Moodle is loved by many. In fact, it’s the most popular learning management system (LMS) currently. Staying on top is not easy, so the platform regularly drops new updates and features. Just recently, we saw the release of the latest major iteration of the LMS – Moodle 4.
If you’re using Moodle currently, you probably have a lot of questions about it. For example: What’s new in terms of tools? Are there any design improvements? What about site customization?
Stay tuned, we’ll tell you all about it.
Benefits of Using an LMS
A learning management system (LMS) is a web-based platform or a software application, that is used for online courses, trainings, and lessons.
LMSs have numerous benefits. Their implementation:
- enables students to learn at any time and place
- leads to better engagement and retention rates
- reduces learning costs
- makes organizing learning materials easier, available in a centralized location
- provides teachers with diverse assessment options and options for immediate feedback
That alone should convince you to invest in a good LMS. And Moodle should definitely be one of your top choices.
What’s Moodle?
Moodle is a free, open-source LMS that’s been on the market for over 15 years. It is the ideal solution for small to medium-sized educational facilities.
Moodle is intuitive and user-friendly, allowing teachers to manage the whole learning process. They can upload materials, host virtual classrooms, create quizzes, and more. Additionally, students can submit homework, watch recorded lectures, participate in thread discussions, etc.
Last year, Moodle released a new version, that has even more features in store:
What’s New in Moodle 4
Moodle 4 was released in April 2022. The new version offers several UX and UI changes, most requested by users.
For starters, Moodle 4 has a revamped contemporary interface. The course experience is also improved, with a greater focus on minimizing distractions and improving the learning process. The newest version also has enhanced accessibility screen and keyboard navigation options.
Let’s see what else is under the hood:
Focus On Studying
Moodle LMS users can now see all learning content with just one click. The course structure and options are located on a menu, that is reachable from the hamburger button in the top left corner.
The visible content is minimized, allowing users to clearly see the pending activities and tasks. You can also collapse the blocks area so students and teachers can focus on the educational process.
Learning Management Made Easy
Moodle’s new dashboard shows all the deadlines for the classes you’ve signed up for. All activities feature a description that tells you what you must do, in order to complete them. You can also plan tasks and schedules through the Calendar option.
The classes can be found on the new My Courses page, which also allows you to sort them by different factors.
Customizing the Courses
Moodle LMS 4 gives educators more options to customize their courses. They get an overview of the whole structure and can drag and drop sections and activities if they wish to rearrange them.
The in-built BigBlueButton classroom enables users to:
- Share audio, video, slides, and notes
- Create breakout rooms
- Еdit access levels to the chat (teachers only)
- Interact on the whiteboard
- Get participation analysis (teachers only)
Students can get alerts on any course changes via email or mobile notifications.
Custom Reports Building
Apart from the participation report, Moodle 4 lets educators build custom reports with data, that’s relevant to them. They can then schedule and share them with the rest of the people in their organization.
The drag-and-drop interface allows for customization and the instant preview will show you how the reports look at any point of your site building process.
Keeping Things Simple
The new Moodle 4 also features User Tours. Those are hints and highlights that explain the functions of different tools – extremely useful for Moodle newbies.
Administrators can also disable some advanced features so that other users won’t feel overwhelmed. You can save all the settings as an exportable preset to go back to or use on another website.
In addition, Moodle 4 can be integrated with other learning tools and platforms. If your students have another favorite option – they can probably make use of it on this LMS too.
The improvements don’t end here though:
What’s New in Moodle 4.1
Moodle 4.1 was released in November 2022 and it has even more to offer.
For starters, the Database Activity got some UX improvements, such as a start page and some new presets:
- Image (improved)
- Journal
- Proposals
- Resources
To make the learning process more accessible, Moodle’s virtual classroom integration with BigBlueButton now allows external guests to attend video sessions.
As for the test and participation marks, the Gradebook benefited from some UX improvements and is now easier to navigate. Users can now make use of the Grades summary page as well.
Moodle 4.1 comes with a better Question bank to improve the quiz experience. Teachers can:
- edit the question title
- use the Modified by column to see who modified a question
- see when a student last attempted a question in Last used
The reporting functions also have a lot to brag about. The User report spots a better design and so does the Single View report. The latter also allows teachers and students to search by user, group, or grade item. The update added some new sources to the
Custom reports too:
- Comments
- Notes
- Course participants
- Blogs
- Files
Completion reports now have custom profile fields and time of completion.
However, even the fanciest Moodle version is nothing without a reliable hosting environment.
Hosting Moodle
ScalaHosting has significant experience with Moodle websites and we can safely say that cloud VPS solutions are the best environment for educational projects. You have full control over your virtual server, which allows you to tailor it to your needs.
Our Moodle VPS plans come at very affordable rates and with a support team, available 24/7 to help you with any questions regarding the LMS. Thanks to our very own SPanel, you can easily manage multiple projects at a time and enjoy additional features at no extra fee.
Contact us for more information!
Wrap Up
It’s clear – online education is here to stay. And now Moodle 4 makes teaching easier than ever.
Moodle 4 has a fancier design, new tools, and upgraded features. Maybe the most anticipated addition – the in-built integration with BigBlueButton – now makes creating virtual classrooms a breeze.
That’s not all:
Moodle 4.1 adds up even more perks. The Question banks is now better than ever, the Gradebook is easier to navigate, and the reporting features are definitely imrpoved.
So, what are you waiting for? Update Moodle now!
FAQ
Q: What are the latest releases of Moodle?
A: The latest stable releases of Moodle are currently 4, 4.1, and 4.1.1. You can find them all on the official website or the Softaculous autoinstaller.
Q: What are the disadvantages of Moodle?
A: The main disadvantages of Moodle are that it is not suitable for bigger educational facilities. While its interface is user-friendly, it still feels rather clunky and not entirely up-to-date with the latest trends. Moodle can surely improve in the design department, especially compared to a direct alternative like Blackboard and Canvas LMS.
Q: Has Moodle 4.0 been released?
A: Moodle 4.0 has been released on the 19th of April 2022. It comes with an in-built BigBlueButton integration, a new My Courses page, custom reports, User Tours, and several other UX and UI improvements. Version 4.1 is also out. It features an upgraded Question Bank, Gradebook, Database activity, and more.
