One of the greatest thing about Moodle LMS's open-source framework, other than the cost savings, is the ability to customize your online courses to your exact specifications. Hundreds of custom third-party Moodle plugins are offered for free by Moodle LMS contributors, which once installed, can change the look, feel and functionality of your Moodle to suit your organizations personal learning requirements.
The list of open source Moodle plugins is a long one, so in order to make your search a little bit easier, we’ve decided to share with you our top 20 must-have Moodle Plugins. We recommend these to all our clients, and are happy to now share them with you as well!
Here are the 20 must-have Moodle Plugins (in alphabetical order):
Moodle Plugin #1 - Accessibility
Moodle's appearance can be customized to each user's individual preference. Customizations can include text size, and colour schemes. Changes can be evident throughout all pages, and can also be saved permanently if desired.
Moodle Plugin #2 - Attendance
Allows you to keep track of attendance in your Moodle LMS course.
Moodle Plugin #3 - Adobe Connect
Integrates Adobe Connect web-conferencing and online meeting software right into your Moodle LMS, providing single sign-on access.
Moodle Plugin #4 - Banner/Luminis Message Broker
Provides real-time integration between your Moodle site, and the student management system, Banner.
Moodle Plugin #5 - BigBlueButton
This provides integration with BigBlueButton, an open source web-conferencing platform designed to provide a better learning experience for remote learners in distance education. Learners can view slides and video, and access chat features through this plugin. It also records all sessions, so learners can access them again later.
Moodle Plugin #6 - Certificate
A must-have for certification courses in Moodle, the Certificate Moodle LMS module creates customizable PDF certificates/diplomas for learners who have “graduated” from your course.
Moodle Plugin #7 - Checklist
A great learner management tool, this plugin allows Moodle administrators or teachers to create checklists for students, allowing them to keep track of what they have done and what they still need to complete.
Moodle Plugin #8 - Dialogue
Allows students or teachers to start a two-way dialogue with one another. This is great for courses where frequent interaction and communication is a key components.
Moodle Plugin #9 - Face-to-Face
Used to keep track of, manage, and remind learners of face-to-face training sessions which require advanced booking. Each session can be offered in one or multiple sessions.
Moodle Plugin #10 - Game
Allows you to incorporate gamification into your online learning and training programs. You can make use of games, including hangman, crossword, sudoku, and snakes and ladders, in your questions and quizzes.
Moodle Plugin #11 - Google Apps for Moodle
Integrates Google Apps’ services with Moodle LMS and allows for Google Apps management and use from within Moodle.
Moodle Plugin #12 - Grade Me
Useful plugin for teachers and admin, that pulls together and displays all assignments, quizzes, essays, and file responses that still need to be graded. This plugin works with Moodle groups, so teachers only see assignments from students that belong to the same groups as them.
Moodle Plugin #13 - Lightbox Gallery
Moodle administrators, managers, and admin can create and manage lightbox image galleries in Moodle LMS.
Moodle Plugin #14 - Moodle Welcome
This Moodle plugin displays a welcome message to new users when they enter the system, and notifies the Moodle administrator or moderator that a new user has been created.
Moodle Plugin #15 - PayPal
A Moodle Plugin, which is now built-into the Moodle Standard Package, PayPal adds simple yet effective e-commerce functionality to your Moodle LMS.
Moodle Plugin #16 - Pcast (Podcast)
Allows you to create and display podcasts in Moodle. Podcasts can be created/added by instructors or course participants.
Moodle Plugin #17 - Progress Bar
A useful time-management plugin for students that provides a visual display of the progress they have made in course assignments and activities so far. Teachers also have access to the data shown here, so they can keep track of student progress.
Moodle Plugin #18 - Restriction by Course Completion
Restricts access to certain sections or modules until a course is completed.
Moodle Plugin #19 - Turnitin (Plagiarism Detection)
This plugin integrates with the Turnitin plagiarism detection system to scan for plagiarism throughout all of your Moodle plugins - including, but not limited to, quizzes, blogs, and forums.
Moodle Plugin #20 - Quickmail
Adds a link and a mail composition text area to a tool that has a checkbox list of all students in the course. Teachers can check off the students they wish to contact and email them – great for quick, mass emailing within a larger Moodle course!
So there you have it – our recommended list of 20 Moodle Plugins!
