Course format types in Moodle

Course sites can be configured to display content in one of five different formats.

  • Grid format: In this visual format, section content is hidden and replaced with short titles and a grid of images—one for each section. Section content is revealed in a “lightbox” when an image or title is clicked.
    Grid view example in Moodle with a header image and six topic blocks

    Grid View Example

    Grid view topic block with four assignments listed

    Grid View Topic Block

  • Topics format: Sections are organized by topic names, which can be renamed.

an image of the topic display format for Moodle

  • Weekly format: Organized week-by-week, with a clear start and finish date. Moodle will create a section for each week of the course.

an image of the weekly display format in moodle

  • Single activity format (not frequently used): With only one section, this format allows instructors to add only one activity to the course.
  • Social format (not frequently used): Oriented around one main forum that appears on the main course page.

To select a different course format type:

  1. Click the gear menu, and then click Edit settings.
  2. Expand the “Course format” section and select the format type from the “Format” drop-down menu.
    1. For Topic and Weekly formats, instructors can set a course to display one section at a time rather than all sections at once, which is the default. Select Show one section per page from the “Course layout” drop-down menu.
  3. Click the [Save and display] button.
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