Moodle Mobile is the official mobile app for Moodle. If you have a Moodle site, you can also access it on your mobile devices by downloading the app in Google Play or the Apple Store.
With the Moodle Mobile app, you can:
- Browse the content of your courses, even when offline
- Receive instant notifications of messages and other events
- Quickly find and contact other people in your courses
- Upload images, audio, videos and other files from your mobile device
- View your course grades
- … and more!
The Moodle Mobile team updates the app with new features and fixes every two months (the latest version is Moodle Mobile 3.2) so you can be sure that your learning with Moodle on the mobile is innovative!
Now with statistics showing a growing trend of learners accessing their learning more and more on mobile devices, Moodle has put a lot of attention into Moodle’s mobile features and will continue to do so in 2017.
The best person to talk to when it comes to Moodle Mobile is our Mobile Team Leader, Juan Leyva.
Moodle HQ caught up with Juan recently to ask him what’s new with mobile learning and what can we expect to see with Moodle Mobile in 2017.
Moodle HQ: Thanks Juan for taking the time to have a chat with us. Now, we are sure Moodlers worldwide know who you are as they’ve engaged with you in forums, in conferences and other events. But for those who haven’t had a chance to work with you, can you please start by introducing yourself and your role in Moodle
Juan: My name is Juan Leyva and I am the Moodle Mobile team leader. I am based in Barcelona along with a team of other developers and Moodle HQ support staff.
Our work is centred on maintaining, supporting and updating the Moodle Mobile App so that it is the best app for all learners and educators who have a Moodle site.
Moodle HQ: Through your work with the Moodle Mobile App, what are some of the trends you see with mobile learning?
Juan: The Moodle Mobile App was first released in April 2013 through the Google Play and Apple Stores. Over the last three years, Moodle has seen over 300% increase in installations for the Moodle Mobile App.
The latest figures also show that about 70% of global internet traffic is accessed via mobile devices. All of us are using our mobile devices more to access the internet for everything we do – including our learning.
So what the statistics are telling us is that learners want to have their learning easily accessible, wherever they are – on the train to school or work, while sitting during lunchtime, or travelling between class, work and other activities.
That is why Moodle has a put a lot of attention into its Mobile App features.
Moodle HQ: So, what are some of the major and popular (with educators and learners) features in Moodle Mobile App that makes learning on the go and on mobile devices more innovative?
Juan: Moodle Mobile 3.2 is the latest version of our app, now available via Google Play and the Apple Store for a free download.
Key new features in Moodle Mobile 3.2 include:
- Auto-login on your mobile:
- Users are automatically logged in to their site in a mobile browser when coming from the app, so that accessing your Moodle site is faster and easier between mobile app and browser.
- Sign up straight from your mobile:
- If the site allows it, users now can create a Moodle account directly on the mobile app without needing to go onto the website.
- New “Grades” link
- A new “Grades” link in the side menu means that users can now have faster access to their total grades in all courses.
- Assignment grading
- Teachers can now grade assignments, with points and written feedback, using only the Moodle Mobile App. This grading feature can also be accessed offline.
- Messaging and notifications
- Configure how you want to be alerted from a new preferences page which makes notifications even more efficient on the mobile app.
- Update a profile picture
- Users can now update their profile picture by taking a photo on their phone or choosing one from their photo library.
- View badges in profile
- In Moodle Mobile 3.2, students can view any badges they’ve received, in their profile page.
- Single Sign On Support (SSO)
- The app now supports Moodle 3.2 sites with SSO auth plugins like Shibboleth, CAS and Google Auth so that you don’t need to install any plugin for the app to work on these sites.
Moodle HQ: What’s the latest in Moodle Mobile App that you can share or excited about?
Juan: Well, late last year we officially launched the Branded Moodle Mobile App.
Simply put, the Branded Moodle Mobile App is all of the latest functionalities and stability of the generic Moodle Mobile App combined with an organisation or institution’s own custom branding.
The Branded Moodle Mobile App is fully developed, published and maintained by the Moodle HQ team so that organisations and institutions do not need to invest on considerable resources and time to have their own learning app.
On top of custom branding, regular maintenance and new features, a Branded Moodle Mobile App is also about simplified login so that your learners can really get into their “classrooms” at a touch of a button.
Late last year, the Moodle Mobile team finished and released the first Branded Moodle Mobile App, for Dublin City University. You can find out more about the process and how it is going so far by reading our interview with Mark Glynn, the Head Teaching Enhancement Unit at the University.
To find out more about the Branded Moodle Mobile App, please check our website or contact your local Moodle Partner.
Moodle HQ: Lastly, what can Moodle Mobile App users look forward to in 2017? What new advancements or innovations can we all look forward to?
Juan: Going forward, the Moodle Mobile team will continue to focus on improving synchronisation, grading and rating, supporting more activity modules like lesson or feedback and also making sure that we enhance our UX and performance improvements.
We have been working with our UX team to progress the later.
As always, we will also work closely with the Moodle community, to get their ideas, feedback and help, to continue making the Moodle Mobile App innovative, easy to use and powerful for all teachers and educators to use.
You also can stay up to date with all Moodle Mobile updates by:
- Joining our Moodle Mobile forum.
- Following us on Twitter @moodlemobileapp or searching for #MoodleMobile.
- Attending a MoodleMoot where there will be a dedicated session/presentation on Moodle Mobile. I will be presenting at the upcoming MoodleMoot UK & Ireland in London from 10 – 12 April, or for more information on other MoodleMoots near you, please visit the website.
Thanks Juan for sharing this information on Moodle Mobile.
If you want more information on Moodle Mobile, you can also go to our website.
If you have a Moodle site and have not downloaded the app, give it a go! You can download it via:
