In order to collect data, you need to add fields to your database.

It is best to plan out in advance exactly what information you wish to collect.

Field types

• Checkbox - tick list that allows multiple answers to be selected
• Date - a date
• File - allows the upload of a file (any file type)
• Latlong - latitude and longitude, global position, location
• Menu - drop down menu with the ability to select one option
• Multimenu - menu with the ability to make multiple selections
• Number - accepts only numbers entered into this field
• Picture - allows the upload of an image (png, jpg, gif)
• Radio button - list that allows only one option to be selected
• Text area - larger text area with full HTML editor
• Text input - a single line of text
• URL - a link to a website

Things that are automatically collected (don't need fields added):

• User - the logged in user who added the entry
• Date of entry - the date the entry was made
• Date of last update - the date the entry was last updated

Adding a field:

1. Go to the "Fields" tab when viewing your database
2. Under "Create a new field" choose the field type from the drop down menu.
3. Every field will ask for a Name and Description. These are arbitrary, make them something short you will associate with the data being collected (and the name and description can be the same thing).
4. Depending on the field type there may be other settings. Please see the link above to the MoodleDocs page for more information on each field setting.

Choose "Database" from the "Add an activity or resource" menu.

Name - Give your database a name

Description - Give your database a description. This will display at the top of your database.

Display description on course page - If enabled, the description above will be displayed on the course page just below the link to the activity or resource.

Approval required - If enabled, entries require approving by a teacher before they are viewable by everyone.

Allow comment on entries - This allows teachers and students to comment on database entries.

Entries required for completion - The number of entries a student is required to submit before the activity can be considered complete.

Entries required before viewing - The number of entries a student is required to submit before they can view entries from other students.

Note: If entries are required before viewing, the database auto-linking filter should be disabled. This is because the database auto-linking filter can't determine whether a user has submitted the required number of entries.

Maximum number of entries - The maximum number of entries a student is allowed to submit for this activity.

Available from and to is when the database may have entries added to it.

Read only from and to is when the database can still be viewed but can no longer have any entries added to it (or edited).

If you are feeding the entries of this database out using an RSS feed (either into another course or an external site), here you can determine how many entries are included in the RSS feed.

Grade category - This setting controls the category in which this activity's grades are placed in the gradebook.

Roles with permission to rate - To submit ratings users require the moodle/rating:rate capability and any module specific capabilities. Users assigned the following roles should be able to rate items. The list of roles may be amended via the permissions link in the administration block.

Aggregate type - The aggregate type defines how ratings are combined to form the final grade in the gradebook.

• Average of ratings - The mean of all ratings
• Count of ratings - The number of rated items becomes the final grade. Note that the total cannot exceed the maximum grade for the activity.
• Maximum - The highest rating becomes the final grade
• Minimum - The smallest rating becomes the final grade
• Sum - All ratings are added together. Note that the total cannot exceed the maximum grade for the activity.

If "No ratings" is selected, then the activity will not appear in the gradebook.

Scale - If ratings are enabled, choose which scale will be used.

Restrict ratings to items with dates in this range - If enabled, only entries made between the dates specified can be rated. If entries are made outside of those times, they cannot be rated.

Templates are how the database looks on your Moodle page.

There are three main templates you need to worry about:

• List view
• Single entry view
• Add template

All others can be left on their default settings.

List view

This is the default view when people first arrive in the database activity. It shows multiple entries, usually stacked vertically one after the other. If there are a lot of entries in the database, and the entries are long, it may be worth making this a reduced view (with just a title and entry author) which can click through to the single entry.

Single entry view

This shows just a single database entry. It will contain all the information.

Add template

This determines what the page looks like when a student (or teacher) adds a new entry to the database. It will also contain all the possible fields for the participant to fill out, laid out in a way and order that makes sense.

The external tool activity module enables students to interact with learning resources and activities on other web sites. For example, an external tool could provide access to a new activity type or learning materials from a publisher.

For example, to Add Echo360 activity, you can select "Echo360' from the 'External too type' drop down menu:

The feedback activity module enables a teacher to create a custom survey for collecting feedback from participants using a variety of question types including multiple choice, yes/no or text input.

Feedback responses may be anonymous if desired, and results may be shown to all participants or restricted to teachers only. Any feedback activities on the site front page may also be completed by non-logged-in users.

Feedback activities may be used

• For course evaluations, helping improve the content for later participants
• To enable participants to sign up for course modules, events etc.
• For guest surveys of course choices, school policies etc.
• For anti-bullying surveys in which students can report incidents anonymously

Using the tabs along the top of the activity, choose "Edit questions"

There will be no questions there yet.

Choose a question type:

• Add a page break
• Captcha - A test to make sure a real person is filling in the form and not an automatic spamming program of some sort. Asks a person to write out some distorted text which is displayed on screen. You normally won't need this unless you find you are getting spammed a lot.
• Information - This allows you to choose to display one of three types of information: the time of responding; the course and/ or the category where the feedback is located.
• Label - Like a standard Moodle label, this allows you to add abritrary text between questions allowing for extra explanation or to divide the Feedback into sections.
• Longer text answer - This option is for creating a text box (you specify how big it will appear in rows and columns) which people can write a long answer into.
• Multiple choice - This will give you a series of radio buttons, which starts on 'Not selected' and then has your options afterwards. Only one can be chosen and 'Not selected' is a valid answer if the question is not set to 'required'.
• Multiple choice (rated) -

  This is similar to the other multiple choice options, except that each option has a numerical value associated with it. You have the choice of using radio buttons or a drop-down list to display the answers.

