What is the Moodle Log?

The Moodle Log is a powerful report that records almost all user actions in Moodle. It tracks who did what, when, and where. The report provides a table that can serve as a timeline of user interactions, such as viewing resources, submitting assignments, participating in forums, and more. It can include timestamps, user details, page/activity links, IP addresses, and more. It is a great starting place for troubleshooting specific issues reported by a student or fellow teacher. 


Moodle log scenarios/use case examples: 

  • Monitor Student Engagement: Look for trends to see which students are regularly logging in/participating and which may need some support (no login, repeated access to the same resource, etc.). 
  • Track Important Content Access: If you have them in separate locations, you can use the log to confirm whether students viewed or used the appropriate resources/materials prior to submitting a large quiz/exam or assignment.
  • Investigate Issues: If a student reports a technical problem (e.g., “I submitted it, but it didn’t go through”), the log can help verify their actions. Details in the log like changes in IP address or links to exact pages can help you recreate scenarios for troubleshooting purposes. 
  • Assess Course Content Usage: Understand which resources are being used most frequently to improve course design.


You can also export data from the Moodle log if you need to submit additional documentation for accreditation/audits, documentation for IT issues, or as supporting documents for Academic Integrity or Course Census issues. 


Access your Course Moodle Log

  1. Visit your course in Moodle.

  2. In the Course Administration menu (at the top of your course), click Reports

  3. Select Logs from the list of available reports.

Screenshot of a course administration menu, click reports, then click Logs

Filtering the Moodle Log


Your log may be many pages long and sorting page by page can be cumbersome. Filters help you get to the information that you need, faster! 


You can filter the log by:

  • Group: If you are using groups in your class, you can focus on specific student groups
  • Participants: Select a specific student or view all users.
  • Date: Choose a specific day or range.
  • Activity: Narrow down to a specific resource or activity (e.g., Quiz, Forum).
  • Actions: Choose from options like “viewed,” “updated,” “deleted,” etc.
  • Source: See things like calendar events and other automated details (do not use if you want to see user actions, it is recommended to filter by All sources, so that you can view all activity sources. 

When you have selected your filters click Get these logs


Export the Moodle Log

When you have located the data you need, you can download table data for further analysis or record keeping in many formats at the bottom of the page. Use the drop down menu to select your file type and then click Download.