Moodle is a widely-used open source learning management system (LMS) used to deliver course content and host online learning activities.

Beginning in the summer of 2021, on-campus, for-credit Moodle courses are created in Moodle in the Cloud (umass.moonami.com). Courses taught in Moodle through Spring 2021 were taught in Legacy Moodle  (moodle.umass.edu).

This page covers how to request Moodle for UMass Amherst for-credit courses.

• To use Moodle for on-campus activities not officially listed as classes in SPIRE, request an Ad Hoc Community course. 
• For community-based projects or open courses (MOOCs) in which off-campus participants can enroll, consider joining the OPEN UMass pilot.

Request a Moodle Course in SPIRE

Instructors can request Moodle shells for on-campus courses when pre-registration opens for the upcoming semester (e.g., mid-April for fall semester, mid-November for spring semester).

To request a Moodle course:

1. Log in to SPIRE using your IT Account NetID and password. The SPIRE home page will open.
2. On the SPIRE home page, select NavBar (compass icon, on the right). The NavBar tray will open, displaying the SPIRE Menu.
3. From the SPIRE Menu, select Navigator and locate Faculty Home. Next select Moodle Course Request. The Choose a Term page opens showing a list of semesters for which you can request a Moodle course.
4. Complete the series of pages to gather information about your course. For example, if you teach a multiple-section course you can request separate Moodle courses for each, or you can combine sections in one Moodle course.
   Note: Not all classes are eligible for requesting an LMS course. If you don't see a class listed that you expect to see, ensure your departmental scheduling representative has listed you in SPIRE as a primary instructor.

For detailed instructions, see Request a Moodle Course through SPIRE.

Reuse a Previous Moodle Course

A new Moodle course shell needs to be requested each semester you teach a class (see above). Once the empty Moodle course shell has been created, you can:

• Use Moodle's Import tool to reuse a previous semester's course that is on the same Moodle site. See Reuse a Moodle Course using "Import".
• Restore a backup of a Moodle course (.mbz file) from another institution or from a course backup file from Legacy Moodle at UMass Amherst. See Restore a Course in Moodle.
• Copy another instructor’s Moodle course if that instructor gives permission. This can be done using either method above. Refer the other instructor to Allow another Instructor to Copy Your Moodle Course.

Student Enrollment in Your Moodle Course

Students who are enrolled in your course in SPIRE will automatically be added to your Moodle roster. For more information, see Access to Moodle for Students.

Add TAs, Co-Instructors, and Guests

If you have people who are assisting with your course, be sure that they are appropriately associated with your course in SPIRE. Once they are associated with the course in SPIRE, they will appear automatically in Moodle. Once they are in Moodle, you may need to grant them permissions to perform certain functions. For details, see Access to Moodle - Overview.