Moodle, a widely-used open-source learning management system (LMS), has recently released its latest version, Moodle 4.2. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the new features and improvements introduced in Moodle 4.2. We will discuss how these enhancements can benefit educators and learners, making the platform more efficient and user-friendly.
Moodle 4.2 is a significant update to the popular open-source LMS. Released on April 24, 2023, this version introduces new features and improvements designed to enhance the user experience for both educators and students. Key updates include streamlined visibility of learner progress and performance through Gradebook improvements and a search option in the Grader report. Moodle 4.2 also includes enhanced features for course management, such as bulk editing of activities and improved handling of group assignments.
What’s New in Moodle 4.2 from Moodle Academy
📊 Report Builder enhancements include new sources, filters, and course report options
🔧 New admin settings include indentation, TinyMCE editor, BigBlueButton, and H5P
🔄 Moodle Net now supports the outbound sharing of activities and resources
🧹 Assignment 2.2 activity module removed in Moodle 4.2
🌐 Cohort custom fields can now be added
😃 Custom fields can now be added to cohorts in Moodle 4.2
🎓 Activity Chooser tabs can be customized to show recommended activities first
🔗 Site admins can now add their own URL for services and support instead of linking to moodle.com
🌐 PDF font support added for languages like Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew, and Arabic
🆕 New capabilities added in Moodle 4.2, including Big Blue Button recording format feature
📚 Course page improvements allow easier editing, duplicating, and adding activities
🔀 Bulk editing feature added thanks to Moodle Users Association sponsorship
📤 Ability to share content from courses to a Moodle net instance
📊 Gradebook enhancements include new search features and collapsible columns in the grader report
📚 Gradebook setup improvements: option to collapse categories and a new status column
📝 Enhancements to quiz groups and assignment contributed by community developers
🏫 Customizable question numbers in quizzes, developed by the UK Open University
🔓 Teachers can reopen never submitted quiz attempts in Moodle 4.2
👥 Group privacy setting: group membership visibility
✉️ Message selected students feature added on assignment submissions page
🏷️ Mixed opinions on the display of text and media areas in course index
🛠️ Bulk editing feature praised as a fantastic addition
🎓 Moodle Academy courses and badges available for Moodle 4.2
Streamlined Course Page Design and Navigation
Enhancements in Moodle LMS 4.2’s course page design make it simpler to create and edit courses while providing a more intuitive navigation experience for learners. Updates include:
- Duplicating sections and adding activities anywhere within a section
- Displaying activity types only to teachers when editing mode is enabled, conserving valuable screen space
- Permalink URLs for sharing specific locations within courses
- Indentation was restored in the course index and the main page for better content comprehension
🔄 Teachers can duplicate course sections
🔗 Permalinks are available for easy linking to sections
➕ Activities can be added anywhere
✏️ Activity names are visible only in edit mode
🎨 Text and media areas display in the course index
Enhanced Gradebook and Grader Report
Streamlined Visibility of Learner Progress
Moodle 4.2 has made significant improvements to the Gradebook, allowing educators to have a more streamlined view of their students’ progress and performance. The Gradebook layout is designed to be more intuitive and user-friendly, making it easier for instructors to track and analyze their students’ achievements.
Gradebook Enhancements for Improved Monitoring
Moodle LMS 4.2 brings numerous improvements to the Gradebook, allowing educators and trainers to monitor learner progress more effectively. Key updates include:
- Search functionality to easily find learners using identifiers like names or emails in the Grader report
- A records per page selector for the Grader report
- Collapsible columns in the Grader report
- Collapsible grade categories in the Gradebook setup
- Direct display of learner feedback within the Gradebook
↕️ Collapsible columns in the Grader report for easier navigation
📝 Feedback displayed directly on the screen for quick review
📂 Collapsible categories in the Gradebook setup page for improved focus
🔒 New status icon showing Hidden and Locked grade items
Search Option in the Grader report
As part of the Gradebook improvements, Moodle 4.2 has also introduced a search option in the Grader report. This new feature enables educators to quickly and easily locate specific students or assignments, saving time and effort when grading and providing feedback.