  For example:

  How much do you enjoy being in class?
  I love it
  I like it
  It's OK
  I don't like it
  I hate it

  It's not possible to (easily) get out an "average" score - particularly if you're asking the same question before and after an event or course. If the Drop-down List (rated) option is used, then numerical values are associated with each option, allowing an average or other measurements of any responses.

  The above question might look like:

  How much do you enjoy being in class?
  [5] I love it
  [4] I like it
  [3] Its OK
  [2] I don't like it
  [1] I hate it

  Which might allow for an average (e.g. "4.5 this term, up from 3.9 last term") to be calculated.

• Numeric answer - Here, you ask a question which must have a number as an answer and specify the acceptable range e.g. "How many arms would you like, if more than 2 were possible? (please specify 0-10)" with a range of 0-10 set in the options. It helps if you specify the acceptable range in the question text.
• Short text answer - This option lets you specify a single line answer, with an input box which is a set number of characters long (you choose). You also specify the maximum number of characters you will accept, so that the answer is not too long and/or does not run over the length of the box on screen.

As you add questions you will see them appear in the preview section below.

As a teacher you cannot answer the questions in the feedback form.

For more detailed information on building your feedback form, please see the MoodleDocs.

Choose "Feedback" from the "Add an activity or resource" menu.

Give your feedback activity a name.

Write a brief description (maybe why you are gathering this feedback).

Display description on course page - If enabled, the description above will be displayed on the course page just below the link to the activity or resource.

You can leave these disabled.

Otherwise, choose a date range where students can submit feedback.

Record user names

• Anonymous - you cannot see who has submitted the feedback
• User's name will be logged and shown with answers - explains itself

Allow multiple submissions - If enabled for anonymous surveys, users can submit feedback an unlimited number of times.

Enable notification of submissions - If enabled, teachers will receive notification of feedback submissions.

Auto number questions - Enables or disables automated numbers for each question.

Show analysis page - Allows the students to see an analysis page after they've submitted feedback.

Completion message - You can enter a message, maybe a quick thank you, which is displayed after a student submits feedback.

Link to next activity - After submitting the feedback, a continue button is displayed, which links to the course page. Alternatively, it may link to the next activity if the URL of the activity is entered here.

The forum activity module enables participants to have asynchronous discussions i.e. discussions that take place over an extended period of time.

There are several forum types to choose from, such as a standard forum where anyone can start a new discussion at any time; a forum where each student can post exactly one discussion; or a question and answer forum where students must first post before being able to view other students' posts. A teacher can allow files to be attached to forum posts. Attached images are displayed in the forum post.

Participants can subscribe to a forum to receive notifications of new forum posts. A teacher can set the subscription mode to optional, forced or auto, or prevent subscription completely. If required, students can be blocked from posting more than a given number of posts in a given time period; this can prevent individuals from dominating discussions.

Forum posts can be rated by teachers or students (peer evaluation). Ratings can be aggregated to form a final grade which is recorded in the gradebook.

Forums have many uses, such as

• A social space for students to get to know each other
• For course announcements (using a news forum with forced subscription)
• For discussing course content or reading materials
• For continuing online an issue raised previously in a face-to-face session
• For teacher-only discussions (using a hidden forum)
• A help centre where tutors and students can give advice
• A one-on-one support area for private student-teacher communications (using a forum with separate groups and with one student per group)
• For extension activities, for example ‘brain teasers’ for students to ponder and suggest solutions to

Forum settings

Using a forum

Forum FAQ

The glossary activity module enables participants to create and maintain a list of definitions, like a dictionary, or to collect and organise resources or information.

A teacher can allow files to be attached to glossary entries. Attached images are displayed in the entry. Entries can be searched or browsed alphabetically or by category, date or author. Entries can be approved by default or require approval by a teacher before they are viewable by everyone.

If the glossary auto-linking filter is enabled, entries will be automatically linked where the concept words and/or phrases appear within the course.

A teacher can allow comments on entries. Entries can also be rated by teachers or students (peer evaluation). Ratings can be aggregated to form a final grade which is recorded in the gradebook.

Glossaries have many uses, such as

• A collaborative bank of key terms
• A ‘getting to know you’ space where new students add their name and personal details
• A ‘handy tips’ resource of best practice in a practical subject
• A sharing area of useful videos, images or sound files
• A revision resource of facts to remember

Glossary settings

Using Glossary

Glossary FAQ

The HotPot module allows teachers to distribute interactive learning materials to their students via Moodle and view reports on the students' responses and results.

A single HotPot activity consists of an optional entry page, a single elearning exercise, and an optional exit page. The elearning exercise may be a static web page or an interactive web page which offers students text, audio and visual prompts and records their responses. The elearning exercise is created on the teacher's computer using authoring software and then uploaded to Moodle.

A HotPot activity can handle exercises created with the following authoring software:

Hot Potatoes (version 6)

• Qedoc
• Xerte
• iSpring
• any HTML editor