Activity Tiles – The Moodle Plugin for Modern Course Design

Gerald Henzinger • 27 May 2025
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Developed by think modular, the Moodle plugin Activity Tiles is a powerful text filter that displays Moodle activities as visually appealing tiles anywhere within a course. Extensive filtering options by type, section, or custom selection ensure clear structure and improved usability. The plugin is already being used successfully by a wide range of educational institutions.


Moodle is a powerful learning management system, known especially for its flexibility and extensibility. However, in large or complex courses, the default layout can quickly become overwhelming – particularly for learners who benefit from visual guidance and a clearer course structure.

 

Our solution: A flexible text filter developed by think modular that visually restructures Moodle courses, making navigation significantly easier for users.

 

The Activity Tiles allow key course content to be displayed as attractive tiles – directly within text fields, labels, or blocks. They create a modern, well-structured course navigation that offers learners clear visual entry points – without the need for additional blocks or external tools. The Activity Tiles are already being used successfully by numerous clients, including universities, continuing education providers, vocational training centers, and NGOs.

 

Comparison of two Moodle course views – standard versus Activity Tiles

 

Seamless integration: big impact with a simple text command.

 

The Activity Tiles function as a Moodle text filter: After installation, simply insert
{{ activitytiles }} into any text area to display all or selected course activities as visually engaging tiles:

 

  mods=assign, forum shows only assignments and forums

  mods=selected displays only manually selected activities

  sections=1,3 limits the view to specific course sections

 

A combination of parameters allows targeted, context-specific customization of the course layout – depending on course content or instructional goals.

 

Moodle settings page showing input field

 

From a visual perspective, the plugin also enables flexible adjustments.

 

By default, several templates are available:

 

  simplecard for a reduced, clear presentation 

  linksonly for a space-saving, text-based list of links 

  custom Mustache templates for individual designs 

 

At the top, four activities are shown as cards with completion status (template: simplecard); at the bottom, the same activities appear as a simple list of links with red bullet points (template: linksonly).
 

Each activity can also be enhanced with a Font Awesome icon or an image. When activity completion tracking is enabled, the completion status is displayed directly on the tile – providing visual feedback and additional motivation.

Many clients integrate the Activity Tiles into their Moodle landing pages, weekly overviews, or intermediate modules – often in combination with custom themes. The plugin is also widely used in multilingual environments and accessible course designs.

 

Laptop screen showing a tile view of various learning modules in a Moodle course.

The plugin in use on Customer Expert's learning platform.

 

The main goal: improving usability for learners and instructors.

 

Instead of long text lists, structured and visually enhanced course sections are created – with a clear focus, better orientation, and increased learner motivation

 

  Learners can immediately see which tasks are still open, what has already been completed, and which content is prioritized.

 

  Teachers benefit from easy integration with no coding required: Setup takes place directly in the editor, and configuration is intuitive and well-documented. The plugin is lightweight, compatible with all major Moodle versions and themes, and causes no performance issues – even in large courses.

 

The plugin allows teachers to clearly present, for example, only the assignments of a module, weekly discussion forums, or mandatory activities. Especially in courses with many elements or in blended learning formats, the Activity Tiles offer a noticeable improvement in navigation and course structure.

 

 

Feedback from real-world use confirms: The Activity Tiles reduce support effort, increase platform acceptance, and support modern, visual didactics.


Final thought: Moodle plugin that addresses exactly the limitations where standard Moodle solutions often reach their limits.

 

Easy integration, high flexibility and creative freedom make the plugin a powerful tool for anyone looking to design their courses in a clear, engaging, and motivating way. Thanks to its successful use by numerous clients, the plugin is field-tested, stable, and highly adaptable – whether for universities, educational institutions or companies.

 

The Activity Tiles is continuously developed by think modular. In addition, custom adaptations to design specifications can be implemented, and consulting is available for integration, template creation, and accessible course design – all aimed at improving Moodle usability with a professional look.

 

Coming soon: the Activity Tiles will be downloadable via the Moodle plugin directory and directly from this page.