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Moodle Users Association – Preliminary Voting now open for January-July 2024 cycle

By
Jaswinder Singh
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Moodle Users Association - Preliminary Voting now open for January-July 2024 cycle
Moodle Users Association - Preliminary Voting now open for January-July 2024 cycle

Preliminary voting has begun for the Moodle users Association’s January-July 2024 Project Development Cycle. The Project Proposals submitted by the community members till now will be voted by the MUA members and the top voted projects will be chosen to be integrated into Moodle LMS.

The January-July 2024 Project Development Cycle of MUA preliminary voting round will be open until March 15 at 11:55 PM UTC. Voting on project proposals is a key MUA member activity. Let your voice be heard! Individual members can cast 100 votes. Only the lead participants of Gold, Silver, and Bronze members can cast votes for their organization. If you have already voted, you can change your votes at any time until the deadline.

In the current development cycle there are total 8 project proposals, which are:

  • Workshop: bulk download submissions – bulk download all workshop submissions
  • Grade book: Courses in “Overview reports” are not shown in a logical order -When a student views its “Overview reports” under grades the list of courses is not displayed in alphabetical order. Instead it looks like it is displayed after the creation time of the courses. It would be great if the students (and teachers) could have the choice to display the list of courses sorted alphabetically (A->Z and/or Z->A) or by the course creation date.
  • TinyMCE: Introduce configurable toolbar – Admin shall be able to define which should be in the TinyMCE editor Toolbar.
  • Improvement of the functionality of the enrolment method “Course meta link” – Admin shall be able to define the course meta link with parameters (e.g. roles, groups) of the parent course to define more precisely the users to be copied to the child course.
  • Add Support for Moodle Filters to Custom Menus – Moodle filters to be applied the custom navigation menus (Such As using the filtercodes plugin to make thing available to groups of users)
  • Improve availability of activities and resources overview pages in Boost theme –
  • Assign manually graded quiz questions to specific grader – Managing the grading of a quiz with multiple graders and manually graded questions is currently not possible. In assignments we already can assign specific attempts to specific markers/graders. In quizzes this functionality is missing.
  • Course Enrolment Cap – Current course enrollments are set at the enrollment method level. This means that if you have two separate enrollment methods, there is no way to manage a course enrollment cap. This modification would allow you to set enrollment caps at the course level and choose which enrollment methods should be part of the cap.

Which project proposals you find most interesting? Please let us know in the comments section below.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Create Teachers life easier by letting them create HTML content easily in Moodle

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
Create Teachers life easier by letting them create HTML content easily in Moodle
Create Teachers life easier by letting them create HTML content easily in Moodle

Moodle LMS is one of the most popular open source learning management system in the world with more than 400 million users around the world. However, many Moodle teachers often face problem while creating content without the lack of basic HTML knowledge. While Moodle LMS comes with TinyMCE editor as default text editor but still basic HTML knowledge is required for properly formatting the course text.

Recently I can across a new useful Moodle plugin – Tiny HTML Blocks. The plugin allows you to create HTML blocks as Moodle administrator which can be used by the teachers easily while using the text editor. They will not need any HTML knowledge to use the HTML blocks.

You can download the Tiny HTML Blocks Moodle plugin from the official plugins repository here. After installing you can navigate to Site Admin > Plugins > Predefine HTML Blocks for TinyMCE page. On this page, you can create different HTML blocks containing different css formatting styles. You can add any number of blocks by adding different style elements on this page and click Save changes.

When a teacher visits any page with TinyMCE Editor, they will get a new menu item under Insert menu. When the teacher clicks on the HTML blocks, it will show all the css styles created by the admin.

Overall, I tested out the plugin on my local dev Moodle site and it seems to be pretty helpful for teachers especially when they are struggling with HTML knowledge. What are the other useful plugins which you are using on your Moodle site? Please share with us in the comments section below.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Join MoodleMoot Brasil 2024 from 21-23 Aug, 2024

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
Join MoodleMoot Brasil 2024 from 21-23 Aug, 2024
Join MoodleMoot Brasil 2024 from 21-23 Aug, 2024

MoodleMoot Brasil 2024 will be hosted by Adapta Learning Solutions – Moodle Partner in Brazil from 21-23 August 2024. The Edtech event will be a perfect opportunity for all edtech professionals and Moodle enthusiasts to connect & network together.

The MoodleMoot Brasil 2024 will take place in Hotel San Marco, Asa Sul, Brasilia. The call for presentation proposal is open now and if you are willing to showcase your Moodle skills, you can submit your presentation proposal. The last date to submit your presentation proposals is March 15 2024.

The conference schedule will be available after March 20 2024. Please check out the official MoodleMoot Brasil 2024 website here.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

AI Workforce Skilling Platform Interview Kickstart Raises $10M for Global Expansion

By
Jaswinder Singh
-

Interview Kickstart, a preferred platform for US tech professionals aspiring for roles in top tech firms, has secured substantial funding of $10 million from Blume Ventures. This investment, being the most significant initial investment by Blume Ventures, signifies their strong belief in Interview Kickstart’s vision, market leadership, and consistent profitable growth. This financial backing will further solidify the San Francisco-based startup’s position as the market leader in the United States and facilitate its global expansion.

Interview Kickstart, co-founded by industry veterans Soham Mehta (formerly with Box, eBay and Microsoft) and Ryan Valles (formerly with Accel Partners and CEO of dealsandyou.com), is designed to empower software engineers to stay up-to-date with the industry and achieve the pinnacle of their careers, securing roles in tech firms with stringent 2 percent-5 percent application acceptance rates. It stands out as the only educational technology platform that equips working professionals with the advanced technical and problem-solving skills and the scaled thinking needed to excel in these companies, imparted by those who have already accomplished such feats.

Ryan Valles, Co-founder of Interview Kickstart, shared his insights on the investment, stating:

The job market operates on a power law. Top tech firms offer salaries two to three times higher than others and substantial wealth generation opportunities through Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). Interview Kickstart, in collaboration with our instructors and partners, is committed to preparing tech professionals for these lucrative opportunities.

The company claims that over 20,000 people have completed its programmes in AI, Machine Learning, Data Science, and other advanced engineering and product domains, making it the leading player in the US market. Interview Kickstart’s operation is based on its capacity to run courses designed and given by prominent tech engineers (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google/ex-FAANG). Its instructor pool of over 500 comprises engineers and recruiters from Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and other leading technology organizations.

Adding about the development, the Co-founder of Interview Kickstart said:

In a world where Big and top Tech is the force behind the rapid pace of tech innovation, including the significant platform shift that Generative AI brings about, there has never been a more substantial need for the 22 million software engineers worldwide to focus on building the essential skills that are emerging out of top tech companies to stay relevant and Level Up. Interview Kickstart is uniquely poised to dominate that enormous opportunity.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Moodle LMS – How to automatically release course activities to students

By
Jaswinder Singh
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Moodle LMS - How to automatically release course activities to students
Moodle LMS - How to automatically release course activities to students

Moodle LMS is a perfect platform for creating online learning portals for various industries. It can be used for online learning in schools, colleges, universities, manufacturing industries, medical as well as other corporates. The users in the Moodle course can be enrolled once at a time before the course start which is generally the case for schools/colleges. But there may be times that you want the learners to enroll themselves as per their wish.

When the learners are enrolled in a Moodle course anytime there may be few activities which might not work correctly as the enrollment date is different for each learner. In this post we will see how you can release the course activities to all learners based on their enrollment date in course.

The Restriction by relative date Moodle plugin can be used to restrict content based on a relative date. You can use this plugin to make the course resource/activity available only for a certain time period for the learners.

The availability conditions set by using the Restriction by Relative date plugin are:

  • before/after course start date
  • before/after course end date
  • after user enrolment date
  • after enrolment method end date
  • after the completion of an activity

You can download the Restriction by Relative date Moodle plugin from the official plugins repository here. Overall, it does a pretty wonderful job of releasing the course content based on the learners time in the course. It can be used to create the content dripping in your Moodle course automatically without your intervention.

What are the other useful Moodle plugins you are using? Please share with us in the comments section below.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

NativeX Raises $4M to Revolutionize English Learning for Employees

By
Jaswinder Singh
-

NativeX, a disruptive Vietnamese EdTech company aiming to revolutionize English learning for working adults, has raised $4 million in total funding in just eight months since its launch. The round was co-led by Ansible Ventures and Blueprint Ventures, with the participation of Northstar Ventures and other investors. With this significant funding, the firm is well-positioned to advance its mission of transforming English learning for 10 million working professionals in Vietnam before moving to other SEA markets.

