Category Archives: Blackboard/Moodle

Scheduled: Moodle upgrade

Blackboard/Moodle, Uncategorized

1/4 UPDATE: The upgrade finished after a delay at around 10 pm last night. We are currently testing all parts of Moodle to make sure everything is working as it should. If you see something that you are not expecting, please e-mail helpdesk@emu.edu. Thanks!

3:35pm: The upgrade is still in process and our vendor is not able to give a timeframe on when it will be completed. We continue to monitor the upgrade and post updates when we have more information.

1:02pm: The upgrade is still in process and running smoothly. Moodle will remain unavailable until the process has completed. We hope it will complete by 3:00pm.

On Wednesday, January 3 9:00-1:00, Moodle will be unavailable while it is updated from version 4.0 to 4.1.

This is a minor update and you can read more about it here: https://docs.moodle.org/401/en/New_features 

Updates are necessary to keep Moodle secure, supported and provide access to new features. The timing of this update is inline with our standard practice of updating Moodle in July and Christmas break. If you have any questions, please email helpdesk@emu.edu.

Scheduled Outage: Moodle

Blackboard/Moodle

The Moodle upgrade that failed this morning, will be reattempted on Monday, July 18, at 3:00am. 

The upgrade should involve one to two hours of downtime for Moodle and will be completed by the beginning of the workday.  This is a significant upgrade from version 3 to 4, which has a new look and feel that most will find easier and more intuitive to use.  However, it is a change, and we recognize that instructors with classes in session may need some additional support.  If you have classes at this time, we encourage you to email helpdesk@emu.edu for information from the IS Moodle Team about training opportunities.

Scheduled Outage: Moodle

Blackboard/Moodle

Update: July 15, 8:45am:
We are disappointed to report that the Moodle upgrade scheduled for early this morning could not be completed successfully.  Moodle remains unchanged.  We are working closely with our service provider to determine a new timeline.  We will send another update as soon as we have confirmation that the problems have been resolved and a new date can be set confidently.  If you have questions, please email them to helpdesk@emu.edu.

On Friday, July 15 3:00-6:30 am, we will be upgrading Moodle to version 4.0. Moodle will be unavailable during the upgrade. If you have questions, email helpdesk@emu.edu.

Scheduled: Turnitin Maintenance

Blackboard/Moodle, LMS,

The Turnitin service, which EMU uses through Moodle, will be unavailable because of scheduled maintenance on March 17, 2018 between the hours of 11 AM and 6 PM. Turnitin is a third-party service–EMU has no control over when they perform scheduled maintenance.

Their notification about this maintenance window states:

Users will be unable to submit and grade during this maintenance window, so please ensure that any submission deadlines are adjusted to fall outside of the window.

Turnitin provides a system status page which may contain updates about this outage.

Scheduled: Upgrade Moodle to v3.3

Blackboard/Moodle, LMS,

We will be upgrading Moodle to version 3.3 on Saturday, July 15th from 9am-12pm. This release will bring new features and fixes. Here is a preview of the main features:

  • We will be rolling out the new, updated and simplified theme called “Boost”. This theme also improves how notifications and messages appear. The intent of the theme is for Moodle to look the same across all devices (computer, tablet, and mobile) and while using the Moodle app. See this video for further info.
  • An improved dashboard that allows you to keep track of what is happening in your course activities.
  • The Moodle assignment module will now convert submissions to .pdf allowing you to view the document from your screen without having to download it. You will also be able to grade and annotate from this screen similar to Turnitin. You will still be able to download the submission if that is preferred.

For more details about Moodle 3.3 please refer to the new features tour or the version release notes. There are also a series of videos that describe new version 3.3 features.

Please contact the Helpdesk with questions or comments: helpdesk@emu.edu or 540 432 4357 (x4357 on the Harrisonburg campus).