Testing the CES - Moodle Integration

This document outlines the steps required to test the CE&S and Moodle LMS integration, including both data sync and user-level functionality

New Client Notice: If your institution is new to CES and is in the Implementation phase, a Test Project and Survey has already been created for you. This Project and Survey will be identifiable by the word "Test" in the title. Please skip steps 1, 2 and 3 of this article and proceed directly to Step 4: Import Course Data. 

 

Prerequisites: LMS Side

Before beginning the test, please ensure:

  • A Test course exists in Moodle.
  • The course should be published.
  • The course should have user enrollments:
    • At least one test student
    • At least one test instructor
  • Ensure test users utilize non-production email addresses to avoid triggering automated notifications to real users during the testing phase.
  • Please ensure that the test users have only a single role assigned to them, not multiple roles. (Reason: To ensure accurate role-based validation.)

Step 1. Create a Test Project in CES

1.1 Log into CES.

1.2 From the top navigation bar, click Surveys & Projects.

1.3 Select Projects.

1.4 Click Create New Project.

1.5 A dialog box appears, click Begin.

1.6 Enter a Project Title (e.g., Test Project).

Set the dates:

  • Start Date: At least one week prior (recommended) to the current date.
  • End Date: At least one week after (recommended) the current date.
     

Scroll to the bottom and click Save.

 

Step 2. Align a Survey to the Project

2.1 In the project, click Survey.

2.2 Click Select a Survey and choose an existing survey or create a new one.

2.3 Confirm your selection. 

 

Step 3. Creating a Test Survey

If no surveys are available for selection, please follow the steps below to create a test survey:

3.1 From the top navigation bar, click Surveys & Projects.

3.2 Select Surveys.

3.3 Click Begin in the pop-up window that appears.

3.4 Enter the desired Title and Description for the survey.

3.5 Click Save New.

3.6 Click Save once again to finalize the creation.

Your test survey will now be available and can be used within the Test project.

 

Step 4. Import Course Data from Moodle

4.1: Re-Sync courses:

4.1.a Click on Courses

4.1.b Select Data Import

4.1.c Click Moodle

Image of Courses Tab with Data Import dropdown expanded. The Moodle option is selected.

4.1.d On the top of the page you will see two options: Re-Sync Courses and Clear Synced Courses

Image of Data Import screen. The buttons for Re-Sync Courses and Clear Synced Courses are shown

4.1.e Click on the “Re-sync courses” to sync all courses and  enrollments

(NOTE: Large Moodle instances may timeout; if syncs fail, use Course IDs instead)

4.1.f Re-Sync by Course ID(s): Use the Course ID found in the Moodle URL to sync specific courses and enrollments. 

For example, in this case, the course ID here is “5”.

Image of URL from Moodle is shown. The section of the URL with 'courseid=5' is highlighted.

Image showing the Resync Courses Window is shown. The Bubble for Course IDs is selected.

4.1.g Check sync status via the Notification ( top right corner) widget on the Home page or via email. (A timestamp will be populated to alert you of the last time you re-synced courses)

s4.png
Image shows where to see the 'Last Re-sync' timestamp with Moodle

4.2: Import Courses

4.2.a The Search Moodle Courses tool finds courses by Name, Short Name, or ID.

4.3.b Use the Filter Options dropdown to apply search logic like "Contains" or "Starts With". For bulk searches, select More Options to paste a text string into the search box.

Image shows the screen where to search within synced Moodle courses

4.3.c Select the courses that need to be imported to the project by marking them with a checkmark and then click the Import Data button at the bottom of the page

4.3: Confirm Course Alignment

4.3.a Scroll to the top of the Data Import screen.

4.3.b Click Courses to refresh the page and return to the Courses tab of the project

4.3.c Confirm that the course appears with the correct information.
Image shows a successfully imported course. There is text under the Hierarchy Level column.

Step 5. Deploy the Project

After adding courses and validating users, open the project and click Deploy Project, then confirm.

This confirms that the data settings are functioning correctly.

Step 6. User Settings Testing (Role-Based Validation)

To confirm that user-level settings are functioning correctly, perform the following checks by impersonating users in Moodle (Only valid for users who have been imported into the CES using the steps above)

 

6.1 Student Role Testing

Impersonate a test student enrolled in the course and verify:

  • The Survey Notification will only display in Moodle where the Course Evaluations & Surveys User Access Block has been added.

 

  • If notification are visible, the student configuration has been successfully validated.

 

6.2 Instructor Role Testing

Verify as a test instructor: Course Survey Access Link is visible where the CES access block is added.

If the link appears correctly, the instructor configuration is working as expected.

 

Step 7. Expected Outcome

Successful integration is confirmed when : 

  • Course data syncs correctly
  • The project deploys successfully 
  • Survey notification and links are visible for students 
  • Link is visible to instructors

 

Was this article helpful?
1 out of 1 found this helpful

Articles in this section

How to Contact Support
There are many ways to reach out! Click the icon above for our support options.
Watermark Academy
Click the icon above to access the Watermark Academy for consultation, training, and implementation companion courses.
Customer Community
Can’t find the answer? Ask fellow users how they’re making the most of Watermark in our Community!