The Book tool allows you to create a collection of digital assets that you can bundle together in order to create the instructional content for your course. In Moodle, a "Book" is not an e-book, a pdf, or any other kind of rigid content item. Instead, it is a dynamic collection of digital objects that come together as a kind of repository for learners.

The "Book" is generally a collection of web pages, and so what students will see is a set of links, usually with descriptions and perhaps brief instructions. This repository constitutes the core knowledge base in your course and from it, learners should be able to define, describe, list, and recognize key concepts.

Perhaps the most used instructional content tool besides the Book tool is the Link to a File or Website tool. This tool allows you to create a link to outside web-based resources and to incorporate a description and guiding materials.

Many instructors like to organize their course chronologically, not only because it is practical, but also because the tools lend themselves to the sequential presentation of material. Once they have their basic structure in place, they then add Resources and Activities.

Many Moodle users like to build their courses on a foundation of Forums, and then, when they feel more comfortable, take advantage of the more complex resources such as Books, Assignments, Choices, and more. Keep in mind that in Moodle, the resources are added by using the tool of the same name. So, if you want to add a Forum, you would need to use the Forum tool. This section lists many of the popular Activity tools and provides a brief overview of each to give you an idea of how to use them.

The Assignment tool is where the instructor defines a task that the learner must complete. It often links back to study materials (which have been created in using the Book tool).

The Choice tool allows you to create multiple choice questions. They can be used in both reviews and assessment. They can also be used for creating polls and questionnaires for students to indicate interest and for the instructor to find out important things about his/her group.

The Database tool allows instructors and students to upload information. It is a great way to share resources, and makes it possible to ask students to give final presentations (using presentation software), and to develop engaging assignments and final projects such as student galleries and portfolios. It is also an excellent way for students to share resources and to evaluate the reliability of online sources they have found.

The Forum tool will allow you to create dynamic and highly engaging collaborative learning activities. You can develop discussion boards, peer review areas, and also group project spaces.

The Glossary tool is excellent for courses that require students to be able to identify and define a broad range of items, and to be able to master and use a new vocabulary. If designed well, activities that employ the Glossary Tool can help students develop schema-building approaches.

Moodle allows you to use the Hot Potatoes Quiz builder, an open source product that contains a wide array of quiz types and formats.

The Journal tool allows students to keep learning diaries and to update journals as living documents.

The Lesson tool is an organizational tool that allows you to organize the elements, list key concepts, and to provide unit overviews and learning objectives.

The Wiki tool is often used when collaboration is needed because it is a bit more flexible than the Forum tool.

This tool is one of many that is excellent for assuring student success.

The following table maps Moodle features to their instructional functions.