Keywords: read, observe, navigate, consume, one way communication, didactic, instruct, educational, educate, inform, information, teach, learning material, content, delivery

What is it?

A resource is a non-interactive content item that supports learning, such as a file or link. See M01c1 - Moodle Resource list for information on what resources can be added to a Moodle course.

Why use it?

To deliver information to students that explains concepts they need to understand.

Who can use it?

Tutors and course administrators can add resources.

Students and anyone that has access to the course can view them.

Before I start...

Decide the most appropriate type of resource for the content you would like to deliver (See M01d1 - Moodle Resource list). You might like to experiment in a test course, so your students won't see this. If you need a test course for this purpose, please request one from Digital Education.

Meeting the Baseline

The  UCL E-Learning Baseline  suggests the following for  Resources :

• 5.1 Use descriptive titles for all items and consider displaying the item's description on the course homepage, as this helps students understand the purpose of the activity or resource.
• 5.2 Provide learning resources - Provide presentation slides, notes or handouts. See which file format to use when. UCL policy is to provide lecture materials 48 hours in advance. 
• 5.3 Provide reading list(s) – Provide a list of course readings, preferably using the UCL online reading list service, outlining which are compulsory and which are optional.
• 5.4 Check resources - Regularly fix or remove broken hyperlinks (URLs) and check that all resources are up-to-date before releasing these to students.

How do I set one up?

1. Navigate to your Moodle course and turn editing on by clicking the button in the top right corner of the page (or by clicking the link under the Settings (Administration) menu).
   
2. Click the "Add an activity or resource" link and choose the type of resource you would like to add and click 'Add'.
3. You will then be taken to the settings page for that resource.
4. Once you have selected the appropriate settings, click the 'Save and display' button and you will be taken into viewing the activity. For some resources (such as books where you need to add pages of content) you will have further configuration options here.
5. Once you have finished reviewing and/or editing the activity you can return to the Moodle course homepage using the breadcrumbs below the banner, this is located at the top of the page. Just click on the name of the course (usually the module code) to navigate to the course page.
6. You may then like to drag and drop the resource in to the correct position on the page, by clicking and holding the cross hair icon to the left of the resource name. Release the icon when the resource is in the correct location or alternatively click on the cross hair icon and select the option where you like to place the resource. 

7. If you have a number of related resources and/or activities, you might like to add a label containing a heading, see below the correct heading structure to use on the page. 

   Text Editor	Use heading option
   Atto Editor	Large heading
   TinyMCE editor	Heading 3

   *To check or change your Editor, go to the top-right corner and  hover over profile your name, click on  Preferences  and click on  Editor Preferences .

8. You can return to the resource's configuration settings by clicking the Edit menu to the right of the resource and choosing 'Edit settings' (Make sure your editing is turned on).

9. Other Edit options include:
   

   Options	Description
   Move right	Move right indents the item, so you can show a hierarchy of items. Once you move right, you will also get an option to  move left , so you can un-indent it.
   Make available	Show or Hide the resource from student view.
   Duplicate	Duplicate resources might save you some editing time for similar resources. This is ideal if you have configured the resource and would like to copy the settings to the duplicate resource. Make sure to apply changes for example, the title, file, links etc.
   Assign Roles	Promote a student to act as a tutor on a particular resource by assigning them to the tutor role with the Assign roles option. This means they would have edit rights just for that resource and nothing else on the page.
   Delete	Delete will prompt you if you really want to delete the resource. Click Yes to delete it.

Caution

- None at this time.

Examples and case studies

- None at this time.

Questions & Answers

Q. How do I hide a resource until it is ready for students to see?

A. Once you have added a resource you can choose to hide or show it by clicking the eye icon in the edit menu, to the right of the item. When hidden the open eye icon will change to show a closed eye.

Alternatively, when adding the resource, or editing its settings, you can choose to hide it under the 'common module settings'.

Further information

See M01c1 - Moodle Resource list for information on what resources can be added to a Moodle course.