Media Comments allow comments and likes to be added to audio, video and image files in Moodle Media Collections and theBox. With audio and video files, comments can be added to specific points in the media item's timeline.
Different comment types allow you to control who sees your comments. This includes the whole course, just you or a person you send feedback to and you.
Media display interface
The media display interface displays media files, comments and provides a visual summary of general and timeline comments. Comments can be created, edited, deleted, searched and filtered.
Media display interface
- Media display section: media files are displayed here. Audio/video files can be played.
Comments can also be added by clicking the comment button:
- Graph section: a summary of comments is displayed. Timeline Comments are displayed against a timeline graph. Private Feedback comments are displayed as markers below the timeline and all other timeline comments are displayed as markers above the timeline.
- Comments section: comments are displayed, edited, and deleted in this section.
- Comment button: click on this button to make a comment.
- Seach field: When there are a large number of comments you can type search terms into this field. Begin typing your term and the comments will begin to filter immediately as you type. There is no need to press enter/return on your keyboard as the filter will operate on the exact text currently in the field.
- Clear search field: this button removes the current term from the search field.
- Download comments: this button creates and downloads a .csv file of the comments. Only comments that are currently visible are included in this file.
- General Comments filter: toggles General Comments visibility. A greyed out icon indicates that it is not visible.
- Timeline Comments filter: toggles Timeline Comments visibility.
- Personal Comments filter: toggles Personal Comments visibility.
- Public (World) Comments filter: toggles Public (World) Comments visibility.
- Private Feedback Filter: toggles Private Feedback Comments visibility.
- Course Comments Filter: toggles Course Comments visibility.
General and timeline comments
General comments
General Comments are attached to each media file and do not refer to a particular part of that file. General Comments can be used in many ways.
Example uses of General Comments include:
- The owner can provide information about their file to other users who view the file
- The owner can provide information or a reflection about their file to an Instructor who is grading their work
- Instructors can provide general feedback about a file to the owner
- Users who view the file can comment about the whole file as part of a class activity
- Users who view the file can make personal comments about the file for their own study or revision purposes
Timeline comments
Timeline comments are attached to a particular point in an audio or video file. Timeline Comments can be used in many way.
Example uses of Timeline Comments include:
- The owner can provide information about a particular part of their audio or video file to other users who view the file
- The owner can provide information or a reflection relating to a particular part of their audio or video file to an Instructor who is grading their work
- Instructors can provide specific feedback about a particular point on the timeline to the owner
- Users who view the file can comment about the file at a particular point on the timeline as part of a class activity
- Users who view the file can make personal comments about the file at a particular point on the timeline for their own study or revision purposes
Note: General and Timeline Comments can be any one of the comment types. See below.
Comment types
There four types of comments:
- Course Comments - can be seen by all participants in a Moodle course.
- Private Feedback - can only be seen by the owner or owners of the video who is receiving the feedback from the person making the comment. The person making the comment will also be able to see their comment and the owner will be able to reply to them privately.
- Personal Comments - are private to the person making the comment. Personal comments are usually used to make private notes on an important file or highlight an important point in an audio or video file to assist revision.
- Public (World) Comments - are similar to Course Comments but will allow comments to be visible on any web site using embed codes. In Moodle, this type of comment is disabled by default and can only be enabled by your Instructor on General Collections.
Each type of comment can be made as either a general or a timeline comment if the media item is an video or audio file.
Adding a comment
- Turn editing on by clicking the
button - Select a Media Collection
- Select a Media Gallery
- Select a media item
- Click on either of the Comment buttons
- Type your comment
- Select either General or Timeline Comment by clicking on the appropriate radio button. Timeline Comments will ocuur at the time that you have stopped the video or audio file. You can also also enter the time of the comment in the format: Hours:Minutes:Seconds (HH:MM:SS).
- Select what type of comment you want to make from the drop down menu. Course Comments are only visible to people in the course, Personal Comments are only visible to you and Private Feedback is only visible to the owner.
- Click Save
Editing, deleting and replying to comments
Editing a comment
- In the comment window below your media item you can edit a comment by moving your cursor over an individual comment causing 3 small buttons to appear
- Click on the Edit comment button
- Edit your comment and click Save
Note: You can only edit your own comments.
Deleting a comment
- In the comment window below your media item you can edit a comment by moving your cursor over an individual comment which causes 3 small buttons to appear
- Click on the Delete comment button
- Click OK
- The comment will be removed and replaced with the text Deleted
Replying to a comment
- In the comment window below your media item you can edit a comment by moving your cursor over an individual comment which causes 3 small buttons to appear
- Click on the reply button
- Type your reply and the click Save
- Your reply will appear indented under the original comment
Note: You can only reply with the same type of comment as the original comment e.g. a reply to a General comment will also be a General comment
Searching, filtering and downloading comments
Searching comments
- Open a media item
- Click on the Search comments field. As you type, comments that do not contain your search terms will disappear. Search results will only be returned that exactly match the entered text.
- Clear the Search comments field by using the delete/backspace keys on your keyboard or clicking the clear field button
Filtering and downloading comments
- In the comment window below your media item you can filter comments by clicking on one or more of the 6 options/buttons at the bottom right of the window
- Click the download button to download visible comments as a .csv spreadsheet file
Note: Comments filtered out by searching or using the filters will not be downloaded. Only visible comments are downloaded.