As we approach the busy part of the semester, we would like to share a few important reminders about using Lecturecast on Moodle. Recently, we’ve been receiving several questions from both teaching staff and students regarding access to videos and permissions. Below are some key points to ensure smooth access and a seamless experience for everyone. 

How do I get instructor access to my Lecturecast section(s)?

For a given course, Lecturecast activity link(s) need to be added within Moodle and then mapped to the appropriate Lecturecast section. Roles and associated rights within a Lecturecast section are assigned at the point of clicking through the link(s). Rights assigned are: 

Students and Non-editing Tutors on the Moodle course → Students on the linked Lecturecast section
Tutors and Course Administrators on the Moodle course → Instructors on the linked Lecturecast section 

You can find out how to link a Lecturecast section on a Moodle course in the Linking Moodle to Lecturecast training guides. 

Why can’t my students see any videos on Lecturecast? 

Another key point to keep in mind is that teachers must actively make Lecturecast videos available to students. Once a recording is uploaded, it won’t immediately be visible to students until the teacher selects the option to publish it. Make sure to double-check the video settings in Lecturecast to confirm that the content is properly shared with the class.

Additional Reminders 

• If you have selected the ‘Auto available’ option on Lecturecast Scheduler when you schedule the capture, then your capture will be made available to your student automatically when your capture has been processed. 
   
• If you have entered Lecturecast (Echo360) through Moodle, you most likely follow a Moodle LTI activity link that puts you on the course section page that is associated with the Moodle course. If you have logged into Lecturecast (Echo360) directly, then you will be on the ‘Media Library’ page, then you will need to click on the ‘Courses’ tab and select the course tile to access the course section page.  

Please visit this wiki page (Learning Lecturecast Basics) to get a basic understanding of how to navigate around Lecturecast (Echo360). 

As part of the suite of support for users of Lecturecast available for UCL staff, colleagues from the Educational Media team will now be offering one-to-one consultations via The Lecturecast Clinic.

These one-on-one online appointments can be used to address any queries or topics related to Lecturecast, aiming to assist staff with their teaching needs.

Before booking an appointment, staff are also advised to complete the short online course Getting started with Lecturecast (Moodle) to gain a foundational understanding of Lecturecast.

To book, visit the booking page. New available sessions will be continually added.

Other Lecturecast support resources available:

• Lecturecast web pages
• Lecturecast Resource centre
• Getting started with Lecturecast (Moodle) – A self-paced learning experience is designed to help you quickly become familiar with Lecturecast (Echo360)
• Seeking support via email? Email itservices@ucl.ac.uk

We’re thrilled to announce that after months of diligent work and numerous development sprints, we have scheduled the much-anticipated upgrade to Moodle 4 for Thursday, 27th July in the  early morning.

Moodle is expected to be unavailable between 01:00am and 09:00am

The Moodle 4 upgrade comes with an array of new features and significant improvements, making Moodle more intuitive, efficient, and engaging for all users.

Here’s what you need to know:

• UCL Moodle will be temporarily unavailable on the morning of Thursday 27th July as we execute the upgrade. We aim to keep this downtime as minimal as possible and thank you for your understanding.
• Once the upgrade is complete, you will be able to log back in and explore the new-look Moodle. Take some time to navigate the upgraded system and familiarise yourself with its new functionalities.
• The self-paced course ‘Moving to Moodle 4.2‘ is available to guide you through the transition. We highly recommend going through this course if you need help adjusting to the new system.
• You can still visit our Moodle 4.2 Pre-release resources wiki page.
• Support wiki pages for students and staff will progressively be updated to version 4 from Wednesday 26th July through to the day of the upgrade on Thursday 27th July.
• The 4-demo.preview instance of Moodle will be maintained through the summer period. This will enable you do any tests on your courses in a demo instance before you may choose to do them on your actual courses.

If you encounter any issues or have any concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Digital Education team.

While we are extremely excited about Moodle 4 and believe it will significantly improve our learning environment, we understand that adapting to such a significant change may take a bit of time. We appreciate your patience and feedback as we navigate this transition together.

The team have created multiple blogs on the Moodle 4 feature set, all can be viewed in the archive at the Moodle 4 blog archive.

