Structure your course
The way your structure your course is important as it impacts how well students engage with your content. A clear and logical structure will help students find resources and activities quickly without feeling overwhelmed and particularly benefits students with disabilities and those using assistive technologies.
We strongly recommend that you review the information in the Moodle Accessibility Quick Guide before starting to structure your Moodle space.
In this guide:
Course format
Course sections break up the course into manageable or logical sections which could relate to a time period, a particular project or to a pedagogic process of your choice. Sections are displayed differently depending on the course format chosen.
The following course formats are available at Warwick:
| Format name | Format description |
|---|---|
| Custom sections (previously 'Topics') | This is default format where sections can be given titles and collapsed/expanded according to user preference. |
| Weekly sections | Organised with a section for each week of your course, beginning from the course start date (in Settings). The current week is highlighted. |
| Grid | Shows each section in a grid format where each tile links to a course section. |
| Social (not recommended) | Designed around a single forum for a more free-form experience |
| Single activity (not recommended) | A single section with a single activity |
How to change the course format
Switching between formats does not affect the course materials and activities in the space, just the way that they are displayed.
- Click the Settings tab in the course menu.
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Scroll down and click the Course Format header to expand the section.
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Select the appropriate format for your Moodle space from the drop-down Format menu.
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Choose additional settings for this specific format or leave as default.
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Click Save and Display.
Course editing
You can organise your sections however you want and you can add more/remove them where required. The video belows shows the various ways you can customise your course by editing sections.
Course contents
Once your structure is complete, the next step is to add content to your course by adding resources and activities.
Put simply, resources are static content items that provide information whereas activites require interaction and engagement from your students. However, there are some types of content available to add to Warwick's Moodle that appear as 'activities' such as reading lists.
Blocks
Blocks provide information and useful tools. They usually appear in the collapsible block drawer on the right-hand side of the course page and the Dashboard.
Reading lists and Lecture Capture blocks are commonly found in the block drawer at Warwick.
See the Moodle video below for more information on blocks.