Resources FAQ

How can I prevent students from downloading my course files such as pdf or word-processed documents?

You can't. There are various ways to make it more difficult for them, and you can make them sign a declaration not to download them, but determined users can always find ways to save or download your course materials. If all else fails they can make a screencast or screenshot, or use the camera on a mobile device. If it is essential for you that students do not download your course materials then do not offer the materials in your course. See also the forum discussion Regarding uploaded content protection.

The fact that students can capture items cannot be blamed on Moodle as it is simply an inherent characteristic of computers and technology. In fact, there is even technology available that allows people to photograph images of words and convert them into editable text, known as OCR (optical character recognition) software. This OCR technology has been around since the 1980s and has significantly improved as technology has advanced. The camera was invented around 1816.

If your teaching relies on "secret" materials, you might want to look at a non-computer-based approach to your teaching.

How can I stop uploaded files from being cached when I update them?

By default, Moodle adds a "cache-control" header to all files that is sends. The default period is 24 hours. You can reduce this or eliminate it entirely (set to zero) by adding the following line to your config.php (default value shown).

   $CFG->filelifetime = 86400;

Any further questions?

Please post in the Resource types forum on moodle.org.