The University's central Academic Technology service sits in the Flexible and Online Learning Division (FOLD) in the Education Group and is responsible for supporting the core academic technologies at Warwick. It currently consists of:

• the Digital Learning Environment (DLE) team
• eAssessment team

User support for the tools mentioned in this guide is provided by the DLE team. They work closely with the Learning Systems Support (LSS) team who are the technical experts and manage the implementation, integration, development and maintenance of the tools and act as second/third-line support.

Moodle is the University of Warwick's virtual learning environment (VLE), where users with editing access can create interactive online activities and make learning content available for students. Moodle at Warwick can be accessed at https://moodle.warwick.ac.uk/my/.

There is a wealth of support available for Moodle. For new users looking for a general overview, please see our 'Introduction to Moodle' self-paced training. For support with a specific topic or task, please see Warwick's Moodle help guides or the MoodleDocs website.

Moodle-Admin is an in-house developed interface, enabling super users to perform administrative tasks in relation to the following areas:

• Academic year rollover
• Ad hoc courses
• Enrolment rules
• Moodle-Teams sync
• Tabula Small Group sync

Access to the Moodle-Admin tool is largely restricted to super users. However, academics also have limited access (typically to run the Moodle-Teams sync for their modules).

If you are a super user in your department and feel you should have access to Moodle-Admin, please email moodle at warwick dot ac dot uk attaching authorisation from your Head of Department and we will add you to the access list.

The Academic Technology Super User Community has an online presence in Microsoft Teams. This is the primary channel through which news and updates are disseminated to super users. It is also a place for community discussion, requests for tools/plugins etc, and for sharing details of relevant events.

Moodle

Moodle is the University of Warwick's virtual learning environment (VLE), where users with editing access can create interactive online activities and make learning content available for students. Please refer to the Moodle section of this guide for more information.

Echo360

Echo360 is the University's lecture capture and video management platform which enables presenters to capture, edit and share video content with students. It consists of two main services:

Lecture Capture Scheduling

The Lecture Capture service enables lecturers to record live face-to-face lectures or seminars without having to set up any equipment or have any technicians present. There are over 100 lecture capture-enabled spaces available on campus. Recordings are scheduled in advance and the session is automatically captured at the scheduled time. The recordings are made available to students via Moodle or MyWBS (Warwick Business School's VLE).

Academic Technology are responsible for scheduling lecture captures. It is an opt in service and sessions will only be recorded if the presenter has given their consent.

Lecture capture scheduling instructions are available on the Academic Technology website along with a description of the service.

Universal Capture (Personal)

Teaching staff can also install Echo360 Personal Capture on their own devices to create asynchronous learning material for students outside of the classroom environment. Recordings are made available to students via Moodle.

For further information and support, please see Academic Technology's Echo360 help guides and Echo360's resources for getting started.

Superusers have no administrative role on Echo360, but may be added as presenters to sections and to videos, as well as being added as owners for individual captures so that they have permissions to assist with recording management.

Vevox

Vevox is a personal response system which enables staff to create engaging sessions through live polling, quizzes, Q&A, and surveys. Staff create their session through the Vevox dashboard while students use the unique session ID to connect via smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Colleagues at Warwick sign at https://warwickuni.dashboard.vevox.com/. For further information and support, please see Academic Technology's Vevox guide and the Vevox help centre.

eStream

eStream is a media streaming service which is available to all staff and students at Warwick. eStream videos can be embedded into learning content in Moodle, and they can also be submitted for assessment using the Moodle assignment activity. Super users may have an administrative role on eStream.

For further information and support, please see Academic Technology's eStream help guides.

Mahara

Mahara is an online electronic portfolio web application that can be used to show learning progress over time by continuously adding learning evidence and reflections. For instance, students might be asked to create professional development portfolios, competency-based portfolios, online posters, reflective journals, or a CV.

Sign in to Mahara at https://mahara.warwick.ac.uk/. For further information and support, please see Academic Technology's Mahara guides or the Mahara user manual. Superusers will not have an administrative role on Mahara.

Padlet

Padlet enables you to create online boards where students, tutors and colleagues can share and collaborate. Select from a variety of board types such as wall, shelf, canvas, stream, timeline, map and grid. Padlet is interactive and versatile, and can be used to facilitate discussions, group work, Q&A, idea gathering, resource sharing, and thought mapping. Users can post text, multimedia, files, audio recordings, locations and more.

