where you want to position it and let go.
 
Alternatively
#Click on the up/down arrow
#Click on the place holder (a zone with a dashed border) where you want the block to appear.
 
{|
| [[File:moveblocksnew.png|thumb|Crosshair icon for moving a block]]
| [[File:Moveblocks.png|thumb|Up/down arrow icon for moving a block]]
|}
 
==Activities and resources==
 
To add an activity or resource to the course
#Turn on the editing either from the gear menu or the button top right, depending on your theme.
#Click 'Add an activity or resource' to open the new activity chooser. Select an activity or resource then click the Add button, or simply double-click on the activity or resource name.
 
{{MediaPlayer | url = https://youtu.be/U_MsUt-WLZc | desc = Overview of the activity chooser}}
 
If desired, the activity chooser may be disabled from Course preferences from the [[Preferences]] link in the user menu. This will then display two separate resource and activity dropdown menus.
 
'''Note:''' The Moodle admin can switch this off by default in ''Administration > Site administration > Appearance > AJAX and Javascript''.
{|
| [[File:activity chooser.png|thumb|The activity chooser]]
|}
|}


==Moving elements on your course's homepage==
Alternatively, certain resources and activities may be added using drag and drop:
 
*To add a [[File|file]], simply drag and drop it onto the course section where you'd like it to appear
*To add a [[Folder|folder of files]], simply zip the folder then drag and drop it onto the course section where you'd like it to appear, answer 'Unzip files and create folder' to the popup dialogue, then click the upload button
*To add a [[SCORM module|SCORM package]], simply drag and drop it onto the course section where you'd like it to appear, answer 'Add a SCORM package' to the popup dialogue, then click the upload button
 
===Moving between activities===


There are some variations in how you move things around on your course's homepage. Moving whole [[Blocks]] (the regions to the side(s) of the screen) is different from moving Sections (the central stack of regions in Topic or Weekly format where the main content is displayed) or their individual resources and activities.
{{MediaPlayer | url = https://youtu.be/MRX3NOO_oNY | desc = Activity navigation}}


===To move a Block===
Underneath each activity is a link on the left to the previous activity and on the right to the next activity. A jump-to menu also allows you to choose other activities from the course page:
Blocks appear at the side(s) of your course area. To move one,
#Turn Editing On and *click and release* the Block's crossed arrows icon. Place holders - zones with a dashed border - appear on the screen indicating the possible areas where your Block can appear.
#Click the placeholder where you want the Block appear. On course area homepages, you can move Blocks from one side to the other, but not into the middle.
#The block should now appear in the location you chose.


===To move a Section===
[[File:CHPActivityLinks.png]]
To move a Topic or Week section:
#turn editing on
#click the up or down arrow to move the section


===To move a Resource or Activity===
The previous and next links and jump-to menu are not available in the mobile app, however the redesigned app for Moodle 3.5 will include navigation improvements and changes.
To move an individual Resource or Activity within or between sections:
#click the up/down arrow
#Empty boxes will appear and your chosen item will temporarily disappear from view.
#Click into an empty box where you want your item to  be moved to and it will reappear in its new location.


==Moving by dragging and dropping==
==Editing elements on your course homepage==
If the administrator has enabled Ajax for the site and course editing in ''Settings > Site Administration > Appearance > Ajax and Javascript'' then the icon will appear as a crosshair which may be dragged and dropped to wherever you want to move the section or individual item to.
With the editing turned on, activities, resources and blocks will have icons performing different functions such as edit/move/copy/delete/hide.  
 
''Note:''' ''Your theme may have icons different from these below:''
 
 
:[[Image:pencil.png]] - the pencil icon allows you to edit inline the title of the resource / activity
 
:[[Image:26actionicon.png|150px]] - this icon groups actions together for easier editing on smaller screens. Click to reveal the options.
 
:[[Image:moveajax24.png]]- the move icon allows you to move items or sections by dragging and dropping. (If you have many activities to scroll through while moving, see the Tips and Tricks section below for a useful suggestion.)
 
:[[Image:movenoajaz241.png]] - this move icon appears if you don't have Ajax enabled.
 
:[[File:groups24.png]] - the groups icon allows you to change between no groups or separate/visible groups
 
:[[Image:movenoajax24.png]] - the move here icon appears when moving a course element without Ajax. Click into the box to re-locate your item.
 
:[[File:topicmove24.png]] - the up/down arrows allow you to move course sections up or down and  appear if you do not have Ajax enabled.


==Tips and tricks==
==Tips and tricks==
===Make your course home page look more like a regular webpage===
===Moving items in a course with many activities===
Often when a course has a lot of content, students and teachers find the long scrolling tedious and would prefer a 'neater' appearance with hyperlinks to sections in a similar way to the way pages on websites work.
If you click and drag an activity or resource on a course page which has many items, this might cause you difficulties with "scroll of death" issues. Instead of dragging the activity to move it, click on it. It will display a list of all the items on your page and you just need to click to select where on the course page you want the item to be moved to.
 
*Anchors/section links can help. But the course page can still be long.
*Hiding the activities shortens the list for students, but then they can not be selected by students.


One method which might be useful is to put the activities into sections which are then made 'unseen' to the student.
[[File:alternativemovemethod.png|thumb|center|500px]]


''Basic Example''
*Make your course home page look more like a webpage - see [[Stealth activities]]
*Set the number of topics in the course setting to 1 more than students will see.
*Activity and resource descriptions can be displayed on the course page just below the link to the activity or resource by clicking the 'Display description on course page' checkbox in the activity or resource settings.
**For example, you plan on the students being able to see 6 topics, set it for 7.
*Add activities in topic 7, such as a quiz (in our example)
*Get the url of your quiz
**Copy it and keep it somewhere (such as notepad) for later use
*Go back to course admin>settings and change your topic/weeks to 6
**Or one fewer than you had before
*The section with your quiz will no longer be on the page that the student sees
*In another section, make a hyperlink to the quiz using its url
**You can also put it in a topic summary, label or  
**as a resource (link to a file or website)


You will find that the quiz is accessible to students even though the section  does not physically appear on the course page for the students.  You have shortened the page.
==Course homepage capabilities==


''More advanced example''
*[[Capabilities/moodle/course:sectionvisibility|Control section visibility]]
*There is a youtube video that gives an example of how to do this [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XtHPUh_BaxM here]  
*[[Capabilities/moodle/course:setcurrentsection|Set current section]]
*You can actually set up your whole course using this method.
*Set  your course to have two topics (or more if you wish)
*Ignore topic 1 - do not place anything in it.
*In topic 2, use the resource: ''Compose a webpage'' to make webpages relating to your units of work/topics
*Add all your resources to topic 2
*Copy the resources urls into the relevant webpage as hyperlinks
*In topic 0, the course summary make hyperlinks -or better- images hyperlinked - to each webpage which contains the activities of that unit/topic
*Go back to course settings and set the number of visible topics to 1.


The student will only see the top of the page. When they click on a link in the header, they are taken to the hidden webpage resources, where they select the resource or activity they wish.  This creates a very short visual page but keeps all the course material within the course.


Note: The method in Moodle 2.0 will be slightly different. See MDL-24316 for details.


[[es:course/view]]
[[es:Página principal del curso]]
[[fr:Page de cours]]
[[fr:Page d'accueil de cours]]
[[ru:Главная страница курса]]
[[it:Pagina home del corso]]
[[ja:コースホームページ]]
[[ja:コースホームページ]]
[[sk:kurz/prehľad]]
[[de:Kursseite]]
[[de:Kursseite]]

Latest revision as of 19:37, 12 February 2019

Parts of a course homepage

Watch the screencasts What is a course? and How to lay out your course for an introduction on setting up your course homepage.

A Moodle course can look very different according to the theme and course format (layout). Here are a blank course page using the Boost theme and the Clean theme, both with standard weekly format:

Empty course with Boost theme
Empty course with Clean theme


1.Navigation block

Normally visible on all pages, this block helps you find your way around the course and site.

2.Administration block

Again, normally visible on all pages, this block gives different levels of access to teachers and students.

3.Course sections

Here is where the learning materials are displayed. This element may be arranged in one or multiple weeks, topics, forums or other (non-standard) layouts.

4.Side blocks

Which blocks you see depend on what the administrator has selected and what you as teacher choose to add.

