Moodle F.A.Q.

What is Moodle?

An open source, online learning management system (LMS) that enables used by theducators to create their own private website filled with dynamic courses that extend learning and make it scalable, effective and fun.

How does the YA network use Moodle?

The YA network uses Moodle for various applications, including professional learning, forums and collaboration, submitting grant applications and affiliate reports, as a repository for resources relating to conferences, board and committee meetings, recorded Zoom meetings, and much more. We plan on extending Moodle's functionality in the near future.

What are the different Moodle roles?

There are two basic roles for the YA network - facillitator and participant. The facilitator can add content, assign projects and manage their initiative/course. Click here for more information on the facilitator role (Coming soon!). The basics of the participant role are covered below.

How hard is Moodle to use?

To use Moodle, you only need basic web browsing skills. Because it is an online platform, a good internet connection is critical.

Access and Navigation

The navigation bar is set in the right hand margin of the page. If the navigation bar is not visible, click the icon in the top right hand corner to expand the navigation bar and make it viewable. If you want to hide the navigation bar, click the same icon again. 

Logging in and Viewing Courses

First go to  Learn.YA.org, then click the log-in link in the top right-hand corner of the page and type in your username - your e-mail, and your password which has been given to you in advance by the YA administrator.

How do I get around Moodle?

Use the Navigation block on the side of your page. From there you can go directly to any part of Moodle you have been given access to.

To access your courses, go the "My Courses” menu or you can click on the thumbnail icons to access the content of each course. In the "My Courses” menu, there will be a list of all of the courses you are currently enrolled in. Click the "Course” button under the course that you would like to view. You will see a list of documents and resources that are available for you to view, edit, or respond to. Click through these resources as needed and follow specific instructions for each.

How do I change the information in my profile?

In the Administration Block, go to "My profile settings" and then click "Edit profile". The "Edit profile” page has five areas: "General”, "User picture”, "Additional names", "Interests”, and "Optional”. 

The most important field to review under the "General” area is your email address (Moodle will use this for all email notifications). In this section, you may also change your Username, Password, and Name.

"User picture" allows you to change your profile picture. To change your profile picture, either drag and drop the file from your desktop or file directory into the box (if supported by your browser), or click the icon in the top left of the corner of the box to bring up the Moodle "File picker". Choose the file that you would like to upload using the "File picker" and then click "Upload this file".

The "Additional names", "Interests", and "Optional" sections contain additional information fields that you may choose to complete to share more information about yourself with other Learn.YA.org users. These sections include fields such as "Alternate name",  "Web page", "Phone", "Mobile phone", and "Address".

Remember to always click "Update Profile" after you are done editing, to make sure your changes are saved.

Storing files on Moodle for personal use

Each Moodle user has their own personal file storage area known as "Private files". To access your "Private files", expand the "My profile" list in the Navigation bar and then click on "My private files". This will bring up an area in which you can upload files using the "File picker" as well as view previously uploaded files. Click here to view a video tutorial showing how to access and utilize the "Private files" section.

How do I gain access to a YA course?

If you need to access materials and to "enroll” in a course you don't already have on your dashboard, contact your Learn.YA.org administrator. 

How do I jump between my courses?

If the 'My Courses' block has been added to the page you are on, Go back to the Dashboard (see below) and then use the main course block.

How do I get back to the homepage?

Use the navigation bar at the top left of the page or the button at the very bottom of the course. The homepage is where you will find all the courses you are "enrolled in”.

Emails and forums 

Why am I not getting any e-mails and others are?

Chances are your email address in your profile is either wrong or disabled. It could also be that you are not subscribed to the forums that are generating emails.

How can I stop all of these e-mails?

E-mails are an essential part of the way Moodle works. They are used to keep you up to date with what is going on. If you wish to reduce the amount of emails you get you could:

-Edit your profile and change your e-mail settings -Unsubscribe from non-essential forums (although they are there for a reason!)

Assignments/Grants/Submissions

Why is there no upload box?

This is either because:

-The assignment has now closed

-The assignment is not yet open

-You already uploaded something and the settings prevent re-submission

And lastly, where did they come up with that funny acronym?

If you are still reading, the word Moodle is an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment, which is mostly useful to programmers and education theorists. It's also a verb (in the bigger English dictionaries) that describes the process of lazily meandering through something, doing things as it occurs to you to do them, an enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity. A sort of cross between "muse" and "doodle". As such it applies both to the way Moodle was originally developed, and to the way a student or teacher might approach studying or teaching an online course in an ongoing, iterative way. Anyone who uses Moodle is a Moodler.