Hold onto your hats, folks! The May 2023 version is here, and it's packed full of exciting updates and new features. We've compiled all the juicy details in this article, but if you can't wait to try them out for yourself, head on over to our demo environment: https://sandbox.mediamaisteri.com.
👨💻 User Interface
The May 2023 version has arrived with a sleek new user interface that's easier to use and more accessible than ever before! We've made some major improvements to site navigation, blocks, and icons for course activities. What does this mean for you? The most significant change is to the navigation of the site:
Site navigation
Say goodbye to the Features and Gear menus on the left side of the page - instead, you'll find the features as their own menus in the top navigation and in the center. This change will make it easier for you to access the features you need and navigate around the site seamlessly.
Desktop improvements
Course search and the ability to separate "My Courses" into a separate page will be added to the desktop. After the update, this will not happen automatically, but can be done on demand.
Course navigation
Navigating through courses has never been easier! With the May 2023 version, you will find course requirements and progress displayed more prominently, and page navigation will make it a breeze to move around the course page.
🆕 New Features
Customisable navigation block (block_mmslick)
Get creative with our customisable navigation block (block_mmslick)! Spruce up your homepage or other pages on the site with visual links to courses or other important pages. The possibilities are endless!
Interests Block (local_interests and block_mmcustomcourselist)
Looking for a little inspiration on which courses to take? Well, look no further than our Interests Block! This block uses a student's personal interests to recommend courses that they'll love. Plus, on the course page, you'll find recommendations for other courses based on the subject area assigned to that course. It's like having your own personal course curator!
Custom course list block (block_mmcustomcourselist)
Get ready to spruce up your homepage or other pages on the site with the Custom Course List Block. Whether you want to display the newest courses, your own completed courses, or courses in a specific category, the options are endless. You can add course listings to the home page, user dashboard, or course page with ease. Plus, you can even display individual category courses for each user. It's like having your own personal course catalog at your fingertips!
Teacher Information Block (block_mmteacher)
This nifty feature automatically displays teacher information including their name, picture, and a brief description. Plus, if there's more than one teacher, you can choose whose information to display. Want to see what else they're teaching? No problem! You can also display the teacher's other courses.
📈 Reporting
New version of mReporting
Get ready to step up your reporting game with the new version of mReporting! Our updated reporting not only includes familiar features but also introduces a visual reporting dashboard that you can customise according to your needs.
Custom reports (custom_reports)
If you're a data nerd (like us!), you'll love the new custom reports tool introduced in Moodle 4.0. With this tool, users with reporting permissions can easily create custom reports using a visual interface. And the best part? You can schedule these reports to be emailed to you in .csv, .xls or .pdf format on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Who says reporting has to be boring?
📢 Other useful improvements
Cohort role synchronisation
Exciting news for admins! The May 2023 version introduces automatic role synchronisation for cohort members with the cohortrole community plugin. No more manual updates - this feature will save you time and hassle.
Notify students of changes to course content
You can now easily keep your students up-to-date with any changes made to your course content. Just enable the "Send notification of changes" feature in the settings of activities and resources, and choose which content triggers the notification. Your students will appreciate the heads up!
Grouping administration tools
Hey admins, have you ever felt overwhelmed by the number of buttons in the Administration block? Well, fear not, because now you can group the buttons into main categories and easily expand or collapse each level with a single click. This feature can be enabled in the site settings, so feel free to contact Mediamaisteri if you need any help with it.
Confirmation for setting course completion requirements when publishing a course
Don't worry about forgetting to set course completion requirements anymore! With the new version, you'll receive a helpful pop-up reminder when publishing a course if you have enabled activity completion but haven't set requirements at the course level. Easy peasy!
Tiny MCE text editor as an alternative to Atto
The Tiny MCE text editor is now available as an alternative to the Atto editor. While it's not mandatory to switch just yet, keep in mind that Tiny will eventually become the default text editor in Moodle. Don't worry, we'll keep you updated on when this change will take effect.
Need help with the transition? No worries, we've got you covered!
We've got your back with a variety of services to help you out:
- A fresh new layout that'll knock your socks off
- A workshop on how to make the most of the new features (3.5 hours of fun + 1.5 hours of Q&A)
- Personalized user tours that'll make navigating the learning environment a breeze
- And for those who want to kick the tires before taking the plunge, we offer a test environment that's basically a clone of your production environment - minus the users, courses, and integrations.
Want to take advantage of these services? Contact our sales team at myynti@mediamaisteri.com or reach out to your dedicated account manager. We're here to help!
