Note: There have been some changes to the Moodle upgrade process since this article was originally published. Both the timing of the upgrade, as well as the version number of Moodle to which we will be upgrading, have changed.
Moodle is now scheduled to be upgraded to version 4.2 during Winter Break 2023.
This upgrade is part of our strategy for providing up-to-date and secure instructional technologies for use by all on campus.
New Themes, New Features, New Navigation, Oh my!
Themes
Click image for larger version.
Moodle 4.1 is a relatively large update, which requires a new visual theme (i.e. the ‘look & feel’). The new default theme is called “LearnR.”
Some of the older theme options will still be available, including Boost and Moove.
We are reviewing all themes for accessibility. This includes changing some colors to be more distinguishable by those with color-blindness.
Features
Moodle 4.1 introduces a collection of new features, many of which have been sought after for a long time. Below are a few of the most exciting options:
- Timed Assignments – the same timer that has been part of the Quiz module is now available in the Assignment module!
- Send updates to students when you add or update an activity
- Set language of specific activities
- A new Grade Summary report in gradebook
- Better integration with textbook websites and other external tools
You can find the full feature set of Moodle 4.1 on the Moodle documentation website.
One frequently-used item — the Label — has changed its name! It is now more appropriately called “Text and Media Area”.
Navigation
New navigation tabs make it easy to access settings, reports and more.
Click image for larger version.
Saying goodbye
A few modules will become unavailable in the new version, due to lack of use or lack of current development support. Some of the items to be removed are:
- Heatmap block
- i>clicker Moodle Integration block
- My Course block
- 360° Feedback activity
Old Course Deletion
As has been our policy for almost 10 years, on August 1st we will delete the oldest courses on Moodle just prior to our summer upgrade.
All course sites from the 2017-2018 academic year will be deleted on August 1, 2023.
Please take a moment to review any of your course sites from this time and take steps to backup your content.
We recommend that you save your Moodle page as a PDF file using your browser’s print function, along with creating a Moodle backup file. (The backup files produced by Moodle are not human-readable, but you can store them on your favorite file storage system and restore them to Moodle again in the future.) The PDF version will be your human-readable version.
Training and Support
Both synchronous and asynchronous training opportunities will become available as we draw closer to the upgrade date.
If you have any questions about this upgrade, please reach out to the Academic Technology team at AT@carleton.edu