As classes approach each semester, students anxiously log on to Moodle to look for course pages. Oftentimes, though, they won’t find anything until the day before class. 

Many professors wait until the last minute to post Moodle pages, making it harder for students to prepare for the semester. Instructors should make a point to post Moodle pages at least a few days in advance of the start of class. 

This has long been a point of frustration to students, and some have taken to social media to express frustrations.

“Classes start tomorrow, and two of my professors still haven’t put up their Moodle page,” one student vented on YikYak, an anonymous social media platform.

Most of my professors didn’t post their Moodle page until the day before or the day of their first class. This made it more difficult to prepare for the semester. Since every professor runs their class in a unique way, I feel less stressed when I can read a professor’s syllabus as far ahead as possible, so that I know what to expect.

Students who could view their course pages up ahead of time can see the benefits.

“Most of my teachers posted their Moodle around a week before classes started,” said interior design sophomore Claire Frankfort. “I felt pretty prepared to start classes.”

Getting an idea of the course expectations and outline can help students walk into the first day of class feeling more confident. 

Mark Rabalais, senior instructor and undergraduate advisor for the LSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, said that posting Moodle pages can be time intensive, especially for new professors who may be unfamiliar with the platform.

Rabalais said that Moodle gets easier each semester because professors can usually copy their last page and make needed adjustments. Still, the process can be laborious.

“Each class can take several hours to get right, even for someone like me who has been doing it for years,” Rabalais said. 

While it may take some time, the benefits of posting it before class are worth it. 

“I usually put my Moodle up 2-3 days prior to the first class, but sometimes an issue can come up to delay that, but I always have it up before the first class,” Rabalais said. 

Professors are people too, so it is inevitable that they may have something that delays them from posting their Moodle page. In these cases, professors could email the class to inform them that the page will be up soon. Instructors could also send out the syllabus to students so that they can access it before the first class even if the Moodle page is not yet ready.

Rabalais commented on the benefits of giving students access to a Moodle page sooner rather than later. For instance, in his class, he is using an online text and asking students to complete some readings and assignments to get a head start before the first class. 

“Ideally, I would have the page up a week ahead of time, but that rarely happens,” Rabalais said. “Instructors, like everyone else, have many irons in the fire.”

The start of the semester is a hectic time for professors and students alike. Still, the number of professors that wait until the day before class to post their Moodle can be a bit stressful.

To ease anxiety and help their students start the semester strong, professors should try their hardest to post their Moodle page as far in advance as possible. 

Kate Beske is a 19-year-old journalism sophomore from Destrehan.