New and improved features in Moodle 3.9

Lindsay
Tuesday 16 March 2021

Preview the Moodle feature improvements that will be introduced when we upgrade on Monday 16 August below. The upgrade includes features from versions 3.6, 3.7, 3.8 and 3.9.

Users of the flexible sections course format should be aware that this course format will be retired as part of the upgrade.

 

Here are our top feature enhancement picks…

 

1. Turn editing on/off has moved

Lecturers will turn editing on and off as usual when managing their course page, but the turn editing on/off function will be displayed as a button in the top right rather than as a hyperlink in the Administration block.

Screenshot which shows new position of turn editing on/off function

 

2. New chooser for activities and resources

Lecturers will be presented with a more modern, functional chooser, making it easier to locate activities and resources. They will also be able to star frequently used items, which are then displayed in a ‘Starred’ tab.

Screenshot which shows what the new chooser looks like

 

3. Improved course overview dashboard

Users will see a new ‘Recently accessed courses’ panel on the main course overview dashboard, make navigating to this semester’s courses much quicker once they have started using them.

Screenshot which shows the new recently accessed courses panel

 

4. Assignments: Record feedback and rotate files

Lecturers will be able to record assignment feedback as audio or video when grading. They will also be able to change the orientation of a student’s submission within the grading pane.

Screenshot to show new assignment features

 

5. Quiz: Clear choice for single answer MCQ, plus more

Users undertaking a quiz will be able to clear their choice. Lecturers will be able to edit drag + drop questions more easily. Their experience when accessing the statistics report and viewing the Question Bank (ID numbers present and tags more visible) will be improved.

Screenshot which shows new clear my choice function in MCQ quiz

 

6. Book: View hidden chapters and print output

Users will be able to print books or chapters in a more attractive output. Lecturers will be able to view hidden chapters with editing turned off.

Screenshot which shows hidden chapter greyed out with editing switched off

 

7. Forum: Star, sort, lock threads and reply privately

Users will be able to star and sort discussions, and post and reply inline on the same page. Users will also be able to submit posts for assessment and view grades. Lecturers will be able to reply privately and lock threads, grade discussions, and export them along with a summary report.

 

8. Find duplicated items more easily

Lecturers will be able to easily distinguish between the original activity or resource and the copy they make of it as the duplicate will be appended with ‘copy’.

Screenshot which shows duplicates appended with copy

 

9. Accessibility: Links and decorative images

Users will experience improved accessibility features such as clearer focus on selected links (become highlighted on click). Lecturers will have the option to classify an embedded image as ‘decorative only’, so it is ignored by assistive technologies such as screen readers.

Screenshot to show option to indicate image is decorative only

 

10. Participant filtering with conditions

Lecturers will be able to search for and filter participants more efficiently using conditions.

Screenshot which shows extended partcicipant filtering capabilities

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