The Recommend a Course block plugin allows Moodle users to recommend courses to each other directly within the LMS. It is designed to promote peer-to-peer learning and help learners discover new courses that may be relevant to their interests or roles.

Once added to a user’s Dashboard or Course page, the block displays the latest course recommendations. Depending on where the block is placed (sidebar or center region), it shows either a compact or extended card view of the recommended courses. Each course card includes the course name, image (or Moodle’s default abstract image), and the name of the recommending user.

Features for learners

• Dashboard recommendations: Learners can view the most recent courses recommended to them.

• Course cards: Courses are displayed with images, names, categories, and the recommender’s details.

• All recommendations page: shows a complete list of all recommendations received by the logged-in user in a structured table.

Features for administrators

• Recommendation history: Administrators with the block/recommend_course:viewstats capability can access a history.php page, where they can review all recommendation activity across the site, including who recommended which course to whom and when.

• Statistics page: Administrators can view overall recommendation trends (stats_table.php), including the most recommended and least recommended courses. This provides insights into course popularity and engagement within the Moodle site.

Technical details

• Follows Moodle’s standard block plugin framework.

• Uses Moodle’s native rendering for course images (including support for course summary files and fallback to auto-generated abstract images).

• Includes separate pages for All recommendations, History, and Statistics, linked from the block footer for easy access.

• Compatible with Boost, Classic, and other standard Moodle Themes.

• Supports role-based access control for history and statistics pages.

Use cases

• Encourage peer learning by allowing students or staff to recommend courses they found useful.

• Help administrators identify popular courses and underutilized content.

• Provide learners with a more personalized experience by surfacing courses recommended by their peers.

Support and Feedback

This plugin is developed and maintained by JUSTADDWATER. 
You can also use contact page on our website for reporting issues, support or any other feedback.