FAQs
If you have a question not listed in our FAQs, please email info@e-learndesign.co.uk or call us on 0845 474 4512. Alternatively, use our contact page.
Moodle FAQs
No. There’s no subscription fee associated with the software itself. As Moodle is an open-source LMS, it’s free to download and use. What you will need to pay for, however, is hosting and/or support services if you don’t have the technical capabilities in-house.
View it like the document software you might use on your computer (LibreOffice, OpenOffice etc.) You can download it for free, but if you need help to make it work, you pay a third party that the software creator has identified as an expert.
Ah, yes. Moodle as a noun, a verb and (occasionally) an adjective…
Moodle – an open source LMS, free to download and use.
Moodle core – the non-optional libraries of code that provide the base functionality of the LMS.
Moodle HQ – the organisation that develops the software, awards Moodle Partnerships, provides MoodleCloud as a service and acts as a pipeline to Moodle Partners when you click the ‘Get Moodle’ button at moodle.org
Moodle Certified Partners – independent businesses who have been assessed and accredited as experts in all things Moodle.
Moodle Workplace – the SaaS model alternative to IOMAD, developed and maintained by Moodle HQ.
Moodle Premium Partners – Certified Partners who specifically provide Moodle Workplace.
MoodleCloud – a no-frills, self-managed, self-sign-up Moodle hosting solution provided by Moodle HQ.
Moodle Premium Hosting – where you go if you outgrow MoodleCloud, provided by Certified Partners.
Always remember:
Moodle comes in three flavours: core Moodle (out-of-the-box with no optional plugins), standard Moodle (out-of-the-box + optional plugins), and multi-tenancy Moodle (out-of-the-box + optional plugins + built-in multi-tenancy functions).
But while ‘core’ always explicitly refers to basic, non-optional functionality, ‘Moodle‘ is shorthand for standard Moodle as well as a catchall for everything else in the Moodleplex…
No. Moodle is designed for exceptional scalability and there are no in-built restrictions on user numbers.
A per-user budget calculation would only be necessary if your hosting provider offers services using a subscription or SaaS pricing model. If that sounds expensive and you’re planning for growth, choose a provider that charges for hosting based on data usage instead.
But! It’s important to remember that even though Moodle itself is free, it is a specialist software. Depending on their standard server setup, if a provider can’t accommodate Moodle’s specific configuration requirements, you could have issues with upgrades and deployment. Read more about hosting types here.
Bluntly? What you can do with them.
Moodle LMS has two basic flavours: core Moodle (out-of-the-box with no optional plugins) and standard Moodle (out-of-the-box + optional plugins). And to get either flavour of e-learning online, you’ll need to have hosting…
So, MoodleCloud is a core Moodle + hosting package provided by Moodle HQ. It’s a no-frills solution that doesn’t allow for a free personalised URL or optional plugins, so customisation is restricted.
In comparison, Moodle refers to standard Moodle, which is what you get if you choose e-Learn Design hosting. There are no restrictions on plugins or personalised URLs, so customisation is unlimited.
See a cost vs solution comparison here.
Yes. If you want to see what courses can look like, Moodle offers two free demo sites: Mount Orange, which is pre-populated with courses, activities and users, and Sandbox, where you can play with the various features yourself.
If you want a longer test drive but don’t want to blow your budget by committing, consider signing up for MoodleCloud. There’s a free trial period and a well-worn migration path for Premium/Partner hosting when you’re ready, so this is a great way to get Moodling and see if it actually suits.
Honestly, you’re not alone. The terminology can be incredibly confusing (and sometimes seem deliberately opaque), so our e-learning and setup guides try to demystify the processes.
If there’s anything in particular you want to ask or you’ve got questions based on what you’ve read, just get in touch, let us know where you need clarification, and we’ll do our best to help.
ELD FAQs
We use a resource-based model (pay for what you use) rather than a SaaS model (pay based on how many people are using it), so everything is priced by the resource required (either GB or time).
Support, development, and consultancy are all calculated by the hours you need. We categorise/bundle for ease of comparison with volume discounts built in, depending on the service.
