How to Organize Moodle Course Files

Create the folder structure before downloading

Start with a parent folder for the current term. Inside it, create one folder per course using the same short names shown on your timetable.

• Current Term
• Biology
• Economics
• Modern History

Inside each course, choose weeks or topics. Follow Moodle’s structure. If the course uses Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3, copy it. If it uses Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution, use those topics.

Do not mix both systems unless the course genuinely requires it. The next location should always be predictable.

Create a separate Assignments folder in every course. Assessments combine instructions, marking criteria, templates, sources, drafts, and submissions; keeping them together prevents important files from disappearing among lecture slides.

Download while the context is visible

A file named lecture.pdf makes sense beside Week 4 in Moodle and becomes mysterious in a Downloads folder containing ten other lectures.

Download the file, move it immediately into the matching course and week or topic folder, and handle a complete group of related resources before moving on. Slides, required reading, and the worksheet for one section belong together—not separated into folders by file type.

Exam-week material often feels missing because it was scattered across downloads, screenshots, and course links. The problem is usually sorting across surfaces, not failure to capture anything.

Rename files using course, topic, and purpose

Use a pattern such as:

Course Week Topic Purpose

Examples:

• BIO Week 04 Cell Division Slides.pdf
• HIST Week 07 Treaty Seminar Reading.pdf
• ECON Assignment 02 Marking Guide.pdf

Keep the original extension and use one course abbreviation throughout the term. Add a date only when it distinguishes versions, submissions, or time-sensitive instructions.

Replace vague names such as document, slides-final, and resource3; a clear topic and purpose are enough.

When a lecturer uploads a revision, mark the new copy Revised or add a version date. Move the old version to an Archive folder if it must be retained; otherwise remove it so you do not study outdated material.

Save Moodle pages that are not downloads

Some assignment instructions, summaries, and prompts live directly on Moodle pages.

• Assignment instructions: print the page to PDF or copy the essential requirements into the assignment document. Include the course, assignment name, and source link. Recheck Moodle before submission for clarifications.
• External articles and videos: save the link with a note naming the course and topic. A browser bookmark folder or course link document works. dEssence is another option for saving selected articles and videos and asking across them.
• Screenshots: use them for a small table, diagram, or announcement—not as the only record of a long instruction page. They are hard to search and easy to separate from the assignment.

Keep assignment files with the assignment

A useful subfolder might be:

• Assignment 01 Essay
• Brief
• Sources
• Drafts
• Submitted

Use numbered draft names only while actively comparing versions. After submission, mark the submitted file clearly and save Moodle’s receipt or confirmation beside it.

Do not scatter competing drafts between Moodle, email, desktop folders, and a cloud editor. Choose one working location. Everything else should be an export or backup.

Separate studying from filing

Download into the correct course folder during the week, rename obvious problem files immediately, and spend ten minutes once a week clearing Downloads and checking assignment folders.

Small maintenance during teaching prevents a large reorganization during exams.

Prepare an exam folder without duplicating everything

Create an Exam folder containing only:

• The syllabus
• Topic list
• Practice questions
• Revision plan

Keep full lecture material in the existing week or topic folders. Use shortcuts or links where supported; otherwise use a checklist pointing to the originals. Duplicating every deck can produce conflicting copies after later edits.

Review by topic, not file format. A topic may require a slide deck, reading, and seminar diagram together.

Archive the term

At term’s end, move the complete course folder into an archive named with the term and year. Keep submitted work, feedback, and reusable reference material. Remove temporary drafts and duplicate downloads while you still remember what mattered.