May 2018 Moodle News

Announcements Moodle News

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Grades Due in SPIRE before midnight, May 15

Grades need to be approved in SPIRE just before midnight on Tuesday, May 15. Final grades from the Moodle Gradebook can be imported into your SPIRE grade roster any time during the grade-entry period (April 27 through May 15, 2018).

For step by step instructions, see:

Need help with grading in Moodle? If you would like to meet with a Moodle Gradebook expert to review your gradebook before the end of the semester, please make arrangements soon! Contact the Instructional Media Lab at 413-545-2823, or instruct@umass.edu.

Please note Instructional Media Lab hours for the week leading up to Tuesday, May 15:

  • Tuesday, May 8- Thursday, May 10: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Normal hours).
  • Friday, May 11: 10 a.m. to noon (Early closure—campus offices closed for commencement).
  • Monday, May 14: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Late opening—elevator testing in the W.E.B. Du Bois Library).

UDrive to be Retired on Monday, July 2, 2018

UDrive, the university’s legacy online file storage and sharing system, will retire on Monday, July 2, 2018 as the product has reached end-of-life and no longer meets campus technology standards.

Once UDrive is retired, any files you currently store on UDrive will not be able to be accessed.

  • If you use WebDAV to access UDrive on your computer, the network drive will no longer work.
  • If you link to files hosted on UDrive from your blog, or personal or course website, these links will not work after July 2, 2018.
  • Instructors using UDrive for their Moodle or Blackboard courses will no longer have access to course files stored on UDrive.

For step-by-step instructions and videos for moving files off UDrive, see:

For any questions and to report problems, please contact IT User Services at (413) 545 TECH (8324) or it@umass.edu.

Note that HTML files cannot be served from Box or Google Drive. If you are using UDrive to deliver HTML course materials, we can advise you on finding another solution. Contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823, or instruct@umass.edu) or register for one of our upcoming hands-on support sessions (see below).

Moving Course Materials off UDrive: Hands-on Support Session

UMass IT has announced the retirement of UDrive as of July 2, 2018. If you link from Moodle or Blogs at UMass to files hosted on UDrive, this hands-on session will help you to choose the best option for relocating files, and learn how to move and re-link to your files.

Two separate sessions will be offered:

  • Wednesday, May 30, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, May 31, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Register for this event (If you are asked to create an account, remember to register for the workshop after that!)

Can’t attend a hands-on session? Contact the Instructional Media Lab for an appointment: 413-545-2823, or instruct@umass.edu.

Implementing Accessibility into your Course Syllabus: Hands-on Support Session

A course syllabus provides students with pertinent information about the semester. Information listed can range from general course information, grading, course objectives, and weekly readings. It is critical to ensure your syllabus is designed in a way that allows individuals with disabilities who use assistive technology to access this information effectively and efficiently. Bring along your syllabus and computer to join us in working on how to build your accessible syllabus in Word and Google Docs!

Workshop facilitated by Kelsey Hall & Marisha Marks.

Two separate sessions will be offered:

  • Monday, June 11, 1-3 p.m.
  • Thursday June 14th, 10 a.m. – noon.

Register for this event (If you are asked to create an account, remember to register for the workshop after that!)

Moodle Update: What’s Coming in Moodle in Summer 2018?

UMass Amherst IT is planning to keep Moodle at UMass Amherst on Moodle version 3.1 for the 2018-19 academic year.

UMass Amherst IT may periodically add new features to Moodle and will perform security updates during our regularly scheduled update window (Thursday mornings), but no major upgrade is planned at this time.

As always, don’t hesitate to contact the Instructional Media Lab with your questions about Moodle: 413-545-2823, or instruct@umass.edu.

Request Summer & Fall Moodle Courses in SPIRE

Moodle course request is now open in SPIRE for summer and fall 2018. Instructors must request a Moodle course each term they wish to use Moodle for a course. Once your new, empty course is created, you’ll have the option to import a copy of a course you previously taught.

For details see:

Request Echo360 for Summer and Fall in SPIRE

If you’d like to record or stream lecture videos, you can now request Echo360 Lecture Capture for Summer and Fall 2018 courses. To request Echo360, log into SPIRE, then go to Faulty Home > Echo360 request.

For step by step instructions, see Request Lecture Capture.

Moodle Help and Resources for Instructors

To learn more about Moodle or to get help, you can:

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