Hosting levels start at 3GB (Shared), moving up the levels in stages to a max of 35GB before a Dedicated server is required (100GB as standard). This means you can start on a level that suits your current need, but always have the option to increase your allowance (pro rata) if/when usage dictates.
Just like us, you need to budget, so all services have a price listed on the relevant page, and an overview of all rates can be found here.
Yes, but only for Moodle or IOMAD Hosting.
If you take out a one-year agreement, the prices are as advertised at the time of acceptance. When we need to increase our rates, any renewal invoice will have these changes applied. If, however, you choose a two-year or three-year agreement, you’ll not only enjoy a 10% or 15% discount*, but your annual hosting payments will remain the same until the end of your term.
* Extra disk space not included in discounted rates. Ts & Cs apply.
Each year, we need to adjust the prices of our services to accommodate increased costs. This is always in line with the February Consumer Price Index (published in March and applied to our rates on the 1st of April), with a baseline of 5%.
This does not affect ongoing multi-year agreements. Any price increase only applies to rolling renewals (12-month standard term) or new agreements (starting on or after the 1st of April).
You will always find current rates here.
Yes. We can provide hosting in either entity should there be a specific requirement.
Traffic routed to the UK from our EU servers will come through our Data Centre partner’s internal networks. As all internal networking is within these private networks (with UK endpoints), all sites are considered to be in the UK for the purposes of cross-border data transfer laws.
Traffic routed to the EU from our UK servers will also come through our Data Centre partner’s internal networks. As all internal networking is within these private networks (with EU endpoints), all sites are considered to be in the EU for the purposes of cross-border data transfer laws.
You can find our full Security Policy here.
If you want to migrate your Moodle installation to e-Learn Design, then we need to make sure that the process is smooth. This means checking that your site is on par with the standard builds we have for our servers.
If you don’t want to host with us but do want Remote support, then we need to do the same. Neglecting to run a Health Check can mean that any non-compatibility or configuration issues might impact your site and our ability to provide you with your chosen services.
You can find the cost options here.
Whether you want to take out an annual agreement or just need some ad-hoc support, the sign up process is the same. Find all steps here.
Hosting FAQs
If you already have a Moodle site, go to: Site administration > Reports > Course size report. If you don’t have that report enabled, download it here. Once you have that information, you will be able to find a corresponding Moodle Hosting level.
If you’re new to Moodle, you might not know how much space you need, so we would recommend starting on one of our smaller packages (Pearl 3GB or Ruby 5GB) and then moving up the levels (pro rata) if and when your usage grows.
Read about the biggest impacts on data levels here.
Shared Hosting levels start at 3GB, moving up in stages to a max of 35GB before a Dedicated Server would be required. This means you can start on a level that suits your current usage, so you’re only paying for what you need.
If you need to move up, the increase will be charged (pro rata) to fall in line with your existing term end and at the level-appropriate price from when that term started. You can find an overview of all levels here.
Every week, we send out emails when you’re on or over your current limit, giving you a chance to clear down to stay within your allowance or the opportunity to level up by arrangement.
If that’s not possible, a pro-rata invoice will be raised to cover the remainder of your term, but we always keep you fully informed at every stage of the process so there are no unpleasant surprises…
Short answer? No, we use dedicated servers on virtual hosting.
Longer answer? Cloud hosting uses multiple servers to service a single website; web hosting uses a single server; virtual hosting is the middle ground as it removes the risk of a single point of failure for web hosting hardware but still offers exceptional scalability.
For what we do (Moodle/IOMAD application services), virtual hosting is our preferred option as it gives the resilience of cloud but the cost-effective benefits of web.
Our standard service agreements are for a 12-month term and automatically renew unless otherwise instructed. However, we send out the next year’s invoices a few weeks before the renewal date to give you time to decide whether to rollover renew, renew with a multi-year discount, or migrate to another provider.
All invoices have a Term, Start and End date listed, so you always know where you sit.
As long as you’re still within your agreed service term, no. Your data is yours – we won’t hold it to ransom – and we’ll do our best to make it a smooth migration to your new provider.