5. Navigation drawer

This replaces the Navigation block and Administration block in the Boost theme. For course section links to appear, 'Always link course sections' (linkcoursesections) must be enabled by an administrator in the Site administration.

6. Gear menu

This replaces the course administration settings in the Boost theme.

To edit a course section

  1. Turn editing on
  2. Click the pencil icon (1 in screenshot below) to quickly rename the section
  3. Click the Edit menu (2 in screenshot below) to edit the description and other settings.
Section editing menu

If Restrict access is enabled for the site, access to the section (including all activities and resources within it) may be restricted.

To move a course section

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

Note: The ability to move course sections is controlled by the capability moodle/course:movesections, which is allowed for the default role of teacher.

To add course sections

  1. Turn editing on
  2. Click 'Add topics/weeks' underneath the bottom section
  3. Select the number of extra sections you wish and press 'Add topics/weeks':
Adding sections

To delete a course section

With the editing turned on, click the 'Edit' link to the right of the course section you wish to delete and then, from the menu that displays, click 'X Delete'. You will be prompted to confirm your wish to delete the section and its contents. Note that all activities inside the section and their user data will also be deleted. Use the Recycle bin to reverse this if you do it by mistake.

To link course sections

An admin setting Always link course sections can be enabled from Site administration > Appearance > Navigation and will link course sections so that when a course section name is clicked in the navigation block or the central content area, it will go directly to that section.

Blocks

Depending on the theme, blocks are displayed in the right and/or left columns of the course page. The Boost theme only displays blocks on the right, and when using the Moodle Mobile app blocks do not display at all.

To add a block to the course page

  1. Turn on the editing from the gear menu of the button top right depending on your theme.
  2. Select a block from the "Add block" link, either at the bottom of the nav drawer on the left or a drop down menu usually on the right.

To move a block

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

Alternatively

  1. Click on the up/down arrow
  2. Click on the place holder (a zone with a dashed border) where you want the block to appear.
Crosshair icon for moving a block
Up/down arrow icon for moving a block

Activities and resources

To add an activity or resource to the course

  1. Turn on the editing either from the gear menu or the button top right, depending on your theme.
  2. Click 'Add an activity or resource' to open the new activity chooser. Select an activity or resource then click the Add button, or simply double-click on the activity or resource name.
Overview of the activity chooser

If desired, the activity chooser may be disabled from Course preferences from the Preferences link in the user menu. This will then display two separate resource and activity dropdown menus.

Note: The Moodle admin can switch this off by default in Administration > Site administration > Appearance > AJAX and Javascript.

The activity chooser

Alternatively, certain resources and activities may be added using drag and drop:

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

Moving between activities

Activity navigation

Underneath each activity is a link on the left to the previous activity and on the right to the next activity. A jump-to menu also allows you to choose other activities from the course page:

CHPActivityLinks.png

The previous and next links and jump-to menu are not available in the mobile app, however the redesigned app for Moodle 3.5 will include navigation improvements and changes.

Editing elements on your course homepage

With the editing turned on, activities, resources and blocks will have icons performing different functions such as edit/move/copy/delete/hide.

Note:' Your theme may have icons different from these below:


pencil.png - the pencil icon allows you to edit inline the title of the resource / activity
26actionicon.png - this icon groups actions together for easier editing on smaller screens. Click to reveal the options.
moveajax24.png- the move icon allows you to move items or sections by dragging and dropping. (If you have many activities to scroll through while moving, see the Tips and Tricks section below for a useful suggestion.)
movenoajaz241.png - this move icon appears if you don't have Ajax enabled.
groups24.png - the groups icon allows you to change between no groups or separate/visible groups
movenoajax24.png - the move here icon appears when moving a course element without Ajax. Click into the box to re-locate your item.
topicmove24.png - the up/down arrows allow you to move course sections up or down and appear if you do not have Ajax enabled.

Tips and tricks

Moving items in a course with many activities

If you click and drag an activity or resource on a course page which has many items, this might cause you difficulties with "scroll of death" issues. Instead of dragging the activity to move it, click on it. It will display a list of all the items on your page and you just need to click to select where on the course page you want the item to be moved to.

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

Course homepage capabilities