Moodle LMS 4.5 is here! A new release is always an exciting time for those of us on the Moodle Learning Design team. We love to get our hands on the new features, testing them out and brainstorming ways that these new tools can make Moodle-life easier for our clients. In case you haven’t seen this yet, here’s the full rundown of what you’ll find in the latest version: Moodle LMS 4.5: Unlock the power of AI for your courses
While there is much to love in Moodle 4.5 (I am SO excited about being able to create a screen recording right inside the text editor), today I want to look at the top three enhancements that have already improved my course building experience. In true countdown style, we’ll start with #3 and work our way toward my #1 favorite new feature:
3. AI subsystem – A new frontier for learning design
The AI subsystem opens up incredible possibilities for integrating artificial intelligence in our courses. The flexibility to choose from various AI models means I can personalize learning paths, generate content, and support learners’ needs in new, engaging ways.
And, because the ability to utilize AI tools such as text and image generation are based on system permissions, I have lots of options when it comes to where and how I want my learners to use AI in my course.
As an instructor, I have been thinking about AI tools as my teaching assistant – I use automated text generation to help me write the first draft of assignment instructions, forum prompts, and lesson content. This saves me time (and a lot of typing!), but I’m always making lots of tweaks and revisions so that, in the end, the overall tone and design of my course is definitely my own.
2. Enhanced assignment activity – Continuous feedback, seamless management
I really love the new Assignment activity Submissions page. It’s much easier to filter and see what my learners have already submitted, who still needs to submit, and what still needs to be graded. There are lots of small changes on the Submissions page, but they add up to big efficiencies when I’m grading and giving feedback to learners.
Speaking of feedback – being able to automatically grant learners additional attempts is a game-changer for facilitating continuous feedback. Before, if I wanted a learner to have another chance at an Assignment, I had to manually grant that additional attempt. Now, I just set the Assignment up to automatically grant new attempts, and the result is a really easy, organized way to collect submissions for activities where the goal is continuous improvement.
Learners can revise their work and submit several drafts of the same assignment, and I can provide feedback on those drafts – for both of us, we get to see the progress being made over time.
1. Course subsections – Organizing content with ease
And, my #1 personal favorite new feature in Moodle LMS 4.5 – course subsections! As a learning designer, I am often helping my clients organize content into logical, bite-sized chunks. Simple, intuitive navigation and organization is absolutely key to creating clear and engaging courses – if your learners can’t find what they need to do, they can’t do it!
Before, in each section of my course, I would create a Text and media area (actually, before, I would create a Label – shout out to the old school Moodlers!) heading, and then place activities and resources under that heading. These headings were usually “Readings and Videos,” with links to content underneath, and “Learning Activities,” with links to assignments, quizzes, etc. underneath. I had to duplicate these for each section of the course, and while it did what I needed it to do, it took a lot of time.
Now, course subsections allow me to create better navigation within topics, offering learners a more structured learning path without overwhelming them. I add a subsection similarly to how I add any other content to the course, and then I place activities and resources within that subsection.
It’s so easy, and what I really love about this feature is that the subsection comes with its own page – so if I click on the heading for that subsection, I’m taken to a dedicated page with just that content. Being able to focus on one chunk of content at a time is helpful for all learners, and is especially important for those who process information differently, such as neurodivergent learners.
This is what makes course subsections my favorite new Moodle feature – it’s easy to use, makes your course homepage look neat and organized, and it follows the Universal Design practice of building courses that are inclusive and accessible to all learners.
Final thoughts: Better course design with Moodle 4.5
With Moodle LMS 4.5, these exciting new tools and enhancements bring more efficiency, creativity, and accessibility to course design. Whether it’s leveraging AI to help with content creation, enhancing assignment workflows to promote continuous feedback, or using course subsections to create more structured and accessible learning paths, Moodle continues to evolve with the needs of educators and learners in mind. I can’t wait to see how these new capabilities will empower educators and enrich learning experiences for all learners.
Have questions? Want to talk more learning design? Get in touch!