If, however, you’ve got an outstanding invoice or you’re leaving partway through a multi-year agreement, appropriate charges will be invoiced for immediate payment first.
Alternatively, if you need to take a break from Moodling rather than renewing or migrating, we can either ‘Park’ your site on our servers for a fee, or provide you with a download for you to store somewhere else.
Quick Fix FAQs
The QFP is basic Moodle support, offered to all new hosting clients. In short, if we can fix it in 15 minutes or less, you get it for free!
The QFP covers bugs and snags after migration, installation or integration, as well as any core Moodle problems experienced due to upgrades or community improvements.
If there are issues caused by client-implemented modification, third-party customisation, or a breach of our Fair Use Policy, a fix will incur a charge.
If a fix will take longer than 15 minutes or doesn’t fall under the QFP remit, and you don’t have an official support agreement in place, you’ll be charged at the non-contract rate for the time it takes.
No. We aim to respond within 24 working hours, but there is no official timescale for resolution. If you want the prioritisation (and speed) of an SLA, then you’ll need to pay for an annual support agreement.
No. If you’re an ELD hosting client and your issue falls under the QFP remit, a call will not be necessary for a fix. If you want a call for any other reason, however, you can book them as part of an official support agreement or they can be organised ad-hoc for a fee via any of our contact options.
Multi-tenancy FAQs
If core Moodle is a single classroom with no reporting privacy or internal archive potential, multi-tenancy Moodle allows for that classroom to be privately shared with multiple companies, saves completion records, and facilitates company-specific customisation.
Need a full (but non-technical) explanation? Go here.
If you want to white-label your courses, then multi-tenancy Moodle makes it easy. Similarly, if you want to give specific managers autonomy for reporting and administration tasks, customising devolution via per-tenant role capabilities gives you a huge amount of flexibility around who is responsible for what.
Learn all about multi-tenancy pros and cons here.
How you pay to use them. Moodle Workplace is provided on a SaaS (Software as a Service or ‘per-user subscription’) model, while IOMAD – just like Moodle itself – is absolutely free to use.
Yes, but only Moodle Workplace.
As MoodleCloud is a SaaS solution, it’s not compatible with the open-source nature of IOMAD.
If you want to see what courses can look like, Moodle offers two free demo sites: Mount Orange, which is pre-populated with courses, activities and users, and Sandbox, where you can try out the various features yourself.
For an open-source multi-tenancy demo (as IOMAD is Moodle under the hood), you can play with the core features here, while everything else you might need to know about IOMAD (including how-tos and FAQs) is here.
Finally, to organise a Workplace demo to allow a full comparison, you’ll need to speak to a Workplace provider. Just choose a Premium Partner, click on the arrow, and it will take you to the contact options.
Moodle Workplace is a Moodle HQ product, so documentation is available on moodle.org
IOMAD is an e-Learn Design solution, so documentation is available on iomad.org
IOMAD FAQs
IOMAD is, at its heart, a suite of plugins that sits on top of core Moodle. Rather than complicating things by adding the plugins individually, IOMAD is provided as a full code ‘package’ so the underlying behaviour is still all Moodle, while the multi-tenancy bit dictates how it works for your installation.
We do. IOMAD is an e-Learn Design multi-tenant solution that has followed Moodle for upgrades, versions and security patches since 2010. And because it’s open source, you don’t need to talk to us to use it. Find everything you need for a successful IOMAD implementation here.
Yes, although there are obviously some (hosting-based) service exclusions if you’re not on e-Learn Design servers. Otherwise, Remote support options are the same as hosted: three levels based on an average monthly requirement.
The use of hours isn’t restricted, so if you need to use a few more at a specific time (as long as you’re within your annual limit), when you use them is up to you. What is restricted is how you use them – creation of non-core IOMAD functionality (so, a new type of report, for example) would be separately chargeable as Development time.
Yes. Just replace the IOMAD core code with Moodle core code of the same version (or higher) and run an upgrade; you’ll then be back on standard Moodle.
Just don’t forget to save your optional plugins in the Moodle code and change your license-based enrolments to a Moodle core enrolment type first. And always always start by taking a full backup…