Subject Readings: guide for staff

How to add the subject readings tool to your Moodle site and set up your list

Go to your Moodle site. Turn on editing at the top left, click add an activity or resource and select subject readings from the grid. Type ‘Subject Readings’ in the Activity name field. You can also add a description. Click 'show more' to open the description field. An example of a description is provided in the guide: Click the Subject Readings link above to access the reading list for [subject code]. For more details on using Subject Readings see the guide for students.

Ensure ‘show description on site page’ is ticked. Click ‘save and return to site’ at the bottom of the screen. Drag the subject readings activity to where you would like it on your Moodle site. The activity is placed in the Subject Information block under the Subject Outline. Turn off editing mode at the top left.

Click the subject readings activity. You will be taken to a welcome screen. Click the icon at the top right if you want to view this window in a new tab. From this screen you can choose to either:

Request a migration of previous resources by completing the request form. Click the link “request a migration” to access the form. The Library will email you when the migrated list is available from your Moodle site.

Or, you can start fresh and create a new list. Click ‘Create it’. A pop-up window appears. Do not alter the name of the list and click Create. On the next screen you can choose to start a blank list and create your own sections or choose from one of the weekly templates.

Another option is to roll over a list. This option will be available to you in future sessions once you already have a list in the new system. Roll over allows you to make a copy of a list you have already created to use in your next Moodle site.

Working with a migrated list / customising the layout
If you requested a migration of readings from the previous system (via the request form on the welcome screen), the library will email you when the migrated list is available from your Moodle site. Once they have, click the subject readings activity on your Moodle site which should take you to your migrated list.

What is a migrated list (0:29)
A migrated list includes citations that were in the previous subject readings system the last time the subject was run. Items are grouped into sections by resource type such as books, chapters and articles and multimedia. Below the title of some citations, there may be a note indicating what week it was in or a tag indicating if it was essential or recommended.

To delete multiple citations you no longer want (1:10)

1. Click the edit multiple items button in the top left
2. Click the check box to the left of the titles you want to delete
3. Click delete items in the right hand panel
4. A confirmation window appears, click ok

You can also delete a citation by clicking the ellipsis […] to the right of it and selecting delete item.

To add a new section (1:45)

1. Click new section and name it, week 1 for example
2. Click create
3. The new section is created at the bottom of the list, but you can drag it up by clicking and dragging from the blue panel to the left of the section.

To move a section (2:05)

1. Click the icon in the top left to collapse the sections.
2. Drag a section up by clicking and dragging from the blue panel to the right of the section.
3. Click the icon again to expand the sections.

To move a citation (2:33)
You can see which citations were in week one last year if they have a week one note below the title. You can drag and drop citations into the desired section by clicking and dragging from the blue panel to the right of the citation. If it’s too far to drag and drop, you can zoom out which makes it easier to see the full screen and drag an item into a section. Or click the ellipsis to the right of a citation. Select move citation then choose the section you want to move it to and click ok.

To rename a section (3:31)
Rename an existing section by clicking the ellipsis to its right and selecting edit section. You can change the title from ‘books’ to ‘week two’, for example, and click save.

To remove notes (4:00)
Once you’re happy with where things are, you can always remove any notes by clicking the title of an item which opens the detailed record. To the right of the public notes field, click edit public note. Remove the note and click save at the bottom right.

To remove or change any tags applied to an item (4:27)
Click the pencil icon below an item title. Click the ‘x’ beside the tag you want to remove. Click save.

Move multiple items at once using the clipboard function (4:45)
Click the ellipsis to the right of a citation and select ‘add to clipboard’. You can add multiple items to the clipboard. To see what’s on your clipboard, click the clipboard icon in the top right of the screen. If you hover over a section, you will see the option to move or copy all items from the clipboard to that section.

To delete a section (5:30)
Click the ellipsis to its right and select delete section. This will delete the section as well as any items in it.