Founded in April 2023, NativeX offers a comprehensive online platform that provides live classes taught by experienced foreign teachers. With its innovative and flexible group class model, the platform creates a collaborative and supportive learning environment for professionals with busy schedules. The company is committed to helping working adults unlock their career potential through English proficiency.

Valerie Van V., Founding Partner at Ansible Ventures, emphasized the alignment between NativeX’s innovative approach and their investment thesis, stating:

Improving education through upskilling will be a crucial pillar in Vietnam’s EdTech market. Despite attracting international investments, Vietnam’s labour productivity lags behind other Asian countries, ranking 136th out of 185 countries as of 2021. As manufacturers strive to produce higher-quality products, the demand for skilled labour will rise. Consequently, initiatives for transformation and upskilling, mainly on-the-job training, will receive increased investments and efforts from business owners in Vietnam. We are excited to co-lead this NativeX seed round and firmly believe in the company’s potential to empower top Vietnamese talents as they advance in their careers.

NativeX’s innovative and flexible group class approach is a notable feature, allowing students to arrange classes that work around their schedules. The collaborative and supportive learning environment is produced by pairing learners of comparable competency levels. This has proven to be effective. Ai Chau, Co-founder and Head of the Academic team highlights the company’s unique content-led approach to curriculum design and learning experiences, which ensures scalability and consistency in teaching quality as it grows.

The startup has already achieved significant success in its first year of operation, with learners reporting notable improvements in English communication skills. It attracts diverse learners, including 50% managers and professionals in IT, healthcare, marketing, and business. Continuous learning and adaptation based on user feedback and market trends have guided NativeX’s growth.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Enhance your Moodle LMS with Boost Union Free Moodle Theme

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
Enhance your Moodle LMS with Boost Union Free Moodle Theme
Enhance your Moodle LMS with Boost Union Free Moodle Theme

Moodle LMS has been one of the most popular open source LMS around the world since last 20 years. But many users around the world feels like the appearance and user experience of Moodle LMS is not modern enough. However, there are many modern themes which can improve the appearance and user experience of your users.

One of such popular and free Moodle theme is Boost Union which is build on the core Boost theme. The Boost Union theme provides more configurable options and provide helpful additional features for the daily Moodle operation of admins, teachers and students.

You can download the Boost Union free Moodle theme from the official plugins repository here. Once downloaded and installed, you can select the Boost Union as default theme from Site Admin > Appearance > Theme Selector.

However, the theme doesn’t make any significant changes once it is activated. As a Moodle Administrator, you need to set the features as per your requirement. There are many useful features such as – Local Login, Custom icons for activities and resources, General background images, page width, Login form customization, Display the course image in the course header and many more.

You can check out all the configurable options in the Boost Union theme documentation page here.

What are the other free Moodle themes which you like the most? Please share with us in the comments section below.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

All-in-One HR Platform PeopleForce Raises $2M in Seed Funding

By
Jaswinder Singh
-

PeopleForce, an all-in-one HR platform designed to improve the employee experience and streamline human resources processes at every step of the employee life cycle, has achieved a significant milestone by raising $2 million in seed funding. The round was led by Pracuj Ventures, a prominent Polish venture fund, demonstrating confidence in the company’s mission to revolutionize HR processes for technology-driven companies.

Founded by Andrew Cetinic, PeopleForce aims to automate tasks, freeing time for HR professionals to focus on talents and their growth. The company prioritizes data security. It has implemented robust security measures, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance with required data security standards. The company has over 800 clients from 25 countries worldwide, with a total of more than 80,000 active users on the HR platform.

Speaking on the fundraising, Founder & CEO of PeopleForce, Andrew Cetinic, said:

Pracuj Ventures reaffirmed their commitment to HR automation and tech trends. At PeopleForce, we are proud to be part of their investment portfolio and eager to advance development, delivering the best HR platform for our customers.

With this investment round, the startup plans to accelerate product development and pursue market penetration in Poland and LATAM. It further intends to optimize HR processes across all stages of the employee life cycle, ultimately fostering a high-performance work culture.

