Are you a new student at the University or a returning student? How has the start of Teaching Block 1 (TB1) gone so far for you? There’s just so much to think about and everything’s so different, this year more than ever. Don’t worry in a few short weeks time, things will start to fall into place and it’ll be like you’ve been here for ages. Welcome to the University of Portsmouth.

Last week’s blog post looked at the Four Top Moodle Questions for Staff, so this week we’re looking at the most frequently asked questions from students. As you’re aware many educational institutions use one form or another for their virtual learning environment (VLE) and here at Portsmouth, we use Moodle. So here are the top four students questions:

Q1) I’ve logged into Moodle and I can’t see any information, where are my modules?

This question normally starts being asked as soon as the students finish registering at the university, which can be even before Induction week!  Hopefully, by now all the students that have Teaching Block 1 (2020/21-SMSEP) and Year-long (2020/21-SMYEAR) modules can now see their sites on their dashboard. Modules are hidden from student view so that the sites can be updated and are usually released by the lecturer in their first taught session with students. This isn’t written in stone and the lecturer can unhide the site any time once the module is ready.

Q2) I’ve got some modules, but some are still missing, can you add them to my Moodle dashboard?  

Teaching Block 2 (TB2) modules are normally kept hidden until the beginning of Teaching Block 2, which this year starts on Monday 8th February 2021. Some lecturers release these modules before January but others prefer for students to view their material in chronological order.  If you’re still missing modules in February 2021, please contact us at the servicedesk@port.ac.uk so we can investigate the issue further.  

Q3) Where can I find my timetable in Moodle? 

The answer to this question is, you won’t be able to find your timetable in Moodle.  Your timetable can be found on MyPort. Once on MyPort scroll down the page until you come to the three main sections ‘Application’, ‘Manage my course’ and ‘Services and Support’. In the middle section ‘Manager my course’ you’ll see the title ‘My Timetable’, click on here. Once you’ve logged in using your student ID  you’ll see your calendar with your timetable on, you can look at it daily, weekly or monthly. The information shown is the length of the lecture, the building where your lecture is taking place, plus the room number, along with the title of the lecture.

Three sections taken from My Port they are ‘Application’, ‘Manage my course’ and ‘Services and Support’.

Q4) I’ve been given the wrong year modules. Why do my modules end with the date of the last year?  

This question normally appears in January and may not happen this year as the codes now include both years that the academic reflects. Most academic Undergraduate courses begin in September/October and end in July, so regardless of which Teaching Block it is, the module will include 2020/21. It is the year that August/September starts in, which indicates what year appears on the code and not the calendar year. So in January 2021, you’ll see that your modules will end with 2020/21-SMJAN.

We hope you find this blog post useful and that maybe it’s preempted some questions, but either way, don’t forget to contact us for further assistance should you need it by emailing us at servicedesk@port.ac.uk.  

Good Luck with your studies!