ED TECH NEWS:
MOODLE 4.2: Our team has begun testing Moodle version 4.2, which will be deployed during winter break. Version 4.2 has some great new features, but is nowhere near as large a change as what we experienced this fall. Among the most significant upgrades are the ability to add activities and resources from anywhere on a course page, the opportunity to easily duplicate whole topic areas, mass action editing getting built into course pages, several gradebook enhancements, and some quiz settings and options improvements. As we prepare to deploy the new version, look for video tutorials and other pertinent information in your inbox and on the Moodle dashboard.
MOODLE CALENDAR DATES:
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20 — Fall 2023 (2401) grades are due at 11 a.m.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30 — Fall 2023 (2401) courses turned off. We turn courses off 10 days after final grades are due. If you need a course left open for a student with an incomplete, please submit a ticket and let us know the course that needs to remain open and the student(s) who require access.
MONDAY, JANUARY 8 — Students are populated into Spring 2024 (2402) standard-start courses. On this date, instructor’s will be able to see students listed in their Moodle participants list. Students will not yet have access to these classes, however. If you’re teaching a late-start course, look for students to be populated in the participant’s list five days before that course’s listed start date. Students won’t be able to see their courses until Friday afternoon, OR five days before their course starts, whichever comes later in the semester (EXAMPLE: A student enrolled in a course that starts on February 17 won’t have access to it until February 12)
THURSDAY, JANUARY 11 (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) — #RUMoodleReady? (VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON): Ed Tech will be available in multiple formats to help with anything Moodle-related — from gradebook setup, the creation of META shells, course transfers, or help on developing content and instructional design. We will be in the Innovation Center room 123 all day or you can join us via Zoom (click to add this event to your calendar). There will be snacks!
THURSDAY, JANUARY 11 — Spring 2024 (2402) courses will be turned on for students between 1 and 2 pm. The semester begins on Saturday. If you are still preparing your course(s), please place a note to students at the top of the course page and hide sections you want to remain unavailable.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 16 — Spring 2024 (2402) semester begins. Let’s go Hawk Owls!
FRIDAY, JANUARY 19 — Summer 2022 (2203) courses removed from Moodle. You can backup/download a Moodle course for your records or reach out to us to learn about options for saving older course content. Remember that we also store course files dating back a total 6 years on a remote hard drive and those courses can be retrieved via request.
Finally, if you’ve been assigned to teach a course in the spring of 2024, but the course doesn’t appear in your Moodle dashboard, check with your department manager to make sure you’ve been assigned to the course in the registration software. If you have any questions please contact Ben Post (bpost@nmc.edu). If you need support, please submit a help desk ticket.