Proposal
Context:
This proposal seeks to improve the modality of teaching at Church Teachers’ College located in the parish of Mandeville in Jamaica. Church Teachers’ College was founded in 1965 by the Anglican Dioceses and has grown over the years from 75 students to approximately 500 students in 2011.
Many colleges in Jamaica are struggling to keep a float due to the major economic strain on the country created by the worldwide recession. Although the recession appears to be subsiding in other parts of the world, Jamaica is still feeling the financial pinch, which has caused a ripple effect on the colleges. In addition, the Ministry of Education has recently reallocated money to Early Childhood education and the formation of a Teacher Council. This resulted in the reduction in subsidies to tertiary institutions. In light of this, and the stated the intention of my principal to offer Bachelor of Education degrees in the next academic year, I have been asked to design an online economically viable ITC plan..
Why I have chosen Moodle?
I have decided to use Moodle as the learning management system( LMS). In this proposal I have centralized my views on Moodle without any consideration given to other learning management systems. This is as a result of the tight budget for improving ITC infrastructure at the college and the fact that Moodle is free of cost.
In making my decision, I have used the SECTIONS framework developed by Bates and Poole (2003) for selecting the most appropriate LMS for the college.
Students:
Given the dictate by the Ministry of Education that all diploma teachers must achieve their first degree by 2015, and the present economic crisis, many students want to work and study so as offset the high cost of tuition.
In addition, approximately 85% of the students now enrolled at the college are computer literate due to infusion of computer studies in the high schools’ curriculum and the training of high school teachers by eLearning Jamaica.
Furthermore effectively using Moodle features such as online discussion, assignments hand in box, email and wiki will facilitate the maximization of students’ time when engaged in online activities (Perkins & Pfaffman, 2006).
Ease:
I was exposed to Moodle in 2006 and was impressed by its ease of use for students and teachers. The Moodle’s tools can be easily managed by teachers with limited computer skills. Likewise some students can independently use the tools without the assistance of their lecturers or system administrators. Furthermore if students and teachers need any assistance in using the LMS, there are teaching tips available at http://moodle.org. Moodle will help to reduce the tetime spent by the facilitator to set up and manage an online course and subsequently it will improve the students’ learning experience (Inversini et al., 2006). Moreover there would be no need for teachers and students to struggle with difficult LMS. Instead they will be afforded time to focus on the course content. In light of the importance of ease, it can be considered as the major guideline when choosing a LMS (Bates&Poole, 2003).
Cost:
The major advantage of Moodle is that it is an open source software without any fees or site licenses (Martinez & Jaqannathan, 2008). Moodle is presently the most popular open source learning management system (Chen, Wang & Hung, 2009). Furthermore the cost associated with technical support for Moodle would be very minimal since there is free literature on Moodle online. This will make it easy for the system administrator and his assistant who are currently managing the college’s network to adjust to it. The cost of hosting Moodle on the college’s network is also free due to an available space given the college on the Joint Board of Teacher Education (JBTE) server.
Teaching and Learning:
According to Graham & Scarborough ( 2001), the confusion about the use of available LMS features and the disparity of course features to expected learning outcomes can and frequently impede learning. In my view, Moodle is a suitable LMS to create a constructivist learning environment that will actively engage learners in meaningful activities in which they can individually and collaboratively in groups construct their own knowledge of concepts (Jonnassen, 1999). Also with Moodle, students are automatically emailed when an assignment is graded thus providing easy feedback to them (Chickening &Ehrmann, 1996).
Interactivity:
Moodle provides learners with the capabilities to interact with their peers and teachers through online discussion forums, real-time chat, weblogs and wiki. Through these media learners can develop the skills of analysis, critique their peers’ works, and initiate and defend arguments (Bate & Poole, 2003). In addition, Moodle allows teachers to grade students’ participation in online courses by accessing reports on students accomplished tasks. Also students are able to complete online quizzes that give quick, numerical and narrative feedback.
Organizational Issues:
Our college has struggled to improve the use of technology in the teaching of most its courses and thereby minimize commuting students inability to meet assignment deadlines. In addition, the college is unable to afford to pay substitute lecturers to replace its lecturers who are engaged in teaching practicum exercise. Through the use of Moodle, lecturers are able to post learning materials online and check students’ participations while they are engaged on teaching practice.
Novelty:
Moodle was founded in 1999 and currently has more than 45,000 deployments in approximately 212 countries. In addition there are over 32 million users and more than 3 million course sites (http://moodle.org/stats).
Speed:
Moodle is easy to install. However, JBTE already has Moodle LMS on their servers hence it would not be difficult for the college to access it. Also the principal has decided to reduce the duties of individuals who will be taking active part in the establishment of online courses.
Moodle is the best LMS to host and deliver online courses at Church Teachers’ College. The college may need to start with the use of Moodle in a blended learning approach.
References
Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter four: A framework for selecting and using technology. In Effective teaching with technology in higher education: foundations for success. (pp. 75-105). New York: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated.
Chen, D. T.,Wang, Y. M., & Hung, D. (2009). A journey on refining rules for online discussion: Implications for the design of learning management systems. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 20(2), 157-173. Chesapeake, VA:AACE
Chickering, A.W. & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39 (7). Retrieved May 27, 2011 from http://www.aahea.org/bulletins/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm
Moodle vs Blackboard: A Comparative Analysis of Learning. Retrieved June 12, 2011 from http://web.nmsu.edu/~rcantrel/portfolio/home/Moodle%20vs%20Blackboard%201.pdf
Graham, M., & Scarborough, H. (2001). Enhancing the learning environment for distance education students. Distance Education, 22(2), 232-244
Inversini, A., Botturi, L., & Triacca, L. (2006). Evaluating LMS usability for enhanced elearning experience. Paper presented at the EDMEDIA Conference, Orlando, Florida
Jonassen, D.H (1999). Designing constructivist learning environments. In C. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional design theories and models: Volume II. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Martinez, M. & Jaqannnathan, S. (2008). Moodle: A low cost solution for successful e-learning. Learning Solution Magazine. Retrieved June 11, 2011 from http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/71/moodle-a-low-cost-solution-for-successful-e-learning/
Moodle.(2010).Moodle organization. Retrieved June 2, 2011 from www.moodle.org
Perkins, M., & Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a course management system to improve classroom communication. The Science Teacher, 33-37. Retrieved from http://www.nsta.org/publications/article.asp