Rolling out a new LMS: MOODLE
This week I introduce the faculty to our, much anticipated, new Learning Management System: MOODLE. It has been over a year in the implementation, and I am very pleased with the outcome. My first two presentations were well received and there are a large number of faculty who are excited about moving over to MOODLE. The design of the site: the colors and imagery makes for a pleasing experience, but more important is that the first few minutes with Moodle, and a side by side comparison with Blackboard,makes clear the smartness of the move.
In addition to the ease of use for both the faculty and the students, the number of tools we've added by switching is significant. We were not an enterprise school; that edition of Blackboard was simply out of reach for us. Blackboard basic did not allow us to integrate our system with Active Directory, nor turn-it-in. It did give us wikis, nor blogs. But even if it did, Moodle is simply much more smart in its design. The question marks next to each item, makes using it simple. The options of setting up four different types of forums (discussion boards) and even allowing students to rate postings, is not something Blackboard afforded. The ease of designing a quiz, and the fact that students do not need to search through various links and buttons to figure out where the course materials are, are more of the pluses. But students and instructors may find that the built-in instant messaging system is what makes this truly dynamic (the "D" in Moodle) and interactive.
I'm proud that our college thought outside-the-box enough to adopt this Open Source LMS. We do not have the resources that some schools have claimed they would need to implement such system. We only had the belief that this was better for learning, and a commitment to make it happen. Long hours and lots of creative energy have brought it to life. This is a truly exciting week for me, and one that I am so proud to have been a part of.
In addition to the ease of use for both the faculty and the students, the number of tools we've added by switching is significant. We were not an enterprise school; that edition of Blackboard was simply out of reach for us. Blackboard basic did not allow us to integrate our system with Active Directory, nor turn-it-in. It did give us wikis, nor blogs. But even if it did, Moodle is simply much more smart in its design. The question marks next to each item, makes using it simple. The options of setting up four different types of forums (discussion boards) and even allowing students to rate postings, is not something Blackboard afforded. The ease of designing a quiz, and the fact that students do not need to search through various links and buttons to figure out where the course materials are, are more of the pluses. But students and instructors may find that the built-in instant messaging system is what makes this truly dynamic (the "D" in Moodle) and interactive.
I'm proud that our college thought outside-the-box enough to adopt this Open Source LMS. We do not have the resources that some schools have claimed they would need to implement such system. We only had the belief that this was better for learning, and a commitment to make it happen. Long hours and lots of creative energy have brought it to life. This is a truly exciting week for me, and one that I am so proud to have been a part of.
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