Unzip and copy the my_peers directory into the /moodle/blocks/ directory then visit the Notifications page.

When installed, an instance of the block can be added to a course page by turning editing on and choosing "My peers" from the Blocks menu.

By default, the block is designed to show a list of teachers and their details to students. If this is all you want the block to do, you don't have to configure the block any further, although there are a number of settings you might want to change (for example, the block title).

Examining the settings in the block configuration page will allow you to see the variety of uses this block can be used to achieve.

At the top of the configuration page there is a notice that signifies there are global settings for this block. At the global level the same configuration settings are present, except for the role matrix (explained later). The message indicates that global settings will be used unless they are overridden by instance settings. It's not clear why this message needs to be there as teachers who are not administrators cannot access the global settings anyway.

The first setting allows a teacher to name the block. Considering the variety of applications, and the generic nature of the default block title, it is likely you will want to set a more appropriate title.

You can add text in the block to appear below the list of users. This might be useful for specifying additional information, for example, contact timings or rules for contacting users.

Below this is a matrix of users. The matrix is based on the roles used in the course. If there have been additional roles added to your site, or if the role names have been re-titled, your matrix will appear differently. However, regardless of the appearance, the matrix is used in the same way. Considering the roles in the course, you can specify which users are included in the list, and to who the list should appear. The users that the list will appear to are listed on the left side of the matrix. The users that appear in the list are identified by the roles listed across the top. Looking at the default example, ticks appear in the Student row. This indicates that the block will show a list of users to students. In that row there are ticks under Course creator, Teacher, and Non-editing teacher, which indicates that students will able to see a list of users in the course who have those details.

Below the users matrix there are some more settings. The first setting relates to groups. One use for the block is to show a list of members in a student's own group. With this setting set to Yes, students are able to see other students, but only members of their own group.

The second setting controls whether or not the role name of each displayed person, such as Teacher, Student, and so on, is shown. Below this, the third setting controls what contact links are shown with a user, for example, a link to e-mail the user, visit their homepage or call the user using Skype, depending on if these details are available in the user's profile.

The final two settings control whether or not profile pictures are shown and what size of image is used. With the control to show or display images, there is also an option that, when selected, will show images only, hiding names and other details.

With the flexibility provided by the users matrix, and the other settings that can be changed, a variety of applications emerge in courses large or small, with or without groups.

A list of teachers in the course:

A student's group-mates:

Everyone in the course:

It is also possible to mix combinations of roles in a single instance of this block. For example, teachers could see students while students can see teachers. "Tutors" of a group (assuming such a role is created) could see their own group while the "Teacher" of the course could see all students. With the potential to create roles, and the adaptability of the roles matrix in this module, the possibilities are quite numerous.