Courses — Extension Foundation
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Instructor FAQ

Recommended transition approach

  1. 1Move your course to Courses now.
  2. 2Start enrolling new students in Courses.
  3. 3Leave Campus open for existing students until June 30, 2027.
How individual enrollment works⌄
1

They create an account

A student creates a courses.extension.org account with their email and a password, then confirms their email.

2

They pay the platform fee and the course price

A one-time $10/year platform access fee applies to their account (not per course) the first time they enroll in anything, plus that course's price. Renewing courses within that year only cost the course price.

3

They're enrolled automatically

Once payment goes through, their Moodle account is created (or reused, if they already have one) and they're enrolled in the course immediately - no separate step in Moodle needed.

Bulk purchases⌄

For enrolling a group at once - a class, a department, a cohort - anyone can buy multiple seats in a single course from the Bulk Enrollment page.

1

Buy seats

Pick the course and how many seats you need. You can optionally cover the $10/year platform fee for everyone you assign a seat to, so they don't have to pay it themselves.

2

Assign seats by email

From your bulk purchase portal, assign each seat to a person's email address - whether or not they already have a courses.extension.org account.

3

They're enrolled

If you covered the platform fee, they're enrolled immediately. If not, they'll pay their own $10/year fee from their account before that seat activates.

Discount codes and voucher codes⌄

We can set these up for you on request - just email courses@extension.org:

  • Discount codes - a code students enter at checkout for a reduced price on a specific course.
  • Voucher codes - for a group paying offline (a check or an invoice, instead of a card online). We generate a batch of single-use codes for your course; each person redeems their own code for a seat, no card needed.
Platform fee exemption⌄

Instructors and individuals from Extension Foundation member institutions are typically exempt from the $10/year platform fee entirely - either because your institution's email domain is whitelisted, or your individual email is. If that applies to you but you're still being asked to pay it, email courses@extension.org and we'll sort it out.

Viewing your course's transactions⌄

If you've been set up as an instructor for your course, you can see every transaction for it - who paid, when, and how much - without needing spreadsheets from us.

1

Sign in

Go to courses.extension.org/admin/login and enter your email - you'll get a one-time sign-in link, no password needed.

2

You'll land on Transactions

Your view is automatically scoped to just the course(s) you're assigned to - you won't see anything for other courses.

3

Filter and export

Filter by quarter, date range, or status, and export to CSV whenever you need it for reconciliation.

Don't have this access yet? Ask us at courses@extension.org to be set up as an instructor for your course.

What's the difference between Moodle 4.5 (Campus) and Moodle 5.2 (Courses)?⌄

Moodle 5.2 is not a radical redesign of Moodle 4.5. Instructors who already know Moodle should still recognize the platform immediately. The change is better understood as the familiar Moodle experience with roughly 18 months of feature, usability, grading, navigation, AI, and administration improvements layered on top.

AI integration

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Introduced Moodle's AI subsystem, including text generation, image generation, and summarization when an AI provider is configured.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

A more mature AI framework with broader provider support and improved administration, including additional core provider options and expanded AI actions.

Course organization

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Introduced subsections, allowing sections within sections.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Refines subsections with clearer hierarchy, improved navigation, duplication, and fewer unnecessary page transitions.

Course navigation

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Modern Moodle 4.x course navigation.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Improved linear course navigation, clearer dates and activity information, sticky course-title navigation, and streamlined movement through course content.

Assignment grading

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Improved grading workflows, filters, bulk actions, and resubmission options.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Adds multiple markers for assignments, including configurable methods for combining individual marker grades.

Quiz / Question Bank

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Improved question category management and regrading options.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Further improves categories with collapsing, inline renaming, question counts, and easier movement of categories and questions.

Activity chooser

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Standard activity chooser.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Activities can be grouped more clearly by purpose, such as assessment, collaboration, communication, resources, and interactive content.

Dashboard / login

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Familiar Moodle 4.x Dashboard and login experience.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Refreshed login and Dashboard experience, clearer Course Overview access, and interface improvements around authentication and account access.

Course editing

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Standard editing and reset workflows.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Improved handling of large-course operations, subsection duplication, editing redirects, and section-saving behavior.

Notifications

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Includes notifications for upcoming and overdue assignments and quizzes.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Retains these capabilities while incorporating subsequent 5.x usability and notification improvements.

Screen recording

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Supports short screen recording directly through the TinyMCE editor.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Retains screen recording along with newer editor and course-experience improvements.

Reports

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Custom Report Builder and existing administrative reports.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Expands Report Builder filtering and scheduled-report management and improves reporting consistency across modules.

Backups

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Standard Moodle backup naming and workflows.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Adds more flexible administrator controls for default backup filenames and automated archival workflows.

Course administration

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Existing course deletion and administration tools.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Adds additional administrative conveniences for identifying and managing courses in bulk workflows.

Mobile app

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Moodle App support for the 4.5 feature set.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Supports newer navigation, grading workflows, user-menu options, routes, and additional administrative controls.

Accessibility / visual design

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Modern accessible Moodle 4.x interface.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Continues interface consistency and accessibility improvements, including updated typography and design-system work.

Frontend technology

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Traditional Moodle frontend architecture.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Introduces newer frontend foundations and Moodle Design System integration to support more modern interfaces over time.

Installation / DevOps

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Traditional Moodle installation and update process.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Adds improved deployment and dependency-management options, including official Composer-based workflows.

Server requirements

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Supports the server stack appropriate to the 4.5 release line.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Requires a newer server stack, including PHP 8.3+ and updated platform requirements.

Release status

Moodle 4.5 (Campus)

Long-term-support release line.

Moodle 5.2 (Courses)

Newer stable release line with the cumulative improvements introduced in Moodle 5.0, 5.1, and 5.2.

What instructors will actually notice

  • Cleaner course navigation and less clicking between sections.
  • Better course organization, especially subsections and nested content.
  • A clearer activity chooser organized around what instructors are trying to accomplish.
  • Improved assignments and grading, including support for multiple graders where needed.
  • Better question-bank and category management.
  • Cleaner Dashboard, login, and activity experiences.
  • Better handling of large courses and administrative tasks behind the scenes.
  • Expanded AI capabilities if Extension Foundation chooses to enable them.
  • Continued screen recording, improved notifications, and other capabilities already introduced in Moodle 4.5.
  • A more modern underlying platform that Moodle is actively building on.

This comparison is intended as a practical feature summary rather than an exhaustive release-note inventory. Exact availability of some features depends on site configuration, enabled plugins, themes, and administrator settings.

Courses Transition FAQ

Will existing student accounts and enrollments be moved from Campus to Courses?⌄

No. Individual student accounts and enrollments will not be migrated from Campus to Courses. There is not a reliable way to move existing student accounts while also ensuring that each student is correctly re-enrolled in the appropriate course on the new platform.

Instructors can export student rosters, completion records, and other course information from Campus for their own records.

What happens to students who have started a course on Campus but have not finished it?⌄

Campus will remain available through June 30, 2027. Students who are already enrolled in a course on Campus may continue working there until that date.

We recommend that instructors begin directing new students to Courses while allowing existing Campus students to finish their work on Campus during the transition period.

Can I run my course on Campus and Courses at the same time during the transition?⌄

Yes. Instructors may operate their course on both platforms during the transition period.

This allows new students to begin using Courses while previously enrolled students continue to access their existing Campus course through June 30, 2027.

When should I stop enrolling new students in Campus and begin using Courses?⌄

There is no single required transition date before June 30, 2027, but we encourage instructors to begin using Courses for new enrollments as early as practical.

Moving new students to Courses earlier gives instructors time to become familiar with the new platform while allowing existing Campus students to finish their courses without interruption.

Will my course be unavailable while it is being transferred to Courses?⌄

No. Your Campus course can remain active while the course is transferred and set up in Courses.

There should not be any period in which your course needs to be offline.

How long does it take to transfer a course from Campus to Courses?⌄

For most courses, the actual transfer process takes only a few minutes.

After the transfer, instructors may want to review the course in Courses and confirm that activities, links, settings, and other content appear as expected before directing new students to it.

What is the deadline for transferring my course to Courses?⌄

Campus will be retired on June 30, 2027, so any course that will continue through the Extension Foundation after that date will need to be operating in Courses.

Instructors may wait until closer to June 2027, but we strongly encourage making the transition earlier to allow time for testing and familiarization with the new platform.

Can I export my student roster, email addresses, completion records, and other records from Campus?⌄

Yes. Instructors can export student information from their Campus courses, including names, email addresses, and completion information.

Instructions for exporting these records are included in the Instructor FAQ and transition resources.

Will students still be able to access certificates from completed Campus courses?⌄

Yes. Students will continue to have access to Campus through June 30, 2027, and may retrieve or reprint certificates during that time.

Instructors should encourage students who need historical certificates to download or save them before Campus is retired.

Will my Moodle course transfer exactly as it currently appears?⌄

Most course content should transfer successfully because both Campus and Courses use Moodle.

However, instructors should review their transferred course before making it available to new students. Some settings, integrations, links, or activities may require minor adjustments after the transfer.

How different will Courses look from Campus?⌄

Courses is also built on Moodle, so the overall experience should feel familiar to current Campus instructors.

There may be some differences in navigation, appearance, and administrative tools, but the core course-management experience remains similar.

How will instructor payouts work in Courses?⌄

Instructor payouts will continue to be made quarterly.

Under the new model, instructors retain 100% of their course revenue, minus credit card processing fees. The Extension Foundation will no longer retain 10% of course sales.

What credit card processing fees apply to paid courses?⌄

Credit card processing fees are 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

For example, if a course is priced at $25, the course remains $25 and the instructor receives the course revenue minus the applicable credit card processing fee.

The Extension Foundation will no longer deduct an additional 10% from course revenue.

Is the $10 annual Courses platform access fee included in the price of a course?⌄

No. The $10 annual platform access fee is separate from any course fee established by the instructor.

For example, if a course is priced at $25, the course fee remains $25. A student who has not already paid the annual platform access fee would also pay $10 for access to Courses.

Does a student pay the $10 platform fee for every course they take?⌄

No. The $10 fee is an annual platform access fee and is charged only once per year.

After paying the fee, the student may enroll in or purchase additional Courses offerings during that year without paying another platform access fee.

What happens if I decide not to move my course to Courses?⌄

Campus will be retired on June 30, 2027. If an instructor chooses not to move a course to Courses, they will need to identify another learning management system or hosting solution outside of the Extension Foundation.

Instructors who choose another platform should export any student records, completion data, course files, and other information they wish to retain before Campus is retired.

Something else?⌄

See the Support page, or email courses@extension.org directly - instructors can reach out for anything.