Over the summer, York St John University upgraded Moodle from version 4.1 to Moodle 4.5
The upgrade brings together improvements introduced across several Moodle releases, alongside changes made by YSJ to improve usability, accessibility, assessment workflows and media-based learning.
What’s new is Moodle 4.5
For most colleagues, Moodle will still feel familiar. The main difference is that common tasks should be easier to find and complete.
A cleaner and more accessible interface
One of the most visible changes is the updated Moodle interface.
Course sections and activities have clearer layouts, activity cards take up less space, and icons have been refreshed using a more accessible colour palette.
YSJ has also made changes to the Moodle user interface as part of the upgrade, with a focus on improving accessibility and alignment with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG.
Moodle has continued to improve accessibility across releases 4.2 through to 4.5. Moodle 4.5 also includes fixes associated with its WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility work.
Accessibility still depends on the wider Moodle environment, including themes, plugins, configuration and the content created within individual courses. We will therefore continue to review and improve accessibility across the platform rather than treating this upgrade as the end of that work.
TinyMCE is now the primary editor
TinyMCE is now the primary text editor for both staff and students.
You will see TinyMCE when creating or editing content across Moodle, including course pages, activity instructions, forum posts and online assignment submissions.
The editor provides clearer formatting controls and a more consistent experience for creating structured and accessible content.
For staff, this should make the process of creating teaching materials more straightforward.
For students, it provides the same editing experience when contributing content or submitting work.
Easier course editing
Moodle has introduced a number of improvements to the way courses are managed.
Activities and resources can be added more easily from within the course page, sections are easier to organise, and settings such as activity completion and access restrictions are more visible.
Moodle 4.5 also introduces support for subsections, where enabled. These can help organise larger areas of course content into smaller sections.
Improved assignment and grading workflows
The Assignment area has received several usability improvements.
Common actions are more visible within the grading workflow, filtering has improved, and Moodle provides greater flexibility around submissions, resubmissions and grading.
These changes should reduce some of the navigation involved when working through student submissions.
New MEDIAL video feedback
We have also introduced MEDIAL video feedback within Moodle.
Academic colleagues can use video or audio feedback as another way of responding to student work where this functionality is available within the assignment.
Students can then access the feedback alongside their submission and grade.
This can be useful where spoken or visual feedback provides a clearer explanation than written comments alone.
Better quizzes and Question Bank management
The Quiz and Question Bank tools have also improved.
Question categories are easier to organise, including improved editing and drag-and-drop management.
Markers can also regrade selected questions rather than having to regrade an entire quiz.
Students may notice clearer information during quizzes, including confirmation of when answers were last saved.
Improved notifications
Moodle 4.5 introduces more proactive notifications around assessment activity.
Depending on how an activity has been configured and individual notification preferences, students can receive reminders about upcoming assignments, approaching deadlines, overdue work and quizzes that are about to open.
What do I need to do?
For most colleagues, there is nothing you need to change.
Existing Moodle courses and the activities you already use remain familiar.
We recommend spending some time exploring the updated course interface, TinyMCE editor, assignment workflow and MEDIAL feedback options as you prepare teaching and learning content.
Guidance and support
The Technology Enhanced Learning team will continue to provide guidance and support as colleagues begin working with Moodle 4.5
We would also like to hear how you are using the updated Moodle features in your teaching. Your feedback will help us shape future guidance, staff training and platform improvements.
Who are TEL?
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) at York St John University is part of Innovation & Technology Services, dedicated to supporting staff in using digital technologies effectively for teaching, learning, and assessment. The team provides hands-on guidance, flexible training, and accessible resources to embed inclusive, evidence-based digital practices across the institution. Grounded in educational theory and the TEL Quality Framework, TEL manages and supports key learning platforms—such as Moodle, Turnitin, and interactive digital tools—while identifying and integrating emerging educational technologies to drive pedagogical innovation.
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