Learning sections

The learning section is a critical part of the learning journey. It is structured consistently to allow students to quickly identify what they are expected to learn in that area and to indicate when this can be completed. Learning can be sectioned into a weekly, daily, topic or modular basis. It is made clear what the expectation is for students to study in their own time compared with the time spent with educators, other students or in the studio.

The learning journey is structured into overview, own-time, real-time and wrap-up sections to assist in the scaffolding of student activity. This follows Jane Vella’s 4A’s design for creative strategies for teaching adults.

Click on the tabs below to learn more about each section.

Overview
Own-time learning
Real-time learning
Wrap-up

This section will have a short, plain English description of the learning. The learning objectives will show students what they are expected to cover. This overview will appear on the Unit Dashboard in the learning content summary.

This section holds the rich asynchronous learning that is provided for students for each of the learning sections (week, day, topic or module) which they undertake in their own time. This study time is not scheduled.

It can be suggested to students that these portions of study are completed before or after real-time scheduled classes or it may be designed for students to engage with at any time they choose to. Be explicit about the expectation for completion of this material. The learning from the own-time study will be linked and inform the real-time learning sessions.

Consider the five levels of engagement when designing the asynchronous learning. The choice of educational technologies will influence the design of the study activities in this space. Refer to the TPACK framework to see examples of how lesson plans can be modified to fit an asynchronous working space.

This section holds all synchronous learning and their associated materials and learning activities that are undertaken by students in class - either face to face or online. These sessions are usually timetabled. Depending on the learning structure chosen, this area may detail a number of different activities that students are required to attend.

After the scheduled sessions materials can be released to students such as recordings or answer sheets.

This section encourages the students to bring together their learning for this section. While no new information is presented here, content may be provided in a different format, such as, short quiz or an extension question.

Key takeaway messages can reference the learning outcomes shown in the Overview section. This is an excellent place for discussion forums to ensure that students have no outstanding issues before progressing with their study. Conclude this area by providing guideposts to the next step for the student.

Click on the plus icons to learn more about each feature of the Learning section tab

Expand to read a text-based description

Weekly learning topics	A dropdown from the Learning tab allows quick access to all learning sections.
Overview	This is a brief overview of the learning focus for this section. It may include a feature image or video. This overview will be shown in the Current Focus block on the unit dashboard when this is the focus section.
Your learning topics	The Your learning journey headers show the division of tasks across the learning journey and a tracker of completion.
Own-time section	This section is for asynchronous learning activities that the student completes in their own time.
Real-time learning	This section is for synchronous learning events for a week or topic.
Wrap-up sections	This section is for consolidation of a week or topic.
Additional navigation	The arrows at the bottom of the page can be used to navigate between learning sections.