We can’t wait for you to experience Moodle 4!

Happy Moodling!

The Digital Learning Environments Team

Hello Moodlers! We’re back with the penultimate post before the Moodle 4.2 upgrade. While we’re diligently aligning all aspects for a smooth transition, we appreciate your patience as we’re moving closer towards finalising the upgrade date.

With the upgrade to Moodle 4 just around the corner, we want to provide some essential updates and tips to help you prepare.

Sprint Update and Progress

Our work to prepare for the upgrade continues at a brisk pace as we fine-tune and test the system.

• Student communication: Expect communication to all students soon via our central communications team, explaining the upcoming changes and including access to our Demo Preview site.
• Orientation: We designed a User Tour for students to be oriented in the new platform and this is now deployed to all users on our Demo Preview site if you would like to preview it.
• Final theme code deployed: The last theme code is out. Any further changes to the theme will take place after the upgrade.
• Preparing for load testing: Our team is on the mark for load testing, slated to commence in the upcoming sprint. We aim to ensure Moodle 4 can handle high-demand periods without a glitch in performance.
• Miniguides update: All the wiki Moodle miniguides are being tested, verified and updated. These will be updated to correspond with the new platform in time for the upgrade towards the month-end.
• Stacking up on STACK: We’re working on updating the STACK engine for STACK question types in quizzes.

Preview of the Student User Tour

Prepping for the Upgrade: Your Part

In anticipation of the upcoming transformation, there are several things you can do to ensure a smooth transition.

• Awareness: If there are colleagues who might not be aware of the upgrade, kindly spread the word.
• Familiarise: Explore the Moodle 4.2 Pre-release resources wiki page for a comprehensive understanding of the upcoming changes.
• Preview: Use our demo site to visualize how your course(s) will appear post-upgrade. If you haven’t yet done so, you can see how your UCL Moodle courses will look on our Demo Preview site and report any issues to our team.
• Learn: Engage with the self-paced training module for a grasp of the changes from Moodle version 3.11 to version 4.2.
• Connect: Discuss with your Faculty Learning Technology Lead about other available training options in your faculty or department.

Getting in Touch

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Digital Education team. Stay tuned for our next update in a fortnight, where we’ll share more details on the Moodle 4 upgrade. Until then, happy Moodling!

The Digital Learning Environments Team

Welcome back to our latest blog update on the anticipated Moodle 4 upgrade. We’ve made significant progress and are excited to share with you the transformative features of the updated dashboard. But first, let’s catch up on our recent sprint updates. 

Sprint Update and Progress 

Our dedicated team has been diligently addressing numerous significant advancements: 

1. Theme Finalisation: We’re on the brink of finalising our theme, shaping a fresh and engaging user interface. 
2. Turnitin now in the Feedback block: We’ve upgraded the Feedback block to now include Turnitin feedback for students, making it more intuitive and efficient. 
3. Testing: Extensive testing within multiple environments and PHP unit testing is ensuring a stable and secure platform. 
4. Accessibility Review: In collaboration with the Digital Accessibility team, we’re undertaking a thorough accessibility review. This vital work aims to draft an accessibility statement for Moodle 4, outlining our compliance with accessibility guidelines and a roadmap for future enhancements. 
5. STACK Installation: The latest version of STACK engine (Quiz question type) has been installed for testing – it’s not deployed yet to the Moodle 4 Demo Preview. 
6. Security Upgrade: We performed a security upgrade on Moodle 3.11 (current UCL Moodle) to ensure the security and stability of our current platform in anticipation of the Moodle 4.2 upgrade. 
7. Training: We have completed the delivery of train-the-trainer sessions to 90 nominated members of staff. We have also updated content for the Moving To Moodle 4.2 self-paced course, as the theme is evolving.

Unveiling the New Dashboard 

The dashboard has seen a significant transformation. Let’s explore what it has to offer: 

For Students 

• Alert Section: Stay informed about critical Moodle platform alerts, keeping you abreast of important updates, changes, or issues. 
• ‘Pick up where you left off’ Block: This feature highlights your recently accessed courses and activities, allowing you to seamlessly resume your work. 

