Moodle

Moodle Student
Student
Manual
Manual
2012
2012Northern
NorthernPlains
PlainsBiblical
BiblicalSeminary
Seminary

Last
LastUpdated:
Updated:August,
August,2012
2012

Using Moodle at NPBS

2012 Northern Plains Biblical Seminary

Using Moodle at NPBS

About this manual

Northern Plains Biblical Seminary Staff

This manual has been created by Northern Plains Biblical Seminary to

help faculty and students learn to use Moodle instructional technology.

NPBS Staff:
Terry Kern, President
terry.kern@npbsonline.org
Jon Hanson, Vice President
jon.hanson@npbsonline.org
Gerry Anderson
gerry.anderson@npbsonline.org

2012 Northern Plains Biblical Seminary

Using Moodle at NPBS

2012 Northern Plains Biblical Seminary

Using Moodle at NPBS

Table of Contents
1.

2.

Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 8
1.2

Navigating to Moodle at NPBS ........................................................................................ 8

1.3

Logging into Moodle ........................................................................................................ 9

1.4

Creating and Saving Word Files .................................................................................... 10

Using Moodle at NPBS ......................................................................................................... 14

2.1

Getting Started................................................................................................................ 14

2.2

Navigating Moodle ......................................................................................................... 14

2.2.1

Expandable/Collapsible Blocks .................................................................................. 15

2.2.2

Docking ...................................................................................................................... 15

2.2.3

The Breadcrumb Trail ................................................................................................ 17

2.3

Edit Your Profile ............................................................................................................ 17

2.4

Accessing Your Course Material ................................................................................... 19

2.5

Using the Calendar ......................................................................................................... 21

2.6

Tracking your Progress and Viewing your Grades ........................................................ 21

2.7

Communicating Through Messages ............................................................................... 22

2.7.1

To send a message: ..................................................................................................... 22

2.7.2

To receive a message in Moodle: ............................................................................... 23

2.7.3

To reply from the Messages block: ............................................................................ 23

2.8

Participating in forums ................................................................................................... 23

2.8.1

Posting to a Forum:..................................................................................................... 24

2.8.2

To Edit a Post ............................................................................................................. 25

2.8.3

Replying to a Post ....................................................................................................... 25

2.9

Submitting assignments.................................................................................................. 25

2.10

Taking a quiz or exam ................................................................................................ 26

2.10.1

Testing Tips ................................................................................................................ 26

2.10.2

Taking the Test ........................................................................................................... 27

2.10.3

Finishing the Test ....................................................................................................... 28

2012 Northern Plains Biblical Seminary

Using Moodle at NPBS

2012 Northern Plains Biblical Seminary

Using Moodle at NPBS

Part

Using Moodle at NPBS

1. Introduction
This manual was written for those who have at least a basic knowledge of using a
computer including input devices such as a mouse and keyboard and are able to
find and save files. In addition, users should have a comfortable familiarity with a
web browser and navigating between pages on the internet.
In this guide, you will be introduced to the basic use of Moodle as part of your
studies. The most appropriate use of this manual is to have it on hand while you use
Moodle for first time or when you are asked to perform a new task on Moodle.
An online version of this guide is available to you as a special class. You can find
this it from your Moodle Home page in case you wish to refer to it later in electronic
format.
It is best for you to decide how to use this guide. It has been written so that you can
either work through it in a linear way or jump to specific topics as the need arises.

1.2 Navigating to Moodle at NPBS

Many users have had difficulty using Moodle Microsoft Internet Explorer. We have
not experienced these issues, but you might consider using Mozilla Firefox as your
web browser if you experience problems. Start your selected web browser. You can
get to the NPBS Moodle site two different ways.

Navigate to the NPBS homepage at npbsonline.org. You can access Moodle

directly. The link is found at the top of the page. Look for and click the
Student Login hyperlink. You should now be at the front end of the NPBS
Moodle site.

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You can also navigate directly to the NPBS Moodle site directly from your
web browser. Run your web browser and in the locator window type
moodle.npsonline.org/moodle to navigate to the appropriate site.

1.3 Logging into Moodle

You will now be at the NPBS Moodle FrontPage. You will see a listing of the courses
that are available to students during the current semester. You will also see other
items such as a calendar and latest news. You will also see these items when you
log into your account.
All students registered at NPBS will be given a user name and password. These are
for your use only and should not be shared with anyone else. To enter the NPBS
Moodle site, locate and click the Login hyperlink at the top-right of the screen.

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You can now enter your login information. This includes your user name (1) and your
password (2).

To make your login easier next time, you can select Remember username so your
password will be entered automatically next time you login.
NPBS is not currently supporting Guest users.

