Overview
This document will give you basic information on upgrades, types of upgrades, upgrade processes, and varying criteria.
Before You Begin
Iterative Versus Long-Term Upgrades
There are two main plans/pathways for Moodle upgrades:
Iterative - Iterative upgrades come more often (at least once per year) and contain fewer changes and new features in each.
Long-Term (LTS) - These upgrades come less frequently, and have many new changes and features. With LTS, the iterative releases are combined in one big package.
If your organization relies on a lot of specialty plugins or custom coding, you will likely want to use LTS upgrade versions of Moodle. Using an LTS upgrade will allow third-party developers to update their plugins, and will save you on iterative development costs for custom code. Most Moodle US academic clients are on the LTS upgrade path.
Your site is probably an ideal candidate for iterative upgrades if it meets the following conditions:
Has under 10k users
Is not ruled by a committee
Users seem to have less anxiety about new tools, systems, and features
Has few or no customizations
If your site meets the conditions above, then your site may be an ideal candidate for iterative upgrades. Iterative upgrades will ensure that little improvements and features are released in small batches. This upgrade process will allow users to get used to new experiences and begin using improvements at a slower and more relaxed pace.
What happens when it is time to upgrade?
We won't apply a major point upgrade unless you request it. When you are ready to begin, submit a Help Desk ticket requesting the upgrade. Be sure to let us know what version you are interested in.
We’ll start by creating a copy of your production site and then upgrade this copy. This “test upgrade site” helps to identify potential issues prior to the “live upgrade”.
The test site will overwrite any existing upgrade testing site, or we'll create a new one if needed.
Test site creation can take 2-3+ weeks, depending on your site’s size and setup.
We'll ensure any additional plugins are available for the version we are upgrading to and advise if not.
Once the test upgrade site is ready, we’ll notify you to log in and test key features (e.g., gradebook, quizzes, SCORMs). We provide a helpful testing guide: Upgrade Testing Guide
We recommend testing from the perspective of any roles you utilize on the site including student, teacher, and admin perspectives.
You typically have as much time as you need to review the site (some clients take weeks, others months).
Once testing is complete, and you’re satisfied with the test site, reply to the ticket to sign off on the upgrade. After sign-off, we’ll then schedule the live production upgrade:
The site will be in maintenance mode for 1-4+ hours.
Live upgrades can be scheduled for most weekdays during US business hours.
Note: The upgrade process as outlined here can vary widely depending on your site’s size and specific configuration. If your site has custom development, our team will work with you to ensure code updates and a smooth transition.
What does it cost?
In most cases, site upgrades do not incur any cost if coordinated with Moodle US. However, there may be a cost associated with upgrading a site if you have custom code or custom plugins.
If your organization uses custom code or plugins, then some site upgrades may have a development cost involved if your custom code or plugins need to be updated to be compatible with the new version of Moodle. These charges must be scoped and approved by you before development work begins, so there are hopefully no surprises during the upgrade process.
Additionally, your organization may choose to purchase training related to the new features so that you can get the most out of any upgrade. You can purchase individual hours with our Learning Design Team using this scheduling link. Also, Moodle version specific free webinars may also be available on the Moodle Academy website.
If you have further questions, would like more information about upgrades, or are interested in booking additional/expanded training hours with our Learning Design team please reach out to us through the Help Desk.