Key feature 01 / 03
Live tasks
Teachers create short texts, choices to poll the class, comments for small discussions and venues for audio conversations. Bridged venues allow more participants and video streaming.
Key feature 02 / 03
Manage tasks dashboard
A dashboard per block shows all tasks as cards. Teachers make tasks visible, arrange their order and change display options; the changes appear in learners’ browsers. Editing and deploying are separate rights.
Key feature 03 / 03
Live updates
The deftly.us service or a self-hosted Jitsi Meet server pushes updates to everyone currently viewing the block. Content is only transferred from your Moodle site to the user. Without a service, the block still works — changes then appear after a page refresh.
Deft Response at a glance
Four task types, one Moodle block
Texts, choices, comments and venues, deployed live from a dashboard. The plugin is free; the live service is free for smaller sites.
Everything about Deft Response
Overview
Live interaction in a Moodle block
The Deft Response block lets managers and editing teachers create tasks — short texts, discussions, polls and audio conferences — and control remotely which ones are displayed and how learners may interact with them. Venues also work in the Moodle app.
An external service pushes updates to learners’ browsers, so changes appear instantly. It is free for smaller sites; larger sites may need a service agreement. Alternatively, a self-hosted Jitsi Meet server can be used. Deft Response is maintained by Daniel Thies and Stefan-Alexander Scholz.
Management summary
Value, cost and rollout on a single page. Export as PDF for your committee.
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Live
Interaction in real time
Polls, comments and venues update in every browser showing the block. Teachers deploy tasks during the session from the dashboard.
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Privacy
Content stays in Moodle
Content is only transferred from your Moodle site to the user. The live service receives only connection information.
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Free
No license cost
The plugin is free and GPL. The live service is free for smaller sites; larger sites may need a service agreement.
Features & pricing
- Basic Free Download
Short texts with simple formatting, links and emoticons.
Multiple lines with simple HTML formatting; URLs can display as links. Emoticons are supported, media tags are not.
Poll the class with a question and short answers.
The form defines a question or prompt and the short responses learners can choose from.
Real-time comments for small discussions or chats.
Learners respond in the block and see each other’s comments in real time. Several Comments tasks handle separate or group discussions; showing or hiding a task starts or moderates a discussion.
Small-group audio chats, also in the block and the Moodle app.
New in 1.3: venues can be displayed directly in the block.
Each venue is a separate place where a group of learners can meet. When the teacher makes it visible, a button appears in the block; learners who click it are connected with everyone already present via peer-to-peer WebRTC audio. Venues also work directly in the Moodle app.
More participants, better audio quality and video streaming.
Audio is connected through a central server. Teachers or others can be allowed to stream video. Requires a service agreement for the bridge server or a configured local Jitsi Meet instance.
All tasks of a block as cards, with display options.
A Manage button in the block opens the dashboard. Display options are changed in a form on each task card and become visible in learners’ browsers once submitted.
Tasks start hidden; show, hide and arrange them.
New tasks appear as cards on the dashboard but stay hidden in the block until made visible. Their order can be arranged.
Editing teachers create tasks; other roles deploy them.
Users with the edit capability add, edit and move tasks. Non-editing teachers or any role with the manage capability can only show tasks and change display options.
Updates pushed to browsers via websocket; free for smaller sites.
Enable updating in the block’s admin settings and press Activation: an External Tool (LTI) for deftly.us is registered automatically. If that fails, sign up (free) for the Deft service agreement for manual registration. Larger sites may need a service agreement.
A self-hosted Jitsi Meet server as back end for updates and audio.
New in 1.3: support for a self-hosted Jitsi Meet server as back end.
The Jitsi Meet server must use token-based authentication. Its app ID and shared secret are entered in the block’s admin settings.
Without live updates, changes appear after a page refresh.
Content is only transferred from your Moodle site to the user.
The service receives only what is needed for the connection, i.e. the IP number associated with the block’s context. Supports Moodle’s privacy API.
Video Time activities get a live chat tab.
Video Time uses the Deft Response updating framework to add a live chat to videos or provide video streaming.
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Use cases & screenshots
Live sessions
Poll the class
Show a choice during a session and let learners vote directly in the block. The teacher decides on the dashboard when the poll appears.
Discussion
Small live discussions
Comment tasks open separate or group discussions in real time. Showing or hiding a task starts or moderates the discussion.
Group work
Small-group audio conversations
Each venue is a separate place where a group of learners can meet in a peer-to-peer audio chat. Bridged venues allow more participants and video streaming.
Tech & compliance
Running it
Requirements
Version 1.3 supports Moodle 4.3–5.3; Moodle 3.11–4.1 use version 1.2.5. For live updates, the Moodle site must be reachable from the internet by the Deftly service, and clients need normal https access to it. Your site configuration may limit the number of clients, since resources are retrieved directly from your Moodle site.
Installation & updates
Install from the Moodle plugins directory, as a zip package or manually on the server. Live updates are activated in the block’s admin settings; the Deftly service is then registered automatically as an External Tool (LTI).
Reviewing it
Data protection & hosting
Live updates through a relay — content stays in Moodle. The block works without any external service; changes then appear after a page refresh. For live updates you can connect the deftly.us service (registered via LTI) or your own Jitsi Meet server. The service only relays the signal that something changed — the content itself is always loaded from your Moodle site. Audio venues connect participants peer-to-peer; the service helps to establish the connection. Deft Response implements Moodle's Privacy API and declares the deftly.us connection.
Accessibility & license
Deft Response is built with Moodle's own template system and the Bootstrap components of Moodle's standard theme Boost, so it follows your theme's colours and fonts. We have not published a formal WCAG audit yet — if something gets in your way, tell us and we will fix it. Released under GPLv3, like Moodle itself.
Part of one bdecent solution
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Solution · Engagement
Courses learners come back to
Video, nudges and dashboards that keep momentum instead of chasing it.
Awards
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Automated testingMoodle award
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Privacy FriendlyMoodle award
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Mobile App SupportMoodle award