LMS
May 15th, 2009 by Michele Brannon-Hamilton
LMS Proposal
The Plan and Platform
The Literacy department of the St. Louis Adult Learning Centre would benefit from using the Learning Management System, Moodle, in their school. Moodle would be used as platform in a blended learning environment consisting of face to face and online courses.
Background
The St. Louis Adult Learning Centre in Ontario, Canada is an adult learning facility with a literacy department that teaches reading, writing, math and computer literacy to adults. Literacy classes are funded by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU).
Traditionally, literacy courses are taught face to face in classrooms with one instructor and 15-20 students. Lessons are student centred and free. Recently, enrolment has increased because of the failing economy and a decline in the job market. Some classes have become crowded and many students are on a waiting list. There is also a move from basic literacy to essential skills needed in the workplace such as computer literacy as outlined by MTCU.
A move to online learning would help St. Louis reach more students without increasing costs substantially. Several literacy organizations are currently offering Moodle-based courses including Alphaplus and the Literacy Tent.
LMS Evaluation and Framework Considerations
Several LMS platforms like WebCt/Vista and Angel were viewed before deciding on the open source Moodle. I used Bates and Poole (2003) SECTIONS framework, Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) Seven Principles and a group rubric created in ETEC 565 (attached) to assess various learning management systems for factors such as cost, usability, accessibility, teacher and student needs, organization, collaboration, and an active learning environment. Moodle best suited the needs of the school and the students: details of the analysis are explained in this report.
1. Philosophy and Objectives
Literacy classes should be student centred, active, engaging and meaningful. Moodle, whose “design is guided by a particular philosophy of learning, known as “social constructionist pedagogy“” (Presenters, p.2.), is based on a similar philosophy which would allow instructors to transfer the basis of current curriculum to this new online environment quite easily.
2. Cost
The Moodle software is free and can be installed by school staff. Costs incurred will include the cost of initial staff hours for set up, training and course design.
Moodle is cost effective because St. Louis could increase its number of learners without substantial funding needs. Moodle will allow students to do some course work from their own homes without increasing the costs of hiring more teachers.
3. Timeline
Moodle can be installed and initial setup can begin during the summer months. Training and course development can begin in September with the first courses going live by January. Initially, instructors involved in the project will need extra hours to move their courses online. However, there is a lot of e-literacy material that can be linked to St. Louis quite quickly.
4. Technical Requirements
After basic installation which can be done by the IT team simply, Moodle can run on the school’s Windows XP platform using the current web host. Technical requirements include the following: “Disk space: 160MB free (min)” (installation, p.1.) and at least one gig of ram. Moodle support suggests “50 concurrent users for every 1GB of RAM” (Installation, p.1.). Moodle is easy to set up, usable by many people and can support the school’s current database. The IT team can perform “administrative duties, including site management” (Presenters, p.2.).
The IT team can access online documentation support that is updated regularly (Top 10). Moodle is usable with current software programs and is compatible with current CDROM hardware and electronic documents. The Moodle platform is secure and it includes a backup and restore system, updates, patches, password protection and mailing lists (Installation, p.1.). Customer service support can be found at moodle.org.
4. Training and Support – Ease of Use
I can set up a Moodle training course for the instructors in the literacy department before courses are switched to the new system. St. Louis could hire a consultant who is familiar with literacy outcomes and online learning to help set up the courses. This would be overseen by the project manager and a MTCU representative. Also, free Moodle training for literacy practitioners is available from Alphaplus. Online workshops, manuals, support forums, training videos and tutorials can also be found.
I created a sample Moodle course for literacy instructors who want to use Moodle in their classroom. This course, which can be found through the UBC course site, currently consists of a splash page with several modules. Activities include a sample “Welcome Page” and an “Icebreaker” forum.
Overall, resources needed include time for training, IT support, minimal school funding and course creation time for instructors.
Expected Outcomes
1. Benefits to Students
Moodle is accessible anywhere via the Internet so students will have the opportunity to work at home without worrying about transportation and child care, two main concerns of adult literacy learners.
Students in class can work through modules aimed at visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners at their own pace. They will have the opportunity to work with other literacy learners by participating in chats and forums in a structured class environment. Students will have access to the literacy material of other literacy agencies across Canada which can open up their worlds to other learners, material and culture. Literacy students often face transportation, child care and financial barriers.
Moodle modules can be created to allow students to work at their own pace while being assessed each step of the way. Instructors can teach in the classroom and then students can continue at home. Even those without computers at home can access Moodle through computers found at local community centres and libraries.
Benefits to Instructors
Instructors can increase communication with students and foster independent learning by encouraging students to use Moodle forums and chats. They can share course material and lessons with other instructors on and off campus. Instructors can reach visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners using engaging course material which includes videos, forums and interactive lessons. This allows them to use up-to-date information that students can relate to. Instructors will find Moodle simple to use and they can access support and online training easily. Overall, instructors can use Moodle’s active learning environment to teach students computer and communication skills that they will need in today’s digital economy.
Courses
Literacy courses will include reading, writing, math and computer courses. Courses will contain 5-10 modules which will include material from literacy level 1 to literacy level 5. Students will be able to work at their own pace progressing through the levels as they work.
Each module will contain resources and activities for students to complete, forums for discussion and assessments of all skills. Each lesson will include a PowerPoint presentation with audio for visual auditory learners and wiki activities for kinaesthetic learners.
Copyright of the material will remain with the St. Louis Learning Centre. Instructors overseen by the project manager will be responsible for keeping content up to date.
Instructors can create learning plans and goals in Moodle as well as set up portfolios for students. Customized lessons can be developed so that students must work through a module and demonstrate success before moving to the next level.
Overall, instructors can use digital media, interact with students, provide immediate feedback, and assess students. Moodle’s synchronous and asynchronous capabilities allow for student collaboration and communication. Also, teachers can work as a team using the same Moodle platform and courses: “Every Moodle course includes a teachers’ forum which promotes dialogue around course development and pedagogical issues” (Presenters, p.1.).
Conclusion
Moodle meets the needs of the literacy department, the school, MTCU and the students by allowing instructors to create an active learning environment to help literacy learners without the high costs of other software and LMS platforms. Moodle also supports a “constructivist pedagogy: learning that is situated, relevant and engaging” (course Intro, p.1.). Once Moodle is introduced to the school, staff will collaborate to create an assessment tool to measure Moodle’s success over time.
Sample Course
Computer Literacy for Beginners
Module 1 Introduction to Computers
· Parts of the computer
· Hardware / software
· Turning on / Logging off
· Using the Mouse
· How to play Solitaire
Module 2 Using Microsoft Word
· Opening Microsoft Word
· Changing your font size
· Typing a paragraph
· Using bold, italic and underline
Module 3 Using Microsoft Word
· Deleting and Backspacing
· Saving your file
· Finding your file
References
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American Management Association (n.d.). American Management Association Launches
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Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). A Framework for Selecting and Using Technology, In A.w. Bates & G. Poole, Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education (pp.75-108). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Chickering, A.W. & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39 (7), 3-7. Retrieved online June 2009 from aahea.org: http://www.aahea.org/bulletins/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm.
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ETEC 565 Course Notes
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