Moodle Templates: Supporting the Bath Baseline

Introduction


Moodle is the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and since 2019 the CLT have encouraged an approach to Moodle space design, using the Bath Blend Baseline, which provides an effective experience for teaching and learning. In line with this the TEL team have created Moodle templates to enable a quick and easy way to provide structure, consistency and clarity when designing Moodle spaces, but at the same time provide the flexibility to layout content as benefits your subject or discipline.

What does the Moodle terminology mean?


In Moodle terminology each virtual classroom area (i.e. set of connected web pages) is called a ‘course’. However, this can be confusing as the University also refers to a programme of study as a ‘course’ and the two do not always match up. To avoid confusion, we will refer to Moodle ‘spaces’ instead of Moodle courses. Be aware that Moodle documentation prepared outside the University of Bath will use the term ‘course’.

We also refer to ‘owners’ and this relates to the person who has responsibility for the content and ensuring the right people are enrolled. This is usually the Unit Convenor, who has the Teacher+ role in Moodle, but can be others in the Teacher role.

  • Moodle Course hub – a Moodle space for the entire course cohort (either all year groups, or per year groups).
  • Moodle unit – a Moodle space for an individual unit (e.g for AB10001).

Why Moodle templates?


To develop a consistent design, templates can be applied to blank (empty) Moodle spaces. A template is a pre-defined design that is imported into a blank Moodle space and can be provided either by TEL or created and used by course-teams. You do not have to use our templates to achieve this, but for staff who need a structured example, or want to start afresh on a blank page, our templates provide a great starting point to developing your pages. Clear and consistent availability of information allows students to better understand and locate course content and resources, their assessment deadlines, and how and when they need to communicate with tutors and fellow students. This in turn can lead to students asking fewer questions of staff as the information they need is visible and easy to find.

Note: templates are applied to new blank Moodle spaces, but this does not stop you from importing content from your existing Moodle spaces.

Course team approach


Whichever template approach is used, it is recommended that full course teams work together, under the co-ordination of the Unit Convenor (or other nominated person) to make decisions about Moodle space design across the whole course. Individual units should not diverge from the ‘course design’ without sound pedagogical reasons (e.g. a lab work unit may differ from a normal teaching unit).

Our advice is that course team members should plan the design of Moodle spaces before the course starts, accompanied by an agreed set of simple design principles which are documented for all tutors, lecturers and administrators who may work in those spaces. This can ensure everyone is working to the same approach, resulting in a consistent experience for students as they progress through the units of a course. This can also be helpful for new staff, or staff who move between courses, in getting up to speed quickly with the course approach.

You can download the document below to help you keep track of your Moodle spaces and the agreed course decisions.

Course-Team-Moodle-Design

Moodle Template Approaches

Step 1 – Course team discussion

The course team should discuss and plan the design principles they want to use across all unit Moodle spaces and decide which TEL-designed template fits with this.  If you would like support from the TEL team, please get in touch.

Step 2 – Select a template

The TEL team have 3 simple templates:

  • Unit template [by topic]– this is useful for units where content can be more easily organised into topic areas
  • Unit template [by weeks] – this is useful for units where content can be more easily organised by weeks in the academic calendar
  • Course hub template – this is useful as an overview space, pulling together resources or activities that apply to a whole course cohort, or to a specific year group within the course cohort.

If the course team require advice on which template would be suited to their context, please contact tel@bath.ac.uk and request a meeting with one of the Learning Technologists or Instructional Designers from the TEL team.

Step 3 – Contact the TEL Team

Email tel@bath.ac.uk with the following details of the spaces you would like the template applied to.

  • Name of Moodle spaces (e.g. the official unit’s name)
  • SAMIS codes (if applicable)
  • Which template you want to apply

Step 4 – Develop consistent Moodle spaces

Once the template is applied staff should develop them in line with the course-team design principles agreed in step 1.

Student feedback has often identified a lack of consistency in Moodle spaces as a barrier to effective learning. This barrier can easily be removed by adhering to those agreed design principles. To support this goal, it can be helpful to consider regular peer review or audit of your Moodle spaces.

