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Keywords: module readings, resources, library, journal articles, access, electronic, reading lists, required, optional
ReadingLists@UCL is an online service that gives students easy access to materials on their reading lists from any web connection and lets staff create and update lists whenever they need to.
Lists have a unique identifier - an 8-character code. Moodle editors use this code to associate the list with that Moodle course. This allows staff to connect students with the relevant digital materials including journals, databases, books and web-based resources. For materials not available digitally, students are instructed about borrowing a hard copy.
There are two ways to include lists in your Moodle course:
It avoids intellectual property issues, especially when used with the Library's Course Readings digitisation service.
It links students directly to Library and external items, with the option of presenting these in context in the body of your Moodle course.
This context allows you to give students extra guidance about, say, questions to keep in mind or theoretical lenses to adopt while reading.
Staff with editing permissions in a Moodle course set up and display lists.
Anybody with access to that Moodle course can click through to the linked list items.
Either request a new reading list or arrange editing rights to an existing one via the Library's ReadingLists@UCL service (refer to ReadingLists@UCL for teaching staff).
Ensure that the code for your list matches the Portico Identifier in the corresponding Moodle course's settings (to get to the course setting, go to your course's front page and in its Settings block click Edit > Settings). If necessary, correct the Portico Identifier to match your list's code.
Don't worry, the Portico Identifier in your Moodle course settings doesn't affect which students populate your Moodle course - that is achieved through the Portico Enrolment block
To find the code for your reading list, sign into the ReadingLists@UCL service and note your list's 'Linked to' field. If you need help with this part, please contact readinglists@ucl.ac.uk.
The Library Resources Block appears on the right of your main content and contains a number of Library links. It can be configured to display any reading list.
After finding your reading list code (see above) and checking that it matches the module's Portico Identifier, you then use the Library Resources Block in your Moodle course as follows:
On the right-hand side of the screen, click the arrow to ' Open the block drawer' . Check if the ' Library Resources block has already been added. If it has not been added , follow the instructions below.
Sometimes you want to display particular list items within the body of your Moodle course - the 'Reading List Activity' enables this.
Tutors find this helpful when they wish to highlight a few resources at a time - such as weekly readings - in particular, Moodle sections. If you've divided your reading list into sections, you can display those sections as well as individual items.
Here's how to display items within the main Moodle content area:
Information on how the Reading List system works is provided by the UCL Library team and can be found by visiting ReadingLists@UCL.
A small but important amount of maintenance is required before each new academic year to maintain Reading List items links - see below and make a note in your diary to do this since it is easily overlooked.
At the end of each academic year, the Library makes a duplicate of your list for the coming year and archives the original. You can follow developments on the ReadingLists@UCL blog.
After the Library archives your list each summer and duplicates a new one, the Moodle 'Reading List block/activity' requires you to re-link the readings to the new list (this situation affects all institutions using the plugin - not just UCL).
If it is unclear to you whether the Reading List items link to the archived or current list, check as follows:
In the right hand column of that entry page is the context of the item: “This item appears on List: …”.
Click on the link to the List; the list page displays.
There you can see an alert “This list relates to the academic year Academic Year 2021/22 which ended on 23/06/2022”, followed by “This list has a newer version. Click here to view”, and “This list has been archived”.
To mend links to reading list items so they point to the current reading list:
Further help
If you find any inaccurate or missing information you can even update this yourself (it's a communal wiki).
If you have a specific question about the tool please contact the Digital Education team.
By logging into the ReadingLists@UCL service, going to the reading list in question and clicking on its Dashboard button, you can find statistics about the number of ‘clicks’ each item on your Reading List has had.
As outlined above, items presented via a 'Reading List items' resource which is set to display embedded inline items are not counted in these statistics, but items set to display on a separate page are counted.
Examples:
Follow these easy steps to manually add a reading list to the block:
This is easily resolved. It happens because the contents of the Portico Identifier field need to be unique.
If adding a Portico Identifier to a new course within the Moodle course settings, to make it unique append an underscore or dash followed by a number - or any other characters, e.g. ECON7003 becomes ECON7003_2.