Text and Media Resource

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The Text and Media Resource were previously called the Label resource in Moodle versions prior to Moodle 4.1.

They are a type of resource in Moodle that allows us to place content directly on the front course page, as opposed to creating a link to takes users to another view.  Text and Media can be used to help us format the course page, emphasize certain pieces of information, and (embed information not otherwise available in Moodle.)

A Text and Media Resource will look much like a Section Header within a course but you are able to move it around or duplicate it independent of a week or topic.

Create

Adding Text and Media Resource in Moodle

Adding a text and media resource is just like adding any other resource. They can also be easily duplicated for a consistent look across weeks without boring yourself with reentering the same data and images over and over again.

Text and Media Resource was formerly called the Label Resource. 

Enable editing from the top-right corner of the page, toggle Edit mode into the On position (if you haven’t already).

Turn Editing On button is found in the top-right corner of a Moodle page you have permission to modify content for.

Scroll down to the section/week/topic where the Text and Media resource should appear.

Click the + Add an activity or resource link

Select Text and Media area from the options provided (it will be near the bottom located under Resources)

Add your content to the Text and Media area text editor.

This is almost exactly what will appear on your course page. (You can adjust it further after seeing it in context by editing the resource like any other.)

When content, click the Save and return to course button to see your work.

Review your text and media area.

If you want to make changes, click on the three-vertical-dots icon next to the text and media area you just added to open the Edit menu and click Edit settings

Examples

Examples of Effective Text and Media Resources

Example of Text and Media being used for Section headers and class summaries

Editing Turned On

Editing Turned off (What Students See)

Why are the above examples effective?

  • They feature just enough media (pictures) to make the topic easy to spot and identify.
  • Small, non-vital headers for visually breaking up assignments by time (in-Class vs Homework) so again, students can easily find the work they need.

Are there problems with the above examples?

Yes! Visible in the first shown section are reading assignments (not highlighted). While they don’t take up much space, any student determining work solely by the Navigation block will NOT see those instructions to read chapters.

Instead consider:

  • Putting reading instructions like that into a Page Resource with a breakdown of WHY to read and what to look for (perhaps a study guide)
  • Putting reading instructions within a no-credit practice quiz to encourage reading the chapters and then testing their knowledge in a low-stress environment.

Compare

Labels aren’t for everything

Strengths
  • A great way to break up and clarify or drive home OTHER content by adding:
    • reminders
      supplemental information or clarification for another activity or resource
    • separators
      horizontal rules, line breaks or supplemental images.
    • headings
      Sort your course content by:
      • Activity types such as: Reading, In-class Activities, Homework Assignments
      • Time: Monday Meeting, Wednesday Meeting, Friday Meeting
  • Easy to move around course and duplicate for consistent look from week to week.
Weaknesses
  • Not listed in the Navigation Block and may be missed
    some students primarily navigate courses from that block
  • Too many or too long labels can cause issues.
    Consider tucking long instructions and multimedia into a Page resource or within the relevant Moodle Activity (Put Assignment instructions inside the Assignment activity’s Description)
    • Long labels can increase scroll time making it hard for students to find relevant data and make students feel overwhelmed
    • Lots of multimedia like sound, images or video can cause your page to take longer to load, making it much harder for students on slower connections to access their course.
Related Tags
Efficiencies (51)How-To (78)Import Content into Moodle (21)Label Resource (2)Moodle (LMS) (110)Most Common (49)Overview Article (27)Update in Moodle 4.1 (13)Visibility in Moodle (19)