Use our Moodle template guidance to help your course team build from the templates provided. You can find the link to our Xerte moodle template guide below:

If you would like to see what the templates look like, you can visit them in the Moodle 4 Preview site, using the login ‘teacher’ with password ‘Moodle123!’

Step 1 – Course team discussion

The course team should discuss and plan the design principles they want to use across all unit Moodle spaces and decide what they want to include in a template. If you would like support from the TEL team please get in touch.

Step 2 – Create a template

Email tel@bath.ac.uk and request a blank Moodle space, explaining that it will be used to create a template.

As agreed in step 1, add the required elements of your template. This could include Discussion Forums, Section/Topic headings, Moodle Books or Pages, or uploaded documents.  Review the Moodle guidance.

Your template should not include Assignments or Quizzes as these should be created from scratch for each new cohort.

Step 3 – Backup and restore the template

In the template Moodle space, once the final version is agreed by the course team, make a backup. Do not include user data in the backup.

There are a number of ways of applying the content of this backup to new ‘blank’ Moodle spaces, but our advice is as follows:

  • Enrol those who need to use the template, onto the template Moodle space, in the role of Teacher.
  • Each Teacher should then go to their blank course and use the Restore feature to add the template content.

Step 4 – Develop consistent Moodle spaces

Once the template is applied staff should develop them in line with the course-team design principles agreed in step 1.

Student feedback has often identified a lack of consistency in Moodle spaces as a barrier to effective learning. This barrier can easily be removed by adhering to those agreed design principles. To support this goal, it can be helpful to consider regular peer review or audit of your Moodle spaces.

Step 1 – Course team discussion

The course team should discuss and plan the design principles they want to use across all unit Moodle spaces and decide which TEL-designed template fits with this. If you would like support from the TEL team, please get in touch.

It’s preferable to use templates for blank spaces, but if you want to add content from them into existing spaces it is possible but requires the guidance to be followed carefully.

Please note that any material edited or removed within the current Moodle space before the annual Moodle archive snapshot is taken will impact what is captured in the Moodle archive. Similarly, be aware that students taking supplementary assessments may need access to existing materials.

Step 2 – Download the template .mbz file

Download all Moodle space templates (zip) which contains 3 .mbz template files (Course Hub, Weekly Template, Topic Template). Next extract all the .mbz template files ready for step 3 (open the zip archive and Extract All option to ‘unzip’ the files).

An .mbz file is the file-type produced when we backup a Moodle space. The contents of the file should not be altered in any way, as doing so will cause problems when ‘restoring’ in step 3.

Step 3 – Restore the template elements to your Moodle space

Restore the template to your Moodle space, selecting which elements you want in the process.

Important note: this approach involves merging the template content with existing content so care should be taken. It will also require some post-restore housekeeping. 

Considerations to note:

  • restored content will combine with the corresponding topics in your space (e.g. content in topic 1 of the template will appear in topic 1 of your space in addition to content that is already there)
  • topic areas with no content (e.g. the Assessment topic) will not be copied over
  • Go to the Moodle space that you want to import content into.
  • Click the More tab.
  • Select Course reuse from the drop-down menu.
  • You will be redirected to the Import page. You should see ‘Import’ selected in the drop-down menu near the top of the page. Click the drop-down arrows and select Restore.
  • Upload or drag the .mbz file to the page.
  • Click the Restore button.
  • You will see a confirmation screen that displays a list of those items that are part of the backup file itself. Click the Continue button.
  • Important: In the ‘Restore into this course’ area, where you can select ‘Merge the backup course into this course’, click the Continue button.  (Be careful not to click any other Continue button as you don’t want to accidently delete your existing content).
  • Select the items you want to restore. Click Next.
  • Select the specific content you want to add to your Moodle space.
  • Review your choices and click the Perform restore button when ready. It can take a few minutes to restore, please be patient.
  • A confirmation message will appear when the process is complete. Click Continue.
  • Review the content and move it into appropriate places according to your Moodle design.

Step 4 – Develop consistent Moodle spaces

Once the template elements are added, staff should develop the space in line with the course-team design principles agreed in step 1.

Student feedback has often identified a lack of consistency in Moodle spaces as a barrier to effective learning. This barrier can easily be removed by adhering to those agreed design principles. To support this goal, it can be helpful to consider regular peer review or audit of your Moodle spaces.