Admin Quick Guide

Admin Quick Guide

This guide walks you through the essential first steps after installing Moodle. Whether you are setting up a small training site or a large institutional LMS, these initial configuration steps will help you get your site ready for users.

First Login

After installation, log in with the administrator credentials you set during the install process. Upon first login, you will be directed to the Site administration area where Moodle may display notifications about pending configuration tasks.

Site Registration

Moodle encourages site registration at Site administration > Registration. Registering your site helps the Moodle community track usage statistics and is required to use the Moodle.net content sharing features. Registration is voluntary but recommended.

Configuring Basic Site Settings

Site Name and Description

Navigate to Site administration > General > Front page settings to configure:

• Full site name: The name that appears in the title bar and email notifications
• Short name for site: Used in navigation breadcrumbs and email subjects
• Front page summary: A description displayed on the site front page for visitors

Front Page Configuration

The front page is what users see when they visit your Moodle site. Configure what is displayed under Site administration > General > Front page settings:

• Front page: Choose what non-logged-in users see (e.g., news items, course list, categories, combo list)
• Front page items when logged in: Choose what authenticated users see
• Maximum category depth: How many levels of course categories to display
• Maximum number of courses: Limit the number of courses shown on the front page

Time Zone and Location

Set the default time zone under Site administration > Location > Location settings. This affects how times are displayed throughout the site. Users can override this in their profile if allowed.

Creating Your First Course

To create a course:

1. Go to Site administration > Courses > Manage courses and categories
2. Select a category (or create one first)
3. Click Create new course
4. Fill in the required fields:
   • Course full name: The complete title displayed in listings
   • Course short name: A unique abbreviation used in navigation
   • Course category: The organizational category
   • Course start date: When the course begins
   • Course format: Topics, Weekly, Single activity, or Social
5. Click Save and display to enter the course

Managing Users

By default, Moodle supports several methods of user creation:

• Manual accounts: Create users individually at Site administration > Users > Add a new user
• Upload users: Bulk create users via CSV at Site administration > Users > Upload users
• Self-registration: Allow users to create their own accounts (enable under Site administration > Plugins > Authentication > Manage authentication)

Assigning Roles

Moodle uses a role-based access control system. Key default roles include:

• Manager: Can manage courses and users at the site or category level
• Course creator: Can create new courses
• Teacher: Can manage and add content to assigned courses
• Non-editing teacher: Can grade students but cannot edit course content
• Student: Can access course content and submit assignments

Assign site-level roles at Site administration > Users > Permissions > Assign system roles.

Setting Up Email

Configure outgoing email under Site administration > Server > Outgoing mail configuration. Moodle needs a working email system for notifications, password resets, and forum subscriptions. Enter your SMTP server details, port, authentication credentials, and the no-reply address.

Installing a Theme

Moodle 4.x ships with the Boost theme as default and Classic as an alternative. To change the theme, go to Site administration > Appearance > Themes > Theme selector. Additional themes can be installed from the Moodle plugins directory.

Essential Security Steps

• Enforce HTTPS by setting $CFG->wwwroot to an https:// URL
• Review the Security overview report at Site administration > Reports > Security overview
• Set a strong password policy under Site administration > Security > Site security settings
• Configure the cron job to run every minute