How to set up learning sections

By default, sections in the Learning tab are labelled as Weeks. You are able to select one of four options for the name of sections - Week, Topic, Module or Day, depending on the needs of the educator.
1. In the top banner, click Settings.
2. Scroll down to Unit format. From the Learning Section dropdown menu, select the preferred option.
3. Click Save and display to return to the unit.
The Learning tab is the primary location for all learning and teaching activities and resources. It is divided into sections that can be described as Weeks, Topics, Modules or Days, depending on requirements. Each of these sections can be renamed.
1. Ensure edit mode is switched on.
2. Click the pencil icon next to the section title that you want to edit.
3. Edit the section title and hit enter on your keyboard to save your changes.
The learning section start and end dates determine when the section overview will be populated to the Unit dashboard, and will also feed into the Schedule tab.
Note:
- If there are no dates set, students see the first viewable section with an Overview Section.
- If there are dates set, but none that fall in the current week, then students will see the first viewable section with an Overview Section.
- If there are dates set where multiple sections have same date range, and the current date falls in one of those configured dates, then the students see the Overview section for that section.
1. Ensure edit mode is switched on.
2. Click the three dots next to the learning topic name.
3. Select Edit section from the drop down list.
4. Check the Enable checkboxes for Learning section start date and Learning section end date and specify the start and end date for the learning section.
5. Click Save changes.
You can now view your learning section dates under the section heading:
Each learning section has a space to add a brief overview of the key focus of the section in terms of topics being covered and learning outcomes addressed. The information that you put in here will also automatically be displayed on the Unit dashboard in the October feature release.
1. Ensure edit mode is switched on.
2. Click on the Section title that you would like to edit.
3. Click the three dots at the top right of the learning section to select Edit Settings.
4. Add the appropriate information to the section overview.
5. Once finished, click Save and return to unit.
Every learning section in a Moodle unit now includes three sections: Own-time, Real-time and Wrap-up. These are intended to structure a learning journey for students.
Add a resource or activity to a learning section
1. Ensure edit mode is switched on.
2. Under the section where you want to add a resource or activity, click +Add an activity or resource.
3. Click on the desired resource or activity to add it.
4. This will open the settings for the item you selected.
  1. Give the activity or resource a name and description/instructions.
  2. Configure access dates and times, grouping mode and other settings as required.
  Note: Resources and activities may have different settings depending on the resource or activity, see the specific Resource or activity guide for detailed instructions on how to set up your resource or activity.
5. Once the required settings have been configured, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save and return to unit or Save and display. The activity or resource will now be added to the learning section.
  Note: For more information about specific Moodle activities and resources, see the Activities and resources guide.
Add a section
1. Ensure edit mode is switched on.
2. Click on Learning in the menu.
3. Click the three dots to the right of the Learning heading.
4. From the dropdown list, select Add subsection.
5. You may need to refresh your page for the new section to appear. The new section will be added to the bottom of the page.
Delete a section
1. Ensure edit mode is switched on.
2. Click on Learning in the menu.
3. Click the three dots to the right of the learning section you would like to delete.
4. From the dropdown list, select Delete section.
5. A pop-up window will appear. Click Yes to confirm you want to delete the section.
6. Sections will automatically be renumbered when the page is refreshed.
Note: If all sections are hidden, “Your educator has no viewable content here right now” will display on Unit Dashboard page.
You can choose to add an image to the overview section. This will be displayed in the overview section as well as the unit dashboard.
Add an image
1. Ensure edit mode is switched on.
2. In the overview section, click on the three dots and select Edit settings.
3. In the text editor, place your cursor where you would like to add the image.
4. Select the image icon.
5. Click browse repositories.
6. Click choose file and then select a file from your device.
7. Ensure the image selected is of high quality and then click upload this file.
  Note: If the image contains important information, ensure that you enter a text description for screen readers. If the image is decorative, you can check 'this image is decorative only'.
8. Click Save image. You should now be able to see the image in the text box.
9. Once finished, click Save and return to unit. Your image will now be displayed in the section overview.
Move individual activities or resources
1. Ensure edit mode is switched on.
2. Hover your cursor over the activity or resource. The move icon will appear.
3. Click and drag the activity or resource to the appropriate location. You can reorder items or drag them to different sections.
  OR
  Click the three dots beside the activity or resource you would like to move.
4. From the dropdown list, select Move.
5. A pop-up window will appear. From the list, select where you would like to move your activity or resource.
6. Once selected, your activity or resource will automatically be moved.
  Note: You may need to refresh your page before you can move duplicated items.
Move multiple activities or resources at once
The Mass actions block allows you to select, indent, delete, hide, show and move multiple resources or activities at once, rather than having to perform repeated actions on individual items. Once the Mass Actions Block has been added, check boxes will appear beside each activity or resource in your unit.
Add the Mass actions block:
1. Switch Edit mode on(Blue) in the top left of the page.
2. Expand the left side panel with the arrow and click the Add a Block button.
3. Select the Mass actions block.
4. Once added, you can select multiple items by using the checkboxes beside each resource or activity in the unit.
5. All items in a section by selecting the section from the drop down list and clicking Select all. Use Deselect all if you have selected the incorrect section.
  From the mass action block, with the selected items you can:
  - Hide
  - Show
  - Delete
  - Move to section: Choose a compatible section (own-time, real-time, wrap-up sections and assessment setup) from the drop down list then click the arrow.
  - Duplicate to section: Choose a section from the drop down list then click the arrow.
  Note: If you delete items using the Mass actions block, they will not appear in the Moodle logs and recycle bin.
The current Focus section will be highlighted in a range of locations.
This highlighting is visible in the left-hand navigation bar, in the Learning tab dropdown, and next to the section title. This will also be the focus section in the Unit dashboard.
Clicking on the Learning tab with editing off will automatically default to the Focus section. The dropdown still works to access other sections.
- Note that Note that this feature is based on the dates assigned to the learning section (see above). If no dates are assigned, no section will be highlighted.

