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Virtual Learning Environment
Using Moodle
Moodle is the University's virtual learning environment (VLE), available to all staff and students.
Moodle is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can access learning materials from a web browser using a computer or mobile device. You will gain access once you are fully registered on your course.
Moodle provides access to everything you need for your studies, including module and course information, online resources and reading lists, learning activities, recorded teaching sessions, news and announcements, discussion forums, and assessment information.
Helpful information can also be found within Moodle itself within the Moodle Useful Links button at the top of every Moodle page.
Logging in
To log in to Moodle click the OpenID Connect button on the login page. You will then be taken to the Microsoft sign-in page, where you can either select your University account or enter your University email address, password, and complete two-step authentication.
Your University email address will be in the format UP<StudentNumber>@myport.ac.uk (for example, [email protected]).
If you are having login authentication problems, please contact IS or consult this guidance Resolve any login issues
Navigation and accessing modules
On the My Modules and Courses page, you can choose to view your courses and modules in a grid, list, or summary view using the drop-down menu in the top-right corner. You can also star courses for quick access later.
Module pages
Near the top of each Moodle module or course page, you will find several tabs.
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‘Course’ shows all learning activities and resources available
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‘Module Info’ contains the general Module Overview and Learning Outcomes
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'Assignment Information (AIR)’ includes the module assessment information and deadlines, so you know when to submit your work
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If reading lists have been created for a module ‘Reading List’ will show them
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‘Grades’ provides an overview of your assignments results on Moodle. It should be noted that for official marks and overall module results, you should check your Student View. More information about your results can be found here: Understanding your results
Course Index and Block drawer
Moodle sites include a Course Index on the left and a Block Drawer on the right. You can open and close these.
Moodle Notifications
You can disable and enable different notifications by clicking on your name in the top right-hand corner of Moodle and choosing 'Preferences'. Moodle offers notifications by web or email, and you can choose what notifications you get in both instances. You may need to subscribe to forums if you are not by default.
Online assessments and assignments
You may be required to complete online assessments and assignments through Moodle to achieve the credits required for your modules and progress to the next year of study.
Types of online assessment
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Written coursework, assignments, reports and presentations to be submitted via Turnitin or Moodle Assignment
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Weekly/fortnightly quizzes
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Other Moodle activities such as engaging in forum discussions may contribute towards your marks on some modules
Assessment Planning - 48-hour Extension Explained
We require all students to plan for their assessments and avoid leaving work until the last minute before submitting. All standard on-time dropboxes have a 48-hour extension included for students who aren’t able to meet the original deadline. This is clearly indicated in the title of the standard on-time dropboxes. See example below: Item 1 - Project Output (Initial Due Date: 2.9.2026 1:00 pm -- 48hr Extension: 4.9.2026 1:00 pm).
Note: The 48-hour extension is not available for late-submission dropboxes.
Watch the video below to see how to find your assessment information and submit your work correctly on Moodle.
Moodle Assessment Overview
This video is made by the University of Portsmouth.
Welcome to the assessment overview video for Moodle.
This video will show you where to find your assessment information, how to access your dropboxes, and how to make sure you're uploading to the correct place.
On your Moodle dashboard, you'll find a timeline showing all of your upcoming assessments, and a brief summary for each one.
It's a handy way to quickly check what's coming up and plan ahead.
When you're ready to submit an assessment, it's best to start from the my modules and courses link at the top of the page.
From there, please either select the correct module from the list or use the search bar to enter the correct module code.
This helps ensure you're uploading your work to the right place.
On your Moodle module page, you'll find everything you need to know about your assessment in the assessment information resource tab, which is also known as air at the top of the page.
The air contains important information which includes the assessment type, word count or length requirements, submission deadlines, assessment dropboxes to upload your complete work for feedback, and additional information, requirements, and guidance for each assignment.
When you're ready to submit your assessment, please make sure you're on the correct module page.
Open the air tab and check that you've selected the correct Dropbox.
Take a moment to confirm the assessment details and deadline and double check that you're uploading the correct and final version of your assignment before submitting.
Plan ahead to help ensure your assignments are submitted on time and in the correct place.
When you're ready to submit, use the submission link provided in the air tab.
Again, before submitting, take a moment to check that you've selected the correct file to upload to the Dropbox.
The file is the final version of your assignment.
The file format meets the assessment requirements.
This could be either a Microsoft document, DOCX file, or whatever is required.
And that you understand you can resubmit your work up until the submission deadline if you need to upload an updated file or correct a mistake.
Now, let's recap the key steps for successfully making a submission in Moodle.
Use the dashboard timeline to stay organized and plan your workload ahead of time.
Make sure you're in the right module.
Use the air as your central source of assessment information.
Double check that you've selected the correct assessment dropbox for making a submission and upload the final version of your work in the required file format.
Thank you for watching and good luck with your assessments.
Moodle on mobile
For the best experience, we recommend accessing Moodle through a web browser on a computer or laptop. Moodle is fully responsive, so you can also use it on a mobile device by visiting moodle.port.ac.uk. However, mobile access is intended to complement your learning experience rather than replace a computer, as some features are only fully available on desktop devices.
You can also download the Moodle app for Android, iOS, and Windows mobile devices. Please note that the University does not provide support for the Moodle mobile app.
Access after graduation
When you graduate, your access to Moodle, along with other university services such as the library, will remain active for 5 months after your official course end date. We recommend downloading and saving any content or assignments you wish to keep before your access expires. Find out more about what happens when you finish university and your IT and Library access.
After this time, while you will be able to contact MyPort and request copies of assignments, you will be unable to access the Moodle platform yourself. Returning students will also need to re-register on your course
Troubleshooting
Help with common issues
If you are having trouble logging in, your Moodle account is linked to your accounts in all other systems managed by IS and you may need to reset your password.
If your services were previously suspended and have since been restored, please contact MyPort to ensure the restriction has been lifted. Please note it may take 24 hours for your full services to be restored.
If you can access other websites but not Moodle, the service might be unavailable for planned maintenance (which will have been publicised) or because of an unexpected outage. In either case, please refer to the IS Service Status page for the latest updates.
Moodle retrieves your details from the Student and Course Management database. If your name is spelt incorrectly, please contact MyPort to have the information corrected.
Once your details have been corrected, Moodle should update automatically – although this may take up to 24 hours. If your details have not updated after this time, please contact [email protected] with your username and correct spelling of your name.
Module pages on Moodle are usually not visible until the teaching starts.
If you are unable to see modules that your classmates can access, contact MyPort who can check your curriculum and registration status for you.
Does a module exist on Moodle and is it visible?
Can any of your fellow students see the Moodle module? If not and teaching has started, it might be worth asking your lecturer if you should have access to a Moodle module and check they have made the module visible from when they were developing it.
Has my module been archived?
If you are looking for Moodle modules(s) from previous academic years, the first place to look is within the "Past" view on your My Modules & Courses tab. This is determined automatically based on the module end date set in Moodle. If they are older, they may be on https://moodlearchive.port.ac.uk/.
Please contact your Module Coordinator and provide a screenshot, a link to the assessment submission area, and details of the issue you are experiencing.
This can occur when Turnitin has been enabled within the Moodle Assignment settings. In most cases, your submission has still been uploaded successfully. The error usually occurs because Turnitin cannot generate a similarity report for this type of submission, as it is not supported.
To check whether your submission was successful, view the Submission status on the assignment page. If the status shows Submitted for grading, your file has been received successfully.
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