Take a Drive into the Cloud
There are a lot of clever ways to keep from losing those little USB “thumb” drives, but they invariably end up missing or damaged, or you just have too many to keep track of them all. Now you can forget about those and try a free “cloud drive” instead, which you can access with most internet enabled devices with a browser. Clark eLearning support techs have tested several services and although there are many with great usefulness, we prefer one called Dropbox for its ease of use, excellent features, and compatibility with the software used at Clark. Sometimes when this storage concept is shared there is initial confusion between the assignment dropbox in Moodle and the Dropbox service in the cloud, but once both have been experienced, the differences should be clear. This can be especially useful when you run into Moodle’s file size limitation for uploading. Most of the provided Dropbox folders are private, but you will have a public sub-folder where you can place such files and then just share the link to download. So even if you’re up against a deadline and unable to upload an assignment file into Moodle, Dropbox could save the day.
While Dropbox functions as a cross-platform cloud storage service that works with Windows, Mac, Linux, and many mobile devices with a browser, another strength is in file synchronization and history. As each device onto which you’ve installed Dropbox is used to access your cloud folders, your latest saved revisions to any files will be there, automatically synchronized for you. If you’re on a public computer, you can still use your Dropbox by logging in on the web interface. The revision history support also allows for file recovery, so any files you may have deleted or mistakenly altered can be brought back. This makes it handy for students on the go, because you can’t lose your work no matter where you are. As long as you have access to a device with the program to open, edit, and save the file, you can work on your assignment.
The file history is limited to 30 days in the free version of Dropbox and the space allocation is 2GB to start, with up to 18GB possible. Users who want more storage (up to 500GB) and extended features can upgrade to a paid version. If you’d like to learn more about Dropbox and how it works, click below:
Many of our Moodlers are experiencing issues when attempting to copy and paste text directly from Microsoft Word. The problem lies in the hidden word processor formatting code which accompanies your text, but may not appear until after you submit your post.
There is another trick that you might like to try if you’re a more advanced user, which involves toggling the HTML button (which looks like the image on the right) and deleting the MS formatting code that precedes your text. The “Clean Word HTML” button in the Moodle editor (which has a “W” on it) may work for some with older versions of Word, however, it will not remove all of it so some manual removal will still be necessary.
Clark’s online math courses have upgraded to the WIRIS Equation Editor for your use in forums in our Moodle joule. You’ll notice a yellow button in the forums text editor toolbar with a square root symbol on it. Clicking that button will bring up the WIRIS editor window where you can use the symbol and operator palettes to automatically create nice looking math expressions in your forum discussions. This makes taking an online math course at Clark much easier and more enjoyable. In fact, WIRIS is pretty fun to use, so play around with it if you like, and check out our 
One of the keys to success with Moodle is being aware of your server activity and session timeout. Whenever you log in, Moodle starts a session for you and tracks your time. After three hours of no server activity, Moodle will automatically logout for you and close the idle session. Server activity would consist of making requests of Moodle, such as clicking on an assignment or forum thread and saving or submitting your response in a forum or test, but not reading or typing. So even if you have been typing a long forum reply or essay, you could click to save and receive the dreaded sesskey (timeout) error and lose your work if you’re not careful.
If you’ve recently registered for classes and are trying to 
Today’s learning is different from traditional face-to-face learning in many respects. Some individuals feel more comfortable learning in an online or web-enhanced environment than others. Are you a good fit for online or web-enhanced learning? Find out by completing the SmarterMeasure assessment. It will take you about 35 minutes from start to finish, but you can log out and complete it later if necessary. After you login, you will receive an email from SmarterMeasure with a PIN number that will allow you to log back in later or review your results.