1.4 Creating and Saving Word Files

You must know how to use a word processing program to save your work. All of your
work should be saved to a file before you submit it to your instructor.
Your work must be done in either Microsoft Word or WordPad. WordPad is a free
package on most computers that allows very simple text entry and formatting.
Assignments done using Microsoft Works or WordPerfect cannot be easily opened
by your instructor.
Unless directed otherwise by your instructor, NPBS will use a common format for
completing written assignments.
Once Word is open, you must type a descriptive header on your assignment. Always
include:

Your Name
The class number and name (TH101Bible Doctrine)

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The name of the assignment. Course assignments will be given a title you
should use here. (NOTE: The red box is for emphasis only.)

Complete your assignment in Word and save the file. We suggested you create a
directory for the specific class and save each assignment in that directory. You
should also name the file including the course number and the assignment name.
Thus, the file name should be of the form: TH101_assignment1_1. You will not want
to use 1.1 in the file name since that would not work well for Windows documents.
So use the underscores instead of dots in the assignment file name.
Instructors prefer that students submit their work in different ways. Your instructor
will let you know which was to submit your assignments.

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NOTES:

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Part

II

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2. Using Moodle at NPBS

Moodle is one of many Learning Management Systems (LMS). An

LMS is simply software that is designed to add to traditional learning methods in
order to enhance the learning experience of their users. Moodle runs as an
interactive website with a number of features and activities designed to engage
learners and promote collaborative, student-centered learning.

2.1 Getting Started

Moodle is new to NPBS so you will be learning right along with us. We have learned,
however, that Moodle is a pretty intuitive tool to use. How easy you find it will
depend on your own background and desire to interact with the system. That said, a
general rule of have a go and see what happens can be applied in most cases. On
your Moodle Home page, you can find and link to this manual (this has been set up
as a course with a single task) and other course related information.
Part II of this document will demonstrate how to:

Navigate around the site and your courses

Edit your profile (please do this immediately)
Access your courses
Use the calendar
Track your progress and View your grades
Send messages
Participate in forums
Submit assignments
Take a quiz or exam

2.2 Navigating Moodle

One of the keys to becoming comfortable with Moodle is remembering to look in the
Settings block on the left for many of the options that you will use. The two blocks of
most importance include the Navigation block and the Settings block. Much of
your work will start in one of these two blocks. Depending on your role at NPBS,
these blocks will contain different content.

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2.2.1 Expandable/Collapsible Blocks

A nice feature in Moodle is the ability to expand and collapse content inside the
blocks. This allows the user a lot of freedom to easily navigate to exactly where they
want to go, while not being overwhelmed by too much information.
Inside of a block, look for an arrow pointing to the right or down. This means that the
content can be expanded or collapsed. In the image below, note the square beside
the My homethe square indicates that the items is not expandable. Now look at
the icon to the left of My profile. The right facing arrow indicates this item is
expandable, but has not yet been expanded. Now look at the icon to the left of My
profile settings. This item has already been expanded and its content is indented
below the heading.

Please realize these arrows are toggle switches. Click one and they expand; click
again and they collapse. For readability, you should collapse the content when it is
not needed.

2.2.2 Docking
Docking allows the user to collapse an entire block, thus opening up more of the
screen for the course contents.

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To dock a block, simply click the docking icon (the right-most hotspot of the docking
icon, i.e. the clear portion). But note that not all blocks can be docked. If the docking
icon is not visible then that block cannot be docked. You will need to dock all the
blocks on one side of the screen to receive any real benefit from docking.

You can hover over the tab to expand the tab and to select the operation you wish to
perform. To undock a single tab, hover your mouse over the tab and select the blue
Undock this item icon in the pop-up window. All docked blocks can be returned to
their normal position by clicking the Undock button (the blue icon) at the bottom of
the docked tabs.

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2.2.3 The Breadcrumb Trail

The breadcrumb trail shows the pages you have passed through to get to your
current location. They are shown in the top left corner of the page and by clicking
them you will be immediately moved to that point in the course. In the breadcrumb
below, you can move from looking at the course syllabus (highlighted in yellow) back
to the main course (BI550 in this case) by simply clicking on BI550.

2.3 Edit Your Profile

One of the first activities for you to do the first time you log into Moodle is to update
your profile. You do this by expanding the My profile settings item and selecting

Edit profile in the Settings block.

You will enter the profile form. You must enter information into the red labeled

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items at the top of the form. We will go through those options and give advice on
selections. You may wish to consider changing the highlighted sections.

Field
Email address
Email display
Email digest type
Forum autosubscribe

Setting and explanation

Your Email Address is set to your personal account that you used during
registration. You should not change it. This is done to ensure that third party
filters do not stop your communication from your course.
It is up to you regarding the options you select but our advice is to keep in
mind that the purpose of Moodle is collaboration and communication.
You should change this to Subjects to ensure you r receive your course
email in a condensed format.
To keep your email inbox from filling up, you should set the Forum autosubscribe field to No: dont automatically subscribe me to forums.

