Moodle uses the Open LMS platform. Expand the Green and Blue bars to get familiar with Moodle.
- Sign in using MS 365 button https://piedmontcc.myopenlms.net/ (opens in new tab)
- Review the Distance Learning Advising Handout for Getting Starting with Moodle (opens in new tab)
Locate “Verify Enrollment” in Moodle and complete it TODAY!
Locate and complete the Verify Enrollment for all courses.
This assignment is important for completing enrollment and staying enrolled in the course!
Please make sure that you complete the 1 question Verify Enrollment quiz assignment before the census date of your class. The census date is the 10% point of the class. If you are unsure of the census date, please consult the course syllabus. Other census assignments include icebreaker forums, syllabus quizzes or other assignments. Students who do not complete an assignment before the census date will be dropped from the class.
If you need assistance, then contact your instructor.
Netiquette
Due to the nature of the online environment, here are some things to remember:
- Avoid offensive language, especially comments that might be construed as discriminatory.
- Be careful with humor and sarcasm. Sarcasm is not as easy to convey in writing as it is in conversation.
- Avoid putting words into full capitals. Online, all-caps is considered SHOUTING.
- Write descriptive subject lines. Some people receive so much email that they begin to delete some messages without viewing them. To avoid this fate, make sure your subject lines are descriptive.
- Respect other people’s intellectual property. Do not post, display, or otherwise provide access to materials belonging to others, and cite references as appropriate.
- Keep it relevant. Do not stray from the discussion in the assigned questions.
- Treat people the same as you would face-to-face. In other words, it is easy to hide behind the computer. In some cases, anonymity empowers people to treat others in ways they would not in person.
Explore Moodle
Your institution and instructors determine which menu buttons appear and how the course is organized.
Explore all your courses.
Watch Video on “Moodle 4.1 – Find your way around”
Watch Video: “What is a course?”
Additional Information on Moodle
Links to User quick guide for Moodle
Links to New for students – MoodleDocs
Before Entering a Course
Top Menu Bar before Login
Prior to logging into Moodle, you are taken to the “Site News” Page.
Prior to Logging into Moodle, click on each item described below:
- Home: Focused Information, Site News, and more. Scroll down and read content.
- Course Support: Resources to help with course success. Click and examine each item in the list.
- PCC Resources: Useful PCC webpages. Click and examine each item in the list.
Top Menu – Login
Login into Moodle
- Click on Log in at the top right which will load a new page.
- Locate “LOG IN USING YOUR ACCOUNT ON:” , then click on the Login via Office 365 button.
- If you are already logged into your PCC email, then it will automatically log into Moodle.
- Otherwise, it will prompt you for username and password.
- Username = combination of first initial, middle initial, last name, last two digits of student identification number. If you do not have a middle initial, you will use only your first initial and last name.
- Password = first letter of last name (capitalized) second letter (lower case), your birth date (two-digit month, two-digit day, two-digit year) and last four digits of Student ID number.
- Example: Sally R. Student, ID# 0123456, Birth date 01/02/70Username is srstudent56Password is St0102703456
- Need help logging in?
- To reset your password, please go to PCC Password Portal ( https://piedmontcc.edu/it/password-reset-portal/ ) and follow the screens.
- Call PCC Student Help Desk (336) 322-2300 or email support@piedmontcc.edu.
- For times when PCC’s Distance Learning Help Desk is not open contact 24/7 assistance at 1-866-852-5588 or https://help.edusupportcenter.com/shplite/piedmontcc/home Technicians that respond to this phone number are NOT PCC employees.
Top Menu Bar after Login
Go to Moodle and click on each item described below:
- Home: Focused Information, Site News, and more.
- Dashboard: Welcome, Timeline, Calendar, and more.
- My Courses: Your Courses. Can select All, In Progress, Future, Past, Starried, or search.
- Course Support: resources to help with course success. Click and examine each item in the list.
- PCC Resources: useful PCC webpages. Click and examine each item in the list.
- Message Bubble: You can send a message to another user.
- Blocks: Locate and click on the green arrow on the right side to display possible blocks.
- Circle Icon with your Initials: Menu changes to a drop-down menu which includes the following:
- Profile
- Grades
- Calendar
- Messages
- Private Files
- Reports
- Preferences
- Language
- Logout
Inside the Course
Open a Course
Click on My Courses from the top menu.
Notice the percentage of completion for the course.
Click on a course card link to open the course.
Course Tour Pop-Up
Pop-up Course Tours may appear to provide information about the course. Examine the Pop-up Tour.
Course Menu
Course menu is located on the left side.
It can be collapsed by clicking on the “X” at the top of the menu or displayed by clicking on the hamburger icon.
- Menu topics are boldfaced and can be expanded or collapsed. These topics will house content about that particular Module or Week for learning resources and activities.
- Clicking on a boldfaced topic will display in the center the General and only content within that topic center.
- Clicking on “General” at the top of the menu, displays the entire course’s content in the center of the screen. This is helpful in doing a search (CTRL-F) for content in the course.
- Circles (green/white) are used for tracking your progress.
Course Content
Course content is located in the center of the screen.
Course menu at the top below the course name:
- Course: Course content.
- Participants: List of users in the course.
- Grades: Displays the status of gradable items such as tests, assignments, journal entries, discussion board posts, and the overall course grade.
- Competencies: Some courses may use course competencies. Denotes the level of understanding or proficiency of a learner in certain subject-related skills.
- Open LMS: Used to create reports based on activity.
Left Menu
- Clicking on “General” makes the center content to show the entire course in list form.
- Clicking on a topic (boldface) displays that topic in the center.
Block Drawer
The blocks are located on the right side.
