Moodle: Activities & Resources: Adding and Editing a Book Resource


The Moodle Book resource is a multi-page resource that displays information in a book-like format, with chapters and subchapters. Books can contain media files as well as text and are useful for displaying lengthy passages of information that can be broken down into sections. A book may be used to display original text written by the instructor on different content topics, embed multimedia resources, or organize course materials that are external to Moodle.

To Add a Book:

  1. Scroll to the bottom of the course page and select Create learning activity.

    The option to create a learning activity with red box around it
     
  2. On the Resources tab, select Book.

    Resources tab in adding a learning activity, with Book circled
     
  3. Fill in the book Name. Best practice is to give the book a name that will explain what it contains. If you want to add context, include a Description that explains how the contents fit into the course materials.
     
  4. Customize the rest of your book settings. Here you can set the appearance of the chapter titles and navigation links, set restrictions and activity completion, and add tags for easier searching. For a complete list of possible settings, see the MoodleDoc on Book settings.
     
  5. Save your book. It will display in the module as a linked title with the word "Chapters" beneath it.

    Image of book link with no chapters
     
Editing a Book

Once you have created a book, you can then fill it with content. For best practices for using the book resource, see GROK article 20225, Book Overview.

To customize the content in your book, you will first need to add chapters. Do the following:

  1. Click on the title of the book. This will automatically bring you to the editing screen for the first chapter.

    gif of clicking on a book title to add the first chapter
     
  2. Give the chapter a title that describes what is in it. 
     
  3. Add the content. For information on how to add different types of content in the Atto text editor, see the GROK article on the Atto Text Editor.
     
  4. Save your chapter.

Now that you have added a chapter to the book, you will see the chapter title hyperlinked below the book title in the module. As you add chapters, more links appear here.

Book with one chapter title linked

When you are ready to add more chapters, you can do so by clicking on the book or existing chapter title. Then, click the Edit button. This will produce the editing icons beneath the existing chapter title in the table of contents. To add a new chapter, click the "+" icon, which will bring you to the editing screen for the new chapter. This chapter will be added beneath the icon you clicked.

Gif of adding a new chapter to a book.

Clicking the Edit button also allows you to move, edit, delete, or hide existing chapters. When you have added more than one chapter, you will see the option to move them.

Icons in book when editing is turned on

You can also create subchapters when you have created more than one chapter. To make a chapter a subchapter, enter its editing screen by clicking the gear icon. Under the Chapter title box, the Subchapter check box is now enabled. Click the box to make this chapter a subchapter.

Note: Be cautious when deleting chapters! If you choose to delete a chapter that has subchapters beneath it, all of those subchapters will also be deleted. There is no recycle bin for book chapters, so these items will be permanently deleted.

Need More Help?

Visit the following pages for more information on editing the quiz. Please note that these articles do not show the Snap theme, but functionality is the same. All links open in a new window.

For more information on Moodle Books, refer to this GROK article: Moodle: Activities & Resources: Book Overview

 

Support & Training

The Faculty Technology Center (FTC) provides Moodle support by email, by phone, or live through Zoom. For contact information, please see the article Faculty Technology Center: LSU Overview. To connect through Zoom and for further information on support services and training, see the LSU Online & Continuing Education Faculty Resources & Support page.

The FTC also provides just-in-time faculty training opportunities and recorded training sessions. Attending at least one training session for Moodle upgrades is highly recommended. For a comprehensive list of available workshops and recordings, please see the LSU Online & Continuing Education Technology Training page.

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7/26/2023 12:06:23 PM