Moodle offers a few different reporting plugins to help you keep track of activity or quiz results. However, these reporting capabilities can be limiting if you want to assess the impact of your eLearning program and leverage analytics to improve it.
This is because Moodle’s reporting plugins are each designed to generate a single type of report. This approach can be limiting, and you should look into adopting Lambda Analytics to generate more detailed customized reports and combine data from different sources.
Moodle Report Plugins give you visibility over site or course activity. These reports are a first step toward measuring engagement and tracking course completion, but there are better solutions to explore if you want to leverage learning analytics.
What is a Moodle Plugin?
In Moodle, plugins are add-ons that you can install to add features and capabilities. There are a wide range of plugins available. Some plugins such as the activity modules are essential since they allow you to create quizzes and assignments. Other plugins let you add a search engine or a messaging feature to your eLearning site.
How do Moodle Report Plugins Work?
There are different Moodle Reporting plugins you can use to compile learning data, such as:
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Gradebook reports.
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Course reports.
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Legacy admin reports.
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Quiz reports.
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Reports, which combine the Course reports and Admin reports plugins.
Moodle plugins can be installed by deploying their source code in your Moodle installation directory. Once they are installed, each plugin will deliver a specific type of report.
For instance, the Course Reports plugin creates logs to track and compile activity reports for each user or course. You can review visual data linked to course activity and schedule notifications for specific events.
The Quiz Reports plugin will show grades, quiz attempts, and let you review the answers selected by a user. There is also a statistics feature designed to help you spot questions that might not be fair.
These plugins can be useful for tracking a student's progress, but are limited when it comes to giving you visibility over your eLearning program and they won't be sufficient to help you track your measurable goals.
Using Lambda Analytics as an Alternative Reporting Plugin
Lambda Analytics is a dedicated LMS reporting and analytics solution. Instead of focusing on course activity or quizzes, Lambda Analytics compiles reports from several data sources to give a more accurate overview of learners' activities and progress. These actionable reports will help you develop better courses, determine which resources need to be improved, and spot trends among your learners.
You can generate reports out of the box or customize the tool and its reporting dashboards by simply dragging and dropping the type of reports you need to see to create a customized dashboard. You can see data in real time, and choose from different visual data options to better understand your data and spot trends.
Lambda Analytics is built with communication and collaboration in mind. You can embed reports, or schedule reports and automatically share them so that key people can keep track of how your eLearning program is progressing.
While a Moodle report typically has a limited range, Lambda Analytics leverages a much broader data set that includes activity, quiz results, engagement, resource views, forum activity, submissions, time spent learning, competency ratings, and feedback from surveys, just to cite a few examples.
Lambda Analytics is a must-have tool for tracking the success of your learners and measuring the impact of your eLearning program. Lambda Solutions can help you get started with Lambda Analytics, including installing this tool and guiding you through the process of setting up your customized reports and dashboards.
