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 |
One of the easiest ways to reduce the file size of your documents is to compress any images for web delivery.
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.
Some computers are not as fast as others and as a result, it may take longer to download files such as a word document, or a pdf file rather than view them as html within Moodle. We recommend pasting documents into either a Text Page or a Web Page. To do this, go into your course, then..
- 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 files.. 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 your 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!
If you wish to do something similar with a PowerPoint presentation to make it simple to view instead of download, you can import it into a lesson. For more information on creating a lesson, click here.
Having problems converting from one file to the next? Want some assistance with importing PowerPoints? Feel free to call us at the Courseware Development Center and we would be more than willing to help you out! Either call at 707-826-3633 or email us at mdlsos@humboldt.edu.