The next section of your profile asks for you to enter a Description. This is a short
paragraph about you. Remember that others will be able to read this description.
You should enter some of the important details that you think others would be
interested in knowing about (family, job, education, interests, etc.).

You will then enter a new picture. When inserting a picture it is your responsibility to
ensure that you have the appropriate copyright clearance. To insert a picture click
the New picture Add button (1). Then select the browse button and search your
computer for the picture. Make sure that the file is not larger than the maximum size
listed (20MB at NPBS). The picture should also be cropped so it is square and
resized to about 300 x 300 pixels (NPBS can help you with this). The image will be
subsequently resized to about 100 x 100 pixels. You can add a picture description
(2) if you like. You should then list any specific interests you have (3).

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Finally, under Optional you should check and correct your contact information
(Phone, Mobile phone, and Address). To complete your Profile select Update
profile.

You should press continue to finalize your changes. Your profile will then be
displayed for you to see. Use the breadcrumb to return to Home.

2.4 Accessing Your Course Material

Your home page displays all of the courses in which you are currently enrolled. To
enter the course, simply click the name of the course. You can also use the My
Courses item in the Navigation block or the specific course in the My courses
block (if it is present for your class) to navigate to your course.
Important Note: If you do not see any courses listed or if you are not enrolled for
the correct classes, please contact NPBS immediately.

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Once you have clicked the course name, you view the course homepage. This page
will include everything for the course.
The General course information will be at the very top of the course. Information in
this block will contain the course title, course number, meeting day and time, and the
meeting location. Next you will see any special notes regarding this class. The next
set of items includes the course syllabus (1) and special forums (2). These forums
will always include the News forum, but may also include such forums as Prayer
Requests and Questions. The Questions forum should be used for general
questions regarding the specific course. There may also be a link to VOH (Virtual
Office Hours) (3). This is a chat session for the class and the professor. The
professor may not have VOH so this option is class specific.

Also, not the check box at the far is a check box (4). This box is checked when the
requirements for the item have been met. In the case of the syllabus, the student
must open the syllabus file to complete the task. Other items may require the class
professor to complete a task before the box is checked.

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Below the general information for the course, the student will view the weekly course
materials. This will include information categorized as Lesson Materials, Reading,

Assignments, and Lesson Summary. Students should complete all work for each
week within the posted week.

2.5 Using the Calendar

The calendar is displayed on the top, right panel you Moodle page. The calendar is
customized for each student. When you are on the main Moodle page, the calendar will
contain notices about all of your different classes. Once you go into a particular class, you
will only see information about that one course. The calendar will also list import dates at
NPBS, such as Student Appreciation Nights, registration dates, etc. You should use the
calendar to stay up to date with your assignments and tests.

2.6 Tracking your Progress and Viewing your Grades

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Your instructor has the option to enable Activity Completion in your course. If they have
chosen to do so, this will help you keep track of which items you have completed in the
course. In the image below, notice the check boxes to the right of the items in the course.

Note that the top box for Introduction is not checked. This is the type of item that Moodle
will mark as complete for you when you have completed the task. Once you open the
Introduction, Moodle will put a check in the box to let you know you have completed that
item.
Students can view their grades at any time. To view your grades, simply enter your course
and click on the Grades link in the Settings block.

2.7 Communicating Through Messages

Messages in Moodle work like a cross between an instant messenger and an email tool. If
the recipient of your message is currently logged into Moodle, messages acts like an instant
messenger. This lets you communicate in real time. If your receiver is NOT currently
logged into Moodle, the message is sent as an email.

2.7.1 To send a message:

1. Log into Moodle and enter your course.
2. Click on Participants in the Navigation block.
3. Click on the name of whom you wish to send the message.

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4. Type your message in the message block (1).

5. Click on Send message (2).

2.7.2 To receive a message in Moodle:

If you are not logged into Moodle, you will receive an email with the message attached. You
can reply to the sender in your email if you like or you can log into Moodle and reply from
the Messages block.

2.7.3 To reply from the Messages block:

1. Log into Moodle.
2. Locate the Messages block on the right hand side of your screen. Note that all unread
messages will stay in this block until you have viewed them in Moodle. To keep this
list short, view your messages frequently.
3. Click on the senders name to view the message. The number to the left of the
envelope indicates the number of messages sent to you from this person.

4. You can reply to the messages as normally done.

2.8 Participating in forums

Discussion boards in Moodle are called forums. You generally use forums to discuss topics
selected by your instructor. When posting to a forum always assume that all other students in
the class can (and will) view your posts. Forums can be customized to varying degrees by
your instructor. The example used here is for a simple forum. You may experience several
different types of forums in your class.