Sign in to Padlet at https://warwick.padlet.org/. For further information and support, please visit Academic Technology's Padlet guide.

Other technologies

The following are other tools which are used as 'academic technologies' but are looked after by Application Management within the Information and Digital Group (IDG). If you need support with either of these, please email helpdesk@warwick.ac.uk.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams allows you to edit and share documents, chat with colleagues from across the University, and hold live meetings. Enrolments to different Teams can be synchronised to match their corresponding Moodle spaces; please see our guide on Microsoft Teams synchronisation for more information.

Microsoft Stream

Microsoft Stream is Microsoft's streaming platform and should not be confused with eStream, which is a separate service. Microsoft Stream enables you to upload video content and share with selected users, groups, and channels. If you have recorded a meeting in Microsoft Teams, the recording will automatically be uploaded to Microsoft Stream.

About ad hoc Moodle spaces

It is possible to create an ad hoc Moodle space that does not directly relate to a module or course in SITS, the student record system. For example, you may wish to create a Moodle space for some supplementary teaching materials or skills training courses. Ad hoc spaces are created through Moodle Admin. Participants can be enrolled onto the Moodle space either by adding an enrolment rule in Moodle Admin, or manually.

Before creating an ad hoc Moodle space

Before you start, please confirm:

• That ad hoc request is not for a credit-bearing module
• Whether the course will be associated with an academic year, and whether the course will be required next year

How to create an ad hoc Moodle space

1. Log in at https://moodle-admin.warwick.ac.uk/.
2. Click Courses.
3. Under the relevant department, click Create new course.
4. Complete the details for the new space:
   • Course ID: This field is disabled and will be auto-generated by Moodle-Admin.
   • Full name: Enter the full name of the space. E.g. Information Skills for Economists
   • Short name: Enter a short name for the space (acronyms of the full name are often used here), including the academic year in parentheses if relevant. E.g. ISE (22/23). The academic year is essential if you want the course to be included in the next academic year rollover.
   • Select the academic year in which the Moodle space relates to. If it is not associated with a particular year, leave it set as No academic year.
   • Click Create course.

The course should be available in Moodle within 24-48 hours.

For support relating to Moodle or Moodle-Admin, please email moodle@warwick.ac.uk

For any other academic technology-related support, please email academictech@warwick.ac.uk

These emails will generate a support ticket through the IT Helpdesk and will be automatically assigned to the relevant team for investigation.

If you have a more general IT-related issue, email helpdesk@warwick.ac.uk

Module data and student data in Moodle come from SITS, the student records system. Moodle and SITS communicate with each other frequently so once a credit-bearing module has been set up in SITS, a corresponding module space will be created in Moodle. Likewise, the student enrolment data for that module occurrence will also come from SITS.

For this to happen smoothly, the following is required in SITS

• a Module Availability Record (MAV). Check with the relevant departmental administrators.
• a Module Tutor who will be automatically enrolled in the Moodle space as Course Leader
• students to be fully enrolled and added to a module occurrence

Please note changes made in SITS can take 24-48 hours to appear in Moodle.

The following is a list of some of the most common issues which arise regarding Moodle, mostly at the start of term.

Student enrolments

Reports of students not having access to Moodle spaces are likely to be caused by one or more of the following:

• course is hidden from students - each Moodle space is hidden from students by default until an editing teacher chooses to make it available once they have the content ready. Check for the yellow banner at the top of the page and make it visible via Edit settings if ready for release.
• student isn't enrolled on the module(s) - as the enrolment data generally comes from SITS, as your department administrators to check the student's record is correct.
• student not fully enrolled - again, check SITS to confirm that students are fully enrolled
• Students showing as 'suspended' participants - when a student has a module removed from their record, they show as 'susepnded' rather than unenrolled completely. However, at the turn of the academic year, all students are suspended and then re-enrolled 'manually' via a script. Sometimes this re-enrolment is missed and so all students lose access to a module space from the previous academic year. Contact moodle@warwick.ac.uk for help if you come across this.

Staff enrolments

Only the module leader is added automatically to a Moodle module space via SITS. They will be given the role of Course leader. If this is incorrect, it needs to be amended in SITS. For other roles, staff can be enrolled manually.

Access to videos

Students' inability to access videos in a Moodle space may be due to the following and it's important to first determine the source of the videos:

Echo360 videos

• Lecture Capture block not in the Moodle space - add the block to the course.
• Links have been added as regular URL resources or embedded hyperlinks - links to Echo360 videos should be added using the External tool activity or the Lecture Capture block so that users can be authenticated.

See the guide on sharing Echo360 videos for instructions.

Stream videos

• Access denied - videos in MS Stream are usually shared with all members of the University (company-wide) or with an Office365 group associated with a particular module (created as a by-product of a synched Microsoft Team - see Moodle-Teams sync in the Moodle-Admin section below). When content is rolled over to a new academic year Moodle space, it needs to be shared with the new group. Only the video owner can amend the sharing permissions. You can contact helpdesk@warwick.ac.uk for assistance. Users should also ensure they are logged in to Office365 so that they can be authenticated and given access.

Reading lists

• no reading list block - add the Talis Reading List block to the course.
• 'No resource lists found' displayed in the Reading List block - either he reading list has not been linked to the module in the Talis system or it is still in draft. Only published reading lists will display in the Moodle block. Please publish your list in the Talis system. For assistance, contact readinglists.library@warwick.ac.ukLink opens in a new window

About enrolment rules

An enrolment rule enables groups of users to be synced to a Moodle space; so, rather than manually enrolling individual users onto a Moodle space, users can be enrolled en masse. Enrolment rules are usually only applied to ad hoc Moodle spaces as users are automatically enrolled to credit-bearing Moodle spaces through SITS.

There are two different types of enrolment rule that can be applied through Moodle Admin:

• Webgroup enrolment
• SITS enrolment

WebGroup enrolment enables participants to be synced to a Moodle space from a WebGroup. WebGroups are a way of organising groups of users at Warwick; for example, you might have a WebGroup for all staff in your department, or a WebGroup for all Year 1 students in your department.

SITS enrolment enables participants to be synced to a Moodle space from SITS. This enrolment rule type is rarely applied to ad hoc courses.

Before you create an enrolment rule

If you are creating a WebGroup enrolment, please check that a suitable WebGroup exists with the required members. If a suitable WebGroup does not exist, follow the guidelines for creating a new WebGroup.

Please also make sure the WebGroup access is not restricted to members only. You can do this by ensuring the “Restrict access to members” checkbox is unticked on the creating/editing WebGroup form.

How to create an enrolment rule

1. Log into https://moodle-admin.warwick.ac.uk/
2. Click Courses
3. Under the relevant department, click View courses.
4. Search for the relevant course and click View details.
5. Scroll down to Enrolment rules and click New rule.
6. Enter a Rule name, e.g. Year 1 students.
7. Under Rule options, select either SITS or WebGroup from the Rule drop-down menu as appropriate.
8. Select which role participants should be enrolled as from the Role drop-down menu.
9. Under Data source, select the relevant SITS module or WebGroup as appropriate.
10. Click Save.

Repeat the process as necessary to continue adding enrolment rules.

The Learning Design Consultancy Unit (LDCU) consists of colleagues from the Academic Development Centre, Academic Technology and across the University. It can provide support around online/blended teaching and learning through consultations, webinars, events, and communities of practice.

LDCU hosts regular TEAL (Technology-Enhanced Active Learning) forums to provide an opportunity for staff to seek support and to share experiences and ideas related to online and blended learning, as well as the annual TEALfest.

If you are interested in joining the community, join the LDCU group on Teams.

Please see the Academic Technology newsletter for regular updates from the team. From that page, click Notify in the top-right corner to subscribe.

About the Moodle-Teams sync

The Moodle to Teams synchronisation enables users to create teams in Microsoft Teams based on the enrolments in Moodle. There are two options for what Teams you can create:

• Option 1: Module-level Teams spaces, with the option of also creating channels for groups
• Option 2: Group-level Teams spaces

The sync runs daily once the Team has been created, so if there are any changes to the Participant list of the Moodle space (e.g. a student has been added to or removed from the space), these changes will automatically be processed to Teams 24-48 hours later.

As part of the Teams sync users can also specify which Moodle roles should be enrolled as owners of the Teams space, and which should be enrolled as members. A Team can have a maximum of 20 owners. Please also note there must be at least one user enrolled as Course Leader on the Moodle space before you create the Team.

The following summarises how super users with access to Moodle-Admin can request teams for modules in their department. Module leaders can create teams for their own modules at https://moodle-admin.warwick.ac.uk/my/ Please direct them to the Moodle – MS Teams synchronisation guide for more information.

How to create a module-level MS Teams space

1. Log in at https://moodle-admin.warwick.ac.uk 
2. Click Courses.
3. Under the relevant department, click View courses.
4. Search for the relevant course and click View details.
5. Scroll down to Microsoft Teams sync and click Edit Teams settings.
6. From the Create synchronised team drop-down menu, select Create synchronised team.
7. Make any changes to Roles to add as owners and Roles to add as members as appropriate.
8. Click Save.

The following optional steps allow you to create channels corresponding to your Moodle groups.

9. Scroll to the top of the page and click the link in the message bar.
10. Select Create channel within course team for the relevant groups.
11. Click Save.

Your Teams space(s) should be created within an hour but members and owners will be added the following morning.

How to create a group-level MS Teams space

1. Log in at https://moodle-admin.warwick.ac.uk
2. Click Courses.
3. Under the relevant department, click View courses.
4. Search for the relevant course and click View details.
5. Scroll down to Microsoft Teams sync and click Edit Teams settings.
6. Click the link in the message bar at the top of the page.
7. Select Create matching team for the relevant group(s).
8. Click Save.

Your Teams space(s) should be created within an hour but members and owners will be added the following morning.

• The Audio Visual Services team are responsible for the specification, installation, monitoring and maintenance of all Audio Visual equipment on campus. Please contact the AV team directly for queries and support relating to equipment in teaching spaces.
• IT Training - Browse the course catalogue to select a course, check availability and book. You can also request one-to-one training at your desk. See the upcoming courses and find IT Training Rooms.
• Tabula is the University's in-house tool that supports the administration of teaching in academic departments. Support for Tabula is available at tabula@warwick.ac.uk .
• SITS is the University's student records system and is managed by Student Information Services. Course administrators in departments have access to SITS and can help you check student enrolments.

About Tabula Small Groups

Tabula is used to manage student information such as personal profiles, seminar allocation, personal tutor/supervisor allocations and meetings, attendance recording, and marks and assignment management.

Departments run small group teaching events such as seminars, tutorials, laboratory classes and workshops. These Tabula Small Groups can be synched with Moodle so that groups and their memberships are recreated in Moodle. The sync is created in Moodle Admin.

How to sync Tabula Small Groups with Moodle

1. Log in at https://moodle-admin.warwick.ac.uk/
2. Click Courses.
3. Under the relevant department, click View courses.
4. Search for the relevant course and click View details.
5. Scroll down to Small groups and click Edit group sync.
6. Under the Enabled column, tick the groups you would like to sync to Moodle.
7. Click the Save button.

The groups should then appear in Moodle within 24-48 hours.

How to view the groups in Moodle

1. Log in at https://moodle.warwick.ac.uk/my/
2. Navigate to the relevant course.
3. Select Participants from the left-hand side navigation menu.
4. Click the Actions menu.
5. Click Groups.

About academic year rollover

Academic year rollover is now available for 2023/24. See the current guide to rollover for more detailed guidance.

Each academic year new blank module spaces are created in Moodle for teaching content and activities to be added. Moodle will not automatically copy content from a previous academic year to the new academic year. The Academic Year Rollover tool allows a nominated individual for each department to enter decisions relating to what content and enrolments should be copied over for each module.

Super users are notified in advance when rollover will be available.

Who is responsible for making rollover decisions?

Ultimately the course leader and teaching team are responsible for deciding how the course should be created for the following year. The nominated individual responsible for entering the decisions into the system will differ in each department.

If you are not sure who your nominated individual is in your department please contact helpdesk at warwick dot ac dot uk

What decisions need to be made?

A blank Moodle space will automatically be created for all UG and PG modules that are in SITS. For each module you will be asked:

• To decide whether to import content from last year, import content and staff enrolments, create a blank space, the module is no longer required or apply the module default template
• Whether to remove manual staff enrolments from the previous academic year
• Whether to remove staff edit permissions

If you have any questions about rollover decisions please contact helpdesk at warwick dot ac dot uk

When will Moodle spaces be available?

This depends on the availability of the rollover tool and the setup of modules in SITS. There are several steps leading to the Moodle spaces being created.

1. The rollover tool will check which modules are set to run for the upcoming academic year in SITS.
2. Rollover decisions are made by the department representative and entered into a processing queue for that evening.
3. The decisions are processed and the spaces appear in Moodle.

If no decisions are made, blank Moodle spaces will automatically be generated at the turn of the academic year (1st August) for all scheduled modules.