The more learning management systems (LMS) are used for assessments, the more the stakes in the system grow and the more security becomes a serious issue. Iframes are an html technology that is frequently used to share learning objects within institutional systems such as LMS but they can represent a security issue. At Sussex we are […]
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10.12.2013
Easy-to-use integration of a library reading list system into Moodle
The library uses a system which allows tutors to create lists of reading resources which simultaneously inform the students what they should be reading and the library of what books and articles they need to purchase. The system is called Talis Aspire and is a market leader in UK University libraries. The system allows flexibility in the […]
Read this post →10.10.2013
New names for the Moodle label and page mods
When you create a Moodle course you can add two generic types of learning material. One provides non-interactive content, and the other provides tools for student interaction. Moodle calls these two material types: “resources” and “activities”. Tutors create the material types through Moodle modules/mods, the names of which reflect what they do – so the […]
Read this post →6.9.2013
Making the Moodle assignment module easy to use
Over the last year we have made a few changes to the assignment tool in Moodle to improve the student and tutors’ experience. We tried to simplify assignments by removing the confusing (or never intentionally used) options and adding in a few features our tutors did need including a ‘release the feedback’ button. For tutors […]
Read this post →27.2.2013
E-learning team presentation at Moodle Moot Dublin 2013
In case our Moodlemoot Dublin abstract has left you salivating but you have found that our presentation wasn’t recorded, we thought we’d give a quick overview. Sussex University is a research-led Higher Education institution using a customised Moodle install called Study Direct. We have 1,500 editing tutors, 15,000 students, 2,099 2012/13 Moodle courses and 13,500 unique hits per […]
Read this post →12.9.2012
Moodle usability – interviews from 2010 (#1)
In 2010, Graham MacAllister, founder of Player Research, interviewed a number of staff members here at Sussex and videoed them interacting with our old version of Moodle. These videos – and Graham’s subsequent report – were very helpful to us in deciding on the priorities and approaches to adopt in taking forward the work that […]
Read this post →22.8.2012
Moodle icons
Question : What do you need from an open source cms and icons on the web today? Clean separation of content and decorative elements Icons scalable for different devices Optimisation of icons and markup for page loading times Easy to skin/theme The moodle roadmap currently contains an issue – Completely new default icon set and graphic design – […]
Read this post →20.4.2012
Editing activities, labels & resource
We did some work earlier this year on looking at whats been called moodle’s edit clutter. The edit clutter can roughly be described as the screen ‘noise’ provided by all the amount of icons on a moodle site when your editing content. Alongside the edit clutter we also tried to help with a common question our tutors […]
Read this post →28.3.2012
Favourite Moodle courses
Our Moodle users can have a lot of course sites, but they usually only visit a few of them regularly. In order to make their lives easier we have introduced the concept of “favouriting”. When a user favourites a site it rises to the top of their site list. And when they unfavourite it it […]
Read this post →15.3.2012
Simplifying a Moodle form
I used to think that a good virtual learning environment was the one that was the most flexible. If the technology could enable it, it should enable it. But I could not understand why so few of Sussex tutors ever explored the options that were possible. In 2009 my new colleague Stuart Lamour introduced me […]
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