Moodle
Definition
Moodle is open source course management software designed to support social constructionist pedagogical practices. It enables instructors to create course Web sites that can include text and multimedia learning resources and activities. It includes built-in, synchronous and asynchronous blog, forum, chat, assignment, quiz, wiki, and other features. Its designers have paid particular attention to supporting collaboration and group work. Moodle is internationally recognized and supported by active peer forums accessible from the http://moodle.org Web site.
Educational Uses
Moodle enables instructors to build rich learning environments that can be used to teach classes completely online, to enhance traditional face-to-face classes, or to support hybrid learning environments. Instructors can use built-in tools for a variety of purposes, such as to
- construct learning modules that deliver content and learning activities to students;
- support online discussions, including asynchronous "Forums," synchronous "Chats," and synchronous one-to-one "Dialogues";
- facilitate the creation of course glossaries;
- support collaborative writing projects using wikis;
- support reflection activities using the assignment or blog tools;
- provide quizzes and self-tests;
- enable students to submit individual and group assignments and share work with peers online;
- enable students to view all of their class schedules on one calendar;
- deliver grades to students in a password-protected environment.
Issues
Instructors should be aware of issues such as the following when they use this type of technology.
Student data at the University is governed by FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), which enables students to suppress some or all of their directory information. Some of this information may be revealed when students use Moodle, so instructors should include a FERPA statement in their syllabi. See http://webct.umn.edu/instructors/ferpa.shtml for details.
The main developers of Moodle encourage others, including faculty users, to provide support to other users, help develop documentation and usage scenarios, and contribute and test code. See the Moodle Web site at http://moodle.org for information about the Moodle community and guides for developers.
Examples
See the following for examples of how others are using this type of technology to enhance learning.
Moodle
The Moodle Web site is itself published using Moodle and is an example of what kind of materials and activities can be delivered with Moodle.
Welcome to the Moodle [Version 1.5] Features Demo Course
Instructors can explore existing Moodle resource tools and activities available in version 1.5 of Moodle on this site. Moodle version 1.6, which is being used at the University of Minnesota as of August 2006, has some additional features such as a database tool.
Learning Activities
You can use this technology to develop and implement learning activities such as the following.
Mastering Course Vocabulary
Instructors can help students become familiar with terms used in a course or field by creating a course glossary; enabling students to contribute, comment on, and rate entries; and/or linking terms that appear in other portions of a course site to glossary entries.
Providing Students with Choices
Instructors can improve student motivation by allowing them to make choices about what and how they will learn. For example, they can allow students to choose group project or presentation topics from a set of options.
Sharing Student Resources
Instructors can teach students how to find resources in the real world by asking them to find, share, and critique resources about a specific subject, such as well- and poorly-designed Web sites.
Resources
The following sources may help you use and teach with this type of technology.
Martin Dougiamas
Tim Wilson, a technology integration specialist for the Hopkins school district and a Ph.D. student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the Univeristy of Minnesota, interviewed Martin Dougiamas, the founder of Moodle, about the principles on which Moodle is based. Download a video of the interview at this URL.
Moodle Docs
This wiki site offers the most current information about Moodle features, usage scenarios, and technical support and includes links to other resources such as forum postings and book chapters. The Moodle user community is welcome to update and edit existing articles.
Places to Go
This article by Stephen Downes describes what Moodle is and how it has developed.
Using Moodle Book
Chapters from Jason Cole's book, Using Moodle: Teaching with the Popular Open Source Course Management System (O'Reilly Media, 2005) are available at this URL. Even though the book was based on Moodle version 1.5, it includes good step-by-step instructions about how to use most of the version 1.6 tools as well as suggested use scenarios.
Welcome to the Main Moodle Community Forums
Moodle users from around the world can offer and obtain advice from each other through community forums accessible at this URL. The forums are categorized by area of interest and also are searchable.
Welcome to treadwell.cce.cornell.edu Moodle Documentation
Paul Treadwell at Cornell Cooperative Extension has created a number of video demonstrations of Moodle features and how to use them that can be accessed at this URL.
Research
The following research literature has been published about the educational uses of this type of technology.
Blackboard vs. Moodle
Kathy Munoz and Joan Van Duzer from Humboldt State University wanted to answer the question, "Can free software satisfactorily meet the needs of students, faculty, and instructional technologists for online teaching and learning?" They used Moodle and Blackboard to deliver online a course that previously had been taught face-to-face for 20 years. Bullet points about the project and results of student surveys are available at this URL.
