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Moodle 4 to 4.5 Upgrade Checklist

Moodle4.5_klein.webpWelcome to Moodle 4.5

Our Moodle environment has changed! After extensive testing (thank you to the team and beta testers!) your course is ready for your updates/revisions/import into Moodle 4.5. Please use this checklist as a guide for additional revisions you may need to make due to this change. Take your time to learn the layout, navigation has changed the most for students. Please reach out for help if you are struggling.

This Guide Will Help You to:

  1. Locate Course Import
  2. Post Course Syllabus
  3. Navigate the change to adding External Tools 
  4. Locate changes to Gradebook Setup
  5. Adding Teaching Assistants (TAs)
  6. Turn Course Completion On/Off
  7. Set Notification Preferences
  8. Create a Turnitin Assignment

1. Course Import

The import tool is now on the top navigation. Click on the More link and choose Course Reuse-Import:

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2. Course Syllabus

Add your Course Syllabus. Post the course syllabus file as Resource in the first or Welcome Topic area as seen in the Sample below. Hint: Check that it is the correct version. Errors often occur as previous versions are imported.

Sample:

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Before: In the earlier version of Moodle, Students saw three buttons when they accessed a course homepage. These 3 buttons have gone away. Students now scroll through the course just as Teachers do.

Set up External Tool links. If you have external tools such as, MyEducator or Perusal etc. check the More link on the Top nav. Select LTI External Tools to make sure the tool used in your class is set to on.

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Then check that the link works in the course by clicking on Edit settings next to the external tool link, if you see Automatic, based on the tool URL you will need to reconnect by choosing the appropriate external tool. This is also a good time to check the Grade area of the settings, you may want to choose None for some tools and set points for others. You can also check that the correct Grade category is selected.

4. Gradebook Setup

Check your Gradebook.

    1. Click Grades on the Top Navigation menu. 


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    2. The Gradebook Set up and other relevant links are now on the drop down menu on the left side of the Grader Report page.

Grader report.PNG3. Also check: are all items in categories or in the correct category? Are the points/weights correct?

5. Teaching Assistant Role

Give access to your course. From now on, only official instructors will have the Teacher role. All others that need teacher-like access should receive the Teacher Support role (for those providing course support, not in a teaching role, etc.) or Teaching Assistant role (for those fulfilling a teaching assistant role and teaching, grading, etc.). You can add users as Teacher Support or Teaching Assistant.

Moodle Role Definitions (full article):

  • Teacher: Teachers have a high level of control within a course, including changing the activities and grading students. They may enroll users with the following roles: Teaching Assistant, Teaching Support, Tutor. They can not enroll Students into a course.
  • Teaching Support: Teaching Supporters have the same access as Teachers, but won't display in the course as the official teacher.
  • Teaching Assistant: Teaching Assistants can see course content, participants and they are able to grade assignments inside Moodle. They may not edit course content or activities.

6. Completion Tracking On or Off?

Decide whether you want completion tracking to be left at the default-Yes (or On) or change it to No (off). See the FAQs on Completion Tracking in the Moodle Doc.

  1. On the Top navigation, click Settings:

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  2. Scroll down to Completion Tracking and choose Yes  or No:

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3. And then choose whether you want the completion settings to show on the course page:

image.png7. Set Notification Preferences

Moodle 4.5 has expanded notification options for many items in Moodle, many more than shown below. Take a moment to check your preferences in your Moodle profile so that you receive only the notifications you want to receive. Setting Moodle Notification Preferences

Pro Tip: Share these instructions with your students and provide suggestions for the notifications you would like them to receive!

image.png8. Turnitin

 The Turnitin Assignment 2 activity was be deprecated in Moodle 4.5, which means older assignments using the plugin must be recreated in the Moodle Assignment activity with the Turnitin option turned on (see settings image below). Turnitin, including Grademark, will continue to be available in 4.5.

If you had Turnitin 2 activities in your course, replace with Moodle Assignments, and activate Turnitin in the settings of Moodle Assignment, as seen below:

turnitin.PNG

See Moodle Docs for more on Moodle 4.5!

View our Pro Tips for a Professional Moodle Course Homepage


Seek Further Assistance


For additional assistance please contact, Clarkson OIT Help Desk;

Online: Get Help
Email: helpdesk@clarkson.edu
Call: 315-268-HELP (x4357)






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