Moodle can support numerous files and file sizes. However, your students may be connecting via a modem, making it slow and tedious to download large files. With this in mind, we recommend that files should be kept small enough for users with slower connections to be able to access the files in a reasonable amount of time.
The following table shows typical download times for various file sizes at various modem speeds.
| K/sec | 100K File | 1 MB File | 5 MB File | 10 MB File | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.4 Modem (older modem) |
1.5 | 66 sec | 11 min | 57 min | 114 min |
| 28.8 Modem | 3 | 33 sec | 6 min | 28 min | 57 min |
| ISDN | 7 | 14 sec | 2 min | 12 min | 24 min |
| T1 (on-campus) |
150 | 1 sec | 7 sec | 34 sec | 68 sec |
There are several things you can do in the event that you cannot limit the file size, such as:
- Compress the file using tools such as WinZip (some of which are free online).
- To eliminate any frustrations, simply provide the student with information about the file, such as the length of the file, estimated download time and the file’s importance to the course.
- Divide the existing file into smaller files allowing the student to download in multiple stages. For example, a large slide presentation of 40 slides can be divided into four files of ten.
- Convert Word, Excel and PowerPoint files into Web pages (i.e., with html format).
TIP: Some computers are not as fast as others and as a result, it may take longer to download files rather than view files as html within Moodle. For that, we recommend pasting documents into either a Text or Web Page. To do this, go into your course:
- Click Turn editing on.
- Next, choose the section you would like to add a Text Page or a Web Page to.
- Click on the drop-down box next to
that section that says Add a resource... and
choose either a Compose a text page or
Compose a Web page. (A Web page allows you
to format your text while a text page is just plain text.)
Now, go to the document that you wish to import into html,
select it all, then copy and paste it into the text box of your
Text or Web page. If you are
importing from a Word document into a web page, make sure
you click the clean up word button:
- Arrange the text as desired and don't forget to save your changes!
Having problems converting
from one file to another? Want some assistance importing PowerPoint?
Feel free to contact us at ACC. We will be more than willing to help you out!
Check the top left of this page for our contact information.