With Moodle's latest version comes an AI subsystem that lets you incorporate AI tools from other providers into your Moodle learning management system. You can take your pick from popular AI developers such as OpenAI and Azure or open-source models like Ollama, LiteLLM, and LocalAI1. With the ability to add other AI tools, your course creation and operations will be so much more efficient and scalable.

Aside from letting you insert external AI tools into your interface, Moodle also gives you full control over them. AI is indeed useful but you wouldn't want to give complete access to your students! That's why administrators can specify where and how AI services are used within the Moodle site through the Site Administration settings1. You can make some tools available for all while keeping others restricted to only you or your team. You also have the power to place them where you want on the screen. If privacy is a concern, you can disable your AI integrations from gathering any user data. Besides, Moodle's subsystem implements full transparency. Whenever AI is used to create something, it's automatically labeled as AI-generated1. This helps everyone distinguish original work from AI-made outputs.

Even without AI integrations in its repertoire, Moodle now has the capability to produce content and summarize lengthy learning materials. These AI-powered features are useful for both educators and students who want to make teaching and learning less of a hassle12.

Using a button in the editor interface, you can simply enter a prompt depicting the content for a specific course and AI will generate all the text you need. You won't have to write all the course descriptions, workbooks, assignments, quizzes, and related resources by yourself because AI can help you get the job done easier and faster13. If you need media to go along with your courses, Moodle also has an AI image generator available directly within its file picker. Type in the description of the photo you want to include and AI will create it from scratch13. For students, you won't have to read long chunks of text to learn the important concepts and information in a course. Moodle's summarization feature shortens long content down to the most essential details. You can use these summaries to quickly review and understand the course, getting rid of extra fluff that will just crowd your mind12.

A continuous flow of information can be overwhelming and confusing. Moodle solves this issue with the introduction of subsections. You can create nested sections within your courses, providing a more structured and intuitive layout for course materials12. You can group related topics or activities together for a clear hierarchy of information and easier navigation of content3.

Since the subsections are in a nested format, students can just collapse the ones they're not reading at the moment and expand the ones they want to focus on. With this, they can keep their attention on certain information at a time and not get distracted by too much content on the screen1. To use subsections, instructors simply need to enable edit mode and add a new section within an existing one4. This feature is particularly useful for courses with complex topics or those that follow a modular approach to learning12.

Moodle makes grading assignments quicker with a new "sticky" footer and table header on the submissions page1. There are also more filtering options so you can see the submission status, markers, and active participants at a glimpse1. If you're looking for certain student submissions, the search bar will locate them for you1. However, the best feature may be the option to automatically allow additional attempts, allowing students to give another response if they have unsatisfactory scores or performance1. Giving second chances supports a student's initiative and encourages their drive to learn more and do better1.

A reward system is always great for learning since it reinforces a student's achievement, inspiring them to achieve more. That's what the badges in Moodle are for. With the new 4.5 update, it's more convenient to make and distribute badges to worthy students1. Badges can now also be duplicated within and between courses, so you don't have to recreate them every time you start another course or whenever you want to award the same badge to multiple students. To prevent confusion on who created a badge if you share a workspace with team members, the issuer details will always be visible moving forward2. These improvements will give the students the recognition they deserve, pushing them to study more so they can collect more badges3.

Courses need media to be more engaging and visually informative. You may have created your video and audio content elsewhere before, but you will no longer have to since Moodle LMS 4.5 finally has its own screen recorder. You can shoot and embed screen captures without relying on external tools since the text editor has audio and video recorders for your instructional content, tutorials, and walkthroughs12. Paired with the AI text generator, you can instantly form descriptions for your media files as well. The recorders are not limited to instructors, though, because even students can utilize them for rich media responses and presentations2.

A common fear all students have is forgetting an assignment and showing up empty-handed on the deadline. No one wants to see their classmates handing in their work while they don't have anything to submit. An even worse fear is walking into class and someone telling you that you have a quiz for the day that you weren't informed about. Moodle takes such fears away with its improved notifications. Before you completely miss deadlines or neglect to study, it will send you alerts for upcoming and overdue assignments and quizzes so you won't rush and cram at the last minute12. This same feature is available for educators and administrators as well, giving student submission status reminders and alerts regarding system tasks and potential issues32.

The education sector is growing both in revenue and scale with the rising popularity of courses and coaches. Moodle is one of the leading online platforms in this space, giving both licensed teachers and knowledgeable individuals the opportunity to teach inquisitive minds all over the world.12 To further improve their services, Moodle has tapped into AI, providing their users with more tools that can boost their journey to learning. The AI subsystem and additional features will streamline course creation and make studying simpler for students. Educators can let AI take on some of the content tasks for the courses, while students can use AI for summarized notes and presentations.3 This update to the Moodle interface showcases how useful AI can be when it comes to digital learning, offering new ways for instructors and students alike to do their part in contributing to the evolving field of modern education.45