May 2017 Upgrade to Learn@Illinois

On May 31, 2017, we will be upgrading to Moodle 3.2 (from Moodle 3.0). Thus, this upgrade will include new features from both Moodle 3.1 and Moodle 3.2. For more specific details, see below.

Recycling Bin Added

Moodle 3.1 brings a new Recycle Bin feature, which allows instructors to easily restore deleted content. Any activities or resources deleted within seven days will be available for recovery — after that point, items will be permanently deleted.

New Assignment Changes

A new assignment grading interface that allows you to annotate a student’s submission has been added in Moodle 3.1. The assignment will be displayed in the left side of your screen, and the grading options in the right, so that you can easily mark-up, grade, and move on to the next submission with reduced scrolling. Additionally, assignments can now have User and Group Overrides applied to them, allowing you to give different deadlines for different groups of students (similar to the User/Group Overrides for Quizzes).

Workshop activity improvements

Moodle’s peer grading tool, Workshop, has received several updates since 3.0. Workshops can now be limited so that students can only attach certain file types, and they now allow students and teachers to export the submissions and assessments.

Gradebook Student View

You can now see the gradebook exactly as a student does! The “User Report” section of the gradebook now allows you to toggle between the student’s view or from your own view. Using this view gives you the power to diagnose potential issues with the gradebook and to verify certain activities are visible or hidden to students before you make an announcement to your students.