What is Moodle?

This page includes a number of handy GIFs which will show you how to use the key features of Moodle. It is a good idea to be familiar with the content on this page, as this page may answer a lot of your Moodle related questions.

There is a table of contents just below this section, use that to go straight to a specific section. You can take everything on this page step by step.

This page includes a lot of short videos. If you see blank sections on this page, give it a moment to load the videos.

The quick video below shows you how to login to the DCFE Moodle site.

• Your username will be your student number which is the eight digit number you received when you applied to the college.

• If you are a new student who is logging into your Moodle for the first time, your password is below.

  • changeme

• Once you log in for the first time, you will be asked to create a new password.

There is no need to worry if you forget your Moodle password. All you need to do is click the forgot password link, as shown below. You just need t type in your eight digit student number into the username box and then click Search.  Moodle will send you an email with the reset instructions. If you have a DCFE email, Moodle will email that address. If you do not have a DCFE email, Moodle will send the reset instructions to your personal email address.

The Moodle dashboard is unique to each student. It contains all the key dates and upcoming events for each student. It also includes links to all of your modules. You can use the dashboard to get to all of the most important sections of your Moodle.

The My Courses tab will give you a list of all the modules you are enrolled in. You can get to this list from any Moodle page and you just need to click on the name of the module to go to the module page. 

Your most up to date timetable can be found using the My Courses tab. In the example below, our example student is using the My Courses list to click on their course noticeboard. Each courses timetable will be uploaded to that noticeboard and all you need to do is click it.

Make sure to check your timetable at the start of each day, especially at the start of the year. Rooms can change a number of times as the year settles in.

At various times during the year, you will see bright yellow and blue banners pop up at the top of Moodle. These banners include essential information which all students need to read and understand. Once you have read each notice, and followed any instructions it gives, you can use the X button to clear the notice. You won't see that notice again. 

It is worth repeating again that these bright yellow and blue banners are very important and must be read and understood by every student. 

Moodle also gives you general notices, which are pointed out in the below image. This box also contains important information but generally just as a reminder. For essential and very important notices, bright yellow and blue banners will appear at the top of every Moodle page. 

Your Moodle Dashboard will give you an overview of upcoming events at the college and in your modules. This can include deadlines for assignments and reminders to complete activities. You can also get to this information by clicking the Events tab on the navigation bar, which can see below.

The image below lets us see some of the content you will see on your module pages. You can see four assignments at the top. In this example, the student has uploaded two assignments on the 29th of August. Moodle also tells you when the other assignments are due; these are automatically added to your Moodle calendar meaning that you will get notifications on your Dashboard about upcoming events and deadlines. 

"Feedback available" means that the teacher has graded that assignment and given feedback. 

Below it, you can see resources for Topic 1. Do you see the small tick boxes on the right hand side? You can tick those boxes as you go through the course so you can tick off what you have read.

An important part of any course is when you have assignments to submit. If you have a written assignment, such as a report, essay or something that involves software like Photoshop or Powerpoint, you will have to submit these to Moodle for grading. Your teacher may also ask you for a printed copy, but you should always submit a "soft copy" version. A soft copy is the digital version of your project, like a Word document or PDF. This means that you will have a backup of your assignment in case anything happens to your printed version.

The GIF below shows you how to submit something into an assignment submission space. It shows you:

• How to get into an assignment by clicking the assignments name

• How to download the assignment brief, which should always be posted with the assignment

• How to upload a file(s) to Moodle for that assignment

You can see a few things from the GIF above:

• When you click into the assignment, you can see the assignment brief. You should be able to download this so you can read and fully understand it.

• You can see the due date; when you need to have the assignment submitted by.

• You can upload your file here too.

• All student work is put through anti-plagiarism software called URKUND (more on that on another section of this website).

• By default, when you attach a file, it is a "draft". This means it is not your final submission, and you can change it if you want to or if the teacher gives you feedback and advice on the draft (see below). 

Once you have added something to the assignment submission space, you may decide that you want to change something. For example, you may have gotten feedback from your teacher about your draft work and then worked on your assignment some more.

If you have updates, you can delete what you originally uploaded and then upload the new version. Take a look below.

Once you are happy with your work and you are ready to submit you work to be graded and given a mark, you need to click the "Submit assignment" button.

Remember, once you Submit the assignment fully, you cannot edit it!

You then need to agree to the plagiarism statement; this where you confirm that the work you have submitted is entirely your own and that you have referenced and cited your sources where appropriate.

Once you have ticked the box and submitted the assignment, you can see your Submission Status. This is where you will get your grade. See the GIF below to see what we mean.

Submission Status: This says "Submitted for grading". This means you will have submitted the final assignment, as shown above.

Grading Status: Released means that the teacher has issued a grade for your assignment. 

Feedback: This section tells you how many marks you got, what grade that equals (Pass, Merit, Distinction). It also gives you feedback on the assignment or information on where you can find it. 

Once you have a more than one assignment submitted, it is a good idea to check your grades to see how you are doing. This can give you an idea of how well you need to do in your next assignment and/or exam.

The image below shows you what to click so you can bring up your overall grade (see the yellow highlight)

Then the gradebook will pop up; take a look at the example below. Explanations of the key parts will be below the image. The key terms are explained below the image.

Grade Item: This means what assignment the grade refers to

Grade: This is the mark you have been awared.

Range: This equals the range of marks available; for example, the first assignment was given 7 marks out of a possible 10

Percentage: This gives you a percentage score. 7 marks out of 10 equals 70% in that assignment.

Letter Grade: Moodle will also calculate what category of grade you have achieved; a Pass, Merit or Distinction

Feedback: This is simply the feedback which your teacher has given you. 

The Course Total Line

The Course Total simply adds up all the assignments together. What the example image means is:

• After three assignments, the student has scored 43 marks, or 43% overall.

• The fourth assignment and exam are still yet to be completed. 

• This means the student has 45 marks worth of assignments and exams remaining.

• Although the grade shows an Unsuccessful mark, this is before the final assignment and exam have been done. 

• With a pass grade being 50%, the student is quite close to passing overall and is in with a chance of achieving a strong result.