FAQ and Other Tips and Tricks
This page is home to our Frequently Asked Questions, where you can find information on all sorts of things, from useful info about using Moodle and Google Docs to how to give someone access to course materials. If you have any questions you would like to see us add answers to, please email us.
Since we have many questions answered here, we recommend that you either search by entering a keyword or by choosing a category. You may choose to add a focus (second category) to narrow your search.
For more in-depth Moodle FAQs, check out the wiki.
How do I switch my role to see what students see?
1. Go to the administration block on the left-hand side and expand the Switch role to menu at the bottom of the tab.
2. Select student. Through this setting, you can view your course as a student, but will not be able to see anything you've hidden in the course. Additionally, you can submit assignments, take quizzes to test them out, and the results will not be saved.
3. To return to your original role, go back to the administration tab and select Return to my normal role.
Other FAQs
- Top Questions for StudentsQ: Why can't I see my courses for this term? A: Starting Fall '15, all courses start hidden...
- How do I set weights in my gradebook?The Moodle gradebook allows you to weight individual activities or categories of activities. You can...
- How do I restore a Moodle from before 2014-2015?1. Go to https://moodle-archive.carleton.edu and click the button for the academic year you need. 2. In...
- How do I create a Metacourse?IMPORTANT: We recommend contacting Academic Technology before creating a metacourse site. Members of Academic Technology...
- How do I add a scheduler?1. Click the Turn editing on button 2. Click on the Add activity or Resource button 3....
- How do I create/add an assignment to moodle?For a video explanation please see this video created by Lynda.com. (Note you will have...
- How do I change how my students see the results of a quiz?The settings that affect whether or not a student can see their grade on a...
- What is the difference between "weighted mean" and "simple weighted mean" in the gradebook?The Moodle gradebook currently has two options for weighting grades: "weighted mean of grades" and...
- How do I remove attempts from a quiz?1) Click the name of the quiz. 2) Click the Attempts link in the middle of...
- How do I edit Quizzes I've already made?IMPORTANT: You will not be able to edit an existing quiz if someone has already...
- How do I add students to my course?For a video guide please see this video created by Lynda.com (Note you will have...
- What do the different roles allow people to do on my course page?The different user roles in Moodle allow you give different levels of access to different...
- How do I link to library resources?Please see the answer here...
- How do I add eReserves in Moodle?Please see the answer here...
- How do I do Peer Review through Moodle?Documentation for this question is at this location....
- How do I change section headers?1. Click Turn editing on 2. Click the Cog wheel under the section you want to...
- How do I communicate with only a specific group of students?1. After you have created groups (See the FAQ on creating Groups) click Turn editing...
- How do I make Quizzes?For a video guide please see this video created by Lynda.com (Not you will have...
- How do I hide course participants from students?1. Go to the Administration tab and select Users. 2. Find and select Permissions below. 3. Here,...
- How do I switch my role to see what students see?1. Go to the administration block on the left-hand side and expand the Switch role...
- How do I grant an extension?1. On the course page, click on Grades in the Administration block 2. Click on the...
- How do I add a quiz on Moodle?For a video guide on how to create a quiz please see this video created...
- What's new in Moodle 2.8?What’s New in Moodle 2.8? (video) Moodle 2.8 has some really exciting improvements to a number...
- How do I make a Questionnaire?1. Click Turn editing on 2. Click on Add an Activity or Resource 3. Choose Questionnaire 4. Choose...
- How do I add a course summary at the top of the page?For a video explanation please see this video created by Forth Valley College. 1. Navigate to...
- How do I add a page with content to my moodle course page?For a video guide please see this video created by Lynda.com (Note you will have...
- How do I edit the quiz name and description?1. Click Turn editing on 2. Click on the pen icon to the left of...
- How do I grade an assignment?1. Click Turn editing on 2. On your course page, click on grades on the left...
- How do I hide a section of the course from students?1. Click Turn editing on 2. Scroll to the section you want to hide. 3. An eye...
- How do I upload a PDF file to the course page?1. Click Turn editing on 2. Drag a PDF (or any other type of file) to...
- How do I assign specific assignments to specific groups?1. After groups have been created in your course, click Turn editing on at the...
- How do I import course materials from 2014-15 to a 2015-16 course site?Starting with the 2014-15 academic year, all courses will remain on the same Moodle server...
- How is the quiz layout reconfigured?1. Click on the quiz you would like to reconfigure 2. Then scroll to the administration...
- How do I edit which grade is entered into the gradebook if they are allowed to take the quiz more than once?For a lengthy guide on Quiz grading see this video made by Lynda.com (Note you will...
- How do I edit the number of times students can take a quiz?For a video guide please see this video made by Lynda.com (Note you will have...
- How do I edit the amount of time students have to complete a quiz?For a video guide please see this video created by Lynda.com (Note you will have...
- How do I hide or show a course from students?1. On the course page, find the Administration block on the left side of the...
- How do I rename topic blocks?1. Click Turn editing on 2. Click on the small setting icon on the bottom left...
- How do I use the choice module?1. On your course page, click Turn editing on. 2. Click Add/activity or resource and click...
- What happened to the themes from previous years?Starting with Moodle 2.8, many of the old themes have been deprecated. Most of these...
- How do I use the Text Editor?All text editing on Moodle is done through ATTO. ATTO works similarly to many other...
- How do I post to forum?1. Navigate to the course page and select the forum you would like to post...
- Can I grade moodle assignments offline?Yes, to see how please view this video on Lynda.com (note you will need to...
- How do I edit a pre-existing page?1. Turn editing on 2. Click the Edit option to the right of the page you...
- How do I add a quiz with gap fill questions?1. After you have created a quiz, click on the name of the quiz on...
- How do I create groups?For a video explanation please see this video created by Lynda.com (Note you will have...
- How do I create a forum?For video guide please see this video created by Lynda.com (Note you will have to...
- How do I add a folder to my Moodle course?For a video explanation please see this video created by Lynda.com. (Note you will have...
- How do I configure the folder settings so it displays the files on the course page, or another page?1. Click Turn editing on 2. Click on the edit option next to the folder and...
- How do I change the number of sections on the course page?For a thorough video on course settings please see this video created by Lynda.com (Note...
- How do I edit the forum type?1. Click on the Edit button next to the forum name and then click Edit...
- How do I change a student's role?1. On the course page, find the Administration block on the left side of the...
- How do I change the order of questions on a quiz?1. Click the Turn editing on button in the upper right hand corner 2. Then select...
- How can a course be backed up?1. On the course page, find the Administration block, on the left side of the...
- How do I allows students to make anonymous posts in forum?1. Click on the Edit button next to the forum name and then click Edit...
- How to annotate PDFs on Moodle?For a video guide please see this video created by Moodle HQ 1. On the course...
- How do I add more files to a folder I previously created?1. On the course page, click Turn editing on in the upper right hand corner...
- How do I add an image to the course page?1. Click the Turn editing on button in the upper right hand corner of the...
- How do I add an activity?1. Click Turn editing on in the upper right hand corner of the page 2. Scroll...
- How do I add useful blocks?For a video guide please see this video from Lynda.com (Note you will have to...
- How to add a discussion topic to a forum?For a video guide to forums see this video created by Lynda.com (Note you will...