UH-Create a new Moodle area connected to Sisu on the course page

{HY}} Suomeksi: HY-Uuden kurssialueen luonti

There are two ways for a teacher in the University of Helsinki to get a new course area:

• By creating a Moodle course area connected to Oodi - the students registered for the course in Oodi will be automatically on to the Moodle course area (this guide)
• By ordering a Moodle course area without connection to Oodi - the teacher opens a self enrolment or adds the students to the Moodle area manually

Please read these instructions carefully to decide the best way for you to get a new course area. A Moodle area connected to Oodi can be used when there is no need to limit the student registrations based on e.g. number or right to study. N.B. Open University course areas are ordered from an education specialist of the discipline in question.

Why should I use this way to create a course area?

• The teacher does not have to add the students to Moodle themselves.
• Self enrolment and enrolment key are unnecessary.
• Every student who has registered or will register for the course in Oodi will automatically have access to the Moodle course area (after it has been opened).
• The students automatically receive information about the Moodle area and a link in Moodle to their My studies page. The link to Moodle is also shown on the course page.

When should I not use this way to create a course area?

• If the number of students or the right to participate will be restricted, it is better to order the course area without connecting to Oodi or only after the registrations in Oodi have been verified (or dismissed).
• If the course data in question is truly hierarchic, with sub course datas like small groups for mathematical exercises, the Moodle course area should usually be created on the course page of the main course data. Then all students from all sub course datas and the main course data are synchronized with Moodle. All students still have the same role, so the information of the sub course datas (e.g the mathematical exercise groups) is not transferred to Moodle.

If necessary, the teacher can discuss the above issues with the degree planner of the degree program.

How to create a Moodle course area connected to Oodi

A teacher or an officer can create a new Moodle course area from the course page. This way, the students registered for the course in Oodi will be automatically on to the Moodle course area.

1. Login to My Teaching.
2. Go to the course page of your course.
3. Turn the editing on (Edit).
4. When the editing is on, go to the Moodle section.
5. Click “Create new Moodle course area”.
6. The new course area is created immediately (the course area will be in Finnish). The teachers and the students registered for the course in Oodi are automatically synchronized with the Moodle course area.
7. Add the address of the new Moodle course area on the course page. It will be soon also on the My teaching and My studies pages.
8. The course start date of the Moodle area becomes the start date specified in Oodi. So the Moodle area is usually found first on the future courses on the Moodle Dashboard. The course end date of the Moodle area will be the end date from Oodi + 1 month. This way, the course area is still on the "In progress" courses on the Dashboard until the assessment, etc. is completed. The teacher can also edit this information in the Moodle course settings.
9. The students have access to the course area after it has been opened for the students. (In Moodle: Actions menu (Gear menu on the top right) > Edit Settings > Course visibility > Show > Save and display).

How is user data transferred from Oodi and how is it shown in Moodle?

• The changes to the list of participants of the course are made in Oodi. The changes are transferred to Moodle course area every two hours.
• The teachers (responsible teachers and lecturers) of the Oodi course data are transferred to Moodle with the role of teacher (roles: “teacher” and “synced”).
• The students (verified and actual registration) of the Oodi course data are transferred to Moodle with the role of student (roles “student” and “synced”).
• You can also add participants to the Moodle course area directly in Moodle (e.g. visiting lecturers with limited user accounts).
• If the student’s registration is cancelled or deleted from Oodi, the role of "student" will be removed from the student in Moodle and their status will change to "suspended" with the next synchronization. Teachers deleted from Oodi are not deleted from Moodle.
• If there is a user with only the role “synced”, it means the student registration has been deleted from Oodi.
• If there is a user with only the role “student”, it means the student has either used self enrolment or the teacher has added them to Moodle directly. This student has no registration information in Oodi.

Possible problems and their solutions

Problem	Likely explanation	Solution
The student deletes themselves from Moodle but will soon appear there again.	The student is still registered for the course in Oodi. The student role is restored to Moodle along the next synchronization.	The student registration must be deleted in Oodi. With the next synchronization, the student’s role “student” is automatically deleted in Moodle. In other words: You should not manage registrations synchronized from Oodi in Moodle at all.
Students from the previous academic year are still in the Moodle course area.	The Moodle area of the previous academic year has been used again for the current course.	A new Moodle course area must be ordered for each new course. Students from the previous course cannot be removed from the Moodle course area. If the course is already running, please contact moodle@helsinki.fi