While Moodle core comes with just about everything you’ll need for a basic learning environment, its modular nature is where it really stands out – plugins take full advantage of this and are the essential building blocks you need to really make Moodle work for you.

If you have experience with a site-building kit like WordPress, you’ve likely heard the term “plugin” before. But for those unfamiliar, a plugin is a self-contained suite of software designed for a specific purpose, which is used to add a new feature (or set of features) to an existing site.

Moodle’s modular architecture is set up for the easy installation and removal of plugins. Everything is kept neatly partitioned while still allowing for different parts of the site to talk to one another. The best part is that you can find a wide variety of plugins to suit your needs for absolutely no cost at all. The Moodle plugin directory holds a searchable collection of categorised options, developed and maintained by the wider Moodle community.

Some examples of common plugin categories include blocks (which can be placed on the user’s dashboard or within courses), course formats (used to change the presentation of content within a course) and activities (the basic building blocks of courses). They can be designed to complement an existing component of Moodle – like additional question types, which are used to build on the core Quiz module – or may introduce an entirely new set of functions to your environment. Additionally, even though many only go as far as making cosmetic changes to your site, themes also fall under the broad definition of a plugin.

The plugins you’ll need will depend entirely on how you want your environment to look and function – after all, you’re the expert! But to help you know where to get started, here are a few key plugin recommendations grouped by common goals.

1. Site content customisation

One of Moodle’s greatest assets is its customisability, and there are a number of easily configurable themes available via the Moodle Plugins directory that don’t require any prior knowledge of HTML or CSS to set up.

2. Course format customisation

Just as vital to learner experience as your content is the format in which it’s presented to your users. Course format plugins offer an alternative way to structure your course over what Moodle already has in core. These formats come pre-built and feature a number of user-friendly customisation settings, so there’s no need to dig into your site’s CSS to get your courses looking exactly how you want them to.

3. Course creation simplification

Now you’ve got access to your Moodle site, where do you start when it comes to creating courses? Like Moodle itself, courses are modular, with activities acting as your basic building blocks: from Quizzes, to Books, to virtual sessions in the form of BigBlueButton rooms. You can also find a number of additional plugins on offer to help take your course creation to the next level.

4. Question type flexibility

One of the most popular activity types, Moodle’s Quiz module is a quick and convenient way to bake interactivity and learner feedback into your course structure. Quiz comes pre-loaded with a variety of standard question types designed to suit you and your learners’ needs (such as multiple choice, true or false, and drag and drop exercises). Like Moodle itself, Quiz is designed with a modular structure in mind, allowing for the seamless integration of additional plugins to expand your question type repertoire.

5. Communication functionality

Maintaining active and easily accessible communication channels is key to fostering an engaging learner experience. Whether you’re transitioning from face-to-face or you already have a foothold in the world of e-learning, Moodle makes it easy with a site-wide instant messaging system as standard, as well as a number of tools to help build on that existing functionality.