Moodle 1.9.5 Gets Gradebook Enhancements Security Improvements

Moodle has released an update to its open source learning management system. Moodle 1.9.5 adds a number of gradebook improvements, new administration features, and several security enhancements. Moodle has also released an update to the 1.8 branch, version 1.8.9, which includes several fixes and security improvements.

Moodle is one of the most popular learning management systems, if not the single most popular system. The open-source LMS has more than 32.2 million users participating in nearly 3 million courses at 56,220 registered sites, according to Moodle's published statistics. These include 482 sites with more than 10,000 users each.

According to Moodle, both of the new releases address several important security issues, including a TeX filter problem, a customized PhpMyAdmin problem (now upgraded to PhpMyAdmin 2.11.9.5), a SQL injection issue that arose when importing outcomes, problems with verification of submitted ratings, and problems with symbolic links when unzipping files.

In terms of new features, version 1.9.5 adds several gradebook improvements. These include:

  • Tabbed navigation;
  • New grader report settings, including tool tips and the ability to enable a static students column for scrolling grades using a horizontal scroll bar; and
  • New user interface improvements for user reports.

Other new features include:

  • Course defaults for interactive course creation (which, as Moodle pointed out, is a subset of a broader suite of tools in this area coming out in version 2.0);
  • A new spam cleaner report;
  • A help pop-up link for switching languages; and
  • A new user policy for allowing users to switch roles without the needing the ability to assign roles.

Moodle 1.9.5 and 1.8.9 are available now. Further information can be found here.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • Hand holding a stylus over a tablet with futuristic risk management icons

    Why Universities Are Ransomware's Easy Target: Lessons from the 23% Surge

    Academic environments face heightened risk because their collaboration-driven environments are inherently open, making them more susceptible to attack, while the high-value research data they hold makes them an especially attractive target. The question is not if this data will be targeted, but whether universities can defend it swiftly enough against increasingly AI-powered threats.

  • interconnected blocks of data

    Rubrik Intros Immutable Backup for Okta Environments

    Rubrik has announced Okta Recovery, extending its identity resilience platform to Okta with immutable backups and in-place recovery, while separately detailing its integration with Okta Identity Threat Protection for automated remediation.

  • teenager’s study desk with a laptop displaying an AI symbol, surrounded by books, headphones, a notebook, and a cup of colorful pencils

    Survey: Student AI Use on the Rise

    Ninety-three percent of students across the United States have used AI at least once or twice for school-related purposes, according to the latest AI in Education report from Microsoft.

  • cybersecurity book with a shield and padlock

    NIST Proposes New Cybersecurity Guidelines for AI Systems

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology has unveiled plans to issue a new set of cybersecurity guidelines aimed at safeguarding artificial intelligence systems, citing rising concerns over risks tied to generative models, predictive analytics, and autonomous agents.