Updated in 2022 - for Moodle 3.11

(Most content appropriate for earlier versions of Moodle)

What do others say having taken this course...

"There was a major issue on our Moodle site that I was able to solve without extra tech help, it really gave me the boost I needed. I worked hard this summer on an Admin course, which is really paying off ... I'm so glad I did it - what a difference!" Nicole French-Gillies, Moodle Administrator, Canada.

"Just keep it [the course] like this - it's great!" (Anonymous feedback), Moodle Admin, USA.

"Thank you for this course. I feel I learned a lot!" (Anonymous feedback), Moodle Admin, Australia.

The MoodleBites for Administrators course is 8 weeks in duration and is delivered in the latest stable Moodle environment (most of the content is appropriate for participants using earlier versions of Moodle). Each week contains approximately 2-4 hours work, although this varies depending on your experience administering Moodle and how much extension work you wish to complete smile

This course is not suitable for Teachers, unless you are also administering your Moodle site, or will be doing so in the near future! This course is for people who administer their organisations (or own) Moodle site.

Designed for people who are currently Administering a Moodle site and want to ensure they are 'administering Moodle effectively and efficiently', or new Moodle Administrators.

  • Each week is facilitated by Stuart Mealor, Managing Director of HRDNZ (Moodle Partner) and Moodle certification manager, and co-facilitated by at least one other MCCC and/or experienced international Moodle Administrator

Fee

MoodleBites for Administrators is US$499 per person.
At this time we are able to offer a discount to a special rate of US$399
We have strict maximum numbers
- so book early to avoid disappointment. If you wish to translate this value to your local currency please visit: http://www.xe.com/ All invoices are in US Dollars (USD$), Euro invoices available by special request. You can register for this course using the "Register Now" link on the Front Page.

Dates

The MoodleBites for Administrators runs just 3 times each year starting on the following dates;

  • 1st February
  • 1st June
  • 1st October

In covering the content, each course includes:

  • Printable reference material
  • HD (high definition) multimedia flash tutorials
  • Forums and chat sessions
  • Practical 'real world' examples
  • FAQ's and glossaries
  • Individual practice exercises
  • Optional group activities
  • Admin 'Tips and Tricks'
  • "Gotchas..." avoiding the things it's easy to get wrong!
  • Selected relevant links
  • Quizzes and self-test questions
  • Recommended further admin reading
  • 'Certificate of Completion' from HRDNZ, authorised Moodle Partner
  • Open Badge awarded on completion
    MoodleBites for Administrators

OpenBadges logo

MoodleBites for Administrators is unique for a number of reasons:

  1. It has a focus on the practical administration of a Moodle site.
  2. The course development team is international and MoodleBites for Administrators has been written to be accessible for speakers of English as a second or other language.
  3. Designed to run well even over slow internet connections and on older computers.
  4. Mobile friendly course design.

Course content outline

  • Week 1, Introduction to Apache, MySQL and PHP
    Many people who administer their school or organisation Moodle site may be very IT literate, but not necessarily a network engineer or webmaster. This course introduces and explains the basics of the environment within which a Moodle site is installed and runs .
    • Setting up a local Moodle test site (Linux, Windows, Mac)
    • Introduction to Apache
    • Introduction to MySQL
    • Introduction to PHP

  • Week 2, Configuring Moodle
    Whilst installing the standard Moodle package can be a fairly easy process, working through the site settings and configuration is quite a daunting prospect for new administrators. This course is a step-by-step guide to site configuration.
    • First considerations
    • Users, Courses, Grades, Location, Language, etc.

  • Week 3, Site organisation
    Once your Moodle site is installed and configured it's time to think about how your site will operate. Good decisions here can make a huge difference to the task of administering your site, and planning an effective site that is easy to manage can save many hours later.
    • Front page and Moodle Themes
    • Categories and Courses
    • Enrolments
    • Other vital 'go live' considerations

  • Week 4, Managing Users
    A large part of the Moodle Administrators role is to effectively manage a potentially huge number of users, both Staff and Learners, and to have policies and procedures in place that make this task manageable.
    • Managers, Teachers, Students and Guests
    • Customising Roles, Permissions, and Capabilities
    • Cohorts
  • Week 5, Themes
    Themes control the way Moodle looks.  Every aspect from logos and colours, through to layouts and formats can be controlled by the Theme.
    • Finding and installing Themes
    • Theme settings
    • Essential tools for Theme designers
    • Editing and customising Themes
    *Note that this is an introduction to Themes, their control and basic editing. For an in-depth course on Theme development please see our MoodleBites for Theme Designers course.

  • Week 6, Reporting and more
    Many new Moodle administrators get caught out at the end of the year, or when it's time to upgrade. This week we investigate some of the areas that will help you become a 'great' administrator and stay 'in control'!
    • Logs and Reports
    • The Moodle Roadmap (planning for the future)
    • Security
    • Tracker

  • Week 7, Using contributed plugins
    Being an open source application there are many non-standard module, blocks, filters, questions, and other elements that can be added to a Moodle site. Understanding how to best use these is explored here.
    • How to install non-standard mods
    • The most popular plugins
    • Security and reliability
    • The impact on upgrading

  • Week 8, Everything else...
    There are lots of administration concerns that do not fit neatly into the main topics of previous weeks. Some are isolated elements, some are just things we have found useful over the years and want to share! This final week provides a 'catch-all' opportunity and helps prepare you for Moodle Administrator continuous professional development.
    • Search Engine Optimisation
    • Moodle strategy
    • Site optimisation

*This outline is subject to change as Moodle changes and we update the content.