Jonathan MooreCTO and Vice President RL-UK

Koen RoggernansIT Manager Sint-Ritacollege

RL Background and Context

● Over 3000 hosted Moodle sites● Over 12 million registered Moodle

accounts● Over 2,000,000 Moodle courses● Hosting Moodle sites since 2004● Virtualized Infrastructure

Sint-Ritacollege Background and Context

● 1,500 pupils● Age 12 – 18● Dedicated server● Early adopter

Getting to Know You

● How many new admins?● How many running Moodle 2.x in

production?● How many running Moodle 2.4?● Are you a 'geeky admin'?

Format

● New high points in each area● Group input● Give some best practices● Hands-on

User Management

● What's New

– Cohorts● Plan ahead Moodle sites grow fast! ● Measure twice cut once● Automate

Hands-on

Setup a cohort

Roles

● Avoid changing built in roles

● Remember reset defaults option

● Know what level to apply roles at

– Admin: global

– Course Creator: global, or category

– Student, Teacher: course● Know what level capabilities work at

● Make new roles by copying most similar existing role

Just-in-Case Model

● Automate user creation, course creation and enrollments

● Use LDAP auth + external DB enrolment

● Get higher adoption rates from instructors

● Instructor can focus more time on teacher less on the technology

Enrolment Management

● Enrolments vs course role assignments

● Enrolments using cohorts

Hands-on

● Enrol a cohort into a course● Assign user role in course without

enrolment

Course Management

● Enrolment methods● Completion tracking● Conditional activities● Workshop

Hands-on

Enable completion tracking, conditional activities, and workshop

Consider automated course creation

● Just-in-Case model● Course request system

Hands-on

Enable course request system

Plug-in Management

● Enforce change management● Avoid kid-in-candy-store syndrome● Many plug-ins are poorly written or

abandoned● Many plug-ins are excellent

Common Plug-in Types

● Blocks● Activity modules● Filters● Auth● Enrollment

Hands-on

Install the certificate module

Backups Management

● Course backups not a full backup!● Disable automated course backups?● Yesterday instance● Backup Elements

– Moodle code

– Moodledata

– Database

Hands-on

Create a backup of your test site

Security

● Security report● Use password salts● User passwords – less secure then

ever● Don't give web server user write

permissions to Moodle source

General Security

● Select Enterprise class OS with long term update support.

● Automate updates / have set release schedule

● Moodledata outside of web root

● Try mod_sec

● Consider using weekly stable git for Moodle auto updates

● Consider forced logins

● HTTPS logins

More Security

● Consider turning off self registration● Set the Mysql root user password● See Moodle Docs Security Page

http://docs.moodle.org/en/Security

Hands-on

● Run security report● Enable force logins● Show secure logins setting● Show kpass/last pass password

manager● Go to Moodle Docs security FAQ

Questions?

Email:

jonathan@remote-learner.net

Twitter:

moorejon