We've Upgraded Moodle!
As part of our commitment to supporting teaching and learning excellence, LSU Online upgraded both regular Moodle (moodle.lsu.edu) and the LSU Online Moodle (lsuonline.moodle.lsu.edu) instances from Moodle 3.7 to 3.9. We do not expect this upgrade to be as impactful as our previous migration from 3.1 to 3.7. The upgrade will not involve a new Moodle site, but was done "in place". Moodle 3.9 will not be substantively different from 3.7 in look and feel. This should be a less stressful transition for us all.
Moodle 3.9 has a few new features to improve teaching and learning. Most notable is the addition of Ally to let faculty know what material meets ADA accessibility rules as well as Panopto's prioritization over Kaltura for media uploads as well as video assignments. Forums will have added capabilities. This video above outlines these changes and new features. Monitor progress on this website.
Access to the old Moodle 3.1 site will end on August 13, 2021.
Ally
Ally is a Moodle plug in that helps instructors improve their course’s content accessibility. Ally offers guidance and tips for lasting improvements though immediate feedback on the accessibility of Moodle content. Ally also suggests ways in which to improve content accessibility with step-by-step instructions. In addition to providing instructors with insight into the accessibility of their content, Ally automatically creates alternative versions of the files for use while instructors improve their content. While Ally cannot be turned off from the instructor view, students will not see the Ally feedback on instructor content.
Prioritizing Panopto
With the move to Moodle 3.9, we are prioritizing use of Panopto over Kaltura. In 3.9, Panopto has added features, including the ability to use Panopto to create video assignments for students. New content should be created in Panopto and not Kaltura going forward.
- LSU Panopto (web site)
- LSU Panopto Overview (GROK article)
- Learning Panopto (video)
- Learning Panopto: Sharing and Permissions (video)
- Information on Panopto (web resource)
- Getting Started: Record a video (web resource)
Old 3.1 Moodle content
All previous 3.1 course content was backed up, and is available to instructors through Simple Restore. Please note that no student data is included in these backups. Instructors may want to export extensive Quiz Question Banks separately for their future use. Access to the old Moodle 3.1 site will end on August 13, 2021.
