Ever had a student tell you they can’t see a Moodle course, even though you’ve enrolled them? It’s a common head-scratcher for Moodle administrators and teachers. Chris Richter from ricoshae.com.au shares some insightful tips to troubleshoot this exact problem. By understanding a few key settings, you can ensure your students always have access to their courses.
Let’s dive into the common culprits and how to fix them!
Step 1: Confirm Student Enrollment
Before anything else, double-check that the student is actually enrolled in the course.
- Navigate to the course.
- Click on Participants.
- Scroll through the list to confirm the student’s presence. You’ll also see if they’ve ever accessed the course, which can be a good indicator of whether they’ve been able to view it.
If the student is indeed enrolled but still can’t see the course, move on to the next steps.
Step 2: Check Course Visibility
This is often the simplest and most overlooked setting.
- Go into your course Settings.
- Under the “General” section (especially in Moodle 4.0 with the Boost theme), locate Course visibility.
- If it’s set to Hide, change it to Show.
- Save and display your changes.
Now, have your student check their “My courses” page. If the visibility was the issue, the course should now appear!
Step 3: Investigate Course Start and End Dates
While less common for a complete disappearance, course dates can influence how and when a course appears to students.
- In your course Settings, examine the Course start date and Course end date.
- The “Course start date” determines the beginning of the course, and courses with a start date in the future might not appear immediately in some views.
- The “Course end date,” when enabled, marks the official end of the course. Even if a course has ended, students typically retain access to view content and grades, though they might not be able to submit new activities.
Important Note: Even if a course’s end date has passed, students can often still see it, especially in the “Past courses” filter (more on that below). The primary impact of the end date is on activity submission.
Step 4: The Student’s “My courses” Filters
This is a big one and often the hidden reason for a missing course! Moodle’s “My courses” page (or Course Overview) allows students to filter their course list. If they’ve selected an incorrect filter, a perfectly visible course might seem to be missing.
Have your student check the filter options on their “My courses” page. These usually include:
- In progress: Shows courses currently active within their start and end dates. If a course has passed its end date, it won’t show up here.
- Future: Displays courses that have a start date in the future.
- Past: Shows courses that have ended.
- Starred: Only shows courses the student has “starred” or marked as a favorite. If they haven’t starred any, this view will be empty.
- Archived: Courses that have been archived.
If a student is looking for a course that has already ended, but they are on the “In progress” filter, they won’t see it. Simply guiding them to select Past courses can instantly solve the problem!
Conclusion
Troubleshooting missing Moodle courses for students usually boils down to these two main areas:
- Course Visibility: Ensure the course is set to “Show” in the course settings.
- Student’s Course Filters: Guide students to check their “My courses” filter settings (In progress, Future, Past, Starred, Archived) to ensure they’re looking in the right place.
By understanding these settings, you can quickly resolve student access issues and ensure a smoother learning experience. If you’re a Moodle teacher or course creator looking for more in-depth knowledge, be sure to check out Moodle LMS courses for comprehensive guidance.
Got other Moodle questions? Let us know in the comments below!