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

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 WebOodi
• By ordering a Moodle course area without connection to WebOodi.

Please read these instructions carefully to decide the best way for you to get a new course area. A course area connected to WebOodi 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.

Course area connected to WebOodi

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 WebOodi 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 WebOodi are automatically synchronized with the Moodle course area.
7. After a moment, the address of the new course area will automatically be visible on the course page and soon also on the My teaching and My studies pages.
8. 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 WebOodi and how is it shown in Moodle?

• The changes to the list of participants of the course are made in WebOodi. The changes are transferred to Moodle course area every two hours.
• The teachers (responsible teachers and lecturers) of the WebOodi course data are transferred to Moodle with the role of teacher (roles: “teacher” and “synced”).
• The students (verified and actual registration) of the WebOodi 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 in WebOodi, 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 WebOodi are not deleted from Moodle.
• If there is a user with only the role “synced”, it means the student registration has been deleted from WebOodi.
• 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 WebOodi.

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 WebOodi 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 WebOodi (see below) or only after the registrations in WebOodi 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.

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 WebOodi. The student role is restored to Moodle along the next synchronization.	The student registration must be deleted in WebOodi. With the next synchronization, the student’s role “student” is automatically deleted in Moodle. In other words: You should not manage registrations synchronized from WebOodi in Moodle at all.

Course area without connection to WebOodi

The Form for ordering a new course area.

Additional instructions

User data is not automatically synchronized from WebOodi, so when you use this way to create a new course area, the students and the teachers must be added to Moodle with either self enrolment or adding them one by one. Self enrolment is opened and the (optional) enrolment key added in the course area settings.

The course must be opened for students when the course area is ready (Administration block > Edit settings > Course visibility > Show > Save and display). Linking the Moodle course area with to the course page.

Add the Moodle area in My teaching in the Moodle tab. The address to the course area in visible for the students in the course page and in My studies. The enrolment key, if one is used, is shown only for the students registered for the course in WebOodi.