We hope your Fall 2013 semester is going well! The September 2013 release of Moodle included some important updates, including:

• Fixed issues with viewing Echo 360 recordings through Moodle
• Changes to how spell-check functions in Moodle
• Identified issue with recurring event times in the Moodle Calendar
• An update to allow Respondus to connect to Moodle
  How to copy files to Moodle from Apps at UMass Amherst Google Drive
• Other minor fixes and improvements

For details on these changes, keep reading below.

Fixed Issues With Viewing Echo 360 Recordings Through Moodle

As of October 2, 2013, known issues involving playback of Echo 360 recordings in Moodle have been resolved.

Students can now access Echo 360 recordings through Moodle by clicking on the Echo 360 Block (preferred method), or by clicking on direct links (i.e., URLs) that you place on a Moodle course page.

If you posted a direct link to a Echo recording on a Moodle course before October 2, 2013, you will need to update the link. You can do this by going to your Echo 360 page, re-copying the URL, and replacing the old link with the new one in Moodle.

For questions or help with linking individual recordings in Echo 360 to a Moodle course page, please contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu).

Changes To Spell-Check In Moodle

To use spell check with the Moodle HTML Editor, you must have spell checking enabled in your Web browser. (For Internet Explorer users, this may involve installing a browser add-on.)

Words with suspect spelling will be underlined in red. To see spelling hints, *CNTRL + right-click* the suspect word. (Right-clicking without holding down the Control key opens the HTML Editor drop-down menu, and will not include spelling hints.)

For questions or help with using spell check in Moodle, please contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu).

Identified Issue with Recurring Event Times in The Moodle Calendar

Recurring events added directly to your Moodle course Calendar will not accommodate the change to daylight saving time.

After 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 3, times for Calendar events scheduled as recurring events will display as one hour earlier.

This issue does not affect individual Calendar events that are automatically placed in your course calendar when you set a due date for a Moodle activity. It only affects recurring events added directly to the Calendar.

We anticipate having a fix in place for the Spring 2014 semester. In the mean time, we recommend that you schedule recurring events in two batches: dates before 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 3,  and dates after 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 3rd.

For questions or help with with recurring events in the Moodle calendar, please contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu).

Respondus Update

If you are a Respondus user who set up your server connection to Moodle at UMass Amherst before October 1, 2013, you need to update Resondus, delete your old settings, and configure new server settings. For instructions, see:

http://www.oit.umass.edu/support/moodle/set-up-respondus-connect-moodle

For questions about Respondus, please contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu).

How To Copy Files To Moodle From Apps At UMass Amherst Google Drive

This section contains references to features and techniques that are not supported by the OIT Help Center. OIT Academic Computing is interested in partnering with instructors who wish to pilot these features; contact the Instructional Media Lab (instruct@Oit.umass.edu, 545-2823) if you have questions or are interested in participating in this pilot.

Moodle allows you (and your students) to upload a copy of a file from the Apps At UMass Amherst Google Drive using the Moodle File Picker or Drag-and-Drop feature. For instructions on this process, see:

https://www.oit.umass.edu/support/moodle/upload-files-your-apps-umass-amherst-drive-moodle

Whether you use the Moodle File Picker or drag-and-drop files directly from the Google Drive application, please keep the following tips and best practices in mind:

• Files created directly in Apps at UMass Amherst (i.e., .gdoc files) can only be viewed within Google.
• To copy a .gdoc file to Moodle it must be converted to another format. The Moodle File Picker will convert files for you, but the Moodle drag-and-drop feature will not.
• Our current implementation of the Moodle File Picker ignores folders on Google Drive (everything on your Google Drive will be listed in a flattened directory).
• If you are having trouble finding a file on Google Drive, use the search feature in the Google Drive File Picker window to locate a file by name.

For questions or help with using Moodle with your Apps At UMass Amherst Google Drive, please contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu).

Other Minor Fixes & Improvements

The September 2013 Moodle update also brings some other minor fixes and improvements:

• Security patches
• If you edit the name of any Moodle activity using the “Quick edit” icon, the name change will now be reflected in the Moodle gradebook.

Questions, Comments, or Suggestions About Moodle?

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding Moodle, please contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu).