Getting Started
with the UoM VLE
GUIDE
v.2.4.2
User Services
IT Services
User Services
IT Services
University of Malta
Msida MSD 2080
Malta
Email: vle.itservices@um.edu.mt
Web: www.um.edu.mt/itservices
Tel: +356 2340 4113
Last Updated: 27 August 2015
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE’ is
licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International License. To view a copy of
this license, visit http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
Table of Contents
1.
Introduction __________________________________________________________ 1
Why should you use the UoM VLE? ______________________________________ 1
Accessing Study-Units in the VLE ________________________________________ 1
2.
Accessing Study-Unit Areas ______________________________________________ 2
3.
Overview of the Study-Unit Area Screen ____________________________________ 5
4.
Viewing the Participants List of a Study-Unit _________________________________ 7
5.
Editing Your Profile _____________________________________________________ 8
6.
Adjusting the Study-Unit Settings ________________________________________ 10
7.
Adding Summaries/Titles _______________________________________________ 14
8.
Adding Study-Unit Material ______________________________________________ 17
a. Adding Files _____________________________________________________ 17
b. Editing Titles of Uploaded Files ______________________________________ 21
c. Deleting Uploaded Files ____________________________________________ 22
d. Adding Folders ___________________________________________________ 22
e. Moving Resources_________________________________________________ 23
f. Editing Resources _________________________________________________ 23
g. Hiding/Showing Resources __________________________________________ 24
h. Adding Links to Websites ___________________________________________ 24
i. Adding Labels ____________________________________________________ 25
9.
Switching Role to Student ______________________________________________ 28
10. Messages ___________________________________________________________ 28
Sending a Message to a Participant _____________________________________ 28
Sending Messages to Multiple Participants ________________________________ 29
11. Using Forums ________________________________________________________ 30
Adding a Post in the Class Announcements Forum _________________________ 30
12. Creating a Forum _____________________________________________________ 32
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
1. Introduction
The University of Malta (UoM) adopted Moodle as its Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Occasionally, the terms ‘Learning Management System (LMS)’ and ‘Course Management System
CMS’ are also used to refer to VLE. However, we prefer to use the acronym VLE.
A Virtual Learning Environment provides an online environment to support learning and teaching.
The VLE includes tools for content delivery, communication, assessment and student
management.
The VLE provides an easy way to:

upload and share materials such as study-unit descriptions, lecture notes, presentations,
reading assignments, links to useful resources etc.

organise online discussions and chats as a means of communication outside of classroom
meetings. You can send messages to students through the VLE.

collect and review electronic assignments.
Why should you use the UoM VLE?
Undoubtedly face-to-face lectures have been and will remain effective. However, the VLE
features mentioned above open up new possibilities for learning that were not possible before.
Currently there is a lot of research into how to effectively combine online learning and face-toface meetings, often referred to as ‘hybrid’ study-units or ‘blended learning’.
Hybrid study-units combine the best of both worlds. Content delivery can be moved from an inclass lecture to an online document in the VLE. The time used to deliver such content in a faceto-face lecture could be used for discussions, questions and problem solving. This approach
increases student learning.
Online discussions also give students the opportunity to express themselves in ways they could
not in a regular class. Some students are reluctant to speak in class because of shyness,
uncertainty or simply because there is no time for them due to large classes. Online discussions
in a VLE enable students to compose questions and answers and therefore increase their
participation.
Apart from enhancing student learning, tutors should also keep in mind that there is a demand
from students to provide them with online experiences. Students are becoming more technically
savvy, and they want to get many of their course materials off the Web. Once online, they can
access the latest information at any time. Having grown up with instant messaging and other
Internet communication tools, many students find that online communication is second nature.
Accessing Study-Units in the VLE
The UoM VLE is a program installed on the University web servers. University staff and students
can access the UoM VLE from any computer connected to the Internet using an Internet browser
(e.g. Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc).
Staff and students use their UoM IT Account username and password to access the UoM VLE.
Note that:

Your students use the same procedure to access the UoM VLE. If students experience
VLE access problems, ask them to send an email to vle.itservices@um.edu.mt or visit IT
Services Helpdesk. You may consider the possibility of identifying a volunteer student to
assist his/her classmates with technical issues they may encounter.

Before entering your UoM IT username and password in any screen, you should routinely
check that the web address of the page displayed in the browser begins with
https://accounts.um.edu.mt/

When you sign in, your name and surname will be displayed at the top-right of the screen.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
1
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2

It is of utmost importance that you sign out and close all browser windows when you are
done using UoM services, particularly if you are using a shared computer which is not set
up with different computer accounts for different users. If you don't sign out or lock your
user account on that computer, subsequent users of the computer will have total access
to the UoM services that you have permission to use. The safest way to ensure that you
have signed out from all UoM services is by closing all the browser windows.
2. Accessing Study-Unit Areas
When you access the VLE, your study-unit/s will be displayed and you can immediately start
uploading the study-unit material etc.
To access one of your Study-Unit areas:
1. Select Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) from the Quicklinks drop-down menu at
the top-right corner of any University of Malta webpage.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
2
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
2. The E-Learning homepage will be displayed. Click the UoM VLE button (left hand side).
3. If you are already signed in, you will be taken to a screen displaying all the areas that
you have access to.
If you are not signed in, the UoM IT Account authentication screen will be displayed.
4. Type in your Email address or Username and Password in the respective fields, and
click the Sign in button.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
3
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
5. Click the study-unit area.
Note that:

Only study-units on offer during a particular academic year are available in the VLE
that was set up for that academic year.
If you cannot find any of your study-units in the VLE, check that you are registered
on SIMS as a tutor for the missing study-unit/s:
1. Access eSIMS.
2. Click View / Print Study-Unit Reports under Study-Unit Reports and
Email Facility.
3. Select the academic year.
4. Click Retrieve Study-Units button.
If the study-unit/s do not appear on eSIMS, contact your faculty or departmental
office so that they can register you as a tutor for the missing study-unit/s. Once data
is entered in SIMS, the study-unit/s will appear in the VLE within 24 hours.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
4
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
3. Overview of the Study-Unit Area
By default, the homepage of each study-unit area has a three-column layout as shown below:
1
4
3
2
1
The top of the page displays the breadcrumb trail starting with the name of the VLE,
study-unit code etc. The breadcrumb trail facilitates navigation. Clicking the study-unit
code in the breadcrumb trail always takes you back to the study-unit homepage.
2
The middle section is where you will put your main study-unit content and activities.
This section is typically divided into sub-sections: Weeks or Topics. Each week or topic
contains lecture notes, links to readings, forums, quizzes etc.
By default, the first block in the middle section is often referred to as the study-unit
header block. This contains the Class Announcements forum (used for class
announcements) and other introductory study-unit level information such as a link to
the study-unit description.
In the above example, the material and activities are organised by type of task, but
they can also be organised by weeks (refer to Section 6).
The left and right columns contain small boxes called blocks.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
5
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
3
The left column contains three blocks:
 Navigation –contains links to your profile and your study-unit areas. This block
expands as necessary to provide you with more pages and tools. Under each studyunit area, you will also find the Participants link.
 Activities –lists the variety of activities you have created in your study-unit area.
For example, if you would like to view all the Forums in this area, click on the
Forums link.
 Administration – provides context-sensitive links depending on the type of page
being viewed. It includes links such as Study-unit administration, Reports,
Switch role to…, and My profile settings.
4
The right column contains five blocks:
 Latest News – lists the latest items added to the Class Announcement forum.
 Upcoming Events – lists calendar events you have created, such as assignment
deadlines, change of lecture dates etc.
 Messages – enables users to quickly access conversations using the instant
messaging feature within the VLE.
 VLE Notices – displays important notices related to the VLE, such as scheduled
maintenance, tips on VLE use, etc.
 VLE Support – enables users to access the VLE help pages directly from the studyunit area.
 Recent Activity – shows recent changes to the study-unit area, including creation
of new resources and activities, forum postings, and assignment submissions.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
6
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
4. Viewing the Participants List of a Study-Unit
To view the students and any other tutors enrolled on a study-unit:
1. In the Navigation block (left side of the screen), click
Participants. This will display the people on the study-unit
(shown below).
If the participants enrolled to the study-unit amount to
more than 20, they will be listed in sets of 20 participants
per page.
2. In the Current role drop-down menu:

Click Student to view a list of students.

Click Tutor to view a list of tutor/s.

Click All participants to view all participants.
3. Return to the study-unit homepage by clicking the study-unit code at the breadcrumb
path.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
7
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
5. Editing Your Profile
You are encouraged to set your profile as soon as you start using the
UoM VLE. You should upload a picture of yourself and type some
information such as your office contact hours, your research interests
etc.
To edit your profile:
1. In the Administration block, expand My profile settings.
2. Click Edit profile. This will display the Edit profile screen.
3. Set your City/town.
4. Set Malta in the Select a country.
5. In the Description field type some information such as office
contact hours etc.
6. Click Update profile button.
Note that:
 If there are errors in your name and surname, please contact the Office for Human
Resources Management & Development.

All fields marked with a red asterisk are mandatory i.e. these cannot be left blank.

Some fields have a Help button
. Click this button to view context sensitive help.
By default, a profile’s display picture is a white silhouette on a grey
background. To upload your picture:
1. In the Administration block, expand My profile settings.
2. Click Edit profile.
3. Scroll down and click the User picture section title to expand further
settings.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
8
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
4. Click Add… This will display the File picker dialog box.
5. Click Upload a file from the menu on the left-hand side.
6. Click Choose File button.
7. Browse to the location where your picture file is stored.
8. Double-click the picture file to upload.
9. Click Upload this file button.
10. Type a description in the Picture description field for the benefit of visually impaired
users who make use of a screen reader. You can type your name and surname.
11. Click Update profile button.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
9
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
Note that:

Instead of steps 4-9, you can locate your picture file and drag it to the designated dragand-drop area marked with a blue arrow.

Use a JPG or PNG file format for your picture. The VLE will crop your picture into a square
and shrink it to 100 by 100 pixels.

Once uploaded, your picture will appear in your profile, in the Participants page and next
to all your forum postings. The same picture will appear for all your study-units in the
current VLE.
To delete your profile picture:
1. In the Administration block, expand My profile settings.
2. Click Edit profile.
3. Scroll down and click the User picture section title to expand further settings.
4. Tick the Delete checkbox below your picture.
5. Click Update profile button.
6. Adjusting the Study-Unit Settings
You can adjust some basic settings of your study-unit for example decide if you want to organise
the learning resources by week or topic, the start date of the study-unit, its availability to your
students etc.
1. In the Administration block, click Edit settings under Study-Unit administration.
The Edit study-unit settings is displayed.
2. Adjust the settings of the study-unit area (refer to the underlying table for a description
of the settings). Some of the settings, such as Study-unit full name, short name, and ID
number cannot be edited.
You do not need to adjust every single setting in this screen. As a minimum adjust the
following settings, accessible by clicking on the respective settings section titles:


General
o
Visible (make your study-unit available if you are ready to allow your
students to see it).
o
Study-Unit start date
Study-Unit format
o
Format
o
Number of sections
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
10
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
Option
Description
General
Visible
Use this setting to control access to your study-unit. You can make a
study-unit area available (visible) or unavailable to students without
affecting your own access. This is a good way to hide study-units that
are not ready to be viewed by students.
Study-Unit
start date
The start date is the day the study-unit is first active. If you are using
a weekly study-unit format, the first week will start on the date you set
here. It is important to set the correct start date even if you adopt a
topic format for your study-unit. The start date is used in study-unit
reports as the earliest possible date for which you can obtain logs,
activity, and participation reports.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
11
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
Study-Unit format
Format
The VLE provides you with several formats that you can adopt for your
study-unit area. The most common formats are:
Weekly format - The study-unit is organised week by week, with a clear
start date and a finish date. The VLE will create a section for each week
of your study-unit. Each week consists of activities you set up. The
current week is highlighted.
Topics format - The area is organised into topic sections. Each topic
section consists of activities you set up. This is a good option if your
study-unit design is concept-oriented, with students working through a
range of topics but not necessarily according to a fixed schedule.
Number
sections
of
This option is used to set the number of sections in your study-unit. If
you have chosen a ‘weekly’ format, it specifies the number of weeks
that the study-unit will run for, starting from the study-unit start date.
In the 'topics' format, it specifies the number of topics in the studyunit. Both of these translate to the number of "boxes" in the middle of
the study-unit homepage.
If necessary, you may change this value at a later stage. Increasing
the number results in sections being added to the bottom of your studyunit page; reducing the number results in sections being removed from
the bottom of your study-unit page, and any content within the deleted
sections will be hidden.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
12
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
Hidden
sections
This option allows you to decide how the hidden sections in your studyunit are displayed to students.
By default, a small area is shown (in collapsed form, usually gray) to
indicate where the hidden section is, though students still cannot
actually see the hidden activities and texts. Displaying the collapsed
sections gives your students a roadmap of the upcoming topics or
weeks, thus it is probably a good idea to leave this set to the default
setting.
If you choose to completely hide sections, your students will not know
that sections of the study-unit area are hidden.
Study-Unit
layout
This setting determines whether the whole study-unit is displayed on
one page or split over several pages.
Appearance
News items
to show
Use this setting to determine the number of news items displayed in
the Latest News block of the study-unit area.
Show
gradebook to
students
This setting is used to allow students to see the link to grades in the
Administration block. Any marks or grades displayed in the UoM VLE
are not official. The official study-unit grades are available on eSIMS.
It is suggested that you do not change this setting from No to Yes.
Show activity
reports
This setting allows students to view their activity history in your studyunit. This is useful if you want students to reflect on their level of
participation.
Files and uploads
Maximum
upload size
This setting limits the size of files you or your students upload to the
study-unit area. The maximum upload size is set by IT Services, but
you can choose to make the limit smaller than this.
Completion tracking
Enable
Completion
Tracking
The Completion Tracking settings allows tutors and students to track
progress through the content of a study-unit area. Each item (resource
or activity) can be set to track completion based on established criteria.
Although this is referred to as Activity completion, it can also be applied
to study-unit resources. If enabled, the Activity Completion setting can
be found at the bottom of the page that is used to create or update a
resource or activity.
Refer to a separate user guide for more information on the use of
Activity Completion.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
13
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
Groups
Group mode
The VLE allows you to split your class into groups, where you can adjust
this by clicking on the Groups section. The default setting is No groups.
You can set the group mode to Separate groups and Visible groups.
Separate groups prohibit students in one group to see/interact with the
students in another group.
Visible groups allow students in one group to view the other group’s
activities but not participate.
Refer to a separate user guide for more information on the use of
Groups and Groupings in the UoM VLE.
Force
mode
group
You can set the group mode separately for many activities or force
group mode to be set at study-unit level. If everything in the unit is
done in group work, you will probably want to force group mode to
make management easier. Forcing the study-unit group mode
overrides the individual activity group settings. If you have forced
group mode, every activity in the unit will have that group mode set.
You can set the group mode separately for many activities or force
group mode to be set at study-unit level. If everything in the unit is
done in group work, you will probably want to force group mode to
make management easier. Forcing the study-unit group mode
overrides the individual activity group settings. If you have forced
group mode, every activity in the unit will have that group mode set.
7. Adding Summaries/Titles
By default, when you choose a Topic format, the sections in the middle section of the study-unit
homepage will display the titles: Topic 1, Topic 2, Topic 3 etc. You may wish to use a descriptive
title rather than Topic 1, Topic 2 etc.
To edit content in the study-unit homepage:

Click Turn editing on button located at the top-right of the page. This
will display numerous icons and drop-down fields in each box in the
middle section of the study-unit homepage.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
14
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
Note that:

The Turn editing on button changes to Turn editing off button when clicked.

You can also click the Turn editing on option in the Administration block (left column).
To edit the title and/or a summary to a section:
1. Click the Edit summary icon
.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
15
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
This will display the Summary screen (shown below).
2. Uncheck Use default section name.
3. In the Section name field, type in a title e.g. Introductory tasks.
4. In the Summary block, type a description of what the section contains. Typing text in the
Summary block is optional.
5. Click Save changes button at the bottom of the screen. You will be returned to the
study-unit homepage.
6. Click Turn editing off button.
Note that:

To delete a title/summary, repeat step 1, tick the checkbox Use default section name
and click Save changes button.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
16
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
8. Adding Study-Unit Material
The content in a study-unit area falls under two categories:

Static study-unit material refers to resources that students read but do not interact with,
such as documents (e.g. study-unit description and notes), presentations, web pages
(e.g. links to useful websites, journal readings and videos) etc.

Interactive activities enable students to interact with the tutor, each other and the
exercises assigned by the tutor e.g. essays, multiple choice quizzes, forums etc.
In this section you will learn how to add static content to the study-unit area. Only users with
tutor rights can upload and edit static content.
a. Adding Files
You can add files (e.g. notes and presentations) to your study-unit using one of the following
methods:
Method A – Using the Drag and Drop
You can drag and drop your files directly onto your study-unit homepage in the correct section
(instead of having to upload files through a separate screen).
To add a file to a study-unit area using this method:
1. Click Turn editing on (top right).
2. Locate the file/s to upload from your computer or USB stick.
3. Click the file to upload. Drag the file directly to the appropriate section in the study-unit
area.
4. An indicator stating Add file(s) here will be displayed during the dragging process.
5. Release the mouse button to upload the file.
Note that:

You may need to resize your window to be able to see the source folder (where your file
is stored on your computer) and the study-unit area simultaneously.

To upload multiple files at once, hold down the CTRL key and click the files on your
computer (for Macintosh use COMMAND+click), then drag them into the section in the
study-unit area.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
17
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2

You can upload files of any format: .doc, .xls, .ppt, .pdf, .jpg, .png, .mp3, .mov etc.
Unless you have a specific requirement for uploading MS Word documents or MS
PowerPoint presentations, it is good practice to save these as PDF files and then upload
the latter.

You cannot drag and drop a folder of files from your computer.

When you upload a zip file, a pop-up window will prompt you to choose one of the
following options:
o
Unzip files and create folder: This will create a Folder resource containing the
unzipped files.
o
Create file resource: This will display the zip file as a single File resource, which
your students can download and unzip.
o
Add a SCORM package: If you have been provided with a zip file containing a
SCORM package (e.g. from a textbook publisher), the archived files will be posted
as a SCORM package.
Method B – Using the Add a Resource
If you prefer traditional uploading for files, you can still do so through the “Add a resource”
option.
1. Click Turn editing on (top right).
Each section in the middle block displays two drop-down fields:
‘Add a resource…’ and ‘Add an activity...’
2. Scroll down to the Topic/Week where you want to add the file.
3. Click the drop-down arrow next to Add a resource… field.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
18
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
4. Click File.
5. In the General section, type a name for the file e.g. Study-Unit Description in the Name
field.
6. In the Description box, you may also type a description for your file.
7. Scroll to the Content section. Upload your files through one of two options:
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
19
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
Method i – Traditional Upload
a. Click Add… The File Picker dialog box is displayed.
b. In the Upload a file option, click Choose File button.
c. Browse to the location where your file is stored.
d. Double-click the file to upload.
e. Click Upload this file button.
Method ii – Drag and Drop
Under the Content section of the ‘Adding a new file’ screen is an area with a blue arrow
that allows drag and drop uploading.
a. Locate the file to upload.
b. Drag the file to the drag-and-drop area.
8. Click Save and return to study-unit button.
Note that:

When you add a file, folder, label, URL etc. the
Activities block will display Resources. Clicking
Resources in the Activities block will display a table
containing the resources present in the study-unit
area.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
20
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
b. Editing Titles of Uploaded Files
To edit the titles of uploaded files (or activities):
1. In the study-unit homepage, click Turn editing on button. The Edit title icon
appear next to all files (and activities) in the study-unit area.
will
2. Click the Edit title icon
. This will allow you to edit the text that links to a resource.
In the following example, the text Study-Unit Description is replaced with the text Getting
Started.
3. Press Enter key to confirm the inputted title.
Note that:

If you press the Escape key before the Enter key, the text will not be edited.

The text used to link to a file need not be identical to the filename. For example, you can
use the text Getting Started to link to a file saved as intro.pdf.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
21
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
c. Deleting Uploaded Files
If you have uploaded a file/s by mistake or you need to delete certain files from the VLE:
1. In the study-unit homepage, click Turn editing on button. The following icons will appear
next to all resources in the study-unit area.
2. Click the Edit button, and a menu will appear.
3. Click the Delete button
.
4. You will be prompted to confirm your action.
5. If you are sure you want to delete the file, click Yes. The file will be deleted from the
VLE.
Note that:

If you delete a folder or zip file, any files within the folder will also be deleted.
d. Adding Folders
Study material can be displayed on the study-unit homepage either as individual items or
bundled together inside folders. The VLE allows you to post multiple files at once in a folder.
Folders can only contain files such as PDFs, MS Word documents, or image files. Folders cannot
contain activities such as quizzes, assignments, forums, or resources such as URLs or Pages.
To create a folder:
1. Click Turn editing on (top right).
2. Each section in the middle block displays two drop-down fields:
‘Add a resource…’ and ‘Add an activity...’
3. Scroll down to the Topic/Week where you want to add the folder.
4. Click the drop-down arrow next to Add a resource… field.
5. Click Folder.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
22
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
6. In the General section, type a Name for the folder e.g. Past Papers.
7. In the Description box, you may also type in a description of your file (optional).
8. Scroll to the Content section. Upload your files through one of two options (Method i –
Traditional Upload, or Method ii - Drag and Drop) explained in Section 8-a.
9. Click Save and return to study-unit button.
e. Moving Resources
Study-unit content can be moved around on the study-unit main page. After
you click Turn editing on button, you can use the following icons to move
items:

Move right /left
: Let you move an item horizontally. This action
can indent a resource or link for better visibility, or to create an outline
hierarchy. The Move right or Move left actions are accessible from the
Edit drop-down menu adjacent to the respective item.

Multidirectional Arrow : Lets you move items vertically using the
drag-and-drop feature. Click the icon adjacent to the resource and drag
it to its new location.
f. Editing Resources
To edit the settings of a resource:
1. In the study-unit main page, click Turn editing on button.
2. From the Edit drop-down menu adjacent to the resource, click
Edit settings.
3. Make the necessary changes.
4. Click Save changes and return to study-unit button.
Alternatively, if the resource opens within the VLE (i.e. embedded within the VLE interface), you
can click Edit settings (under File module administration, in the Administration block) to access
its settings page.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
23
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
g. Hiding/Showing Resources
By default when adding learning resources to your study-unit these will be
visible by your students. You can hide resources from being viewed by students
as follows:
1. In the study-unit homepage, click Turn editing on button.
2. From the Edit drop-down menu adjacent to the resource, click
The resource will be greyed out.
3. To show a hidden resource, click
menu.
Hide.
Show from the Edit drop-down
h. Adding Links to Websites
You can add links from your study-unit to websites. This method may be used to add links to
journal readings in the Library database. Resources linking to websites carry the following icon:
To add a link to a website:
1. In the study-unit homepage, click Turn editing on button.
2. Scroll down to the topic/week where you want to add a link to a website.
3. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Add a resource… field.
4. Select URL. The Adding a new URL is displayed.
5. In the Name field type the text that will link to the website. Type in a brief description
(optional) of this link in the Description box.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
24
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
6. Tick Display description on study-unit page if you want the Description to be
displayed in the study-unit homepage just below the link to the activity or resource.
7. In the External URL field, type or paste the address of the webpage you want to link to.
8. Click Save and return to study-unit button.
Note that:

You may also link to video clips streamed on popular video sharing sites (such as
YouTube).
i. Adding Labels
Labels enable you to insert additional text or graphics to your study-unit homepage. Labels are
typically used to make your study-unit more user-friendly. You can add text or graphic labels.
To add a text label:
1. In the study-unit homepage, click Turn editing on button.
2. Scroll down to the topic/week where you want to add the label.
3. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Add a resource… field.
4. Select Label. The Adding a new label page is displayed.
5. Type the text, e.g. Useful Resources, in the Label text HTML editor.
6. Apply any formatting to the text as appropriate.
7. Click Save and return to study-unit button.
Note:

Use short phrases of text to provide quick instructions.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
25
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
To add a graphic label:
1. In the study-unit homepage, click Turn editing on button.
2. Scroll down to the topic/week where you want to add the graphic label.
3. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Add a resource… field.
4. Select Label. A new page is displayed.
5. Click Insert/edit image button
in the HTML editor toolbar.
The Image properties dialog box is displayed.
6. The image you wish to use needs to be uploaded to the UoM VLE.
a. If the image file is on your computer:
i. Click Browse repositories…. The File Picker dialog box will open.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
26
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
ii. Click Upload a file repository (left side).
iii. Click Choose File button.
iv. Locate and select the image file on your computer.
v. Click Open button.
vi. Click Upload this file button.
b. If the image file is on some webpage on the Internet:
i. Paste it into the Enter URL text field.
c. If the image has already been uploaded to the VLE:
i. Click Browse Repositories…. The File Picker dialog box will open.
ii. Click My Study-Units repository (left side).
iii. Navigate to the desired file location.
iv. Click the file.
v. Select Create an alias/shortcut to the file.
vi. Click Select this file button.
7. In the Describe this image to someone who cannot see it field, type some
descriptive text for the benefit of visually impaired students making use of screen
readers.
8. Click Save image button.
9. Click Save and return to study-unit button.
Note that:

Graphic labels improve the aesthetics of the study-unit homepage. Keep in mind that
excessively large, or too many, images will increase the length of time it takes for
students to load the page.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
27
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
9. Switching Role to Student
The VLE provides a feature that allows tutors to temporarily view their
study-unit content from a student perspective.
To switch role to a student:
1. In the Administration block, expand Switch role to… menu.
2. Click Student link.
To revert back to your original role, click the Return to my normal role link in the
Administration block.
Known issue:
If you ‘Switch role to... Student’ while editing a hidden study-unit area, and navigate outside the
area before switching back to your Tutor role, the hidden study-unit will not be listed to you in
the VLE homepage, because you remain considered as a student. You must return to the studyunit area (using the browser’s ‘Back’ button) in order to be able to return to your Tutor role.
10. Messages
Sending a Message to a Participant
To send a message to a study-unit participant:
1. Click the name of the participant you want to contact, either from the Participants list
(refer to Section 4) or from within an activity (i.e. forum, wiki, etc.). This will display
the participant’s profile page.
2. Click the Send Message button at the bottom of the profile page.
This will launch the messaging system. Any unread correspondence sent to you by the
participant is displayed in the middle section of the page.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
28
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
3. Type the message you want to send in the Message text box.
4. Click the Send message button.
By default, the VLE is set to show the message to the participant as a popup notification
(see below) the next time s/he opens any VLE page. If the participant is offline (i.e. has
been inactive for at least 5 minutes), s/he will also receive your message in his/her email.
Sending Messages to Multiple Participants
Tutors can send messages to multiple people at the same time. To send a message to multiple
participants in your study-unit area:
1. Click Participants in the Navigation block (refer to Section 4).
2. From the current page, tick the checkbox adjacent to each participant you want to
contact.
You may also select all participants by clicking the Select all button at the bottom of the
page.
If the participants’ list is on more than one page, it is suggested that you click the Show
all xx link at the bottom of the page to view all participants on the same page.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
29
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
3. After selecting the required participants, click the With selected users... dropdown
menu and select Send a message.
4. A list of ‘Currently selected users’ (recipients) will be displayed at the bottom of the page.
If you want to remove a specific user from this list, click the Remove button adjacent to
his/her name.
To add more recipients to the list, click the Keep searching link at the top of the page
and repeat steps 2 - 3.
5. When satisfied with the list of users, type the message you want to your students in the
Message body text box.
6. Click the Preview button to proceed to the message preview page.
7. If you need to amend the message, click the Update button.
8. When you are satisfied with the message, click the Send message button.
11. Using Forums
The Forum activity is a powerful communication and discussion tool. Tutors and students are
provided with an area where they can post messages and reply to each other at any time. Since
this process does not require tutors and students to be signed in at the same time
(synchronously), this method of communication is referred to as asynchronous communication.
Adding a Post in the Class Announcements Forum
The Class Announcement forum is automatically created in every VLE study-unit area, to which
all participants (students and tutors) are automatically subscribed (refer to Section 12 for
information about subscriptions). The Class Announcement forum is a simple one-way
communication tool used by tutors to make any type of announcement relevant to the studyunit. The Class Announcement forum does not allow students to post messages or reply to
announcements made by their tutors.
To make a new post in the Class Announcement forum:
1. In the study-unit homepage, click the Class Announcement forum.
2. Click Add a new topic button.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
30
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
3. Type a short descriptive title for your topic in the Subject field.
4. Type in the content of your post in the Message HTML editor.
5. If you want to add files to your post, upload them through one of two options (Method
I – Traditional Upload, or Method ii - Drag and Drop) explained in Section 8-a.
Note that files will only be accessible through the Class Announcement forum (in the VLE
interface), and will not be added as attachments in the email notifications sent to
students.
6. By default, an email notification is sent to all study-unit participants for every forum post,
typically some 30-45 minutes after it is made. Tick the Mail now check box if you want
users to receive the email notification sooner (between 1-15 minutes).
7. Click Post to forum button.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
31
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
Note that:

If you want to amend or delete your post, click the discussion title (under Discussion),
and use the Edit and Delete links adjacent to the post which requires amending.

Use the Reply link if you want to make additional remarks to your earlier post.
12. Creating a Forum
Tutors may opt to create various forums within a study-unit area, each of which is used for
different purposes. Apart from the Class Announcement forum (refer to the previous section), a
tutor might consider providing students with a forum to be specifically use to discuss study-unit
related matter.
To create a forum:
1. Click Turn editing on button (top right).
Each section in the middle block displays two drop-down fields: ‘Add a resource…’ and
‘Add an activity...’
2. Scroll down to the Topic/Week where you want to add the forum.
3. Click the drop-down arrow next to Add an activity… field.
4. Click Forum.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
32
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
5. In the Forum name field, type a short name for the forum e.g. FAQ Forum. This will be
displayed in the study-unit homepage.
6. In the Description field, type in a description or introductory text for the discussion. It
is good practice to include precise instructions for students regarding the subject of the
forum and any possible assessment criteria that might be used in this forum.
7. From the Forum type drop-down menu, choose the preferred forum type. Typically,
select Standard forum for general use.
8. Set the Subscription mode as desired, by clicking on the Subscription and tracking
section. When a participant is subscribed to a forum it means they will receive email
copies of forum posts.
There are 4 subscription mode options:

Optional subscription - Participants can choose whether to be subscribed

Forced subscription - Everyone is subscribed and cannot unsubscribe

Auto subscription - Everyone is subscribed initially but can choose to
unsubscribe at any time

Subscription disabled - Subscriptions are not allowed.
9. Set Read tracking for this forum if you want students to easily identify read and
unread messages in the forum and in discussions. This is also enabled from the
Subscription and tracking section.
10. Click Save and return to study-unit button.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
33
Getting Started with the UoM VLE v.2.4.2
Note:
 If a forum, including the Class Announcements forum, is set as hidden (i.e. not visible
to students), the email containing the post is only sent to participants who can access
the hidden forum, namely Tutors and Guest Tutors.

Thus, a forum post is sent via email to those participants who are subscribed to the
forum, and have access to the particular forum activity.

The above-mentioned behavior does not apply to a visible forum within a hidden VLE
area. In this case both tutors and students who are subscribed to the forum will
receive the email.
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE‘ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.
IT Services, University of Malta
www.um.edu.mt/itservices
34
User Services
IT Services
University of Malta
Msida MSD 2080
MALTA
Email: vle.itservices@um.edu.mt
Web: www.um.edu.mt/itservices
Tel: +356 2340 4113
‘Getting Started with the UoM VLE’ is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://goo.gl/R8rwUW.