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2.8.1 Posting to a Forum:

1. Log into Moodle and enter any course in which you are enrolled.
2. Click on the forum you wish to review.

3. Read the directions and/or topic of the discussion.

4. Click on the Add a new discussion topic button.

5. On the Add a new discussion topic page, type a subject your topic in the subject
line (1).
6. The best way to develop your post is to compose it in Word. When you are satisfied
with our response, copy it from your word document. Then select the Copy from
Word icon
(2) and use Cntl-v to insert the text. Select Insert to enter the text
into the HTML editor. Your formatted post is now in the message box (3).
7. Select your subscription preference (4).

8. If you feel you would like to include Word or PDF files, you can add that to your
reply by selecting Attachment/Add.
9. Click the Post to Forum button at the bottom of the forum.

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10. Once you have submitted your post you will a page reminding you that you have 30
minutes to edit the post before it is emailed to others if they have requested to have it
do so.
11. Click the Continue link.

2.8.2 To Edit a Post

1. Click on your post link in the Discussion column.

2. Click the Edit link next to the post you wish to edit.

2.8.3 Replying to a Post

1. Click on the link in the Discussion column (as above)
2. Click on the Reply link at the bottom of the post (see above)
3. Type your message into the box and click the Post To Forum button.

2.9 Submitting assignments

1. Assignments should be completed using Word and the Word document submitted
for course credit.
2. Click the assignment link from one of these locations: Main course page, the
Assignments page, or the Calendar block.

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3. Click Add submission

4. From the File picker, select Upload a file.

5. Select Browse then find the file to upload from your computer.
6. Click Upload File (or Edit Files, if there are some already there)

7. Click Save changes. NOTE: If you neglect this one step all of your work will
be lost and your assignment will not be submitted.

2.10 Taking a quiz or exam

2.10.1 Testing Tips
Testing in Moodle is very user friendly. Moodle tests are computer graded which allows the
student to receive their grade immediately in most cases. However, there are a few very
important things you need to know before taking your first test in Moodle.

When your instructor is ready for you to take a test a link will appear. Be sure you
have read any information provided by your instructor as to when you should take
the test. Never enter a test unless you are prepared to complete it.
It is important to plan the time you will take your test. Once you start there is no
turning back. You should take your test at a time when you will have few
distractions.

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When you click the link to a test you will be taken to an overview screen where you
can learn a little about the quiz. Included will most likely be the due or close date for
the quiz and the time limit if applicable.
Occasionally your instructor may require a password on a test. If you are asked for a
password when trying to enter a test you will need to obtain it from the instructor. Be
very careful of capitalization when keying in passwords.

2.10.2 Taking the Test

When you are ready to attempt the quiz, click the Attempt Quiz Now button.

Your test may be timed. If so, you will see a timer at the top left of the screen when
you enter your test. This timer will count the time you have left to complete your
test. In Moodle you will be kicked out when the time limit is up so please be sure to
finish your test and submit it PRIOR to the time running out.
You will be given an opportunity to consider taking the test at a later time. If you are
ready to proceed, select Start attempt.
Once into the test you will notice several features regarding the view.
o The Navigation pane is very useful. Each number in the Quiz Navigation
represents a question. The greyed numbers represent answered questions. The
number with a dark border is the current question being worked on. You can
go to the next question by clicking the next number in sequence or by hitting
next at the bottom of the quiz window.
o Notice also that for each question you can choose Flag question. This
allows a student to mark a question so that it can be returned to later.
o Also notice the question. Depending on the type of question, the student can

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make several kinds of responses. In multiple choice questions, the student

may be asked for a single response (Select one) or for multiple responses
(Select one or more).
The navigation block will tell you a lot of information about your status in a quiz.
When a question has been flagged, its corresponding number in the Quiz navigation
block will now have the upper, right corner in red. As you move through a quiz,
questions will be shaded gray as they are answered. In the figure below, Questions 13 have been answered. Question 4 has been flagged. The student is currently working
on question 5.

2.10.3 Finishing the Test

When the student is done with the quiz, they will click Finish attempt at the
bottom of the Quiz navigation panel (see directly above). At this point, a summary
page will be presented PRIOR to submitting the quiz for grading.
The summary page clearly shows the student which questions were flagged and
which questions have been answered. From this screen the student can click any
question to return to it. When you are completely finished with the quiz, you will
click Submit all and finish to submit the quiz for grading.

Depending on how your test is set up, you may see your grade immediately upon
finishing or you may need to go to your grade book to see your grade.

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If your test includes essay or short answer question those must be graded individually
by your instructor. You are not awarded any points for those questions until the
instructor has graded them.
To come back later and review your tests, click on the name of the test from your
course page, then click Review. From this window you can examine the entire test.

NOTES:

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NOTES:

NOTES:

Northern Plains Biblical Seminary

P.O. Box 746
408 East Main St.
Mandan, ND 58554-0746
Email: npbps@npbsonline.org
Web: npbsonline.org