First thing first – Moodle is a beautiful beast.
There are so many options with Moodle, which is fabulous, yet, it can be completely daunting. That’s because Moodle is an Open Source Learning Management System platform. Which means:
- It’s free to use!
- It’s built with code that can be manipulated.
- People all over the world create plugins (add-ons) that you can use to improve it.
There are three different ways to get set-up on Moodle; you can download it yourself for free and go to town (hopefully you’re incredibly savvy…cause “beast”), you can hire a Moodle hosting company for various help (they can range anywhere from $6,000/year with very little help to $60,000/year for complete help), or you can hire a company like mine to work with you to set it up the right way on and train you to take it on yourself while being available for help in the future.
Alright, let’s get into the 10 great things shall we?
1. Themes
You can change the way the out-of-the-box Moodle version looks by updating it with a new theme. There are a ton of great ones out there that you can then customize further to match your brand, your needs, and your user needs.
Check out this theme: https://moodle.org/plugins/theme_eguru
2. Gamification
With the right plugin, you can add some very cool and engaging Gamification aspects to Moodle. Things like a progress bar, user points, level-up options, badges, and more.
Check out this plugin: https://moodle.org/plugins/block_xp
3. Reports
Being able to pull reports easily and that give you the information that you or your client needs is crucial. Adding a plugin that can help you build the right types of reports just makes that a little easier.
Check out this plugin: https://moodle.org/plugins/block_configurable_reports
4. Social Aspect
There are a few different ways that this can be done; you can add forums for your users, allow private messaging, or you can create a full-blown social experience where users can engage while they learn.
Check out this plugin: https://moodle.org/plugins/format_socialwall
5. H5P or SCORM or Tin Can
Another really great way to bring in interactivity is through the way you develop your actual course content. You can do this using premium tools like Articulate Storyline and exporting to SCORM or TinCan (both are useful for reporting and more), or you can use H5P.
Check out this plugin: https://moodle.org/plugins/mod_hvp
6. Content Types
Moodle allows you to upload multiple types of content out-of-the-box; Assignments, Chat, Forum, Feedback, Glossary, Quiz, Survey, Wiki, Audio, Video, Files (PDF’s, Word, Excel, etc), SCORM, and more.
7. Permissions
As with most LMS and membership sites, you can setup multiple permission options from Admin (access to everything), Teachers (access to edit specific courses), Non-editing Teachers (can’t make changes), Students (access the courses they purchased or are assigned), Guest, and more.
8. Go LIVE
Sometimes, rather than having an evergreen course, you might want to be live with your users. Similar to using Webex, you can setup a date and time to share, teach, and discuss any topic with your users. This allows your users the ability to ask you questions and get feedback from you right away. You can hold it as a group or one-on-one, depending on your needs.
Check out this plugin: https://moodle.org/plugins/block_livemood
9. Mobile Friendly
Of course, with the right theme, it is mobile friendly! Which means your users can access your content anytime, anywhere with an internet connection or you can also give them the ability to download content prior to heading to a location without internet connection.
10. Free or Paid
Moodle allows you to share your content for free or have each one as a purchase, or give them access to everything with a monthly payment, or annual fee, etc. It’s very flexible.
You can see why we call it a beautiful beast.
Moodle can do so many wonderful things, but you can easily bog it down if you don’t know how to manage it properly or how to choose the right and necessary plugins for your goals.
If you have any questions about Moodle – get in touch!
We’re happy to help.
