This document provides tips for creating Moodle courses and sites that are mobile friendly for use on the Moodle Mobile app. It discusses enabling features like push notifications and using a responsive design. It recommends using specific course formats and resources that are better supported in Moodle Mobile, as well as providing alternatives for unsupported activities. The document also provides tips for configuration at the site level, like installing additional plugins, creating a mobile theme, and bulk enrolling users in a custom course for mobile access.

1. Tips for creating
Moodle Mobile friendly
courses/sites
Juan Leyva
Moodle Mobile Developer
@jleyvadelgado #mootes14

2. This presentation is about the official app for
Android, iOs, Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8
If you are more interested in using mobiles
to support learning with Moodle, see:
● http://www.slideshare.net/epictalk/20-tips-for-mobile-learning-in-moodle
● http://www.slideshare.net/epictalk/using-mobiles-to-support-active-learning-with-
mobile
Disclaimer

3. Moodle Mobile is the official mobile
app for Moodle
https://download.moodle.org/mobile/
Moodle Mobile

4. “It is important to know that the app will never be able to support all
the functions of Moodle, because Moodle is a huge fast-moving
target and writing secure web services (which is how the app
communicates to Moodle) takes a long time to do properly. This is a
tradeoff that we had to make, and we know it may disappoint some
users who want this app to do everything immediately!”
“We focus on the communication aspects, plus a few of the
information aspects.”
Martin Dougiamas
Mobile strategy going forward

5. Install the “Moodle additional features plugin”
● Local plugin for adding new features to the current
Moodle Mobile app
● This add-on provides new features and also web
services which are currently only available in the latest
Moodle version
● A Moodle 2.4 installation with the plugin has the same
Mobile features available than a Moodle 2.8 installation
Tips for sites

6. Moodle additional features plugin
● Extra features: Support for sites using SSO
authentication methods (Shibboleth and CAS)
● A new Moodle Mobile major version requires to upgrade
this plugin in your Moodle installation.
● https://docs.moodle.org/Moodle_Mobile_additional_feat
ures
Tips for sites

7. Enable Push notifications
● The site must be registered in moodle.org
● Administration / Plugins / Message outputs / Mobile
notifications
● User must enable in their profile to receive Mobile
notifications
Tips for sites

8. Enable Push notifications
● Notifications are connected to the Moodle messaging
system
● A bulk message to all the users in a course will send a
Push notification to the user mobile phone (Remember,
the user must enable to receive Mobile notifications)
Tips for sites

9. ● Use the topics or weeks course format
Tips for courses

10. ● Avoid orphaned activities or direct links to activities
Tips for courses

11. ● Labels are initially collapsed, use a short text as
introduction of what is inside
Tips for courses

12. ● Use responsive HTML in pages or mini-sites
Tips for courses

13. ● Youtube or maps links (URL resource) opens
automatically the system app
Tips for courses

14. Find alternatives to unsupported activities or resources
● Book module: Publish an “accessible” version of the
Book resource using the export to HTML feature
● IMS CP: Instead using the IMS CP resource, unzip the
file and add it as a resource (mini-site)
Tips for courses

15. Find alternatives to unsupported activities or resources
● Same for SCORM without API tracking
● Not all the video formats are supported by all mobile
devices, upload the same video in different formats in a
directory resource
Tips for courses

16. Upload a detailed guide of how to use Moodle Mobile
including:
● Download links to the different platforms/stores.
● Explain the different possibilities and limitations of the
app.
● Explain how the offline mode works (you should
download your contents first).
● Explain how to configure your messaging settings for
receiving mobile notifications.
Tips for sites

17. ● Create a custom theme for your site
Tips for sites

18. ● Do not use frontpage courses or activities
Tips for sites
● Place those pages in a
global course where all the
users are enrolled via
cohorts, meta-course
enrolments

19. ● Enroll all the users in that course via the db plugin
Tips for sites

20. You have more information here:
http://docs.moodle.org/en/Mobile_app
https://docs.moodle.org/en/Moodle_Mobile_additional_features
http://docs.moodle.org/dev/Moodle_Mobile
https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MOBILE
Thanks for your time!