With Fall 2013 classes ending on Friday, December 6, and final exams on the horizon, we have some important Moodle grading and end-of-semester information for you:
- Grading with Moodle
- Tips for avoiding Moodle gradebook conflicts and overrides
- Recent fixes to the Moodle gradebook
- Transferring grades to Moodle from SPIRE
- Moodle Opscan support
- Moodle workshops for Winter Session 2014
- Requesting Moodle for Winter Session and Spring 2014 on-campus courses
For complete details on all of these topics, keep reading below.
Grading with Moodle
Moodle provides you with a variety of methods for managing grades that can meet almost any instructional goal and work process. For example, use the Moodle Gradebook to aggregate grades, or calculate grades in a spreadsheet program (e.g., Excel) and upload final grades to Moodle for one-click importing to SPIRE. For more information on Moodle’s flexible grading options, see About Grading in Moodle.
Some important dates to be aware of as you begin to think about grading for Fall 2013:
- Last Day of Classes: Friday, December 6, 2013
- Final exams begin: Monday, December 9, 2013
- Last Day of Exams/End of Semester: Saturday, December 14, 2013
- Grades must be approved in SPIRE: Monday, December 23, 2013 (before midnight)
If you need help or have questions about grading with Moodle, contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 | instruct@oit.umass.edu).
Avoid Gradebook Conflicts and Unintended Overrides
The Moodle gradebook only allows you to add/edit grades on one page at a time. Be sure to check that you don’t have multiple browser tabs or windows open for the same Moodle course gradebook.
If multiple Instructors or TA’s will be using a single Moodle course gradebook, see our tips for avoiding gradebook lock-outs: Grading in a Moodle Course with Multiple Instructors or TAs.
For questions or help with the Moodle gradebook, contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu).
Fixes & Improvements to Moodle – November 2013
Moodle system updates for November 2013 include some minor behind-the-scenes fixes and improvements.
Among the minor fixes, in the Moodle gradebook Grader report, the Course total column is now fully visible in all browsers.
Note: Some of the improvements we’ve recently made to the Moodle gradebook may require you to clear the cache on your browser. It’s a good thing to know how to do! For directions, see Clear Your Browser’s Cache.
For questions or help with the Moodle gradebook, contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 | instruct@oit.umass.edu).
One-Click Grade Transfer to SPIRE
Once final grades are ready in the “Course total” column of the Moodle gradebook, you can import final grades directly to SPIRE with just a single click. For details, see Import Grades From Moodle to SPIRE.
For questions or assistance with transferring grades from Moodle to SPIRE, contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 | instruct@oit.umass.edu).
Moodle Opscan Support
Academic Computing can help instructors upload processed Opscan results into Moodle, but does not provide support for processing Opscan sheets.
For questions about getting Opscan results, please contact Opscan Services at 413-577-9500 or email opscan@admin.umass.edu.
For questions or help with uploading processed Opscan results into Moodle, contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 | instruct@oit.umass.edu).
Moodle Workshops- Winter Session 2014
Please join us for our Winter 2014 Moodle workshops:
- Building a New Moodle Course: Tuesday, January 7, 2013, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Building a New Moodle Course: Wednesday, January 8, 2013, 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Gradebook in Moodle: Thursday, January 9, 2013, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
For more details, and to register online, visit:
https://etna.oit.umass.edu/public/workshops
(If you are asked to create an account, remember to register for the workshop after that!)
For registration help or questions about any of our workshops, contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 | instruct@oit.umass.edu).
Request Moodle for Winter Session and Spring 2014 On-Campus Courses
For each term you teach an on-campus class, you must request a Moodle course in SPIRE.
To request Moodle for Winter Session and Spring 2014 on-campus courses, log in to SPIRE at https://www.spire.umass.edu. In the Menu, go to Faculty Home > Moodle Course Request. You will go through a series of screens that will gather information about your course. For details, see Request Your Moodle Course in SPIRE.
Note: Not all classes are eligible for requesting an LMS course. For more information, see Course Eligibility for Requesting a Learning Management System (LMS).
For instructions on how to reuse a previous Moodle course for this winter or spring, see Reuse a Moodle Course using “Import.”
For questions or help with requesting or reusing a Moodle course, contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu).
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Best of luck with the end of the semester!
As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding Moodle, contact the Instructional Media Lab (413-545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu).