Paweł Leks, Managing Partner of Pracuj Ventures, added:

As investors, we’re thrilled to support PeopleForce’s journey. Its unwavering commitment to delivering customer value through a focused strategy is commendable. The founding team’s bold approach to entering new global markets showcases their innovative spirit and track record of success. We believe in their vision and are excited to be part of their continued growth and impact.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

Moodle adds Element as Certified Integration to Boost Communication

By
Jaswinder Singh
-
Moodle adds Element as Certified Integration to Boost Enhanced Communication
Moodle adds Element as Certified Integration to Boost Enhanced Communication

Moodle HQ has added Element as Certified Integration partner to boost the communication options in Moodle LMS. Element is a secure and sovereign communication platform tailored for the educational sector.

Element is a combined messenger and collaboration tool – including voice and video calls. Element can be entirely self-hosted or delivered as a hosted service, with the institution maintaining digital sovereignty. This flexibility allows institutions to maintain digital sovereignty and secure communications, which is essential for today’s educational landscape.

In an announcement, Moodle HQ team shared the features of Element Integration with Moodle as:

  • User-friendly interface: Element offers a seamless messaging and collaboration experience with intuitive voice and video features, optimised for both mobile and desktop usage.
  • Privacy-centric design: With end-to-end encryption, Element prioritises confidential, privacy-respecting conversations, ensuring a secure digital environment for learners and educators.
  • Complete organisational control: The platform provides robust admin control, allowing institutions to manage ID and access, audit, and moderate with ease, ensuring a structured and safe learning space.
  • Internal and external communication flexibility: Whether for internal use or connecting with external entities like other schools or parents, Element offers versatile federation options.
  • Open source and built on the open Matrix protocol: Committed to open-source principles, Element is built on the Matrix standard, fostering open, interoperable real-time communications.

Amandine Le Pape, COO, Element, said:

Consider Element as a data-sovereign alternative to WhatsApp, but with the comprehensive oversight and control typical of a corporate email system. It’s user-friendly, engaging, and highly adaptable. An organisation can precisely tailor how Element is utilised by staff and students and decide whether to expand into a private federation that includes trusted third parties like parents, guardians, other schools, or partners

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

GenAI English Learning Startup Loora Raises $12M in Series A Funding Round

By
Jaswinder Singh
-

Loora, the generative AI English language learning company, recently announced that it has raised $12 million in its Series A funding round. The fresh funding, which comes just eight months after the startup launched from stealth with a $9.25 million seed round, will allow the firm to expand its team, enhance the proprietary AI capabilities that operate its mobile app platform, and extend its market reach to new audiences in the coming months.

Loora, established in 2020 by Roy Mor and Yonti Levin, leverages generative AI to make English fluency more feasible and accessible. The platform offers virtual language coaching 24/7 with real-time pronunciation and grammar feedback on conversations about any topic at an affordable cost. Its conversational AI allows learners to practice and hone their English skills using the subjects and situations that matter to them, whether role-playing real-life scenarios like job interviews, having technical conversations about a topic they’re passionate about, or practising engaging in social interactions in English. This empowers Loora’s learners to access more pathways for advancement in both career and social environments.

Speaking about the company, Co-founder & CEO of Loora, Roy Mor, said:

Gaining English fluency can drastically improve people’s prospects, whether they’re looking to advance in their professional or personal lives. We’re excited to have quickly built a reality in which Loora is utilizing AI for good, enabling our rapidly growing community of learners across the globe to improve their lives with this new technology. Building AI that can guide and support learners throughout their journey to achieving English fluency in a practical, engaging, and personalized way is a significant technological endeavour. We are grateful to have such incredible investors supporting us as we work to constantly improve our technology and expand its reach to even more individuals, professionals, and organizations.

The organization has thousands of paying subscribers across the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In 2023, Loora achieved an 8X increase in ARR and a 2X improvement in user retention. Its unique AI training methodology and proprietary data fuel the company’s rapid growth, continuously improving its core models.

Commenting on the fundraising, Daniel Robins, Partner, QP Ventures, said:

We invest in exceptional teams with audacious ideas that have far-reaching impact. Loora fits the bill perfectly with its distinctive application of AI to English language learning that enables true conversational fluency at scale. Loora’s team has been innovating in AI long before it became popular. Therefore, they have created a prominent and profoundly differentiated solution that captures all the advantages and nuances of being tutored by a native English speaker while making language proficiency accessible, affordable, and achievable with technology. They are natural partners for us, and we’re thrilled to join forces with them.

For regular updates about Moodle, eLearning and edtech industry, please visit us regularly at https://lmsdaily.com. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, or Subscribe our YouTube Channel.

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