Data Privacy and Group Visibility Updates
Moodle LMS 4.2 emphasizes data privacy and security by giving site administrators and educators control over the visibility of members in specific groups when creating new ones. This enhancement strengthens Moodle’s commitment to GDPR data privacy and security compliance.
Bulk Editing in Moodle 4.2
In collaboration with the Moodle Users Association, Moodle LMS 4.2 introduces a time-saving bulk actions feature. This powerful tool enables educators and trainers to duplicate, delete, move, or modify the availability of activities or course sections in one swift action, streamlining course creation and editing processes.
🔄 Teachers can bulk duplicate, delete, or move items
🛠️ Bulk change of availability options is possible
📦 Whole sections can also be subject to bulk actions
💡 Streamlines course management for teachers
Efficient Course Management
The Bulk Editing feature in Moodle 4.2 allows educators to efficiently manage their course content. This feature enables instructors to perform bulk actions, such as updating, deleting, or moving multiple course activities or resources simultaneously. This can save a significant amount of time and effort for educators when managing their courses.
Customizable Bulk Actions
Moodle 4.2’s Bulk Editing feature is highly customisable, allowing educators to choose which specific actions they want to perform on their selected course items. This flexibility ensures that instructors can tailor their bulk editing processes to best suit their individual needs and preferences.
Insightful Reports for Better Learner Outcomes
Moodle LMS 4.2 brings improvements to the Report builder, providing educators and trainers with deeper insights into learner behaviour and progress. Updates include:
- New data sources, such as comments and user badges, for generating detailed reports
- Additional options for custom reports on course completion, such as time enrolled, time started and reaggregated
- Filters for viewing data within specific timeframes, like before, last, current, and next hour, directly from custom reports
🎖️ Comments and user badges added as report sources
📊 Course overview files available in course custom reports
⏰ New time filters for current and previous hour
📆 Time enrolled, started, and reaggregated options for course completion
🛠️ Streamlines custom reporting with new filters and sources
MoodleNet Integration for Seamless Content Sharing
With Moodle LMS 4.2, educators and trainers can now export content from their Moodle courses directly to MoodleNet, our platform for finding, sharing, and curating open educational resources. This integration makes it easy to share course activities and allows users to access, import, and reuse the content in other courses or contexts.
What’s new for teachers?
Moodle 4.2 introduces several enhancements for teachers, including course page improvements, bulk editing options, report builder updates, and gradebook enhancements. Teachers can now quickly create content, easily indent items, and duplicate sections with useful permalinks. The report builder offers new sources and filters, while the gradebook features collapsible categories and direct feedback viewing. New integrations include BigBlueButton, with settings to control profile photo visibility and recording formats, and MoodleNet initial integration, allowing teachers to share activities if permitted by the admin. Additional updates include customisable question numbers, the ability to reopen unsubmitted attempts, assignment messaging, and group membership visibility control.
https://docs.moodle.org/402/en/New_for_teachers
What’s new for students?
Key updates include a modern new editor (TinyMCE) that can be enabled through Editor Preferences, and a clearer “My courses” page for easier navigation.
https://docs.moodle.org/402/en/New_for_students
What’s new for administrators?
Moodle 4.2 introduces significant updates for administrators, including new indentation settings for Topics and Weekly Course formats, an enhanced report builder with additional sources and filters, and improved integrations with BigBlueButton and MoodleNet. Additionally, the popular, modern, and accessible TinyMCE editor is now the default editor for new Moodle sites, offering more control over its features.
https://docs.moodle.org/402/en/New_for_administrators
Additional New Features Worth Exploring
Moodle LMS 4.2 also introduces several other noteworthy improvements, such as:
- BigBlueButton integration updates: Restrict specific recording formats for public view, and display participants’ profile pictures during live sessions
- The accessible and popular TinyMCE text editor as the default editor
- Editable question numbers and reopenable quiz attempts that were never submitted
- Assignment messaging option for effortless communication with learners from the assignment submissions page
If you would like us to upgrade your Moodle site to Moodle 4.2 contact us today!
