Moodle Support & Services

Need help with Moodle?

Please contact the Information Technology Services (ITS) Service Desk by email (itshelp@colgate.edu) or phone (315) 228-7111 with questions or requests.

Your email to ITSHelp@Colgate.Edu will automatically create a support ticket to enable us to efficiently track your issue. Feel free to copy Moodle support staff on these initial requests.

Faculty Services

ITS provides several basic Moodle services to Colgate faculty members.

Course Content Migration

Most faculty find it easiest to do this themselves (see HOW-TO Migrate Contents from Existing Courses) but ITS will copy all or part of an existing course upon request. You must complete out a Migration Request Form which includes a required certification that the copying complies with copyright law.

Electronic Reserves Note: The Libraries create and are responsible for all requested content which they maintain in an Electronic Reserves section in your Moodle courses. ITS will not copy the contents of an Electronic Reserves folder or section and neither should you; migration of these materials must be requested via the Library (see the Colgate Libraries Course Reserves Policy page). We encourage you to review Colgate’s copyright policy, detailed on the Libraries Copyright Guide page).

Section or Course Combination

You can also combine Moodle courses into a single course shell (see HOW-TO Merge Moodle Courses) or ask us to do so. Combination creates a new course that combines enrollments from multiple courses or sections, letting you manage and monitor content in one location. To have us do it, please submit a request by email (itshelp@colgate.edu) or phone (315) 228-7111

Course Creation

ITS will create Moodle courses shells for special purposes, such as administration; research groups; student or faculty resource repository; or, committees. Please submit a request by email (itshelp@colgate.edu) or phone (315) 228-7111, including the purpose and a suggested course name.

Course Design

When designing new courses or redesigning existing Moodle courses, use the Moodle Course Development Consultation Form to request the help of an instructional designer.

File Size Reduction or Relocation

Our Moodle hosting service has a file upload limit of 100MB for new files. ITS will help you resize or relocate your larger files to meet your course requirements. Please submit a request by email (itshelp@colgate.edu) or phone (315) 228-7111.

Guest (Local Moodle-Only Login) Account Creation

Guest accounts are Local Moodle-Only login accounts created for guests and others requiring special access to Colgate’s learning management system (LMS). Guest accounts usually are assigned a username which is the guest’s email address and connect using Moodle authentication. Guest accounts are created upon request, please submit an account request form (Colgate login)

Guest Account Information

Your host or Colgate ITS will normally contact you with your username (normally your email address) and an initial password. You will connect to Colgate’s Moodle at http://Moodle.Colgate.Edu and select the second option – Click here for local Moodle-only Login. Most new guest accounts will not be set to require a password change when you first login.

Guest accounts can change their Moodle password using their Profile (in Moodle, click on your highlighted name to find your Profile) or request a reset on the login page by selecting Problems with your Local Moodle-Only Login?. The login options allow you to reset a forgotten password even if you have never logged in before. When you select the reset option, instructions will be sent to your email address.

Moodle guest account passwords must include at least one of each of the following: upper-case letter, lower-case letter, number, special character (e.g., “&”).

Most new accounts will be automatically enrolled in one or more Moodle courses, which you will see in various locations on the Moodle home page or the Dashboard.

Course Reserves

Electronic Course Reserves is a service provided by the Colgate Libraries and documented at Course Reserves for Faculty.  The on-line content for reserves is posted directly by Reserves’ staff in the applicable Moodle course, usually in the last topic (normally section 5), labelling them Electronic Reserves. Individual postings are either in the form of a PDF (obtained by or scanned by Reserves’ staff) or a link to an on-line digital resource.  By using the Reserves’ specially formatted link to on-line resources in your course, reserves students will be able to access the resource both on and off campus, and the on-line database usage statistics will reflect usage from the course.

To allow the Libraries to maintain these course reserves efficiently and legally, professors are asked to not move items from the Reserves’ section. Copy or link to the Electronic Reserves section items if you want them elsewhere in the course.

Note – Reserves’ staff will make your Moodle course visible to students when they add Electronic Reserves to it.

Note – Since Electronic Reserves are managed, tracked, and verified by the Libraries, ITS will not copy their contents as part of routine course migration requests.

Check out the Learn Moodle page for information about tutorials, workshops, and 1:1 consultations opportunities.