Moodle plugins directory: Reviews

Plugin reviews

Dialogue

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Saturday, 22 April 2017, 7:01 AM (62 days 12 hours)

Reviewed version: 3.2.0
General comments: This plugin adds a new course activity that allow Students or Teachers to start a private conversation with another user in the same Course.Moodle has a sophisticated Messaging system in core now, and it's possible to have private conversations using standard functionality. However, this plugin provides a number of features somewhat different to the core functionality including:Adds a new Activity, so it is available just like other Activities to place within a Section (Week/Topic) just li...
Usability: The Dialogue plugin creates an Activity that feels very much part of Moodle once it has been installed.There are no surprises in terms of the interface, and it's very easy to use, even for users new to Moodle.The documentation is excellent ! Well done :-)https://docs.moodle.org/32/en/Dialogue_module
Accessibility: This module has been developed over many years, with input from the community, so any discussions regarding accessibility have likely been had over this time.From my testing I can see no obvious accessibility issues - all options and form elements adhere to expected layouts and appearance.
Technical: I have not reviewed the code for this module, but over the years it has ben maintained by some very notable Moodle developers and contributors, so I would not expect any issues in this area.In terms of performance, when testing the activity by adding it to a course it does not appear to impact speed at all.This plugin was originally released in 2009, and has had a number of maintainers and contributors, but always had timely releases for new versions of Moodle. Whether the module continues...

Course contents

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Friday, 21 April 2017, 10:49 AM (63 days 9 hours)

Reviewed version: 5.0
General comments: This Block creates a dynamic Table of Contents (TOC) for the Course - a list of all visible Sections (Topics or Weeks).Clicking on one of the TOC links will display that particular section on the course page.Although the features can be paralleled using the Navigation Block for example, this plugin does provide some additional control and options that mean it could still add something 'new to the mix' in the way it can pull the Section names, and/or the Section Summary (description) and cleverly...
Usability: The Block is very easy to setup, and basically looks after itself once added.I like the way each section in the Table of Contents has a number too :-)It is perhaps useful for Teachers to use short section titles / summary descriptions, because if they are long it results in the titles having to wrap in the Block - no way to avoid this - other than having concise section titles.
Accessibility: There are no real accessibility issues here, because the Block is simply creating a list of hyperlinks to each course section.However, it's worth noting that you can format content in the Summary / Description field and use with the multi-language Filter to generate the Table of Contents in the user's language as specified on their Profile.
Technical: I haven't reviewed the code, but as the plugin is maintained by David Mudrák, a long time Moodle developer and member of the Moodle HQ team, I think we can be very confident it follows best-practice coding guidelines !This plugin has been developed since 2011, and has regular fixes and updates, so no problem there.I haven't noticed any adverse performance when adding this to a Course :-)

Course Contacts Block

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Friday, 21 April 2017, 9:09 AM (63 days 10 hours)

Reviewed version: 3.0
General comments: The Block can be configured to show contact methods including: Email, Message, and Phone number, the user Profile picture and online status - similar to Skype, Facebook Messenger, etc.Due to the fact that the Block displays personal information from Profiles (email and phone number in particular) it should not be used in Courses that allow Guest access for obvious privacy reasons. The developers make this clear - good :-)It might be possible to replicate/access the functionality of this Block in...
Usability: The Block is extremely easy for Students to use - requiring nothing more than a 'point and click' approach.It's good that the Teachers are listed above Students in the Block.If used, the Phone number is displayed from the Phone field of the user Profile. I'm nit sure is the Mobile phone number would be a better choice? In a perfect world the plugin should probably give the Moodle administrator to choose which of these could be displayed, or both perhaps ?
Accessibility: In my testing, using the Clean Theme in Moodle, the Block does have some display elements that appear slightly odd. The font / heading used seems very large, and the icons for the Email, Message, and Phone don't really hang together well with the core Theme icons. This results in the Block looking somewhat 'out of place' within the wider styling of the Course and other Blocks.. These are relatively small issues and don't affect the functionality, but a little more work in these...
Technical: I have not reviewed the coding style and readability of this plugin. However, there are some very experienced developers maintaining this plugin, which have contributed and maintain several other well respected Moodle plugins - so we can expect the standard to be very high here :-)Development of this Block originally started back in 2011, so it has 'stood the test of time' in terms being updated regularly to continue working with new releases of Moodle.I haven't noticed any performance iss...

Completion Progress

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Friday, 21 April 2017, 8:25 AM (63 days 11 hours)

Reviewed version: Version for Moodle 2.7 onwards
General comments: This plugin Block is in many ways the Block that 'Progress bar should have aways been - in that it ties in directly to the core 'completion tracking' of activities within Moodle :-)It's possibly one of the most useful Blocks around, and I wouldn't be surprised to see this Block, or a direct derivative of the code, in core Moodle one day.It is important to understand that there are configuration settings that only the Moodle site administrator can make once this Block in installed, so it will be ...
Usability: Very easy to setup for Teachers, with a good range of options including the fact that the ordering can be based on expected completion times, or on the (linear) order of the activities in the course.Adding the Completion Progress Block to the Dashboard produces a view of ALL courses for Students - fantastic ! This is something many Teachers and/or Managers / Administrators will find very useful too.The interface and graphs for Students are excellent - and provide not only a clear visual snapsho...
Accessibility: During the development of this plugin there were many forum discussions about the accessibility aspect or colours, layout, and other display factors. To address accessibility concerns the Block can display using multiple lines, allowing the bar to scroll, or squeezing the bars together (the default is to squeeze) - see note above about Moodle administrators choosing the setting.By default, the colours used in the block are red, blue, yellow and green, but all these colours can be changed to ref...
Technical: I haven't reviewed the code for this plugin, but it has been around for a long time (albeit initially with a different name) and being developed by Michael we can be sure it passes the most rigorous technical standards for Moodle plugins.The performance of the Block when used within a course is fine, with no noticeable slow-down of the page rendering.The plugin has been maintained well, and updated regularly, so I would have no hesitation in recommending this for use on any Moodle site.

ChessBlock

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Tuesday, 11 April 2017, 8:05 AM (73 days 11 hours)

Reviewed version: 1.0
General comments: Quite possibly the easiest plugin to review ... because it just does what it says and allows you to play Chess within your Moodle course !However, it's worth noting that it is self-contained within a Block, so it's quite possible to play Chess while doing other things in Moodle such as Messaging, Chat, responding to Forums etc. Obviously there is a limit to how many sites would want to install this plugin, but in schools, or social sites, it could certainly be well received :-)You can try ...
Usability: Very usable - and great fun !The graphics are very clear and the Block in easy to use.
Accessibility: To move the chess piece you have to use a mouse, which might be an accessibility issue for some users? Not sure if the Block could implement a traditional chess notation system to allow moves to be input from the keyboard? Although to be fair that is not the Moodle Block so much as the underlying code of the chess system.
Technical: I can't comment on the coding quality. The documentation is brief, but sufficient.The Block is a very new release, so can't comment on how well maintained it might be in the future.We didn't notice any performance issues when the Block is added to a course. Not sure if this might change if there were multiple players on the site/course at the same time?

Booking

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Monday, 10 April 2017, 9:05 AM (74 days 10 hours)

Reviewed version: Alex Kirkman 1.8
General comments: This Booking module has developed into a really great plugin. It can be used as a Booking form for Courses on your site, or, by changing the settings of the activity, for booking face-to-face workshops for example.There have been a few attempts at developing other similar event booking type plugins, but this seems to be the best in terms of features and updates.This plugin makes it easy for managing participants and subscription of online and offline courses and events.Email confirmations can...
Usability: East to use, with a good clean interface. The documentation I could see this replacing our own Moodle site booking system (whch is based on the Feedback activity at this time).The use of special forced user fields (profile fields) to gather additional information is a little awkward (as it's only Admin that can set this up). It could be better if Booking could be setup by Teachers with some additional 'required fields' such as Email address, Address, etc. as this plugin could then be ...
Accessibility: This plugin adheres closely to the Moodle coding guidelines, judging by it's tightly integrated appearance and logic once installed.The option to import CSV files (which could of course be setup in Excel, Calc, or similar first) to quickly setup multiple bookings is excellent.There are quite a lot of settings that only Administrators can change, so I would strongly recommend that this plugin be setup by Moodle technical administrator, alongside academic staff, to ensure that the functionality is...
Technical: After installing (which was flawless) and testing we've found it to be both reliable and stable, with no obvious performance problems.I certainly don't feel qualified to comment on the coding quality of David Bogner- but you can see he has developed numerous Moodle plugins !This plugin has been actively developed since 2012, with many regular releases, which is a good sign for considering the use f any plugin. However, do note that there is a statement that the latest version is avail...

BigBlueButtonBN

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Monday, 10 April 2017, 7:45 AM (74 days 12 hours)

Reviewed version: 2.1.7
General comments: Big Blue Button (often written as 'BBB') is an open source (like Moodle) web-conference system. Although it is free and open source, it provides similar functionality to systems costing many thousands of dollars such as Adobe Connect, Cisco WebEx, and WiZiQ.This plugin allows Teachers to add BBB conference rooms to courses in just the same way as they might add a Forum or Quiz ! There's almost no learning curve to using the plugin - although of course Teachers, and Students, do need ...
Usability: Very easy to use - with excellent documentation and video tutorials available on the BBB site.Administrators will have quite a bit of work to do to setup a Big Blue Button Server, and then install this integration plugin and configure correctly. However, for the end user, which is this case is Teachers adding a BBB activity, or Students using a BBB activity, it's fantastic, and works just like any other Activity in Moodle :-)Is it fun, with good graphics ? Well yes ! IF you nee...
Accessibility: The accessibility of the plugin itself is covered by Moodle plugin code guidelines, which the plugin follows.How accessible Big Blue Button itself is would be a different question, and is best answered by reading BBB documentation and Forums. But in terms of the accessibility of this plugin, within Moodle, there do not appear to be any specific accessibility concerns.
Technical: Obviously I haven't reviewed the code for this ! lol. That would take some time ;-)But we can say that the maintainability of this awesome plugin is likely to be around for as long as Big Blue Button itself is around. And the integration is part of MoodleCloud services, so both BBB and Moodle HQ have a highly vested interest in ensuring this integration plugin continues to work.One thing I would note is that it can be a challenging process to initially setup a BBB server. Too m...

Auto enrolment

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Friday, 7 April 2017, 1:09 PM (77 days 6 hours)

Reviewed version: brits-r1
General comments: This plugin is great - and just "does what it says".There a few useful options including the ability to notify users upon enrolment, and trigger the enrolment action (once added to a Course as an Enrolment method) based on various different criteria.We actually use this plugin on our public plugins demonstration site, so you can see it in action for yourself :-) You can experience this plugin for real as a user on: http://plugins.moodlebites.com
Usability: Installed fine. It fits with the standard approach of Moodle Enrolment methods. Once added, it provides a standard and well formatted appearance, well integrated, and feels just like one of the standard Enrolment methods available in Moodle :-)
Accessibility: This is a relatively simple plugin, at least in terms of it's interface and operation. It feels and works just like other standard Enrolment options, and so presents no issues in terms of accessibility.
Technical: I haven't reviewed the code, but Eugene maintains a number of Moodle plugins which are all very good :-). The plugin installed without any issues (in Moodle 3.1) and was easy to configure and implement - no problems technically.

Attendance Register

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Friday, 7 April 2017, 12:27 PM (77 days 7 hours)

Reviewed version: 2016.11.30.01
General comments: This plugin extends the standard Moodle logging and reports / statistic gathering, to provide some 'time spent on course' type data. This is in fact a much discussed and often requested feature for Moodle (although there are many discussions about just how useful these types of statics really are - and how the act of measuring time does not equate to measuring learning, or even activity).The above noted, it can still be really interesting and useful to see this data, and that's what this p...
Usability: The interface is certainly easy to use, but you do need to understand exactly what is being measured, and how, to correctly interpret the reports.Make sure that you read the documentation on https://github.com/CinecaElearning/moodle-mod_attendanceregister/wiki - there are some very useful comments and explanations about how this plugin works.The plugin integrates very nicely with Moodle, including the Administration menu options.
Accessibility: I can't see any specific accessibility issues relating to this plugin. The interface for both Teachers and Students is clear and logical, and uses the standard Moodle dialog and formatting you would expect.A really nice feature is the ability to switch to a very cleanly formatted 'Print view' from the normal view via an onscreen button - super !
Technical: I have not checked the code of this plugin. The performance seems very good, and we have not noticed any slow down of the site or course when using this plugin. In terms of maintainability, it is worth noting that this plugin was initially released in 2012, and has had very regular updates from the CinecaElearning developers since :-)

Appointments

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Friday, 7 April 2017, 10:58 AM (77 days 8 hours)

Reviewed version: 2.1.1
General comments: This Block installed OK, and in fact still runs well in Moodle 3.1 - perhaps because it's operation is actually fairly simple and straightforward. It still functions as documented, including the notification to Students (if used) and booking in Calendars correctly. The only slight niggle is the formatting of the Block does not seem to adhere to the newer Block formatting (see below).Very easy to use :-). You can try this Block yourself for real on our public plugins site: h...
Usability: Perhaps because the last version on this Block was released for Moodle 2.4 is does seem to have some small formatting issues - in Moodle 3.1 at least. The Date/Time selector overflows the Block area a little, although it doesn't seem to affect the functionality at all, just looks a little untidy.
Accessibility: As this is a fairly old Block now (with no recent updates) and features a number of dropdown menus for selecting the Date/Time, it might not pass some of the more stringent accessibility standards now in operation?
Technical: I've not reviewed code. However, based on the fact the last release was for Moodle 2.4 it's quite possible it doesn't comply with current standards. However, it's unlikely to result in any security issues as far as I can see given that it's a course based Block.

Analytics graphs

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Sunday, 19 March 2017, 5:09 AM (96 days 14 hours)

Reviewed version: v3.2.2
General comments: There are quite a few attempts at writing plugins that provide analytics data. Administrators have to be careful because many of these rely on other (often paid) external services, and other plugins arrive with a fanfare, but are not then maintained. This Analytics graphs Block started life in 2012, and has been continually upgraded through to Moodle 3.2.The documentation link appears to direct to a page in Portuguese, and the Website URL is the GitHub page (with no additional docume...
Usability: The screenshots on the plugin Documentation page do a good job of capturing the main functionality of the Block, but understandably cannot convey how dynamic and flexible this Block is to use for real - it's great ! All the graphs and data can be downloaded as various image formats and data (e.g. pdf, xls, csv) which means the data can be further analysed or incorporated into reports. It can feel a tiny bit slow now and again, but that's just a consequence of dealing with large amoun...
Accessibility: We haven't detected any major accessibility issues. Of course this Block is for Teachers (and perhaps Managers and Administrators) so doesn't impact on Students use in terms of accessibility.
Technical: We have noticed no performance impact in courses using this plugin.

Accessibility

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Sunday, 19 March 2017, 4:45 AM (96 days 15 hours)

Reviewed version: 2.2.3
General comments: I have tested this plugin (version 2.2.3) on Moodle 3.1. Documentation indicates the Block works with Moodle 2.2 through to 2.9. We haven't found any issues using the Block in 3.0 or 3.1. There are well in excess of 1,000 Moodle sites using the plugin. You can try this Block yourself for real on our public plugins site: http://plugins.moodlebites.com
Usability: It feels a little slow on very large pages with a lot of content, but as users will generally choose a setting and probably stick with that it's not a huge concern. The design and graphics are very simple, and self-explanatory, and it is very easy to use.Documentation is good, and the screenshots on the Descriptions page give a very clear idea of what the plugin with provide - excellent. The Developers documentation is fantastic (exemplary in fact!) and the first few pages would be useful for ...
Accessibility: Obviously this Block is totally focussed on Accessibility !Everything works 'as it should' and the Block responds to Theme changes as expected :-)
Technical: The Block installed without any issues. it's been successfully upgraded through various versions of Moodle, from 2.7 through to 3.1 without issues. We haven't noticed any performance issues with the Block enabled. The Block has been developed since 2011, with regular releases, and the new maintainer Hittesh is responding to discussions. There is a bug Tracker for this Block too :-)

Stash

Reviewed by

Mary Cooch on Monday, 10 October 2016, 6:29 PM (256 days 1 hour)

Reviewed version: 1.1.0
General comments: The Stash block brings gamification and motivation into a Moodle course with a slightly different take than with badges.Once the teacher has added the block to her course, she can then upload an image representing an achievement - a coin, some treasure, a key etc.Code is produced which the teacher can then add to various places in the course via the code icon in the Atto text editor so that when a student accesses those locations, the 'stash' object is displayed and the student can 'pick it up' ...
Usability: Documentation on the stash block is available as well as an introductory video so the technical side of setting up the block is well covered, although ideas for making the most of the block's potential are left to the imagination of the course teacher. One or more instances of the stash object may be placed in the course. In this example, the teacher creates a 'treasure' stash object from 'Set up' in the block and then clicks the 'Location' text to get the code needed to paste into the Atto...
Technical: The plugin was developed and is maintained by two members of Moodle HQ, Adrian Greeve and Frédéric Massart so you can expect it to be of high quality and kept up to date.

Restriction by course completion

Reviewed by

Helen Foster on Tuesday, 27 September 2016, 5:32 PM (269 days 2 hours)

Reviewed version: 2.7 - 3.1
General comments: Restriction by course completion works in the same way as other availability restriction plugins such as 'Restriction by activity completion'. Restriction by course completion is extremely useful if you have a certificate of course completion, as it avoids having to add a long list of activity completion access restrictions. It can also be used to show a final feedback activity or a label with a link and enrolment key to a follow-up course. Restriction by course completion may also be ...
Usability: To use this plugin, obviously restrict access must be enabled on your site (as described in the documentation [Restrict access settings](https://docs.moodle.org/en/Restrict_access_settings)) and also course completion (as described in [Course completion settings](https://docs.moodle.org/en/Course_completion_settings)). Restriction by course completion is very simple to use. A 'Course completed' restriction can be added to any activity, resource or course section in any course with course comp...
Technical: The plugin is currently maintained by Renaat Debleu, who has also [contributed several other additional plugins](https://moodle.org/plugins/browse.php?list=contributor&id=1207459), including another availability restriction plugin, restriction by language.

Flexible sections format

Reviewed by

Mary Cooch on Friday, 16 September 2016, 6:10 PM (280 days 1 hour)

Reviewed version: 2.8.4
General comments: The Flexible sections course format is exactly what it says it is: it allows teachers to customise the display of individual course sections, adding subsections, nesting sections within others and selecting some to display expanded and some collapsed.It solves a problem some teachers have with a desire to show separate content within a single topic section but without the 'scroll of death'. It is an improvement on using labels and indented activities to create artificial subsections and also a w...
Security: The plugin is developed and maintained by Marina Glancy, Development Process Manager at Moodle HQ. We can therefore expect it to meet all security standards.
Usability: Once installed, the plugin is very intuitive to use, but there is a short documentation page available if further explanation is needed: Flexible sections course format.Once the teacher selects the course format from Course administration >Edit settings and turns on the editing they can then add subsections to each course section:More than one subsection may be added, and for each subsection there is a link to add activities and resources. The icons for moving, deleting and hiding each s...
Technical: The plugin is developed and maintained by Marina Glancy, Development Process Manager at Moodle HQ. We can therefore expect it to meet all coding standards.

Checklist

Reviewed by

Mary Cooch on Sunday, 11 September 2016, 9:59 PM (284 days 21 hours)

Reviewed version: 2.x (Build: 2015010100)
General comments: The Checklist block works with the Checklist activity module to provide a quick way for teachers and students to track progress in a whole course or sections of a course. It is a well established and popular block that has been adopted, along with the Checklist activity, as one of the add-ons available with Moodle for School packages.It relies on the Checklist activity being installed as well and once a checklist has been added, the block can be included in the normal way from the Add block drop...
Usability: The block is very easily installed by an administrator directly from the Install plugins link in Site administration, but it will not work without the Checklist activity plugin also being installed.A teacher can add the block in the usual way and as long as checklist activities have been set up, the only configuration required is to decide whether to show one checklist or an overview of them all. If one checklist is selected, the teacher sees progress bars for each student and can filter by grou...

Checklist

Reviewed by

Mary Cooch on Sunday, 11 September 2016, 9:46 PM (284 days 22 hours)

Reviewed version: 2.x (Build: 2016052000)
General comments: The Checklist module allows teachers and students to keep track of progress by having course items ticked and a progress bar displayed. The teacher can set checklists for the course as a whole or for each section; she can decide whether students can customise their checklists and whether items will be automatically ticked when completion criteria are met, or whether the student should manually tick the checklist items.The activity offers a range of display, feedback and notification option...
Usability: An administrator can easily install the plugin from the Install plugins link in Site administration. Its settings page offers the possibility to show or hide the checklists on the Dashboard (although the wording is currently the out-of-date term 'My Moodle')A teacher can easily add a checklist from the 'Add an activity or resource' link, and the activity set up screen is well served with help pop ups for anything unclear, which is useful as there are many settings. Additionally, the a...

HTML (per role)

Reviewed by

Mary Cooch on Sunday, 4 September 2016, 9:28 PM (291 days 22 hours)

Reviewed version: 3.1.0 (build 2016083100)
General comments: The HTML per role block provides a simple solution to an oft-requested issue in Moodle: the possibility of displaying different messages to different roles in a Moodle course. A typical course might include editing teachers, non-editing teachers, students and even possibly moderators or supervisors with either the standard manager role or a custom role. Keeping the course tidy while displaying separate instructions to different people can prove tricky, involving hidden labels and complex r...
Security: Something to bear in mind if you are thinking of privacy is that anyone who can add this block can see or edit the messages of a higher role to themselves. So for example, an editing teacher can access the block and view any instructions set for someone with a manager role. This is not a problem as long as all parties are aware of the situation.
Usability: Using the block couldn't be simpler: an administrator can install it directly from Site administration>Plugins>Install plugins and then a course editor can select HTML per role block from the Add block dropdown when the editing is turned on.The interface is fairly intuitive, although it's important to be aware of the role contexts and also, should certain users have more than one role in a course, which message you wish to be displayed for them in the block. There is a box to type a messag...
Accessibility: Based as it is on the standard HTML block, this custom block also works well in RTL languages such as Hebrew.
Technical: The block is one of many contributed to the community by experienced developer Valéry Frémaux of French Moodle Partner Edunao. As such we can expect it to be well designed and well maintained.

Word count

Reviewed by

Helen Foster on Friday, 2 September 2016, 9:41 PM (293 days 22 hours)

Reviewed version: 2014072100
General comments: Word count is a very simple plugin for the Atto text editor. It adds an icon to the text editor toolbar which, when clicked, reports on the number of words and letters in the entered text.
Usability: After installing the plugin, an administrator needs to add word count in the toolbar config. Word count is super easy for students and teachers to use. When a student is composing an online text assignment submission, for example, they can simply click the word count icon (#) in the text editor toolbar and the number of words and letters in the text will be displayed. The number of words reported by the word count plugin will be consistent with elsewhere in Moodle where words are counted, ...
Technical: Word count is currently maintained by Moodle HQ developer Damyon Wiese. It is also one of the specially selected plugins to feature in the [Moodle for School](https://moodle.com/cloud/school/) package. As such, you can expect its code to be of a high quality and for it to be reliably maintained in the long term. Although the current version is for Moodle 2.7, I installed it on a 3.1.1 site and found it to work perfectly.

Group choice

Reviewed by

Helen Foster on Friday, 26 August 2016, 8:55 PM (300 days 23 hours)

Reviewed version: 1.9 for Moodle 2.7-3.0 (Build: 2015121000)
General comments: As the name suggests, the group choice activity provides an easy way of enabling participants to choose which group (or groups) they want to be in. After making their choice, participants are automatically added to their chosen groups. Group choice is similar to the choice activity and has lots of settings in common, such as whether to allow participants to change their choice and whether to limit the number of participants who can select each choice option. Group choice can be used in a v...
Usability: The plugin is easy to install and use with the [[Group choice quick guide]]. Once added to your site, it can be selected from the activity chooser. it is necessary though to first create groups in the course before creating a group choice activity. The group choice activity uses group names, so they need to be clear but also short, since they are used elsewhere in the course. It it a good idea to give each group a description, otherwise the 'Show descriptions' link, when participants are choo...
Technical: The plugin is currently maintained by Nicolas Dunand, who has also [contributed several other additional plugins](https://moodle.org/plugins/browse.php?list=contributor&id=141933). Group choice is also one of the specially selected plugins to feature in the [Moodle for School](https://moodle.com/cloud/school/) package. As such you can expect its code to be of a high quality and for it to be reliably maintained in the long term. Although the group choice version 1.9 is for Moodle 2.7-3....

Quizventure

Reviewed by

Mary Cooch on Monday, 22 August 2016, 11:02 PM (304 days 20 hours)

Reviewed version: v3.1-r2
General comments: This plugin is particularly suited to courses where the subjects which require a lot of factual recall, for example vocabulary and grammar learning in languages, algorithms in computing, dates and events in history. Inspired by the space invaders games of the 80s, Quizventure brings an element of fun to what could normally be plain hard work, motivating students to keep practising in order to shoot as many alien space ships as they can. It works extremely well for reluctant students who end up m...
Usability: The plugin is easy to install and use with a Quick guide and accompanying video. Once added to the site, it can be selected from the Activity chooser.However, for it to work, the course question bank must have multiple choice and/or matching questions in the category which is chosen when setting up the activity. (This isn't made clear at the time of creation so it is worth reading the documentation.) It might be worth creating dedicated categories just with these question types for use in Quizve...
Technical: The plugin is currently maintained by John Okely of Moodle HQ. It is also one of the specially selected plugins to feature in the Moodle for School package. As such you can expect its code to be of a high quality and for it to be reliably maintained long term.

Paste special

Reviewed by

Mike Churchward on Thursday, 17 March 2016, 4:51 AM (1 year 98 days)

Reviewed version: 2016031100
General comments: Version reviewed: 2015082600Summary:Atto “Paste Special” plugin was designed to reduce or eliminate the extraneous html markup code generated when content is pasted into the html editor directly from an external source (vs. typed in directly). Recent versions have expanded upon this functionality to allow users to insert tables, to keep original styling elements, and to paste in html code that hasn’t been “cleansed.” While the output produced by this plugin ably addresses the needs...
Usability: Installation:Installation is straightforward so there’s no need to change the configuration defaults.Layout of dialog boxThe layout and labeling of the text fields on the screen (1, 3, 2, 4) is out of sequence and, forcing the user to jump around the screen to find out where to go next. The layout for the “Help” screen takes this problem a step further with the list of options that appear in Step 2 displaced completely by a line of descriptive text (“Follow the itemized steps to past...
Accessibility: Clearly, including an option to “Paste text without cleaning HTML” gives the user the ability to circumvent Atto’s expressed goal to deliver rich content that doesn’t compromise “usability and accessibility” guidelines.More importantly, the plugin itself has accessibility issues. For example, when content is pasted into the “Content to be pasted” box, a user cannot keyboard navigate to the “Select from where the text was formatted” section.
Technical: Full code testing results(Scores out of 2 - 2 = perfect; 1 = some concerns; 0 = problems.)Tested for PHP 5.6 and 7 on both MySQL and Postgres. No version of technology problems were found. Score - 2.Installation test (mpci install) - no problems. Score 2.PHP syntax test (mpci phplint) - no problems. Score 2.PHP copy/paste detector (mpci phpcpd) - no duplication of code. Score 2.PHP code complexity (mpci phmd) - Very minor issue caused by API; no penalty. Score - 2.Moodle code guidelines (...

Microsoft Block

Reviewed by

Mike Churchward on Thursday, 17 March 2016, 4:20 AM (1 year 98 days)

Reviewed version: 30.0.0.5
General comments: Version reviewed: 30.0.0.4Summary:The microsoft block allows the user to access the course sharepoint file location, view the course OneNote notebook for submissions and modify their Office 365 integration preferences. Overall the block is very useful, but does require that a theme use blocks in it and that the teacher or admin adds the block to the course.Confidence:The integration works well and functions as designed. Microsoft and Remote-Learner are actively improving the integration and as s...
Usability: Installation:The plugin is installed in the normal fashion for Moodle plugins either by cloning the repository into the blocks directory from the github repository or downloading a zip and following the installation instructions:Unpack the plugin into /blocks/microsoft within your Moodle install.From the Moodle Administration block, expand Site Administration and click "Notifications".Follow the on-screen instructions to install the plugin.Add the block to any page you want it displaye...
Accessibility: No formal accessibility testing was done on this plugin. However, nothing has come up in our other tests to indicate a problem. In the future, we will be developing more formal accessibility testing suites and will redo them then.
Technical: Technical Code Review:Full code testing results(Scores out of 2 - 2 = perfect; 1 = some concerns; 0 = problems.)Tested for PHP 5.6 and 7 on both MySQL and Postgres. No version of technology problems were found. Score - 2.Installation test (mpci install) - no problems. Score 2.PHP syntax test (mpci phplint) - no problems. Score 2.PHP copy/paste detector (mpci phpcpd) - No duplication. Score 2.PHP code complexity (mpci phmd) - generally code is okay. One file out of 8 flagged with minor violations...

OneNote Feedback

Reviewed by

Mike Churchward on Thursday, 17 March 2016, 4:10 AM (1 year 98 days)

Reviewed version: 30.0.0.2
General comments: Version Reviewed: 30.0.0.2Summary:The OneNote assignment feedback plugin is useful for providing teachers with the ability to provide comments using the OneNote tools to student submissions. Feedback is provided separate from the original submission and it is easy to navigate between the two. Teachers are able to comment inline on the submission. The drawback is that it requires the assignments to be submitted as OneNote documents to begin with.Overall if a teacher can commit...
Usability: Installation:The plugin is installed in the normal fashion for Moodle plugins either by cloning the repository into the assignment feedback plugins directory from the github repository or downloading a zip and following the installation instructions:Unpack the plugin into /mod/assign/feedback/onenote within your Moodle install.From the Moodle Administration block, expand Site Administration and click "Notifications".Follow the on-screen instructions to install the plugin.Once ins...
Accessibility: No formal accessibility testing was done on this plugin. However, nothing has come up in our other tests to indicate a problem. In the future, we will be developing more formal accessibility testing suites and will redo them then.
Technical: Code Review:Full code testing results(Scores out of 2 - 2 = perfect; 1 = some concerns; 0 = problems.)Tested for PHP 5.6 and 7 on both MySQL and Postgres. No version of technology problems were found. Score - 2.Installation test (mpci install) - no problems. Score 2.PHP syntax test (mpci phplint) - no problems. Score 2.PHP copy/paste detector (mpci phpcpd) - No duplication. Score 2.PHP code complexity (mpci phmd) - generally code is okay. Three files out of ~20 flagged with minor violations.&nbs...

OneNote submissions

Reviewed by

Mike Churchward on Thursday, 17 March 2016, 4:02 AM (1 year 98 days)

Reviewed version: 30.0.0.2
General comments: Version Reviewed: 30.0.0.2Summary:The OneNote assignment submission plugin offers students the ability to use OneNote and all of the tools therein for assignment submissions. This allows assignment submissions to be a richer combination of content types instead of submitting several files that then have to be connected.Confidence:The feature OneNote for business is still in a form a beta with Microsoft as such this plugin should be treated in a similar fashion. The integration itse...
Usability: Installation:The plugin is installed in the normal fashion for Moodle plugins either by cloning the repository into the assignment submission plugins directory from the github repository or downloading a zip and following the installation instructions:Unpack the plugin into /mod/assign/submission/onenote within your Moodle install.From the Moodle Administration block, expand Site Administration and click "Notifications".Follow the on-screen instructions to install the plugin.Once ...
Accessibility: No formal accessibility testing was done on this plugin. However, nothing has come up in our other tests to indicate a problem. In the future, we will be developing more formal accessibility testing suites and will redo them then.
Technical: Code Review:Full code testing results(Scores out of 2 - 2 = perfect; 1 = some concerns; 0 = problems.)Tested for PHP 5.6 and 7 on both MySQL and Postgres. No version of technology problems were found. Score - 2.Installation test (mpci install) - no problems. Score 2.PHP syntax test (mpci phplint) - no problems. Score 2.PHP copy/paste detector (mpci phpcpd) - One duplication in the unit tests; no penalty. Score 2.PHP code complexity (mpci phmd) - generally code is okay. Three files out of ~20 fla...

Office 365 Repository

Reviewed by

Mike Churchward on Thursday, 17 March 2016, 3:30 AM (1 year 98 days)

Reviewed version: 30.0.0.5
General comments: Version Reviewed: 30.0.0.3Summary:The OneDrive for business repository plugin allows users access to files on OneDrive wherever the Moodle file picker appears. With the Office 365 integration teachers have two choices for where course files can be stored in OneDrive. Each course has its own folder created in OneDrive, which allows teachers to chose to add files from the course files area of OneDrive or from their own personal space in OneDrive. Users can choose to add the file to M...
Usability: Installation:The plugin is installed in the normal fashion for Moodle plugins either by cloning the repository into the repository directory from the github repository or downloading a zip and following the installation instructions:Unpack the plugin into /repository/office365 within your Moodle install.From the Moodle Administration block, expand Site Administration and click "Notifications".Follow the on-screen instructions to install the plugin.Once installed the administrator w...
Accessibility: No formal accessibility testing was done on this plugin. However, nothing has come up in our other tests to indicate a problem. In the future, we will be developing more formal accessibility testing suites and will redo them then.
Technical: Code Review:Full code testing results(Scores out of 2 - 2 = perfect; 1 = some concerns; 0 = problems.)Tested for PHP 5.6 and 7 on both MySQL and Postgres. No version of technology problems were found. Score - 2.Installation test (mpci install) - no problems. Score 2.PHP syntax test (mpci phplint) - no problems. Score 2.PHP copy/paste detector (mpci phpcpd) - No duplications. Score 2.PHP code complexity (mpci phmd) - generally code is okay. One file out of 15 flagged with minor violations. Score ...

OpenID Connect

Reviewed by

Mike Churchward on Thursday, 17 March 2016, 3:17 AM (1 year 98 days)

Reviewed version: 30.0.0.5
General comments: Version Reviewed: 30.0.0.5Summary:The OpenID Connect plugin is used to authenticate users against any site or authentication tool that supports the OpenID Connect specification. It is bundled with the Microsoft Office 365 plugins and is used to provide single sign on support with Microsoft Office 365. This plugin is essential for providing single sign on within the other plugins in the Office 365 suite of plugins.The OpenID Connect provides institutions with two login workflows options to meet t...
Usability: Installation:The OpenID Connect plugin is installed in the normal process for plugins either cloning the git repository or downloading the zip file and following the steps below.Unpack the plugin into /auth/oidc within your Moodle install.From the Moodle Administration block, expand Site Administration and click "Notifications".Follow the on-screen instructions to install the plugin.To configure the plugin, from the Moodle Administration block, go to Site Administration > Plugins > Authent...
Accessibility: No formal accessibility testing was done on this plugin. However, nothing has come up in our other tests to indicate a problem. In the future, we will be developing more formal accessibility testing suites and will redo them then.
Technical: Code Review:Full code testing results(Scores out of 2 - 2 = perfect; 1 = some concerns; 0 = problems.)Tested for PHP 5.6 and 7 on both MySQL and Postgres. No version of technology problems were found. Score - 2.Installation test (mpci install) - no problems. Score 2.PHP syntax test (mpci phplint) - no problems. Score 2.PHP copy/paste detector (mpci phpcpd) - No duplications. Score 2.PHP code complexity (mpci phmd) - generally code is okay. Twelve files out of ~40 flagged with simple and difficul...

Microsoft Office 365 Integration

Reviewed by

Mike Churchward on Thursday, 17 March 2016, 3:15 AM (1 year 98 days)

Reviewed version: 30.0.0.7
General comments: Version reviewed: 30.0.0.5Summary:The local Office 365 plugin is the cornerstone of the Office 365 integration it provides other Office 365 plugins with libraries and services they need. The plugin allows administrators to validate that the integration is functioning properly, synchronize users between Office 365 and Moodle, configure permissions and setup the sharepoint site for course files.Confidence:The integration works well and functions as designed. Administrators will want to take to the...
Usability: Installation:The plugin is installed in the normal fashion for Moodle plugins either by cloning the plugin into the local directory from the github repository or downloading a zip and following the installation instructions:Unpack the plugin into /local/o365 within your Moodle install.From the Moodle Administration block, expand Site Administration and click "Notifications".Follow the on-screen instructions to install the plugin.Once installed the administrator will want to follow all of the ins...
Accessibility: No formal accessibility testing was done on this plugin. However, nothing has come up in our other tests to indicate a problem. In the future, we will be developing more formal accessibility testing suites and will redo them then.
Technical: Code Review:Full code testing results(Scores out of 2 - 2 = perfect; 1 = some concerns; 0 = problems.)Tested for PHP 5.6 and 7 on both MySQL and Postgres. No version of technology problems were found. Score - 2.Installation test (mpci install) - no problems. Score 2.PHP syntax test (mpci phplint) - no problems. Score 2.PHP copy/paste detector (mpci phpcpd) - Several minor duplications. Score 1.PHP code complexity (mpci phmd) - generally code is okay. 37 files out of ~80 flagged with minor violat...

Quickmail

Reviewed by

Mike Churchward on Thursday, 17 March 2016, 2:56 AM (1 year 98 days)

Reviewed version: v1.5.5
General comments: Version Reviewed: v1.5.5 (2015122912)Summary:Quickmail is a block that allows users to send emails to other users from within Moodle. Either in bulk or individually. It also maintains histories, drafts, etc.Confidence:Quickmail is quite widely used, and generally works, but there are a number of outstanding bugs (see some I found below) and a general lack of documentation.Students can still use even is setting is set otherwiseThe filter by role dropdown doesn't workUses the word "section" to des...
Usability: Installation:Installation is straightforward - it is a well behaved block. It creates 5 DB tables to store its data.Walkthrough:The block is added to the course in a normal fashion by the teacher. There can only be 1 per course.The plugin has a configuration page where the teacher can select a few options:If students can use the pluginWhat roles are in the filter listWhat to prepend on the email subjectIf the sender receives a copy by defaultWhen using the plugin, as a student or teacher, the us...
Accessibility: No formal accessibility testing was done on this plugin. However, nothing has come up in our other tests to indicate a problem. In the future, we will be developing more formal accessibility testing suites and will redo them then.
Technical: Code Review:Full code testing results(Scores out of 2 - 2 = perfect; 1 = some concerns; 0 = problems.)Tested for PHP 5.6 and 7 on both MySQL and Postgres. No version of technology problems were found. Score - 2.Installation test (mpci install) - no problems. Score 2.PHP syntax test (mpci phplint) - no problems. Score 2.PHP copy/paste detector (mpci phpcpd) - duplicates in provided language files. This is expected. Score 2.PHP code complexity (mpci phmd) - generally code is okay. Ten files out of...

oEmbed Filter

Reviewed by

Mike Churchward on Thursday, 17 March 2016, 2:54 AM (1 year 98 days)

Reviewed version: 30.0.0.4
General comments: Version Reviewed: 30.0.0.3Summary:The oEmbed filter is a power filter that simplifies the inclusion of external content in HTML within Moodle. This filter reduces the amount of time it takes an instructor to add a video to an HTML page and does not require a technical understanding of how to copy embed code from any of the supported services. This integration also doesn’t require the institution to configure a YouTube API key.This filter also has the ability to dynamically reduce page load times...
Usability: Installation:The plugin is installed in the normal fashion for Moodle plugins either by cloning the repository into the filters directory from the github repository or downloading a zip and following the installation instructions:Download the source files. (zip file is available under download section)Unzip the packageCopy the "oembed" folder to moodle/filter on the Moodle server.Login as an admin on the Moodle site and install the filter.One the filter is installed it will need to be enabled wi...
Accessibility: No formal accessibility testing was done on this plugin. However, nothing has come up in our other tests to indicate a problem. In the future, we will be developing more formal accessibility testing suites and will redo them then.
Technical: Code Review:Full code testing results(Scores out of 2 - 2 = perfect; 1 = some concerns; 0 = problems.)Tested for PHP 5.6 and 7 on both MySQL and Postgres. No version of technology problems were found. Score - 2.Installation test (mpci install) - no problems. Score 2.PHP syntax test (mpci phplint) - no problems. Score 2.PHP copy/paste detector (mpci phpcpd) - Minor duplication in one file. Score 1.PHP code complexity (mpci phmd) - generally code is okay. Three files out of ~18 flagged with simple...

Checklist

Reviewed by

Mike Churchward on Thursday, 17 March 2016, 2:52 AM (1 year 98 days)

Reviewed version: 2.x (Build: 2016031400)
General comments: Version reviewed: 2.x (Build: 2015110800)Summary:By using the checklist plugins, teachers can insert checklists into courses to assist students with keeping track of what activities have been completed at any given point. The checklist appears as a to-do list that can be formatted with colors for each item as well as indentations to reinforce structured learning. Items can be marked as optional or required. Checklists can be designed to allow either (or both) students and teach...
Usability: Installation:The checklist activity type and block are installed via the standard MOODLE plugin installation procedure.Unzip the contents of the file you downloaded to a temporary folder.Upload the files to the your moodle server, placing the 'mod/checklist' files in the '[moodlefolder]/mod/checklist' folder, (optionally) the 'blocks/checklist' files in the '[moodlefolder]/blocks/checklist' folder.Log in as administrator and click on 'Notifications' in the admin area to update the Moodle databas...
Accessibility: No formal accessibility testing was done on this plugin. However, nothing has come up in our other tests to indicate a problem. In the future, we will be developing more formal accessibility testing suites and will redo them then.
Technical: Technical Code Review:NOTE - "version.php" file had to have code removed in order to run through these tests.Full code testing results(Scores out of 2 - 2 = perfect; 1 = some concerns; 0 = problems.)Tested for PHP 5.6 and 7 on both MySQL and Postgres. No version of technology problems were found. Score - 2.Installation test (mpci install) - no problems. Score 2.PHP syntax test (mpci phplint) - no problems. Score 2.PHP copy/paste detector (mpci phpcpd) - minor duplication of code in one place. Sc...

Collapsed Topics

Reviewed by

Michael de Raadt on Monday, 7 December 2015, 8:27 AM (1 year 199 days)

Reviewed version: 3.0.0.3
General comments: The Collapsed Topics course format allows sections in a course page to be collapsed down, avoiding the "scroll of death". There are a number of features, including:persistence of section collapsing for users,showing the current section first andchoice of weekly or topics layouts. Plugins survey usage 35% This course format was reported as being widely used in the Plugins Usage Survey (2015). Supported versions 1.9 to 3.0 Update frequency Regular, reliable Feedback about plu...

Checklist

Reviewed by

Michael de Raadt on Monday, 7 December 2015, 8:15 AM (1 year 199 days)

Reviewed version: 2.x (Build: 2015110800)
General comments: This is a tool (mod, block and gradebook) to help teachers define a checklist that students can manually check off. It's has similar functionality to completion with manual checking, but is more isolated and simplified. Teachers can see a report and a block to keep track of student progress. It can feed into the gradebook. Plugins survey usage 23% Relatively high used reported in the Plugins Usage Survey (2015). Supported versions 1.9 to 3.0 Update frequency...

Engagement analytics

Reviewed by

Michael de Raadt on Monday, 7 December 2015, 8:09 AM (1 year 199 days)

Reviewed version: 2014042900
General comments: The Engagement Analtyics plugin is a block with a report that calculates a student's success/risk level based on assignment submissions, forum activity and logins. It translates this into traffic-light indicators for easy viewing. Supported versions 2.2 to 2.7 This plugin required code changes to work with versions 2.8 and later. (Updated version.php file) Update frequency Every six months to about 18 months ago Feedback about plugin Limited, mostly reporting...

Certificate

Reviewed by

Michael de Raadt on Monday, 7 December 2015, 8:03 AM (1 year 199 days)

Reviewed version: 2.9 (Build: 2015083101)
General comments: The Certificate module allows teachers to award a PDF certificate to students in a course. It's one of the oldest and most widely used additional plugins. It's an idea that many people want to apply to their courses.The plugin is currently maintained by Moodle Core developer, Mark Nelson, but a long-awaited update for this plugin is still coming. Plugins survey usage 31% This was one of the most widely used additional plugins in the Plugins Usage Survey (2015). It is often used in w...

Game

Reviewed by

Michael de Raadt on Monday, 7 December 2015, 7:52 AM (1 year 199 days)

Reviewed version: 3.30.15.3
General comments: A fun set of games that can be associated with glossary terms and quiz questions. I have concerns about the quality of this plugin, though. Plugins survey usage 15% A relatively widely use plugin as reported in the Plugins Usage Survey (2015). 28% in schools Supported versions 2.0 to 2.9 No Moodle 3.0 version yet. Update frequency Semi-regular A spurt annually, it seems Feedback about plugin Mostly reporting issues On Plugins Directory and own Discussion fo...

Quizventure

Reviewed by

Michael de Raadt on Monday, 7 December 2015, 7:45 AM (1 year 199 days)

Reviewed version: v3.0-r1
General comments: A fun game that utilises questions for repetition and reinforcement.This is a novel plugin developed by John Okely, a Moodle Core developer, so it can be relied upon. Plugins survey usage - The plugin was not covered by the Plugins Usage Survey (2015), but it was mentioned, even though it is a new plugin. Supported versions 2.7 to 3.0 As at 7 Dec, 2015. Update frequency Regular Feedback about plugin Limited, posiitive Some on Plugins Directory page and some on ...

Level up!

Reviewed by

Michael de Raadt on Monday, 7 December 2015, 7:38 AM (1 year 199 days)

Reviewed version: 2.0.1
General comments: A simple plugin that encourages students without needing lot of input from teachers.The plugin is coded by Moodle Core developer, Fred Massart, so it can be relied upon. Plugins survey usage - The plugin was not covered by the Plugins Usage Survey (2015). I suspect it will be in future, if we run the survey again. Supported versions 2.7 to 3.0 As at 7 Dec, 2015. Update frequency Regular Feedback about plugin Positive, suggestions Installation process Git...

PoodLL Filter

Reviewed by

Michael de Raadt on Monday, 7 December 2015, 7:32 AM (1 year 199 days)

Reviewed version: 2.7.6(Build 2015070401)
General comments: There are a number of recording plugins. The Poodll plugin set is the most maintained. This filter is the critical plugin in the set.Poodll comes with other bonuses. I particularly enjoy the drawing whiteboard and can see applications for that. Plugins survey usage 18% The PoodLL filter was the only additional filter plugin covered in the Plugins Usage Survey (2015). Supported versions 2.1 to 2.9 No Moodle 3.0 support yet Update frequency Regular Feedback abou...

Attendance

Reviewed by

Michael de Raadt on Monday, 7 December 2015, 7:16 AM (1 year 199 days)

Reviewed version: 3.0.0.1
General comments: The Attendance plugin allows teachers to keep track of student attendance. It's something that is necessary in many teaching settings and this plugin provides a flexible tool for achieving this simple task. Plugins survey usage - The plugin was not covered by the Plugins Usage Survey (2015), but it was voluntarily reported 45 times, more than any other plugin Supported versions 2.9 to 3.0 As at 7 Dec, 2015. Update frequency Regular A few times every six months Fee...

Group choice

Reviewed by

Michael de Raadt on Monday, 7 December 2015, 6:37 AM (1 year 199 days)

Reviewed version: 1.8.3 for Moodle 2.7-2.9 (Build: 2015080100)
General comments: The Group Choice module offers functionality a lot of teachers want. It allows students to self organise into groups for teamwork. Plugins survey usage - The plugin was not covered by the Plugins Usage Survey (2015) but it was suggested voluntarily 22 times. Supported versions 2.7 to 2.9 As at 7 Dec, 2015. Update frequency Frequent Every few months Feedback about plugin Positive, suggestions Installation process Git, Zip Documentation and help OK ...

Active quiz

Reviewed by

Michael de Raadt on Friday, 4 December 2015, 8:35 AM (1 year 202 days)

Reviewed version: 3.6.3 (Build: 2015072200)
General comments: A plugin for running quizzes live in a classroom. It works well with Multiple Choice questions and employs AJAX to show responses in real-time.This plugin, and work around it, was presented at MootUS15. John Hoopes is a developer at the University of Wisconsin, so it has their backing.This plugin is based on one by Davo Smith (Realtime Quiz, which seems to have been abandoned except for version updates). Plugins survey usage - The plugin was not covered by the Plugins Usage Survey...

Pioneer

Reviewed by

Derek Chirnside on Saturday, 28 November 2015, 6:32 PM (1 year 208 days)

Reviewed version: Pioneer v1.2.1
General comments: This is not a review as such.We are looking for a theme for Moodle 3.0 to do an upgrade in January 2016. I've found it really difficult to do a good analysis as often I'm not sure what is a feature or a bug, I'm not really very good at CSS tweaks etc. But I did install this theme, and had a look at it. I think it has a lot going for it.Great stylingRemarkable use of images in badging courses at the course levelImages in tiling for each course on the front pageNice tabbed sectio...

Elegance

Reviewed by

Derek Chirnside on Saturday, 28 November 2015, 6:02 PM (1 year 208 days)

Reviewed version: 3.0.0
General comments: This is not really a review as such. I was not sure I understood Elegance enough to be able to do justice, so it is just some thoughts looking at the Moodle 3.0 ready version of Elegance on a dev server asking the question "What theme should we use when we move to Moodle 3.0 in January?"I have posted my thoughts in the themes forum here: https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=323916I have been impressed with the threads in the Themes forum of Elegance users, Bas does a great job o...

Course Menu block

Reviewed by

Derek Chirnside on Tuesday, 27 October 2015, 4:43 PM (1 year 240 days)

Reviewed version: 2.3.0
General comments: This is a great plugin, that simplifies Section to Section Navigation.It creates a menu block. This can have titles for groups of sections, arbitrary links and some choice for other items like participants lists.Unfortunately the developers do not update the GIT branches, and so while it says current for 2.3, it does work with 2.8.
Usability: Extremely easy to use.
Accessibility: Not competent to judge this.
Technical: No problem.

Quickfind List

Reviewed by

Emma Richardson on Thursday, 15 October 2015, 10:28 PM (1 year 251 days)

Reviewed version: 2.0.3 (Build: 2014072202)
General comments: The quickfind list is the first plugin that I install on any site. I have never found the browse users interface particularly friendly and this plugin allows me to (extremely) quickly find any user on the site just by starting to type part of their name. You can also select in the settings which page it will link to when you click on the name.I am currently using this on 2.9 without problem. It is an easy install and I tend to put it on the front page so that it will search the...

Sharing Cart

Reviewed by

Emma Richardson on Friday, 2 October 2015, 4:32 AM (1 year 265 days)

Reviewed version: 2.9, release 1
General comments: This is one of those plugins that I will only upgrade to a new version of Moodle once I have verified that it still works! Sharing cart allows teachers to easily share/copy activities between different courses. It is much faster than the duplicate feature (I have been told) and very user friendly. It adds an entry in the activity/resource edit menu that you click to Copy to Sharing Cart. The activity/resource then just jumps over to the Sharing Cart block and can then be ...

My Grades block

Reviewed by

Emma Richardson on Friday, 2 October 2015, 4:29 AM (1 year 265 days)

Reviewed version: 1.0 (Build: 2013042201)

Recycle bin

Reviewed by

Joseph Thibault on Thursday, 27 August 2015, 8:03 PM (1 year 300 days)

Reviewed version: 1.4 (Build: 2015082600)
General comments: Perhaps one of the most important tools for a Moodle site that requires a core hack. It's simple but effective and will likely be a oft-utilized "undo" button for Moodle which previously wasn't available.This should be a core feature.
Usability: Except for the required code update, this was super easy to install and is extremely easy to use.
Accessibility: NA
Technical: Worked as described.

Ad-hoc database queries

Reviewed by

Marcus Green on Wednesday, 26 August 2015, 3:17 AM (1 year 302 days)

Reviewed version: 2.9 for Moodle 2.7+
General comments: This is a mature program that has been around since before Moodle 2.0 and has been downloaded tens of thousands of times. It was created by the UK Open University, who run one of the worlds largest Moodle installations. Because it is supported by the OU it is very likely to be kept up to date with future releases of Moodle. To create new reports you will need to be familiar with the industry standard SQL (Structured Query Language), and for full advantage you will need to understand table joins....

OU blog

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Wednesday, 23 April 2014, 2:38 PM (3 years 62 days)

Reviewed version: OUBlog for Moodle 2.5 - release 2
General comments: We were looking to use Moodle as a blogging platform for a specific project, and tested various configurations of the standard Moodle Blog, and this OU Blog plugin. You can see the results of this implementation on our group blogging site: http://elearningblog.moodlebites.com The key factors that resulted in us settling on the OU Blog were: It's possible to allow any visitor to the site to leave a comment - just like a WordPress, Blogger, or similar site. And the fact that Comments have t...
Usability: The OU Blog is really interesting in that it optionally allows all Participants to create a single blog - which gives the activity quite a different feel, and opens very different possibilities for how it can be used.
Accessibility: We have built our blogging environment around this OU Blog plugin, and the main thing to note is that you should turn off the standard Blog module in Moodle, because otherwise it's quite very confusing to users about where to add and read entries.
Technical: We haven't test this module with a large/busy site, quite the opposite, we only have around a dozen users of the site. However, as the module is developed by the Open University, who have enormous Moodle sites in terms of users and traffic, it's a fair bet that it will work well under load! ;-)

Reader

Reviewed by

Don Hinkelman on Sunday, 6 April 2014, 6:39 PM (3 years 79 days)

Reviewed version: 2014-04-04 (52)
General comments: The Moodle Reader module is management interface for a "blended" extensive reading program using a paperback book library with online testing and rewards. Extensive reading is a method of learning vocabulary and reading skills in a second language, not through explicit instruction, but from free reading of enjoyable books chosen by the student at an easy level or slightly challenging level. It is pedagogically opposite to the grammar-translation method which emphasizes heavy dictionary use and...
Usability: The gamification features make this a highly motivational tool to encourage reading for fun.
Accessibility: I do not know about its accessibility features.
Technical: This plugin is designed for individualized learning, so it is unlikely to be used in mass testing or other heavy load situations.

Cloze Editor

Reviewed by

Aparup Banerjee on Wednesday, 5 March 2014, 4:17 PM (3 years 111 days)

Reviewed version: 2014030400
General comments: test

User Information Block

Reviewed by

Joseph Thibault on Thursday, 22 August 2013, 8:34 PM (3 years 305 days)

Reviewed version: 2.5 (2013051400)
General comments: A simple but effective way to add some personality to the course or myMoodle pages. I love the block as a way to prompt users to complete their profiles and upload pictures.

Essential

Reviewed by

Joseph Thibault on Friday, 16 August 2013, 4:31 AM (3 years 312 days)

Reviewed version: 2.5.3 (Build: 20130809)
General comments: Best. Theme. Ever. If you want your Moodle to look better than the best Wordpress sites or to give students a really enjoyable site to navigate I think this is your ticket. Lots of great ways to market courses at the front end or to call attention to your organizations initiatives with the rotating banner and marketing spots. A super theme if you want to sell courses or provide a better front page to current and potential users.

Banners

Reviewed by

Mary Cooch on Tuesday, 27 November 2012, 1:33 AM (4 years 209 days)

Reviewed version: 2.3 (Build: 2012112900)
General comments: I tested this out today and think it has a lot of potential for community engagement. The block is installed in the usual way blocks are installed; when you then turn on the editing, add a block in a course and click the configuration icon you are presented with options to decide how you want your block to display: size of image, speed and -usefully - who is allowed to upload - just teachers or everyone.: The block appears on the course page with a "plus" like icon to add images to: While...

Login as

Reviewed by

Mary Cooch on Tuesday, 25 September 2012, 3:59 AM (4 years 272 days)

Reviewed version: 1.1.0
General comments: I found this plugin very simple but effective; easy to install and easy to use - although it does help to read the instructions as I tried several times to add usernames to the box where you add user ids of those you wish to "log in as":-) You can also now add the usernames, which for some might be easier. The link is simple to locate beneath the Site admin link wherever you are, and once in a course it is a very handy way to find and log in as a course participant. It is still a drag that once...

Custom Corners

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Wednesday, 13 June 2012, 3:48 PM (5 years 11 days)

Reviewed version: 1.0 (Build: 2012031700)
General comments: I remember when Custom Corners was released by Urs Hunkler (technically quite a challenging this to achieve with Moodle) - and it was sooooo cool to have a Theme that had rounded corners on Blocks! Mary (a total 'Theme Queen') has done a great job in updating this, and as more Moodle sites update to Moodle 2.3, 2.3 etc. I think it will be one of the most downloaded Themes :-)

Aerie

Reviewed by

Stuart Mealor on Wednesday, 13 June 2012, 3:40 PM (5 years 11 days)

Reviewed version: 0.2 (Build: 2012040301)
General comments: Well done to Miriam for developing and sharing this Theme! The ability to have 3 columns on the front page is something that can really help the site look a bit more like Wordpress of other CMS's used for websites these days. I like the extra annotations on the screenshot - it really helps understand what this Theme is capable of before having to install it to find out :-) Even better are the extensive options on the Settings page, which mean the Theme is flexible and can be customised by Adm...

LTI Provider

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Monday, 30 January 2012, 12:54 AM (5 years 146 days)

Reviewed version: 2.1
General comments: This is a local plugin. It enables Moodle to provide access to an activity or a full course from other systems (either Moodle 2.2+ sites using the External Tool capability, or Sakai and other LTI compliant systems which can connect to LTI tools/providers). Just to be clear on the language: The LTI Provider is an application which provides features that other people want to and can connect to from their own LMS. The LTI Consumer is an application which can connect to the 3rd party Provider sy...
Usability: Is it simple to install? Most people will not have installed a local plugin before, however it is really just as simple as a normal mod or block. This was easy to install. I downloaded the plugin directly from the Moodle Plugins. After downloading the zip, and unzipped it there was a folder called ltiprovider. I uploaded this into the moodle/local folder of my Moodle site. When logging in as admin to the site I was prompted to upgrade to install the module. It installed and produced no errors. ...

Ad-hoc database queries

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Friday, 20 January 2012, 1:16 AM (5 years 156 days)

Reviewed version: 2.2.1
General comments: This admin report provides a way to create completely custom reports by enabling the user to enter in SQL queries which the report engine then runs. Background This module was released for Moodle 1.9 back in October 2009. It was written by Tim Hunt of the Open University. It was later upgraded for Moodle 2 by Derek Woolhead also of the Open University. For those unfamiliar with Tim’s work, he is the maintainer of the Quiz activity module in Moodle. It has recently had another nice feature ad...
Usability: Is it simple to install? Yes. After downloadined eeded to extracted the folder and rename to customsql. I uploaded this into the moodle\report folder of my Moodle site. When it was installed through the notifications page, the plug-in caused no errors and brought up no extra global settings. Is there documentation for it? The plug-ins page has a brief overview on the module. The Moodle Docs page is very detailed with a good number of example reports. There is also a list of 45 other report...

Exabis E-Portfolio

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Monday, 16 January 2012, 3:38 PM (5 years 160 days)

Reviewed version: 4.0.4
General comments: Although I am a fan of the Mahara E-portfolio, I always like to check out the alternatives.So i had to review this recently migrated tool or Moodle 2. The 1.9 version of this block has been around since early 2008. The Moodle 1.8 and Moodle 1.9 versions are available still in the old modules and plugins database. The Moodle 2 migrated code was released in October 2011, and has had a few updates since then to fix a few glitches. It is developed and maintained by Andreas Riepl. The current versio...
Usability: Is it easy for the teacher/admin to use? Adding the Exabis E-Portfolio block to your course is as easy as any other block. When the teacher first adds it, there are three options for the Teacher: This first link brings up the manage portfolio page which enables the user to manage their profile information E-Portfolio categories portfolio content (Links, Files and Notes) Views (create, edit and share) Export or Import their portfolio View shared portfolios The second link goes direc...

AJAX Marking Block

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Friday, 2 December 2011, 8:40 PM (5 years 204 days)

Reviewed version: 2.1.4
General comments: Currently when a teacher wants to get a complete list of all work to be marked, there is no way to get a complete list of every submission without going into the courses. This block solves that issue. When you place this block on the front page, the teacher is then shown all of the unmarked work that has been submitted by students in their courses. The list of submissions needing marking are broken down by course and expands to show the individual modules and student submissions. When you click...
Usability: Is there documentation for it? The Moodle Docs page provides an overview of the functionality and an update of what the difference is for the Moodle 2 version. and then details all the screens that a teacher or student can see, and explains the key features and settings. The README.txt in the zip provides an overview on the functionality. Is it easy for the teacher/admin to use? The block is very simple to use. Once added to the page, the teacher can just expand the courses that they want to ...

Scheduler

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Friday, 2 December 2011, 6:12 AM (5 years 205 days)

Reviewed version: 2.0.1
General comments: Is it simple to install? Yes.It was easy to install. After Idownloaded the zip, and unzipped it there was a folder called scheduler. I uploaded this into the moodle/mod folder of my Moodle site. When logging in as admin to the site I was prompted to upgrade to install the module. It installed and produced no errors. It did create a number of global settings which as normal I left as default for my review. Does it do what it promises? Yes and more. I always liked this activity with Moodle ...
Usability: Is there documentation for it? The plugin entry has a brief overview on how it works but the Moodle Docs page provides a good overview and then details all the screens that a teacher or student can see, and explains the key features and settings. The README.txt in the zip also provides good installation information. Is it easy for the teacher/admin to use? This is a very nice activity for the teacher to use. There are a number of tasks the teacher can do with this: Create the scheduler activ...

Course contents

Reviewed by

Petr Skoda on Tuesday, 29 November 2011, 10:41 PM (5 years 207 days)

Reviewed version: 2.0.1
General comments: A few minor problems were discovered and fixed during review of this block for use on servers of Technical University of Liberec. For more details see previously published review at Some Random Thoughts blog
Security: This block displays only existing trusted content and does not modify any database information. The code is well structured and is using recommended coding style. This plugin is suitable for use on production servers. This security review was funded by Technical University of Liberec.

Certificate

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Friday, 28 October 2011, 5:11 PM (5 years 240 days)

Reviewed version: 2.2 (2012022001)
General comments: What does it do? You can set up this activity to enable students download a certificate of completion for the course or part of a course. This can be configured through the settings of the activity. The issuing of the certificate can be dependent on the completed activities within the course using the Moodle 2 conditional activity feature. Is it simple to install? Yes it installed without issue. Taking the zip from the plugin page you get a zip called mod_certificate_moodle21_2011110106.zip....
Usability: Is it easy for the teacher/admin to use? Yes, the teacher will have no challenges in adding this to a course, however there are a number of settings to learn and understand so that the certificate is correctly configured. Firstly, the certificate works using the Conditional activities logic in Moodle 2 which is good news. The Moodle 1.9 version has to have its own logic as conditional activities did not exist in core. So the activity completion and tracking and conditional activities must be e...

OpenMeetings

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Tuesday, 18 October 2011, 8:29 AM (5 years 250 days)

Reviewed version: 20111002
General comments: To be able to use this plugin either you must have your own OpenMeetings server, or have a hosted one. What does it do? (to write) This plugin provides a simple interface between the OpenMeetings server and Moodle. The teacher can create a room or link to an existing recording. When creating the room, the teacher can control the type of room and size, and a few other classroom settings. However, unlike some of the integrations available it does not have the option to add an entry to the cour...

BigBlueButtonBN

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Saturday, 15 October 2011, 5:19 AM (5 years 253 days)

Reviewed version: 1.0.4
General comments: The activity provides an easy way for the teacher to create and manage a room on the BigBlueButton server, and for the student to log into the correct room. Is it simple to install? This module hosts the source is in GitHub, however the plugin database entry hosts the download zip files. The zipfile you download holds two folders bigbluebuttonbn and recordingsbn which need to be uploaded to your mod folder in Moodle. When upgrading through the notifications page, the two parts installed su...

Configurable Reports

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Sunday, 9 October 2011, 11:30 PM (5 years 258 days)

Reviewed version: 2.0
General comments: Background There are a few options for implementing extra reporting in Moodle, and this plugin is certainly one to look into. What does it do? The block is a custom report builder. It enables the users to build reports about the a range of topics and then assigned users to view the reports. A number of different reports can be created including reports about: courses categories users Is it simple to install? Yes. I downloaded the provided zip extracted the configurable_reports fold...

Adobe Connect

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Saturday, 8 October 2011, 6:01 PM (5 years 260 days)

Reviewed version: 2011072100
General comments: This is a feature rich activity for Moodle, which a teacher can use to schedule a virtual session in Adobe Connect Pro from within Moodle. The teacher is able to choose from a range of settings for the activity including: the name description start time/end time The teacher can also select which type of session to set up be it a meeting, or training session which related to settings on the Adobe Connect Pro server. Once it is set up, the teacher can then assign roles to the newly ...

Onetopic format

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Wednesday, 5 October 2011, 7:08 AM (5 years 263 days)

Reviewed version: 2011030100
General comments: The OneTopic course format presents the existing topics from a topics format course one at a time.. The topic names are shown above the topic content in tabs and each topic can be showed one at a time by clicking on the correct tab. It also keeps the focus on that one topic even when going in and out of resource/activities in the course. Below I show 3 pictures of the same course. The first is a picture of topics format. The second is the picture of the Topics format, but focusing on one topic....

Unanswered Discussions

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Sunday, 2 October 2011, 7:27 PM (5 years 266 days)

Reviewed version: Version for Moodle 2.x
General comments: The block displays forum discussions which have not yet been answered. Students can seen their own unanswered discussions. In addition they can see the oldest unanswered discussions by others and random unanswered discussions. Is it simple to install? Yup. The zip holds one folder which contains the files for the block. Once you unzip, you need to upload the unanswered_discussions folder into your Moodle 2.0 blocks folder. When upgrading through the notifications page, it installed successfull...

Progress Bar

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Sunday, 2 October 2011, 7:14 PM (5 years 266 days)

Reviewed version: Version for Moodle 2.x
General comments: This was one block that I really liked using with Moodle 1.9. It provided a simple visual queue to the progress of a user through the course materials. What does it do? The block provides a colour coded display of the required actions of a learner in a course. Each box represents an activity or resource that the student must read/complete. There is also an expected date aspect, so that a student can quickly see whether they have completed something or not and on time or not. This can really he...

Lesson objectives

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Sunday, 2 October 2011, 7:06 PM (5 years 266 days)

Reviewed version: 2011061800
General comments: The block provides the teacher a way of created trackable objectives to a lesson timetable. Each objective then appears in the block and can be ticked off by the teacher. Unlike some blocks, the objectives are arbitrary and not linked to any Moodle activity or Moodle resource, they are just linked to that timetable period. The objectives can also be associated with the Moodle Groups in the course. Is it simple to install? The download zip on the plugins page holds one folder which contains the...

Drag and drop file upload

Reviewed by

Gavin Henrick on Wednesday, 28 September 2011, 1:40 AM (5 years 270 days)

Reviewed version: 2011072200
General comments: What does it do? The module enables you to drag a file from your desktop onto your browser window containing your Moodle 2 course. Although this does not work with IE yet (it is using HTML 5), it has been tested on Firefox 5, Chromium 14 and Chrome 12 on Windows and Linux. I only use IE for testing so this isn’t a problem for me. Is it simple to install? The module source is managed on github, so like other modules you can browse the source or choose to download a zipfile of the plugin. I re...