• Deadlines Section: Stay on top of your tasks with this timeline of upcoming activities. Activities with a cut-off date will be prominently displayed on your timeline. 
• Feedback Block: A feature aiming to gather all of a student’s assessment feedback in Moodle in one convenient place. 
• News Block: Keep up to date with the latest UCL news with our streamlined News block. 

Moodle 4 Student dashbaord with the new Alert section, ‘Pick up where you left off’, Deadlines, Feedback block and News.

For Staff 

• Alert Section: Stay up to date with critical Moodle platform alerts. 
• ‘Pick up where you left off’ Block: This feature displays your recently accessed courses and activities. 
• News Block: Receive the latest UCL updates right on your dashboard. 
• ‘My Courses’ in the Navigation Bar: Access a hub containing all your courses. Hide/show courses, favourite relevant ones, and filter by past, present, and future. 

Feel free to explore these features and more in our Moodle 4 Demo Preview. 

Getting in Touch 

If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Digital Education team.   

Stay tuned for our next update in a fortnight, where we’ll share more exciting news and progress on the Moodle 4 upgrade. Until then, happy moodling! 

The Digital Learning Environments Team 

Welcome back to our fortnightly news release dedicated to the Moodle 4 upgrade. As we draw nearer to the upgrade, we’re thrilled to share the progress we’ve made and highlight the new features set to enhance your Moodle experience. 

Sprint Update and Progress 

Since its launch on 30 May, over 200 staff members have visited our Demo Preview site. We’re actively recording and addressing the feedback received. If you haven’t yet done so, it’s not too late. You can see your UCL Moodle courses in the Moodle 4.2 Demo Preview, too and report any issues to our team. 

Our ‘Train the Trainer’ workshops have been underway since the 30 May, and we’re proud to share that 47 trainers have already earned their Moodle 4.2 Trainer badges. 

In addition to our team, 79 members of staff have enrolled in the ‘Moving to Moodle 4.2’ self-paced course, with five participants already completing it and receiving their Moodle 4.2 Explorer badge. 

Introducing improved course content management 

Moodle 4.2 brings a wealth of improvements designed to simplify course content editing. Here’s a glimpse of what’s new: 

1. Edit Mode Toggle: Simplify course updates with the new Edit Mode toggle replacing the “turn editing on” button. This makes it clear when you’re editing versus viewing.  
   

   New ‘Edit mode’ toggle.

2. Add Content Anywhere: You can now add activities or resources anywhere in a section, thanks to the new PLUS icon. Click, choose your activity, and you’re set!
   
   

   Click on the image to enlarge and see the animation.

    

3. Course Settings and Menu Tabs: These course administration functions have moved from the block drawer to the top of the course page for easy access. Adjust course settings, view grades, or manage course participants, and more, all in one place.
   
   

   Course administation tool, above the course, using submenus.

4. Reorganise Course Content: The Course Index feature makes reorganising content a breeze. Simply drag and drop sections and activities to reorder them.
   

   Course content management via the Course Index.

5. Group Membership Visibility: You can now control who sees the members of groups, enhancing privacy and targeted communication. 
6. Activity and Resource Icons: We have colour-coded and unique icons for different activity and resource types, providing clear guidance on the nature of each activity. 
7. Displaying Activity and Resource Types: The type of activity or resource is now visible when editing the course, helping quick identification.
   Text and Media Area: The Label resource is renamed to a more intuitive ‘Text and Media area’. 
8. Easy Item Indentation: Indenting items for better course organisation is now straightforward and accessible. Just select ‘Move right’ in the options menu.
   
   
9. Permalink to Sections: Share direct links to course sections with the new Permalink feature.
   Bulk Editing Actions: One of our favourite new features, move, duplicate, or delete multiple activities or resources simultaneously with the new Bulk Edit feature, saving time and effort.
   
   

   Click on the image to enlarge and see the animation.

To see these new features in action, visit your course(s) in our Demo Preview site.
To explore the new course management features and new bulk editing capabilities, check out the ‘Course management’ section in the ‘Moving to Moodle 4.2’ self-paced course.  

Getting in Touch 

If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Digital Education team.   

Stay tuned for our next update in a fortnight, where we’ll share more exciting news and progress on the Moodle 4 upgrade. Until then, happy moodling! 

The Virtual Learning Environments Team