Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This FAQ is for students using Moodle course web sites.
1. How do I get a Moodle account?
4. How do I gain access to a course?
5. How can I find SON Moodle courses?
6. Can I connect to Moodle courses from off campus?
7. I cannot access my Moodle course. Why?
8. Why do I receive a warning message about security certificate?
2. What does it mean to "subscribe" to a Forum?
3. How can I stop all of these e-mails?
4. How can I subscribe to a Forum?
1. How should I take a quiz in Moodle?
2. Which button do I press when I have finished a quiz?
3. Does Moodle limit characters in essay questions?
4. Can I review my responses after taking a test?
2. What is the difference between a Chat and Forum?
Answers
- How do I get a Moodle account?
If you have a UW NetID, you should already have a Moodle account. Use your NetID to log in to http://moodle.washington.edu.
[Back to Questions] - How to log in to Moodle?
Go to http://moodle.washington.edu and use your UW NetID and password to log in.
[Back to Questions] - Why can't I log in?
First, be sure that you are using your current UW NetID and password and typing it correctly. If you still cannot log in, send an email to tier@u.washington.edu. If you cannot remember your login, refer to http://www.washington.edu/computing/uwnetid/
[Back to Questions] - How do I gain access to a course?
If your instructor is using Moodle for the course, you will have access within 24 hours of registering for the class (see how can I find SON Moodle courses question below). If you have registered for the course and you do not see it in Moodle, check with your instructor. If you use late registration, contact your instructor to be added to the course.
[Back to Questions] - How can I find SON Moodle courses?
When you log into Moodle, you will see a list of courses in the “My Courses” area. This list will include only the courses to which you have access. If you expect to have access to a course and you do not see it listed in Moodle, confirm first that you are registered, and then check with your instructor to confirm whether you have been added as a student.
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- Can I connect to moodle courses from off campus?
Yes. You can access Moodle from any computer with an Internet connection by going to https://moodle.washington.edu/netid/.
NOTE: If you see a security warning, select the option “continue to this website (not recommended).” If you want to avoid this warning, install the certificate for your browser by following these instructions:
https://www.washington.edu/computing/ca/help/
[Back to Questions] - I cannot see my Moodle course when I log into Moodle. Why?
Either your course is not in Moodle, or the course is in Moodle and your instructor has not yet granted you access, or you have not yet registered for the course. If you expect to have access to a course and you do not see it listed in Moodle, confirm first that you are registered, and then check with your instructor to confirm whether you have been added as a student.
[Back to Questions] - Why do I receive a warning message about security certificate?
This is an expected message due to the UW certificate we use. Go ahead and click the option "continue to this website (not recommended)." If you want to avoid this warnings in the future, install the certificate for your browser by following these instructions: https://www.washington.edu/computing/ca/help/
[Back to Questions] - I am a Mac user. Can I use Safari as a web browser?
Safari is not fully compatible with Moodle. We recommend using another browser such as Firefox or Internet Explorer.
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COURSE CONTENT
- How do I jump between my courses in Moodle?
Click the UW Moodle link at the upper left to see the list of Moodle courses for which you are registered.
[Back to Questions] - Where have all of the weeks / topics gone?
You have probably clicked on the “Show only” icon, which looks like this :
.Clicking this will hide all weeks except one. To reveal all of the other weeks / topics, click on the 
icon in the upper right corner of the week/topic that is visible. You can also use the dropdown box underneath the displayed week / topic to jump to a hidden section.
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EMAILS AND FORUMS
- What is a Forum?
A Forum is an online discussion that is “threaded,” meaning that an initial topic statement is linked to additional writing (comments, questions, answers, etc.) posted by students or instructors. If your instructor uses Forums in your class, you will be given specific guidelines on what you will be expected to post in which Forum.
[Back to Questions] - What does it meant to "subscribe" to a Forum?
By subscribing to a Forum, you will receive an email each time your instructor or a fellow student posts to the forum. This is an important way to keep track of discussions and important class announcements.
[Back to Questions] - How can I stop getting so many e-mails from Moodle?
E-mails are an essential part of the way Moodle works. They are used to keep you up to date with what is going on. If you wish to reduce the amount of emails you get you could edit your Profile and change your e-mail settings to a) Unsubscribe from non-essential Forums (although they are there for a reason!) or b) Disable your e-mail address in your Profile (although this is not recommended and may go against your instructors’ policies).
[Back to Questions] - How can I subscribe to a Forum?
We can subcrbe and unsubcribe each forum. Click the forum that you would like to subscribe and then you can see "subscribe to this forum" on your right upper are.
The button will update to read “Yes.”
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- How can I unsubscribe from a Forum?
From course homepage, click Forums under the Activities list in the left-hand column.
In the “Subscribed” column for the Forum you wish to unsubscribe from, click the “Yes” button.
The button will update to read “No.”
[Back to Questions] - Why does Moodle send me emails?
Once you have been using Moodle for a while, you will see that it forwards certain kinds of information to your UW email account. This information is drawn from the discussion boards or Forums in Moodle course spaces. You may also receive instant messages forwarded to you via email. Moodle sends you these emails to make sure you don't miss out on anything if you haven't logged in for a while.
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PROFILE AND SETTINGS
- What is my Moodle Profile?
You can think of your Profile as “who you are”. It includes your name, email address, your picture (optional), your preferences about when you want to receive emails from other class participants, and other information about you that affects how people see you in Moodle and how you experience Moodle.
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Does my Moodle Profile affect every class I take in Moodle?
Yes. You have one Profile in Moodle, and every Moodle class that you take will share that one profile. So if you update your profile, every class you are taking in Moodle will be affected in the same way.
[Back to Questions] - How do I update my Moodle Profile?
From the Moodle homepage (click the UWMoodle link at the upper left), click your name or picture in the Participants list. Click the Edit Profile tab, and you will see buttons and fields for updating aspects of your Profile (such as your picture, etc.)
[Back to Questions] - How do I change e-mail settings in my Profile?
You can control the amount and type of email forwarded to you from Moodle by adjusting the settings in your Profile.
From the Moodle homepage (click the UWMoodle link at the upper left), click your name or picture in the Participants list. Click the Edit Profile tab, then click the Advanced tab. The settings shown below can be adjusted as you wish.
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Email display: you can hide your email address from all Moodle Users, or just those outside your course. Your user Profile details are not available to anyone without an NUIM Moodle username and password.
Email activated: you can choose the option to disable your email address completely if you wish. However, it is important to bear in mind that you may miss information being sent to you by your Lecturers or by fellow Students sharing your course in Moodle.
Email format: if you would prefer plain text email, rather than email with images, colors and formatting, you can opt for Plain text format here. This will speed up the download time for any email coming to you from Moodle.
Email digest type: you can limit the email you receive from Moodle forums by adjusting this setting. Subjects (daily email with subjects only) will mean that you receive just one email at the end of the day from Moodle. It will be a digest of Forum messages, with no text, only subject lines of the messages. You can receive a digest containing full messages too if you choose Complete (daily email with full posts) or you can choose to receive all messages individually by selecting: No digest (single email per forum post).
Email auto-subscribe: You can also limit forum subscription from the Moodle.
ASSIGNMENTS
- Why is there no upload box?
This is either because: 1) The assignment has now closed 2) The assignment is not yet open 3) You already uploaded something and the settings prevent resubmissions.
[Back to Questions] - How can I see my recent assignment feedback?
There are many ways you can access feedback. The most common method is by simply going to the same area where you uploaded the assignment. Another common method is to use the Activities block to locate the assignment. Another method would be to access the grade book and then follow the link for the required assignment. Depending upon how the assignment was set up, you may receive an email when it has been marked with a direct link to the feedback.
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QUIZ
- How to take a quiz in Moodle?
Please see the link to learn how to take a quiz.
[Back to Questions] - Which button do I press when I have finished a quiz?
That depends upon what you want to do. There are two options that you can press. Please see the link.
[Back to Questions] - Does Moodle limit the length of my responses in essay questions?
It does not. If Moodle restricts the length of your response, there may be a character in your source document (for instance, if you are pasting from MS Word) that Moodle cannot accept. Try copying your work into Notepad first, and then pasting it into Moodle. This may remove any illegal characters.
[Back to Questions] - Can I review my responses after taking a test?
This will depend on whether your instructor has set up the quiz to allow you to review your answers after you re-launch the quiz.
[Back to Questions] - I was taking a quiz and the window suddenly disappeared.
If you notice unusual behaviors or anything that doesn’t seem to be working right, you may need to close your browser window down completely (and sometimes even your whole computer), then restart it and log back into Moodle.
[Back to Questions] - Can I retake a quiz?
If an instructor gives more attempts to take quizzes, you can retake a quiz. For more details, contact to your instructor.
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CHAT
- What is a Moodle Chat?
A Chat is a real-time conversation where two or more people are online at the same time, sending typed messages to each other. It is similar to a telephone conversation that uses typed words instead of spoken words.
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What is the difference between a Chat and a Forum?
In a Chat, everyone is online at the same time and everyone instantly sees everyone else’s contribution. In a Forum, not everyone is online at the same time; people post messages that can be read later. A Chat is considered a “synchronous” experience, while a Forum is “Asynchronous.”
[Back to Questions] - How do I Chat in moodle?
Please see the link to learn how to Chat.
[Back to Questions] - During chatting, I cannot see other participants' input.
Try closing all applications on your computer (including your Web browser) and logging back into Moodle. If you still experience problems, you might need to re-install Java.
Please see Bug Bypassess .
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- I don't have a way to print items from a Mac.
Press the Ctrl/Click keys simultaneously to open the sub menu, then Click "Open
With Preview." Then on the keyboard, simultaneously click Cmd/P to open the Print menu.
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