This article will showcase some of the changes you will see when the upgrade to Moodle 4.0 is complete.
Specific My Courses Page
My Courses now has its own page where users can search and access their present, past and future courses.
Dashboard Enhancements
Dashboard allows access to recently accessed courses, course calendar, and a timeline that will display due dates for upcoming assignments for students.
Course Index
Similar to a table of contents, the Course Index allows for easy access to all course content. As you scroll down your Moodle page, it tracks active content and highlights where you are on the page. The links are live so you can click on them for quick access to that particular item. Entire weeks and topics are collapsible making it easier to move items up or down. The Course Index also shows visual indicators for hidden items, restricted content, and activity completion.
Improved Activity Completion
Activity completion still functions the same except for new criteria that has been added. Now you can set it so students must receive a passing grade in order to complete an activity. Previously, you could only set this criteria when using the Quiz feature.
Designated Blocks Drawer
Blocks are still accessible from the right hand side, but now they are available in a collapsible and expandable drawer. Instead of having to navigate all the way to the left to add a block, you can now do so from the same blocks menu on the right. The blocks drawer scrolls independently from the course itself so you are able to navigate it on its own.
Course Admin Settings Bar
Previously, most of the admin settings for a course were accessible from the left hand side Navigation Menu. That menu has been replaced by the Course Index and now most of those settings that you were used to accessing from the left, now have their own space on the Course Admin Settings Bar. Located at the top of your page, this easy to access toolbar now gives you access to your Course Settings, Participants, Grades, and Reports. Anything else not found under those headings is now accessible from the More menu including Course Reuse, Question Bank, and the Recycle Bin.
Improved Question Bank
One of the largest improvements in Moodle 4.0 is the Question Bank. Functionality for creating categories and questions remain the same, but you now have the added ability of utilizing version history for your questions, draft status, comments, and multiple ways of analyzing your quiz questions to see if they are working in your favor or not.
Timed Assignments and Space to Add Instructions
Improvements that were made to the Assignment feature include the ability to create timed assignments where students will be given a designated time in which to complete their work. There is also now a space reserved to put instructions for an assignment right at the beginning of the creation page.
Notification of New Content
There is now a checkbox at the bottom of each settings page that allows you to notify learners if there have been any changes made to any item created on Moodle.This is a small yet powerful enhancement. Previously if adjustments were made to an item on Moodle, students would not be notified of those changes. With this new feature, students will be notified via email or Moodle notifications that something has been changed within a particular resource or activity. It will not tell students what the change is, however it will tell them which item the changes were made to and gives them a link to access that item.
