This information is intended for faculty. Students seeking information about Moodle should see the Student FAQ for Moodle or visit Student Moodle Help.
On May 28th, 2013, the campus will formally upgrade from Moodle 1.9 to Moodle 2. The new Moodle 2 environment is now available in parallel with the existing Moodle 1.9 environment for faculty who would like to preview the new version or start building courses. All courses from Spring, Summer, and Fall 2012 and 2011 are already in Moodle 2; older courses will be made available upon request. Contact the Faculty Technology Center at at or (818) 677-3443 for access information.
What does this mean for faculty?
In Spring 2013, all faculty will continue teaching in the current 1.9 environment. Faculty who teach in Summer 2013, should start using Moodle 2 this Spring to prepare their Summer courses. Faculty who teach in Fall 2013, should use Spring 2013 and Summer 2013 to create or update their courses for Fall 2013. Once the Spring 2013 semester has ended, IT will automatically migrate all Spring courses to Moodle 2.
What’s new in Moodle 2?
The upgraded version offers a more user-friendly interface along with new and improved features. To learn more, visit the What’s New in Moodle 2 webpage.
How should faculty prepare?
Faculty can explore Moodle 2 and view course materials in the new environment. The Faculty Technology Center offers a series of Moodle training workshops including a "What's New in Moodle 2" session. Faculty can also review the Moodle 2 Training Guides. In addition, there are videos on Lynda.com along with MoodleDocs posted on the moodle.org site.
For more information about the upgrade, visit the What’s New in Moodle 2 webpage for updates, or contact the Faculty Technology Center at
or (818) 677-3443.
What is Moodle?
Moodle is software that can be used to produce internet-based courses and web sites. It's an ongoing development project designed to support a social constructivist education.
The word Moodle was originally an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment, which is mostly useful to programmers and education theorists.
It's also a verb that describes the process of lazily meandering through something, doing things as it occurs to you to do them, and the enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity. As such it applies both to the way Moodle was developed and to the way a student or teacher might approach studying or teaching an online course. Anyone who uses Moodle is a Moodler.
How do I get a Moodle account?
You don’t need to request a Moodle account. As long as you are a faculty member, student or staff member at Cal State Northridge your Moodle accounts will be automatically created the first time you log into CSUN's Moodle environment. After you log into Moodle you will see all the available courses.
How do I get a Moodle site for courses that I teach?
Moodle courses are created automatically for all courses with SOLAR ticket numbers and faculty assigned before each term. To see your courses, log in to Moodle. By default, courses are not available to students. When you are ready to make your course available:
- Go to the Administration block and select Settings.
- Under Availability, select the This course is available to students option from the drop-down menu.
- Then select Save changes.
Why is my course grayed out?
Moodle course sites are now being created automatically but by default will be unavailable to students and appear grayed out. This is to prevent students from entering courses before faculty are ready to use them. To make a course available to students (and therefore not grayed out):
- Go the Administration block and select Settings.
- Under Availability, select the "This course is available to students" option from the drop-down menu.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and select Save changes.
How do I log in to Moodle?
You can log in to our CSUN's Moodle environment.
Can I use Moodle for purposes other than classes, such as committees, departments, etc.?
Yes, Moodle sites are used for these and many other purposes. Faculty members can request such sites, which will be created automatically by following these steps:
- Log in to the myNorthridge Portal.
- In the Online Resource pagelet (block), select Moodle Self Service.
- Select Create Special Site.
- Enter desired site name, start date and enrollment key. (The enrollment key is password you can create to allow users manually enroll in your course. More than likely you will not have to use this feature so please just enter at least a six-character combination for now. You can change it later in Moodle if desired.)
- Select the Create Moodle Site button.
The process may take a couple minutes. After processing, a completion message will display and you will see a Moodle button. Your new course will be listed under My Courses in Moodle.
What do I need to use Moodle?
*Moodle will work in any modern web browser. Your browser should have both cookies and JavaScript enabled. These are typically enabled by default, but if you think these settings need enabling, check the documentation for your particular browser on how to enable cookies and JavaScript.
Browsers:
Firefox 3 (or later)
Google Chrome 11 (or later)
MS Internet Explorer 7 (or later)
Safari 4 (or later)
Note: In the past, some browsers did not support Moodle’s in-line HTML editor however updates now support the HTML editor in Google Chrome and Safari. Make sure you have the latest version of your browser in order to use the HTML editor.
What training is available at CSUN?
Moodle training classes are scheduled throughout the semester. Please check our Training Schedule for workshop information. If you would like to request specialized training for your department or group please contact the Faculty Technology Center.
CSUN has licensed the Lynda.com Moodle Training video tutorials for CSUN faculty, staff and students. This training consists of approximately 8 hours of video tutorials in Moodle Essential Training for Teachers and almost 2 hours of video tutorials in Moodle Essential Training for Students.
Where can I get help using Moodle?
All faculty teaching with Moodle are enrolled in the CSUN Moodle Community site in our CSUN Moodle environment. This is a place for CSUN faculty to share resources and ask questions. It is an excellent starting point for getting answers to common questions and collaborating with other CSUN faculty regarding best practices for using Moodle for teaching and learning.
The Faculty Technology Center in Oviatt 34 provides support for faculty using Moodle and other supported instructional technologies. Our student professionals are available to assist faculty in the Faculty Technology Lab in Oviatt 30 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. In addition, our Staff and Faculty Associates are available by appointment. Contact the Faculty Technology Center at (818) 677-3443.
Will other instructional applications I use, like Elluminate/Collaborate and TurnItIn, work with Moodle?
We have integrated Elluminate/Collaborate and TurnItIn with Moodle. You no longer need to request separate accounts for these. You can create an Elluminate/Collaborate session or a TurnItIn assignment from within your Moodle course.
How else can I learn more about Moodle?
Moodle has an extensive built in help system. At the bottom of most pages there is a link to a Moodle Docs entry for that page. Next to many objects in Moodle you will find a Help Icon. Selecting this will bring up contextual help and is very useful.
Moodle has a large user community and a lot of online documentation. Some of these links require you to sign up for a free account at moodle.org.
How can I get more help?
If you have questions, please contact the Faculty Technology Center at (818) 677-3443.
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