Feature an informational section on the Unit Dashboard

HTML or Text editors are used wherever text input may be required, you can also insert images or videos to provide interesting content or visual support for text or create more engaging web pages using the HTML code view or other layout options. There are three editors available in Moodle; the default is TinyMCE. You may set your own preference in your Preferences.
1. In the top right hand corner, click on the User profile icon and select Preferences.
2. Select Editor preferences under User Account
3. Select your preferred editor using the Text editor dropdown box. Be sure to save your changes before exiting.
1. Ensure edit mode is switched on.
2. Click on Learning in the menu.
3. For the section you would like to move, click the three dots.
4. From the dropdown list, select Move.
5. A pop-up window will appear. From the list, select where you would like to move your section.
6. Once selected, your section will be moved. The numbering of your sections will automatically be renumbered.
Note: If all sections are hidden, “Your educator has no viewable content here right now” will display on Unit Dashboard page.

Getting started	This section can be used as a Week 0 section, or for resources that students may need to refer to at the start of the teaching period.
During the break	This section is intended for use during the mid-semester break. Move the section to the correct location for the current semester. Please note that no assessments should be scheduled during this week
Additional information and resources	This section is intended for information and supporting material beyond what will fit in the Unit resources section on the Unit Info tab.
Staff resources	This section is permanently hidden.

Display activities/resources in the learning journey task tracker

The learning journey task tracker displays a progress bar for activities and resources within the ‘own-time’, ‘real-time’ and ‘wrap-up’ sections. Clicking on the 'i' icon will show a definition of these terms in everyday language. You can define the conditions that students must meet to mark items complete in the activity completion settings. Activities and resources must also be unhidden or without restrictions to appear in the learning journey task tracker.

Note: Where there are no tasks to be completed under a heading, it will show as blank. (Currently this displays as 0 TASKS, but this will be updated).

Edit Activity completion

In the top right corner, switch Edit mode on(Blue).
Navigate to the activity or resource.
Click on options (three dots) and select Edit settings.
Scroll down to the Activity completion section.
In Completion tracking, there are three options you can choose from:
- Do not indicate activity completion: The activity/resource will be excluded from activity completion tracking. You will not be able to track viewing or student completion.
- Students can manually mark the activity as completed: Students can manually mark activity completion with the Mark as done button for each activity or resource on the unit homepage.
- Show activity as complete when conditions are met: The activity is only marked as complete when defined conditions are met.

If Show activity as complete when conditions are met is selected, additional activity completion settings will appear. This may vary based on the type of resource or activity.

Require view	The activity/resource must be viewed by the student to be marked complete. NOTE: When the student clicks on the link, this is counted as being ‘viewed’, potentially without having read or attempted the activity/resource.
Receive grade	Students must receive a grade to complete this activity. The activity will be marked complete regardless if the student receives a pass or fail grade.
Receive passing grade	Students must receive a grade to complete this activity. The activity will be marked complete only if the student receives a pass grade. The pass grade must be set in the Grade section of the activity settings.
Require submission	The activity will be marked complete if the student has made a submission. The student does not require a grade for the activity to be marked as complete. This is suitable for formative assessments.
Expect completed on	If enabled, you can specify a date you expect the activity or resource to be marked complete by. If not enabled, the availability settings will determine when your resource or activity will need to be completed by.

Once selected, click Save changes.

The conditions required for completion will be clearly displayed as labels for the resource or activity on the unit homepage. Once conditions have been met, the labels will automatically change to a green Done label with a tick icon and it will be marked complete in the learning journey task tracker.

Bulk edit activity completion

You can edit the activity completion settings of multiple activities or resources at once using Bulk edit activity completion.

From the top level unit menu, click More and then select Unit completion.
From the options dropdown menu, select theBulk edit activity completiontab. Activities and resources are listed in order of how they appear in your unit.
Select activities or resources with the checkboxes beside the activity or resource.
You can select ALL activities and resources in the unit with the checkbox beside the Activities/Resources column header OR select all items in a section by selecting the checkbox beside the Section heading.
Note: If more than one type of resource or activity is selected, some resource/activity specific settings may not be displayed. It is recommended you edit batches of one resource of activity if needed.
Once all required items are selected, click Edit.
Select the activity completion settings as required.
Click Save changes.

Display assessed activities in the learning sections and the assessment tab

You can use the shadow link activity to create a link to an assessed activity in the appropriate weekly context on the Learning tab (eg. weekly quizzes), while still being displayed in the Assessment tab. Students will see the icon of the original activity type and the original activity name. When students click the shadow link, they will be taken to the original activity.

Note

Shadow links cannot be created in the Assessment tab. If you intend to use Shadow links to display activities in the Learning tab AND the Assessment Structure table, you MUST create the original assessed activity under the Assessment tab and then add the Shadow link in the Learning section.

Additional notes below.

Add a Shadow link

Navigate to the activity you wish to create a shadow link for by clicking on the name of the activity.

Note: The activity must be created first, before you add a Shadow link.

Copy the numbers that appear after id= in the URL (web address) for the activity. This is a unique identifier (the Course Module Identifier, or CMID) for the activity.
Navigate to where you wish to add your Shadow link.
Note: Shadow links can only be created in the Learning sections.
Click Add an activity or resource.
Select Shadow.
In the field Target activity's cmid, paste the number you copied.
Click Save and return to unit.
Your new activity will have the Shadow link logo, but the name of the original activity. Clicking on the shadow link will take you to the settings of the original activity.
Students will see the icon of the original activity type and the original activity name. The shadow link also inherits any access restrictions from the original activity. When students click the shadow link, they will be taken to the original activity.

Additional notes

Shadow links should not be created under the assessment tab: This can lead to errors and unexpected behaviours.
Shadow link cannot be created for an activity within the same learning section.
Shadow links can only point to an activity created within the same unit: You can’t create a Shadow link to an activity outside of your Moodle unit.
Shadow links cannot be created from other shadow links: Shadow links can only be created for actual activities.
Rolling over activities: When a unit containing a Shadow link is rolled over, the link is updated automatically, and the connection between the two items is maintained.
Deleting the activity connected to the shadow link: If the original item the Shadow link connects to is deleted, the Shadow link will also be deleted. Deleting the Shadow link has no effect on the original item.

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Learning and Teaching: Teach HQ

Learning and Teaching: Teach HQ

Learning sections

Click on the plus icons to learn more about each feature of the Learning section tab

How to set up learning sections

Add a resource or activity to a learning section

Add a section

Delete a section

Add an image

Move individual activities or resources

Move multiple activities or resources at once

Add the Mass actions block:

Add an Overview to the special sections

Edit Activity completion

Bulk edit activity completion

Note

Add a Shadow link

Additional notes