Time for action – installing the Attendance package

Module installation is basically the same process as that for blocks with the obvious difference being in where the package contents are installed. In the case of modules, the package contents are placed in the mod folder. Next, we will install the Attendance package, which is actually a combination of both a module and a block so we'll be placing items in both of these folders. To install the package, follow these steps:

1. Using the same process that was explained for the My Courses block, from the Modules and plugins download page on Moodle.org, search for Attendance.

2. Click on the item with the one word title, Attendance.

3. From the detailed explanation menu click on the Download for Moodle 1.9 link to download the package. The resulting download will be a zipped package titled attendance_package.zip.

4. Decompress this package and note that there are both blocks and mod folders contained in the package. This is because, as previously mentioned, this package contains both a block and a module.

5. Place the Attendance folder found in the blocks folder of your Moodle instance the same way you did with the My Menu package.

6. In the same manner, place the attforblock folder in the mod folder in your Moodle directory. The paths for installing the two components on the Mac OS MAMP are as follows:

   attendance goes to MAMP/htdocs/blocks.

   attforblock goes to MAMP/htdocs/mod.

7. Log in to your site as admin after placing the two folders in their appropriate places and click on the Notifications link. You will receive a series of Success messages and should click on Continue after everything is successfully installed.

8. Navigate to a course and turn editing on to add an Attendance activity to the course area. Add the Attendance activity by using the Add an activity drop-down menu. You will be presented with a screen that allows you to customize some of the settings for the Attendance activity, as shown in the following screenshot. Unless you want to change the name, the maximum grade, or some of the other settings, it is easiest to click Save and display.

   

9. The subsequent screen is the Sessions display and will indicate that there are no sessions for the course. You can add sessions one at a time or in bulk by clicking on the Add tab. Other features of the Attendance module can be accessed by clicking on the corresponding tabs.

   

What just happened?

We have just installed the Attendance package, which includes both a module and a block. This tool, along with the My Courses block, will be utilized as we position our Moodle as a CIMS. Detailed explanation of the use of these tools in this context will be presented in Chapter 4, Incorporating Educational Standards (Attendance module) and Chapter 6, Customized Roles (My Courses block).