META or MERGE: Instructor Options to Combine Sections into One Course
Often instructors have more than one section of a course and running the sections out of one Moodle homepage would be most efficient. There are two options for combing one or more sections in a main course; see the descriptions below. Note: The TLC recommends opting for the META course.*
META
A meta course differs slightly from a merged course. A Meta course is created directly in Moodle and then the enrollment method is changed to allow the preexisting sections to be linked to this course via a 'meta link'. Meta courses are created as shown in the steps below. Since only site administrators can create Meta courses in Moodle,
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- first activate Moodle set up in the PeopleSoft Faculty Center.
- next, send an email to helpdesk@clarkson.edu requesting a Meta.
- provide the following information in your request:
- Name of course/section/semester that will be the "mother" (main) course page with content.
- Name/course/sections that will be the "child" (meta linked courses-these remain hidden).
Merged
Courses can be merged by checking that option in the Faculty Center in PeopleSoft when Moodle setup is first activated. Merged courses combine all of the students in both (or more) sections and only one course will be generated in Moodle. With this options, the course participants from different sections are not distinguishable in Moodle.
*What is the advantage for choosing a META over merged course sections?
In a meta course, instructors will be able to tell from which section student enrollment originated by clicking on the Participants. Also Groups can be automatically created when the META is generated making it easy to separate out the students by sections for say, assignments due at different times, discussion forums, labs, final grades, or anything really!