It can be collapsed by clicking on the “X” or expanded by clicking on the arrow icon. The blocks shown may vary between courses. The instructor decides which blocks are available within the course.
Enrollment Verification – IMPORTANT to do FIRST!
Located on the course menu
“Start Here! Enrollment Verification“
- Census Date Information: The last date the student can verify enrollment. The census date is located on syllabus too.
- Verify Your Enrollment: This is a 1 question quiz assignment that is used for the official enrollment into the course and fulfills the census requirement. IMPORTANT – MUST COMPLETE FIRST
Course and Instructor Information
Located on the course menu:
- Start Here! Enrollment Verification – Do this NOW!
- Course and Instructor Information:
- Welcome: Provides information specific to the instructor and course.
- Instructor: Get to know your instructor.
- Course: Provides details about the course such as Syllabus, Tentative Schedule, and other information.
- Syllabus – Read the syllabus, then ask your instructor any questions you have regarding it.
- Tentative Schedule – Print the Tentative Schedule and use it as a checklist for the course.
Review the Main Moodle Menu
Moodle Menu above the course title.
Review each item within these two menus. Menu items may change overtime, so recheck through out the semester.
- Course Support
- Student Support for Online Learning: Provides information regarding taking distance education courses and the services offered at PCC.
- Virtual Tutoring Login: Online or face-to face tutoring is available at PCC. Sign up using this link. piedmontcc.mywconline.com
- Learning Commons /Library: Tutoring, Printing: A location on each campus with collaborative workspace, library resources, writing center, and tutoring.
- Resources for your Success: PCC webpage with helpful links for a student all in one place.
- Student Help Desk – IT support with computer, or log in issues.
- Distance Learning Advising Handout: A guide for Distance Learning students.
- PCC Email: Access your student email here. Provides access to Microsoft 365 Suite such as MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS One Drive, and more. Also, as a PCC student, you can download MS 365 to your computer.
- PCC Resources:
- Online Tools
- Calendar
- Employees
- Academic Calendar
FAQ about Moodle
Where can I find ____ in Moodle?
- Announcements
- PCC system announcements or Site News are located on the Home page.
- Course announcements or Latest News are located under the “General” section which is in the center and top of the screen.
- Your instructor might have provided access to the announcements through a block called “Latest News” which will be on the right side of the screen after clicking on the green arrow icon.
- Activity Completion
- Moodle uses Activity Completion – Using Activity Completion
- Blackboard called this Activity Stream
- My Grades
- User Report: Shows individual grades within a course. Open a course, click on Grades from the middle menu. Select User Report. Or click on the circle icon (top right) and select grades, then click on a course.
- Overview Report: Shows the Overall Course Grade for all courses. Open a course, click on Grades from the middle menu. Select Overview Report. Or click on the circle icon (top right) and select grades.
- Course Messages
- Click on the circle icon (top right) and select Messages.
- To the left of the circle icon (top right), select the bubble icon.
- Access to Email
- PCC uses Microsoft 365 Outlook for email. Free access for current students.
- PCC email link is located within the course menu under “Resources at PCC”.
- PCC’s webpage under “Online Tools” which is located at the top of the PCC webpage.
- Calendar
- Click on the circle icon (top right) and select calendar.
- Your instructor might have provided access to the calendar through a block, which will be on the right side of the screen after clicking on the green arrow icon.
- Top Moodle menu, click on Dashboard to see the calendar.
- Discussion Forum
- The discussion forum is located within the content area (center of the screen). From the course menu (left side), click on the current Module/Week (boldfaced) which assigned a discussion forum. Within the current Module/Week the discussion forum will be shown in the center of the screen.
- Follow the Tentative Schedule as a guide.
- Syllabus
- The syllabus should be located in the course menu named “Course and Instructor Information”.
How to I send an email message?
PCC uses Microsoft 365 Outlook for email. And it is free for current students.
How can I locate MS 365 Outlook?
- PCC email link is located within the course menu under “Resources at PCC”.
- PCC’s webpage under “Online Tools” which is located at the top of the PCC webpage.
What is my Username and Password for email?
- Username is your Moodle and Self Service username along with the @students.piedmontcc.edu at the end.
- Password is the same as Moodle’s password.
How to I send a course chat message?
Follow these steps to send a message to a user:
- Look for the circle icon at the top right. Could have initials or an added image.
- Click on the icon then click on messages. Or click on the bubble icon to the left of the circle icon.
- Type in the name of the user into the search box.
- Select the user.
- The message box will appear at the bottom. Type in your message.
- Click on the send arrow to the right of the message box.
- The message will display as sent.
You will see a red dot on the bubble icon if you have a message to read.
What does the green or white circles mean?
- This tracks your Activity Completion. Completion indicators in the Course index on the left show which activities have to be completed and which still must be done. The completed activities display as a green circle.
- Additional information Using Activity Completion
Send a Course Message to your Instructor
Follow these steps to send a message to your instructor:
- Look for the circle icon at the top right. Could have initials or an image.
- Click on the icon then click on messages. Or click on the bubble icon to the left of the circle icon.
- Type in the name of your instructor into the search box.
- Select your instructor.
- The message box will appear at the bottom. Type in your message.
- Click on the send arrow to the right of the message box.
- The message will display as sent.
You will see a red dot on the bubble icon if you have a message to read.
Moodle Distance Learning Online Learner Orientation Course
If you are taking an online or hybrid course for the first time at PCC, we strongly recommend you complete the Moodle Online Learner Orientation course.
To access the online orientation, follow the steps below:
- Log into Moodle
- Click on My Courses
- Click on the link for the Learner Orientation course
- If you do not see the Learner Orientation course, then contact Distance Learning.