1. Course creation

Creating courses from the SITSsync list

For regular courses, please use the SITSsync course list instead of creating courses manually. Manual course creation should only be used when the course is not available in the SITSsync list.

Open the SITSsync list here: https://ceulearning.ceu.edu/local/sitssync/view.php

The courses for the coming academic year should be available from July. Please create courses only after the data you see is correct and no further significant changes are expected.

Courses are grouped by term, so you can review and save Fall, Winter, and Spring separately. The courses that should normally be created are checked by default, based on previous data. If a course should not be created, remove the checkmark before saving.

The import checkbox means that previous course content should be copied into the new course. If a different previous course should be copied, leave a comment.

Please use the comment field for special cases, for example:

  • multiple Moodle courses are needed, although SITS lists only one course;
  • no SITS synchronization is needed;
  • the course has several SITS groups, but only one Moodle course should be used for all groups;
  • the previous course to copy is not the obvious one.

After you save the form, the Moodle admin receives an automatic notification. Once the courses are created, they move from the SITS list to the Created list.

Academic Writing courses: these may need extra checking because the SITS data may be inaccurate. If you are unsure whether they are final, please leave a comment or wait until the Academic Writing details are confirmed.

Manual course creation

1. If the course is not available in the SITSsync list and needs to be created manually, go to the relevant category of your department (if necessary, create the category first - use the same naming style of your department https://docs.moodle.org/35/en/Course_categories#Adding_a_category )

2. You will find the "Add a new course" button below the course list. (if you can not see this button, you do not have rights in that category)

For multi-group courses, please read this guide first.

Mandatory fields  

  • Full name: This is the course title - This must be a unique name on the Moodle server. You should always indicate the Year/term at the end (2021/22 Fall). For multiple groups, you should indicate this as well.
  • Short name: Short title (this will show up in the “breadcrumbs” listing) If it is not unique, the system will prompt you for a different name when you try to save your settings. It is recommended to use a name you and your students will be able to easily identify.
  • Category: You can select which the folder, where the course will be located. By default this will be the category where you clicked on the Create a new course button.

  • SITS sync code: This code is needed to establish the connection with SITS - so all registered students and instructors will get access to their registered courses automatically when they log in to Moodle.

    You can find this code in SITS called Moodle sync code. The format has a strict logic, so you can always add this code if you know the course code.
    The code has 4 parts without any spaces. put together:
    - course code: ENVS2323
    - a letter indicating the group. For most courses, it is a higher case letter A, if there are multiple groups, for group 2 it is B, for group 3 it is C
    - the year 2021/22
    - the term T1 for fall, T2 for winter, T3 for spring

So for example a full code looks like: ENVS2323A2021/22T1
If the course is not listed in SITS, you can leave this field empty, but students, instructors need to be registered manually.
If there are changes in SITS, with the course code or term,  you need to change this code as well, otherwise the connection will be gone.

Optional fields 
(you can always check the ? icon next to the settings for more information).

  • Course format: Open the sub-menu to change this setting. The default is "topics" format, which means that the sections are marked with " Section 1, 2..." etc. You can select "weekly" format instead, this way the course will automatically calculate dates from the course "start date" for each section.
    The students can change between the sections with the "navigation drawer", so they do not have to scroll in long courses.
    The single activity format can be handy for special courses, when you only want one activity, like a forum to be in the course.
  • Summary: A paragraph explaining the “course” (Students and Guests will be able to see this without enrolling to the course). You can copy/paste the relevant summary from your syllabus here. You can also upload “course summary” files if needed (syllabi). This can be really useful, if you would like to share some information with students without SITS registration. You can find more about this at "Possibilities outside a course".
    You can restrict CEU users for this summary. The summary info will be also displayed in the footer section of the course.