Setting up and managing course calendars in Moodle is a key part of organizing and keeping track of events, deadlines, and activities for both instructors and students. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you with the process:

1. Accessing the Course Calendar

To begin setting up the calendar for a course, you must be logged into Moodle as a teacher or admin. The calendar is part of the course interface and can be accessed in two main ways:

• Course page: The calendar is displayed on the right-hand side of the course page by default (this may vary based on your theme).
• Navigation drawer: In the course navigation, you can also find the calendar under the “Course administration” section.

2. Setting Up Events

Events in Moodle can include assignments, quizzes, lessons, or any other activity that needs to be tracked by date.

To add an event:

1. Go to the calendar page: You can click on the calendar block on the course page or navigate to the “Calendar” link from the “Navigation” menu.
2. Click “New Event”: On the calendar page, you’ll see an option to create a new event.
3. Fill out the event details:
   • Event Name: Choose a title that describes the event (e.g., “Assignment 1 Due”).
   • Description: Provide additional information about the event if needed.
   • Date and Time: Set the start and end date (if applicable). You can also set it to be an all-day event.
   • Repeat: You can set the event to repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly if it is a recurring event.
   • Access: Decide if the event is visible to students, only to teachers, or a specific group.
4. Save the event: Once you’ve filled out the details, click the “Save” button.

Event Types:

• Course Events: Specific to a course (e.g., deadlines, course meetings).
• User Events: Specific to a user (e.g., personal reminders).
• Site Events: Site-wide events can be set up by administrators.

3. Managing Events in the Calendar

Once events are created, you can:

• View events by day, week, or month: The calendar offers several view options to make it easier to track your events.
• Edit events: Simply click on any event on the calendar to open it and modify its details.
• Delete events: If an event is no longer needed, you can delete it by clicking the delete option when editing an event.

4. Setting Up Notifications for Events

Moodle can send notifications for upcoming events like deadlines and quizzes. Here’s how to ensure notifications are set up properly:

1. Access User Profile Settings: Go to your profile by clicking on your name in the top right corner.
2. Notification Preferences: Under “Preferences,” click on “Notification preferences.”
3. Event Notifications: Enable or disable notifications for events such as upcoming deadlines, assessments, or activity reminders.
4. Set Timing for Notifications: You can set notifications to be sent on specific dates before the event (e.g., 1 day before, 1 week before).

5. Assigning Events to Groups (Optional)

If your course uses groups, you can assign events to specific groups:

1. Create or manage groups: In your course, go to “Participants” and set up groups if not already done.
2. Add an event for specific group(s): When creating or editing an event, you can choose to restrict the event to certain groups (for example, a particular group’s assignment deadline).

6. Managing Calendar Permissions

If you are an administrator, you can configure the permissions for who can add and manage events:

1. Navigate to Permissions: In the course settings, go to “Course administration” > “Users” > “Permissions.”
2. Edit Permissions: Adjust the permissions for roles like Teacher, Student, or Admin to control who can add or manage calendar events.

7. Using the Calendar for Resource Organization

You can also use the calendar to organize resources and activities:

• Assignments: Add assignment deadlines to the calendar.
• Quizzes: Add dates for quizzes and exams.
• Workshops and Lessons: Schedule workshops and lessons to keep everyone on track.
• Class meetings: Use the calendar to set meeting times for live sessions or in-person classes.

8. Integrating with External Calendars

If you prefer, you can export Moodle calendar events to external calendar systems like Google Calendar or Outlook. Here’s how:

1. Access the “Export” option: In the Calendar view, look for the “Export” button.
2. Choose your format: Select the file format (e.g., iCal format) for export.
3. Link to external calendar: Use the link or file to import the events into your external calendar tool.

By following these steps, you can effectively set up and manage course calendars in Moodle. It will help both instructors and students stay on top of key events, deadlines, and activities throughout the course.