What's new in Moodle 3.9?
***Moodle will be upgraded to version 3.9 on July 29, 2020
Last updated: January 13, 2023, 3:48 p.m.
Interface improvements
The Moodle upgrade will see several improvements to the user interface to make it cleaner and more user-friendly. Here is how the new course homepage will look with the changes noted.
1. Navigation drawer
The left side of blocks has been replaced by the Navigation Drawer, which has an on and off toggle that displays the Navigation drawer contents and hides it to create more space.
The Navigation drawer contains links to:
- Participant list
- Competencies
- Grades
- Home
- Dashboard
- Calendar
- Private files
- your active courses
2. Actions menu (replaces the Administration block)
The menu options previously situated in the Administration block have been moved to a more intuitive location through the Actions menu displayed as a gear icon in the top-right-hand corner. Like the Administration block in previous versions, the settings and options in the Actions menu relate to the current page. In other words, to change settings related to the course, you must be on the home page just as you would need to be on the appropriate assignment page to the change the settings for that particular assignment.
The Actions menu for the course home page includes the following menu items:
- Edit settings
- Filters
- Gradebook setup
- Outcomes
- Backup
- Restore
- Import
- Reset
- Download instructor files
The More item will take you to the Course administration page, which gives many more options, including:
- adding and removing users
- creating groups and groupings
- running reports
- editing your question bank(s)
3. Message drawer
At the very top of the screen to the left of your name, the Messages icon (a speech bubble) is an on and off toggle that displays the Message drawer with all of your messages. The view/hide toggle means that you do not need to click off your current Moodle page to view or send messages. However, it is possible to view your Messages in a separate page by clicking See all at the bottom.
Other Improvements
Improved activity chooser
In version 3.9 when you click Add and activity or resource, the list of activities is displayed in an icon format in a larger box.
You also have the option to "like" activities (by clicking the star below the activity icon), and they will appear in your Starred tab as a default when you open the activity chooser. This will save you time locating your most frequently-used activities.
Better H5P Integration
H5P is now built into the core features of Moodle and can be added as a graded activity. There is now an integrated Content Bank where H5P activities can be saved.
Assistance
If you think you’ll need assistance with this workflow, please contact us at teaching@concordia.ca.
We are here with you to help you through this process.