M03 - Links, files and folders

Keywords: link, file, PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, presentation, lecture slides, Prezi, URL, keynote

What is it?

Link to external websites and files you have uploaded to Moodle.

Why use it?

Provide access to resources to your students.

Who can use it?

Staff can add links and files to a Moodle course.

Students and staff can add links and files to discussion forums posts, wiki entries, glossaries, databases and anywhere else they can edit and contribute text.

Before I start...

Compress your files (making the overall file size smaller) using the features in your Word, PowerPoint or PDF software so they are small enough for students to download on mobile devices. This is particularly important if your files contain a lot of images.

Meeting the baseline

The UCL E-Learning Baseline suggests the following for Structure: 

• 1.2 Minimise cognitive load - Avoid overloading the front page by placing content off the main page in Pages, Books, Folders, Lessons and by hiding unused items.

...and for Orientation:

• 2.1 Include the Module Syllabus and Intended Learning Outcomes - Include these directly in Moodle, or via a link to the module handbook or departmental website.

How do I...?

Add a link to the course homepage

1. Turn editing on and go to the section of the Moodle course homepage where you would like the link to appear. It will be added to the bottom and you can move it up afterwards.
2. Click Add an activity or resource, and select URL.
3. Enter a Name (the text the user will click on) – make sure this is clear.
4. Add a Description and tick the Display description on course page option if you want to show your Description below the link  (if you do this you can avoid using labels so much)
5. Type in or copy in an External URL for the site including the https:// or http://
6. If you want to 'embed' the webpage into your Moodle course, so that it appears with the Moodle banner, menu and side blocks, you need to click on Appearance and choose 'embed' from the Display options. Note: the link will need to be a secure link (https) in order to display within Moodle. Try changing the URL to https to see if the website is available in a secure format. If the page doesn't load you will need to choose another display option (avoiding 'in frame' as well). We recommend using the default 'Open in same window' display option, so it is as accessible as possible. Opening links in a new window can be disorientating for students and renders the back button inoperable, making it more difficult for those with visual impairments to navigate.
7. You can ignore the other options for the moment.
8. Click on Save and return to course

Add a file to the course homepage

Drag and Drop files onto my course homepage

You can upload files to Moodle by simply dragging them and dropping them on to your Moodle course page (you still need to have editing turned on!)

The file will appear at the bottom of the topic it was dropped into. Large files may take a few seconds to appear on the page.

You can also select multiple files by clicking and dragging across the files, or holding down ctrl or cmd while clicking each file to add it to the selection. You can then drag all of these files to Moodle in one step.

If you drag a zipped folder, Moodle will ask if you want to unzip it and create a folder on the Moodle course homepage. Unzipping it will allow students to view and download individual files. Keeping it as a file resource will allow students to download all the files together (still as a zipped folder) to their computer.

This video shows how to drag and drop files, folders and zipped files onto your course homepage and then move them to the correct position.

Upload a file to my course homepage manually

1. Go to Add an Activity or Resource and then from the list select File.
2. Add a Name (the text the user will click on).
3. Add a Description, this is compulsory - you can choose to show the Description below the link (Display description on course page)
4. In the contents area you can again drag and drop a file or you can click Add... to go to the file picker.
5. The Moodle File picker appears, offering some possible sources
6. Upload a file at the top is the most common option
7. Under File, Browse... The usual Windows (or Mac) file manager appears. Find and click on the file you want then click on Open.
8. You can add details for the Author (usually you) *and Licence (*this is a check to ensure you know the copyrights of any materials you upload, choose what you think is appropriate)
9. Click Upload this file.

The other options in the file browser are ways of sharing files across courses:

• Private files provide access to your personal file space.
• Shared Moodle files are the files attached to other courses you have rights to – click on this option if you want to copy files from other courses.
• Recent files are the latest files you have been working with (very useful).
  
  

Collect files within a folder

If you have several files which you want to present to students in one place, you can avoid displaying them all on your course area's front page, and thereby contributing to clutter. Instead, upload or move them to a folder and create a single link on the front page - as follows:

1. Turn Editing On
2. In the Section (or Topic, or Week) where you want to display the link to your Folder, click its Add an Activity or Resource link
3. Scroll down the list and select Folder, then the Add button; the Editing Folder page loads.
4. Give it a distinctive, concise name, and a description to help your students understand what the files are fo (the description will be shown above the folder's contents and can provide helpful context).
5. Next, you can add Files to the Folder in ways we have already described above i.e. either dragging them from your personal file space or via the File Picker. You can also add a zipped folder and unzip it – see M03b - Uploading multiple files using zip.
6. When you are ready, remember to Save.
7. If at any point, you need to add files to your new folder, click Edit and repeat the steps above.  If you need to remove any redundant files, click Edit then right-click on the individual files, and click Delete.

Your folder will display all the files within it, so make sure they are named well so students understand what they are for.

Add a link or file within a book, page or label

1. Edit the book, page or label where you want to add a file.
2. Type the text you want to turn in to a link.
3. Select this text.
4. Click on the first chain icon in the text editor to "Insert/edit link".

5. To link to a website, paste a web address (e.g. starting with ) into the Link URL field.or to link to a file, click on the file icon to the right of the Link URL field.
   
   

Caution

The maximum file size you can upload to Moodle is 160mb.

If you are using Internet Explore you must use IE10 or later for drag-and-drop uploads to work.

Examples and case studies

- None at this time.

Questions & Answers

- None at this time.

Further information

Also see: