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Overview

Moodle (short for “Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) actually is not a LMS, but calls itself CMS - the short form stands for Course Management System (and not for Content Management System). Moodle is specialized in editing online-courses and is therefore especially interesting from a didactic point of view. It does not matter, if the system is used in schools, colleges or other educational institutions: moodle sticks to the basics, but still tries to be as overarching as possible but also well-structured and simple. And even if moodle also has a modular design, the systems constantly tries to deliver a stringent and homogeneous picture. One reason for this may be the fact that moodle is one of the few LMS, which is based on a philosophy and therefore on a theoretical foundation.

Martin Dougiamas is the creative head behind moodle. He was originally a web administrator for the Australian Curtin University of Technology. His motivation for moodle came from the deep belief, that there is still a lot to do when it comes to the didactic editing of web courses. Constructivism was one of the main ideas behind the concept. The developers are aware of the fact, that moodle can be used as a “learning-machine” only, but the focus is on explorative and active learning. The tutor in moodle is supposed to only be a companion in learning. Discussion and collaborative working on assignments are supposed to be the main focus, not the teacher’s authority (apart from the fact, that the online tutor’s authority is very different anyway). Dougiamas based moodle on four columns: The classic constructivism (that is, knowledge is constructed and connected by the recipient himself), “constructionism” (which is the conviction that learning is more effective if the content is prepared very well – especially by the teacher, which means that the content is “pre”-constructed), the social constructivism (which means the collaborative and deliberated construction of knowledge reaches a constructive dimension itself) and being “connected” and “separated” (to keep it simple: a symbiosis of collaborative sympathetic part-taking in the learning-process with the separated, objective approach of coherences). Moodle encourages all teachers to keep these concepts in mind and reminds them, that it is not just about “what is taught?” but also “how is it taught?”  

The whole project shows like no other how the strength of open source can be used for the development of software. Meanwhile there are not only some main developers but many voluntary workers, who help to equip moodle with new modules, translations, documentations or ideas. That is why moodle has positioned itself on top of the LMS – with a comparatively small budget. A big community with over 100,000 registered users as well as a network of worldwide partners for hosting, set-up help, support or help with the development can be reached under moodle.com (the address is also the financial  back-up) which completes the offer of moodle. The actual product is still free of course.


Setup

The moodle download package is about 15 MB big. Moodle was developed for Apache, MySQL and PHP and runs practically on every server which uses PHP version 4 or higher and a simple SQL-database. The set-up itself is thanks to a installation-routine very simple and doesn’t ask for an own server. A simple shared hosting webspace offer is enough.

What does moodle offer?

As already said, moodle works with modules and plug-ins, which function as tools placing for the respective concepts. Actually moodle doesn’t reinvent the wheel. The modules contain all important functions, which are known from other LMS, too: A assignment-module for handing-in the assignments (including due-date and evaluation- and feedback functions for the teacher), a complete messenger-system to exchange messages as well as chats within a survey- or poll-module, the mandatory forums, glossaries, quizzes, news and announcements, workshop-tools, a learning-diary (comparable to a weblog), a so called “Work documents module”, which enables the supply of learning material of all kind, a relatively sophisticated test module for the integration of own interactive tests and learning content and many more optional plug-ins for expanding the system. Moodle is able to work with other e-learning and open-source tools like e.g. Hot Potatoes or ErfurtWiki. The integration in the environment is almost seamless. Moodle is therefore one of the most flexible and most potential tools regarding electronic course-editing. Individual wishes can be implemented by the developers on demand on their support-site at moodle.com.


The LMS from a learner’s point of view

First impression



Depending on the course-configuration, you do not necessarily have to register for moodle. If  the course enables the participation as a guest, you can simply surf to the respective link to read the content. Moodle works with blocks, which are known from common content management systems: On the left are mostly the navigation-bars and sometimes some information (e.g. “who is online?”). On the right moodle places general information like a calendar or announcements, but of course this design is adaptable by the tutor (more later on). In the middle ,and at the same time in the biggest part of the screen, is the actual content. On the homepage is a listing of all available courses. Clicking on a course results in a display of the content of the course and the respective functions or information (e.g. announcements of the tutor) for the course. What’s nice, the user can close the various blocks and concentrate on the content which is useful for him.

Which options are offered?



As already mentioned, the actual content of a respective course is located in the middle of the screen. Usually the tutor will set up an own agenda for each course (moodle calls this “theme format”): Every single subject area of the course has it’s own short block, which can principally contain various things: text, pictures, HTML-code – in general there will be a specific source to each block. This could be a working document, a specific forum, a form for handing-in work or a glossary – just every tool, which moodle offers has a module or plug-in. Alternatively moodle offers a weekly format – here the respective agenda block will be activated to a pre-set time, comparable to a weekly class. Even standardized formats like LAMS and SCORM are supposed to be integrated to moodle in the future. As a last format moodle offers a so called open communication forum – here all themes are arranged in one main forum. This is why moodle is also interesting for teachers, who want to implement collaborative learning and working mostly.

What you see as a learner is therefore simply-structured but very concise, directly understandable and efficient. Usually you will work your way through the agenda and use the offered tools to exchange with others or to hand-in due work. Through the other blocks on the left and the right you are also reminded of dates, informed about news (e.g. those entered by the tutor), you are able to look for help in forums or see who else is taking part on the particular course. The modules of moodle are of course not only bonded to content. It is possible to set-up general forums, chats or glossaries, which will be displayed on the borders of the screen also. Regarding the glossaries there is also a nice feature, which would be attractive for other LMS, too: On demand single words of the system, which are explained in the glossary are highlighted. Clicking on the particular word opens up a little window with the explanation of the word. The user does not have to open the glossary for each word.

To introduce ALL features of moodle would go beyond the scope of this review – especially since there are new features introduced constantly. In the following therefore only some representative examples on how to use the moodle resources as a pupil, student or a person looking for advanced training will be presented. By opening up the tool “assignments” a mask with instructions of the tutor appears which will tell you what the assignment is and how the target is achieved – this can be the upload of a document, the completion of a form or outside of the course. Moodle administrates the complete process and shows the particular user after the correction a personal feedback of the tutor (e.g. the grade and the reasons why). Clicking on “working material” will get you an overview of all relevant documents for the course. Also interesting is the lection module: It is possible to write little interactive learning programs with this module. The teacher edits the content and adds a question to it. Moodle supports a whole set of questions starting from simple true/false-questions to multiple choice with one or more answers to completely open answers. Moodle does not only analyse the results and award points but enables the embedding of paths and conditions: Depending on how well a student answers the whole action of the single lections will change.

Even though all these functions are rather complex: moodle ensures clear structures. In contrary to other LMS moodle shows it’s mightiness little by little and guides the student through the various screens and options. Even common internet tools like chats, forums or wikis, which are probably well known by most users, can be sued at once and without any period of vocational adjustment.

Moodle doesn’t overstuff the screen and goes more into depth than into width. Nonetheless it is not necessary to click more than three times to get from the above menu tot the desired menu below. Most of the features are bonded to the respective course, tough – large course-spanning functions are not offered by moodle.  Only the calendar shows the most important dates from other course, more transfer is not offered by moodle. The same applies for the administration, which fails to hold the same standard as other LMS (e.g. StudIP) which put their focus on management. Of course you can register for a course online, but that’s practically it – the tutor can only sub- or unsubscribe manually, define the period of registration or give our passwords for the course. But especially universities suffer from unfavourable registrations for various courses which often times are even limited in the amount of students accepted for the course. What’s needed here is a system which takes over the registration for all courses and which deliberates about which course is more useful for the particular student or which courses should be by drawing lots. All these features are not offered by moodle – in case of a problem the only way out is an email to a tutor, telling him/her why one needs the place in the course and so on. For course-providers who work by the “first-come-first-served”-principle anyhow, the functions of moodle might be sufficient.

The biggest strength of moodle is undoubtedly the design which is not only very flexible but very adaptable to the tutor’s wishes. This is why the complete didactic structure depends on the teacher. What happens upon construction of new courses will be shown in the next chapter.
 
The LMS from a teacher’s point of view

First impression



The visual impression isn’t much different for teachers compared to students. On the left, the bar is expanded by another box with functions for administrators. Depending on which rights you have as a teacher you can configure or steer anything from simple grade-administration to the creation of new courses. Another new function is the button to activate the editing-mode. With this button the currently displayed page goes into the editing-mode. Moodle sticks not to usual WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) editors but works with the help of little icons and drop-down boxes (the only exception is the HTML-editor): By clicking on a left arrow next to an object, it will slide one step to the left. With the help of drop-down-boxes you can easily add new blocks on the left or the right or add content with resources. The drawback: The page is loading again after each action taken. This of course hinders the workflow. What’s more: It can be really irritating that each object has it’s own iconbar. Other than that all function here are again very easily understandable and you can work with moodle as a teacher also, without reading through a whole instruction manual first. Eye-catching is also the fact that almost every function of moodle offers a little help-button in the in the form of a question mark. This way it is possible to explore moodle by “learning-by-doing”.

Which options are offered?



Next to the already mentioned editing-functions, which can be applied to almost any textobjects (feeder, edit, paste, delete, hide) and the drop-down-boxes which are used to add new resources (forums, working documents, chats, etc.) or information (who is online?, calendar, etc.) moodle offers many more options regarding administration.

