Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Mary Cooch -
Number of replies: 11
Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers Picture of Translators

A major focus of Moodle HQ currently is to improve learners' experiences when accessing Moodle courses on different devices - from a desktop to a tablet to a smartphone. Our Mobile developer Juan Leyva and his team are constantly working on improving the official Moodle Mobile app and Juan has started work on documenting best practice in Creating Moodle Mobile friendly sites.

Some Moodle features work better on a desktop, or viewed through a browser, rather than accessed on the Mobile app, so it is important to give Mobile app users an alternative when your course uses resources currently not supported by the app (such as Book or Lesson).

Juan has solved this issue in a crafty way by using the Conditional activities feature. For some time now, it has been possible to restrict access based on learners' groups, a user profile field, a grade  or having completed a prior activity. It's now possible for developers to create other "availability restrictions" which your admin can install. Juan has craftily used this to make a Moodle Mobile availability plugin which, put simply, allows the teacher to display a different Moodle resource for learners accessing from the Mobile app or not. Here's an example from the Learn Moodle course where we are trying this out:

Mobile app availability plugin

If you're a student on your compter or laptop, following the course from the web - you will only see the Lesson. If, however, you are using the Mobile app you will  only see the PDF alternative.

As a teacher you can set this up from the Restrict access section ot a resource or activity and choosing Mobile App:

Add restriction

You can then decide whether you want your resource to be visible to regular course users or - as below  - to Mobile app users:

Access restrictions Mobile App

..and if you close that "eye" icon then the message about restricted access will be hidden so neither type of learner will ever know the existence of the other resource wink

Average of ratings: Useful (5)
In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Chris Kenniburg -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers

Hello Mary,

We just turned on Moodle Mobile with the announcement that the mobile app is getting some new features that we find quite useful.  

We are really excited to know more about how the Calendar and Push notices are going to work.  

Do you have any videos or information on how it all works?  We are keen on learning more.

In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Andy Chaplin -

Hi Mary,

This is a really useful step in the right direction.  There is a "But" however.

At the moment it only seems to work well if the person remains on one device.  I'm thinking here of things like course completion here.  If a learner changes, from mobile to desktop, then a future conditional activity is going to break because there only appears to be an "and" option with conditionals.  We are going to need an "or" so that we can create an, "if passed desktop lesson, or, if passed mobile lesson," option.

Please don't get me wrong - I'm not whingeing just to pick holes in progress, but the majority of my users at least, use mobile occasionally and not exclusively.  I suspect that's generally true.

On a side note, having an "or" option would allow me to create a more open course, but still have the advantages of good monitoring and control.

Is such a feature in the pipeline?

In reply to Andy Chaplin

Re: Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Mary Cooch -
Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers Picture of Translators

I don't quite follow you - and I would like to, because this is important smile We already have "or" options in Conditional access - what is it you mean that we are missing?

Currently I don't think activity completion works with mobile access but I believe it is something in development.

In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Andy Chaplin -

Sorry Mary, my post is a perfect example that men can't multitask!

I managed to paste over the relevant paragraph which explained it much better.  Currently there is an all or any option which corresponds to and and or, but you can't combine them.  So you can have A and B and C, or A or B or C, but you can't have A and B or C. (or have I missed something?)

Sorry about the amount of ands and ors in that paragraph!

In reply to Andy Chaplin

Re: Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Mary Cooch -
Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers Picture of Translators

I think you can do what you want with a "restriction set". See https://docs.moodle.org/en/Using_Conditional_activities#An_example_of_a_Restriction_set

Average of ratings: Useful (1)
In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Just H -

Snap! lol

In reply to Just H

Re: Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Mary Cooch -
Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers Picture of Translators

Great minds think alike smile

In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Just H -

Or as my dad usesd to say when feeling generous "Fools seldom differ" ... I still prefer your version Mary smile

In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Andy Chaplin -

"i see!" (said the blind man.)

In reply to Andy Chaplin

Re: Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Just H -
In our defence Andy we are but males, and it's well know we don't read manuals smile It's not exactly obvious at first look and I must admit I muttered a few choice words before I figured it out thinking how "dumb" it was to not have "or".
In reply to Andy Chaplin

Re: Moodle Tip: Display different course materials depending on device.

by Just H -

Had us scratching our head for a while; to get the "or" option you need to create a "Restriction set" (see the last option of the Access restriction drop down).

Average of ratings: Useful (1)