This guide is designed to aid new teaching staff at the University on the ARK Learning Management System located at ark.divinity.edu.au.
It is written based on Moodle 4.1 functionality which the University upgraded to in December 2023.
Introducing ARK
ARK is the University of Divinity’s Learning Management System located at ark.divinity.edu.au. ARK is an online software solution “used in all courses and units of study as a means of supporting and enhancing student learning and facilitating access to learning materials.”1
This document will assist staff with understanding what new features are available in ARK from December 2023.
In December 2023, the University upgraded ARK to Moodle 4.1. This document will assist staff with understanding what new features are made available and the different methods of using ARK in the new version.
Logging In
All users will now login to ARK with Single Sign On (SSO).
If you have used Forms, Portal or UMS, you are already set up with SSO and can use your existing username and password to login. If you are already logged in to Forms, Portal or UMS when accessing ARK, you will be automatically logged in to ARK without needing to re-enter your credentials.
If you haven’t logged into SSO previously, your username will be the email address registered on StaffPlus - the University’s personnel management platform (this will be the email you have been using to log in to the old ARK site) and you can set a password by using the Forgot Password link. You will receive an email with a link to reset your password. For further assistance, see the Login Guide.
New Navigation
Dashboard and My Units
A new My Units page in the top navigation menu makes it easy to locate your units.
Using this search filter will make it easy to find meta or child units. For example:
Search “meta” to only show meta units
Search the current year (e.g. “2024”) to find only child units
Add the numerical start month of the unit after the year to narrow to current child units (e.g. “20242” will filter to units starting in February 2024) - n.b. the month is single digit unless November or December
Add the discipline code and a space before the year to find just units in a particular discipline (e.g. “BN 2024” will find units in New Testament in 2024)
Unit Navigation
The screenshot below highlights enhancements to unit navigation and presentation. Hover over the numbers on the screenshot below for more on each interface element:
(1) Unit Index - a new collapsible Unit Index navigation menu makes navigating through courses easier.
(2) Contextual navigation - find your way around units and activities with the contextual tab menu.
(3) Block drawer - collapse or expand the block drawer
(4) Edit mode toggle - the toggle in the top right of the interface makes it easy to enter and exit edit mode
(5) New activity icons - modern icons enhance unit presentation
(6) New activity completion badges - improved presentation of completion status and requirements
The screenshot and animations below highlight enhancements to the Edit mode interface. Hover over the numbers on the screenshots for more on each interface element:
(1) Edit mode toggle - the toggle in the top right of the interface makes it easy to enter and exit edit mode
(2) Add blocks buttons - an easy to find button to add blocks.
(3) Add activities and resources button - a simple click button to add activities and resources
On visiting the ARK page, click Student or Staff Login to sign in to the site:
Username and Password
The login credentials for ARK use Single Sign On (SSO Account). For instructions on changing or resetting your Single Sign On account, visit the Login and Password Guide.
3 - The User interface
Learn how to navigate the ARK user interface and access user settings.
This document is an introduction to the ARK user interface. It is applicable to all staff and students of the University.
Navigating ARK
On first login, users are given a guided tour of the interface. This tour can be viewed again by clicking the ‘Reset user tour on this page’ link at the bottom of the site.
Dashboard and My Units
The My Units page in the top navigation menu makes it easy to locate your units.
The unit overview block shows units in which the user is enrolled as an Editing Teacher, Teacher, or Student. Users can customise the view of units and filter units to easily locate what they need. The screenshot below highlights the following elements:
(1) Filter by status - filter by All, In progress, Future, Past, Starred and Removed from view
The left-most drop down menu in the Unit Overview block allows you to select from the following view options:
All - All units you are enrolled in are displayed, unless you hidden some units.
In Progress - Units for which the current date is after the unit start date, and where no end date is set or the end date is in the future. Teaching staff can set the Start Date and End Dates of Meta Units from the unit settings page.
Past - Units for which the End Date is in the past unless Course Completion settings have been set and the course completion criteria have not been met.
Future - Units for which the Start Date is in the future.
Starred - Only units you have Starred will show.
Removed from view - If you have hidden units, you can find those units from this view.
Starred and hidden units
Starred units allow you to bookmark or favourite a set of units and only show those units. You can also choose to hide units.
To ‘star’ (bookmark) a unit, click the three dots by its name and click “Star this course”.
To hide a unit, click the three dots by its name and click “Remove from view”.
Tip
If you choose to filter by starred, or hide units, you may wish to make a note that you have done this in your calendar so that you remember in the lead up to the next semester.
Search filter
The search field in the Unit Overview block allows you to filter by a search term.
Using this search makes it possible to filter by meta or child units. For example:
Search “meta” to only show meta units
Search the current year (e.g. “2024”) to find only child units
Add the numeric start month of the unit to the end of the year to narrow to current child units (e.g. “20242” will filter to units starting in February 2024)
Add the discipline code and a space before the year to find just units in a particular discipline (e.g. “BN 2024” will find units in New Testament in 2024)
Sort
Sort the view of units by unit name or last accessed.
View mode
Change the way units are displayed in the Unit Overview block to Card, List or Summary.
Unit Navigation
The screenshot below highlights key components of unit navigation and presentation. Hover over the numbers on the screenshot for more on each interface element:
(1) Unit Index - a collapsible Unit Index makes navigating through courses easier.
(2) Contextual navigation - find your way around units and activities with clear tab menus.
(3) Block drawer - collapse or expand the block drawer
(4) Edit mode toggle - easy edit mode toggle makes entering and exiting edit mode simple
(5) Activity icons - modern icons enhance unit presentation
(6) Activity completion badges - activity completion badges signal to learners completion status and requirements
The left navigation menu is collapsible and enables easy access to different parts of a unit. Click the menu icon to open and X to close.
Contextual Navigation Menu
The contextual navigation menu underneath the unit title will present options for configuring or reports on the unit, activity or resource you are viewing. On the unit page, it provides access to the unit content, settings, participants list, grades and reports. The more dropdown menu provides access to the question bank, content bank and the course reuse page allowing content to be imported from one unit to another.
4 - Editing a Unit
How to enable editing on ARK.
Teachers with Editing Teacher privileges in a unit are able to make changes to settings, add content and reorder parts of the unit.
Edit Mode
Interface
The screenshot and animations below highlights enhancements to the Edit mode interface. Hover over the numbers for more on each interface element:
(1) Edit mode toggle - toggle the switch in the top right of the window to enter or exit edit mode
(2) Add blocks button - use this button to add blocks to the block drawer
(3) Edit item names - click the pencil icon to rename items
(4) Edit menu - click the ellipsis icon to access the edit menu for sections, activities or resources
(5) Add activities and resources button - a simple click button to add activities and resources
The edit mode toggle in the top right of the ARK window allows you to enter editing mode. Toggle it again to exit editing mode.
Rename content
To rename content, click the pencil icon and type your changes. Press enter to save or the escape key to cancel.
Reorder content
To reorder content, select the 3 dots to the right of an activity or resource and click the move icon (or just click the item and drag). You can drag the item up or down the page, or drag it to a place in the unit index.
You can also reorder content using the unit index.
Item edit menu
From the 3 dots to the right of an item, you can access the settings for that item, hide it, duplicate it or delete it.
The edit menu next to a section allows a section to be highlighted, which places a border around the section to mark it to learners. You might want to do this to aid students in finding the current week faster.
Note
Depending on unit layout settings, you will not be able to add a topic directly on the unit page but will need to go to unit settings, Edit Format and set the “Number of sections”.
Adding content
When in edit mode, you can drag and drop files from your computer to add them to the unit.
You can also add activities or resources by clicking the Add an activity or resource button.
Moodle Course Editing Overview video
5 - Add profile picture
How to add a Profile Picture on ARK
Adding a profile picture will help people recognise you when you participate in activities on ARK such as forums.
Step 1: Login to ARK using your login email and password.
Step 2: Click on your name in the top right corner.
Step 5: Scroll down until you see the heading User picture.
Step 6: Click the Add… button. The button is an icon of a piece of paper.
Step 7: Click the Choose file button to Upload a picture from your computer.
Step 8: When you have located the picture you wish to upload, click on it.
Step 9: Click Upload this file.
Step 10: When you are done updating your profile, be sure to press the Update profile button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.
6 - About ARK
Key information about ARK software and further help resources.
ARK runs on Moodle software. In December 2023, the University upgraded from Moodle version 3.9 to Moodle version 4.1. Outside of this documentation, there are two authoritative sources of help for using Moodle:
MoodleDocs 4.1 - MoodleDocs is the extensive documentation site for Moodle with granular instructions on all functions of the software. (When using MoodleDocs, make sure that the help document matches the version of ARK. As of December 2023, ARK is using Moodle 4.1).
Moodle Academy - Moodle Academy provides a self-paced online learning program for using Moodle including certification. Parts of this Getting Started guide are based on Moodle Academy courses.
Moodle Pedagogy
Moodle is designed on a social constructionist pedagogy. In short, social constructionism holds that we learn best when we construct meaning for ourselves in dialogue with others.
Moodle aims to achieve this by providing Resources and Activities. Resources are materials that the student is presented by the instructor and Activities are materials that the students interact with in some way, either by themselves or collaboratively with other learners.
Visit MoodleDocs to learn more about the Philosophy and Pedagogy of Moodle.
