A Moodle course can look very different depending on the theme and course format (layout). The standard theme is the Boost theme. The Classic theme was removed from Moodle in 5.3, see Classic theme.
Parts of a course
- Course navigation. The links under the course name give quick access to important parts of the course. The More link takes you to, for example, the Content and Question banks and Course reuse, which includes Backup, Restore, Import, Reset and Copy.
- Course index. The drawer on the left lists the course sections and their activities and resources. As you move up and down the course page, your location is highlighted in the course index. Click an item to go straight to it. Use the Collapse all link under the course name to collapse or expand all sections in the course index at once. You can open or close the course index as a user preference.
- Edit mode toggle. At the top right of the page, turns edit mode on and off.
- Block drawer. The drawer on the right holds the course blocks. It only appears once a block has been added to the course. You can open or close it as a user preference.
- Course sections. The main area of the page, where learning materials are displayed, arranged in weeks, custom sections or other layouts. Each section has a header with its name, above an area holding its activities and resources. Each activity has its description directly under its name, followed by any dates, badges and restrictions.
- Collapse all. Sections can be collapsed and expanded one at a time, or all at once with the Collapse all link above the sections.
In courses using the Custom sections or Weekly sections format, learners can also move through the course in order with the Previous and Next buttons at the bottom of each activity and resource page. See Course linear navigation.
Course sections
Add course sections
- Turn on edit mode.
- For weekly format, scroll to the bottom of the course page and click Add week
- For other format such as custom sections, you can add sections between other sections on the course page by pressing the plus + sign.
Add a subsection
With edit mode on you can add an activity or resource directly to the course page or add a subsection.
A subsection behaves in exactly the same way as a normal section but can be placed anywhere within sections. Note that it is not possible to add subsections to subsections, and that adding subsections counts as part of the maximum number of sections in your course. This means that, for example, if the maximum number of sections allowed is 5 and you have 3 sections and 2 subsections, you will no longer be able to add any more sections.
Subsections are enabled by default in Moodle 5.0 onwards. If required, subsections can be disabled by an admin in Site administration > Plugins > Activity modules > Manage activities.
Note: From Moodle 5.2, subsections no longer have a description field. Any existing subsection descriptions were automatically converted to a Text and media area within the subsection during upgrade.
Edit a course section
- Turn on edit mode.
- Quickly rename sections from the pencil icon.
Move a course section
Note:The ability to move course sections is controlled by the capability moodle/course:movesections, which is allowed for the default role of teacher. See also the section below on Bulk editing.
- Turn on edit mode.
- Drag and drop the section either from the course central area or the Course index to your chosen location.
If your course is long you can also drag from the central area to a location in the Course index, and/or you can click the three dots next to a section, select Move and choose the location to move it to.
Duplicate a course section
- Turn on edit mode.
- From the three dots to the right of the section name, click Duplicate.
Get a permalink to a course section
- Turn on edit mode.
- From the three dots to the right of the section name, click Permalink.
View a single course section
- With edit mode off, all users can click a section heading to access one particular section in its own page.
- With edit mode on, teachers can click View from the three dots on the right to access just that section.
Delete a course section
With edit mode on, click the three dots to the right of the section name, then click 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.
Activities and resources
Add activities and resources
To add an activity or resource to the course, turn on edit mode, then either:
- Click on the course page wherever you want to add your activity. This will open up the Activity chooser, allowing you to select your activity or resource.
- Click 'Add an activity or resource' to open the activity chooser. Double-click to add an activity or resource; click the i for more information and click the star icon to add it to a separate, starred tab.
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.
Move activities or resources
- Turn on edit mode.
- Drag and drop the item either from the course central area or the Course index to your chosen location.
If your course is long you can also drag from the central area to a location in the Course index, and/or you can click the three dots next to a item, select Move and choose the location to move it to. See also the section on Bulk editing.
Indent activities or resources
If allowed by admin (see Course formats) teachers can move an activity or resource once to the right. This indentation is also reflected in the course index.
Change availability
With edit mode on, click the three dots to the right of an activity and select Availability. You can then:
- show it on the course page.
- hide it on the course page.
- make it available but not shown on the course page (if stealth mode is enabled).
Once a choice has been made, as a teacher you can then edit it directly from under the item:
Group mode
With edit mode on, when you hover over an activity or resource supporting groups, a group mode icon appears. Click on it and a modal window will display allowing you to select visible/separate or no groups. You can also access Group mode options from the activity actions submenu (three dots to the right).
Students do not see these icons.
Bulk edit activities, resources or sections
- With edit mode enabled, click the link Bulk actions near the top right of the screen.
- Checkboxes will appear next to sections, resources and activities.
- Click the ones you want to edit and from the footer at the bottom, choose the action you want to take: Change availability, Duplicate, Move or Delete.
- Note: For sections, the option to duplicate is not present as you duplicate sections individually from the action menu (three dots) to the right of its name.
Blocks
The Boost theme displays blocks in the block drawer on the right. Contributed themes might display them elsewhere.
To add a block to the course page
- Turn on edit mode (top right).
- Expand the block drawer and click Add block. Select your block.
To move a block
- With Edit mode on, click the crosshair icon on a block.
- While keeping the block selected, drag it to where you want to position it and let go.
