1. Q: Could I use any web browser to access Moodle?
A: Even though you may access Moodle via any browser, it is recommended that you choose a browser that you could take advantage of file drag/drop feature. Up to 2012 Fall, only Firefox and Google Chrome are supporting the drag/drop feature to make you upload the file to your Moodle course extremly easy.
As a result, we highly recommend to use up-to-date Firefox or Google Chrome on both Windows and Mac system.
A: After you log into Moodle with your Lasell Network user id and password, “MY COURSES” tab is at the top right. Hover over the tab, and click any one of your courses to enter the course home page and begin the editing process.
3. Q: I told my students that the syllabus and all other course introductory materials are on Moodle. But my students told me that they cannot find my course after they logged into Moodle. Why couldn't my students see my course on Moodle?
A: Yes, you forgot to open your course to your students. To make the course open to students:
Now your course is accessible by your students on Moodle.
4. Q: What can I do when I get a reminder that my password will expire soon?
A: please go to myLasell at https://password.lasell.edu.
Right after your password change, you will use the new password for your email, myLasell, self-service, and moodle site.
If you have any questions, you can send email to helpdesk@lasell.edu, or call the help desk at 617-243-2200
5. Q: I tried to upload a file, but it didn't work. What went wrong?
A: Uploading a file is generally very simple. If it didn't work, check the name of the file. It shouldn't have any punctuation in it: no commas, apostrophe, plus sign, etc. Remove all punctuation by renaming the file and then try the upload again.
6. Q:How can I contact students via email through Moodle?
A: In Moodle, you can send class email with the attachment. The email will go to students' Lasell email box. When the student replies you, you will get it in your Lasell email box too. But all sending histories will be kept on Moodle.
7. Q: What kinds of documents can I upload to Moodle?
A: Uploading just means putting your document up onto the Moodle server or any Internet server. You can upload just about any file type to Moodle, however the type of document that you upload affects how your students can view it. If you upload documents that were created and saved in specific software programs (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.), your students will have to have that particular software installed on their computer to view the documents.
For example, if you upload a PowerPoint document (as a .ppt or .pps), your students will have to download the file and then open it in PowerPoint or the PowerPoint viewer. However, if you save your files as HTML, the students can view the documents directly on screen from within Moodle.
A: When you attach a Word.doc in Moodle, you can open it up again and edit it but when you save, you are saving back to your computer. Think of it as an email attachment. If someone sends you a document, you can open and edit and save it to your desktop, but if you want to send it again, you have to reattach it.
So you just need one more step, which is to upload the edited document back to Moodle. Here's how you do it. After you open and edit an attached document, make sure that you note where on your computer you are saving it. For example you can select Save As and then choose the folder where you keep your syllabi or just save to the desktop. Then upload the document back to Moodle like you did in the first place.
9. Q: Why should I save and upload my files as HTML?
A: Saving HTML documents in Moodle allows your students to directly access the information from within the Moodle page. This is preferable for course information and documents, such as assignment instructions and timelines, which students may need to check often. There may also be times where you want to upload files for download, such as templates or forms that need to be modified or copied or longer documents that students will want to print. In those cases, leaving the document in its original form (.doc, .xls) would be preferable.
10. Q: How should I save my graphics?
A: The most universally supported file formats on the Web are .gif and .jpg format. In general, use .gif format for graphics that have few colors, graphics that contain text or type, or graphics that have large areas of a single color. Use .jpg format for graphics that have many colors and lots of fine detail, such as photos. It is NOT recommended to use bitmapped graphics with Moodle. These files are very large and can affect your course performance, as they are slow to load, especially for modem users. Many scanners default to .bmp files, so make sure you check this if you are scanning photos or images.
It is also important to remember that Moodle will upload all graphics in their original size. Make sure that you have sized and saved your graphics in an appropriate size for your course site.
11. Q: What kind of media files are supported by Moodle?
A: The following media files can be viewed within Moodle.
Note: students will need the appropriate software and plug-ins to view the media files.
12. Q: How fast (or slow) will my files be downloaded?
A: When developing your course materials, remember that the students may be connecting to the Internet via slower connection. Files should be kept small enough so users with slower connections will still be able to access the files in a reasonable amount of time. If you cannot keep the file size down, an alternative is to use the Description field to provide the student with information describing what the file is, how large it is, and why it is important that they view it. Then check to make the Description available at the course homepage. Often, simply letting a student know that the download may take longer than usual will diffuse any frustration associated with the long process.
Keep in mind that download time will vary based on Internet traffic and connection speed.
13. Q: I posted a Word.docx file to the course page but some people can’t open it.Why?
A: This is a compatibility issue. Microsoft Office 2007/2010 files have an extra x on the end of the extension, so a Word.doc will look like Word.docx if you are using Word 2007/2010. People who have older Word versions, will not be able to open these files. This can be fixed two ways:
If you are an instructor, you can post this link on your Moodle site.
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14. Q: I uploaded Power Point slides to my course, why are some students having problems viewing them?
A: There might be a few possible issues. Here are the fixes:
15. Q: How do I link a streaming video into my course?
A: Here are the steps:
Now you should see the video when you click the video resource link at the course page.
16. Q: How can I quickly navigate to a particular topic/week section of the course at my course main page?
A: If you don’t want to scroll up and down to find a particular topic/week section of the course, you can use the links in the "Navigation" block quickly navigate to a particular resource or activity in each section.
17. Q: Both my students and I don’t want every forum posting gets emailed to our Lasell email account. How to turn off this feature in Moodle?
A: At each forum setting page, for the setting “Subscription mode”, if you chose “Forced subscription” or “Auto subsription”, the post message will send to everybody’s email whenever someone posts a message in that discussion forum. To avoid that, you could use the default setting "Optional subscription" - students can choose whether to be subscribed.
18. Q: Where can I find who is logged into my Moodle course when I am in my course?
A: At the bottom right corner of the course main page, there is “Block” drop down menu. Choose “Online Users” to add “Online Users” block at your course page.
The “Online Users” block shows the users who have been logged into the current site for a period of time set by the site administrator (default is 5 minutes). By clicking on the envelope icon next the student name, you are able to send instant message to the student.
19. Q: Why students cannot reply my posts in the News forum?
A: News Forum is added to each course automatically by default and is designed for the instructor to post Course Announcement and News. The default setting is that students don’t have permission to reply.
20. Q: What is the best way to copy content from Microsoft Word to Moodle?
A: No matter where you want to paste- labels, weekly summaries, or resource / activity descriptions, you can use the "Paste from Word" icon in the HTML editor. It will remove all unnessary fomrating code from Microsoft Word.