Learning Technologies: Design & Applications

Module 2: Presentation Tools: Spaces, Places and Platforms for Learning / Learning Management Systems

RE: Benoît

Questions for Benoît:

• Will Benoît have time to make a thorough evaluation of the differences / advantages and disadvantages of both systems?
• Is Benoît ready to tackle the creation of a Moodle course when he has not yet had any experience with the interactivity aspects of this LMS?

Background situation:

• sessional instructor
• large university (research)
• familiar with WebCT for F2F business writing course

Issues:

• creating an online version of the business course
• WebCT or Moodle?

Systems’ advantages & disadvantages:

• WebCT:
  • + : official LMS for institution
  • – : help desk difficult to access
• Moodle:
  • + / – ? : hosted by the faculty of arts
  • + : no need for much technical support
  • – : learning curve for instructor

Suggestions:

• Benoît may want to elicit some help from the university’s IT department if he wants to evaluate the use of Moodle (they might suggest the SECTIONS approach!)
• He might want to contact the Art Dept. to have a conversation about his plans.
• If I were Benoît, I would be very careful with a change of technology.
• I would ensure that a good decision can be made within a reasonable time frame. I would also try to assess how much work it would mean for me to learn the system.
• I would take in consideration that most students are very proficient technological users and that shared forums can assist with technological difficulties as well (if not better) than official IT help.

Moodle:  Some main advantages

• free
• modules with personal weblogs; wikis; real-time chats; on-line testing program;
• as Perkins & Pfaffman (2006) mention: [it] … limits on creation of pages may be “enabling teachers to focus on content without spending excess energy thinking about fomatting or navigation […]”.

Ref: Perkins, M., Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication. Science Teacher, 73(7), 33-37.