The setting options are again substantial. So it is not only possible to chose the name, course description, language, format (e.g. the mentioned weekly or theme-based format) or the assigned course-format (subject or major respectively) but it is also possible to configure special cases: It is possible to offer paid classes through a pay-module. The course can be secured by a password and the size of upload-files can be restricted. The teacher can decide if he wants guest students allowed or if groups are mandatory. He can also decide how many messages can be received. Moodle helps with the administration of students, also. Next to the mandatory users-listing is a listing of the achieved grades in form of a grade-module. Moodle minds little details – e.g. that the grade-database can be exported as an excel-table. The system also offers a large variety of report and evaluation possibilities for the course. From the concrete evaluation by the users to the listed log file that can protocol any check in and checkout – there is nothing that can be listed for the teacher by moodle. The amount of data is sometimes so much, that some of these functions have a lack of structure. In this regard less is sometimes more.

Moodle bore in mind that backup-functions might be helpful. This way a course can be saved locally as a file and be re-played on demand. With administration rights the design of moodle can be changed, too. The forms existing are substantial and range from setting of language (moodle offers translations in 60 language as of today)to saving files in ZIP-format to indexing  the courses in Google. Moodle even thought about aces like a global textfilter or an own “maintenance moodle” (for fading in of construction alerts during an update).

All these options are available over the administration menu and therefore fast and easy to find. Other LMS’ problems, which spread out their functions over various sides are not known by moodle. The variety of settings cannot possible be told here to a full extend: The open architecture of moodle allows it anyhow to modify all menus and forms available without thinking about HTML- or PHP-code. The systems has emphasized that it works without any big changes in setting fast and for the general usage.  This counts not only for the settings of moodle but the options for the single modules, too. Upon setting up a new tool it will appear under “modules” and can be adapted to one’s specific needs.

The approach varies in some modules when using the system as a teacher (that is, not the configuration but e.g. the programming of interactive lessons of modules). In this case moodle works with tabs known from Windows. For example if you want to add a question to some content, you can chose the particular type of tab (multiple choice, true/false-answers, short-answers, numeric answers, open answers or essays) and you can determine in the form below the question, the possible answers as well as the feedback and the following condition (e.g. return to previous page).


Didactic Value and Results



The LMS can indeed be used as a “learning-machine”- The classic moodle-tools like the lection-module and the quite linear structure of the courses remind one of classic media like books or file cards which are only supplemented by some activities like forums or chats. In reality the moodle philosophy is totally contrary. The system gives the didactic structure totally in the teacher’s hand. Even though courses can be created fast , easily and intuitively in moodle, the system still demands a didactic concept regarding structure, work-flow and administration from the tutor. Moodle does not specialize on “the one” concept, a lot of graphics or a lot of collaborative learning – in these respect it does not even have an opinion.

But moodle shows that does not have to be a disadvantage. The LMS itself is a tool and is therefore suitable for teachers who already have an online-concept in mind and are only looking for a mighty program which can put their ideas into reality. For this purpose moodle is very well suited, the large circulation of moodle proofs this fact. It doesn’t even matter where moodle is used. The system can be used in schools as well as in universities, but also for individuals, who want to build their own livelihood  through distance-learning by paying. The many options ensure that the system doesn’t get to its boundaries very fast. And if it still does, there is the very own support system which can help out.

Moodle offers a rather small didactic value when it comes to course-spanning transfers regarding administration. The LMS is therefore indeed better suited for the creation of own courses which are supposed to be embellished by forums, chats, wikis, message-systems, etc. The missing options for administration are moodle’s biggest handicap. One who knows the complex work-flows of some universities with hundreds of different courses (this is only the administration division) with different needs and very different rules and orders, will get to the system’s boundaries very fast. The system offers more and more different modules for various procedures but it can’t keep up with the function-variety of StudIP at all. Courses where admission is restricted, course- and room-management, semester-management – if all these words are criteria for choosing your LMS you should rather stay away from moodle. The same applies for professionals who deals with rather user-unfriendly systems but want to have an advantage regarding time in exchange. One who wants a stylish LMS with good graphics is probably better off with systems like OLAT. Moodle puts a focus on text and gives the graphical upgrading in the user’s hand.

One looking for a simple to handle, intuitive, mighty and easy to learn system should definitely concentrate on moodle more. It is especially suitable for those looking for options to create the course-concept online with the use of online-tools like wikis, forums, interactive lessons, Hot Potatoes, quizzes, etc. !

moodle "Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open Source software package designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effective online learning communities. You can download and use it on any computer you have handy (including webhosts), yet it can scale from a single-teacher site to a 40,000-student University."
Homepage:	moodle.org
Download:	moodle Download
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Demo:	moodle Demo
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