Martin Dougiamas is the founder and CEO of Moodle, a project that he began as a graduate student experimenting with Social Constructivist strategies in online environments.
Moodle is an Open-Source Learning Management System, and has become the most used LMS outside of North America. As an Open-Source project, it receives financial and developer contributions from various partners around the world. The platform can be used and implemented with no fee to the user making it a very cost efficient option, and has become very popular as a result. For a fee, Moodle can also host the platform through MoodleCloud, allowing the user to avoid the challenges in setting up and running a web server.
Moodle’s Service Partners are available around the world, and contribute financially to the ongoing costs and development of the LMS. This affords them the benefit of a vibrant, customizable and up to date platform they are able to sell to clients. This unusual business model has nonetheless allowed the company to grow their product while remaining focused on the development of the software. Martin Dougiamas could have followed a more traditional business model, but instead chose to pursue a course that would put the power of a robust Learning Management System in as many hands as possible. His experience as a distance education student in Western Australia in the 1970’s combined with his background as an educator allowed him to pursue and disrupt education market with the power of the internet.
Hi Douglas, adding onto Martin’s biography, I’d like to add a note about his leadership – community driven approach. Martin has created a strong sense of ownership and shared purpose among the Moodle community. He actively engages with the Moodle community through various channels, including forums, conferences, and online discussions. He listens to the needs and feedback of users, responds to inquiries, and encourages open dialogue. This collaborative approach has not only resulted in continuous improvement and innovation but has also cultivated a strong sense of loyalty and engagement among users.
Truly a man ahead of his time with the best of intentions.
Totally agree with you both. The Moodle vision and growing community are what I believe educational technologies should aspire toward. Whenever I explain to department managers (who hold the purse strings) about Moodle, their first question inevitably is a form of: what do you mean there’s no cost? 🙂 As someone who’s played around with Moodle I can attest to the user-friendliness of their developer kits and APIs. Big fan here!
I think Martin Dougiamas is a really great example of an innovator truly looking to provide humanity some relief. I relate his good nature to Banting, Collip, and Best, the scientists who sold the invention of insulin for 1$ so that people in need could have the resources they need to succeed. Moodle also really empowers the user and puts the experience of the learner first and foremost. According to Moodle, their Philosophy is centered around social constructivism and pedagogy, which considers the user an active participant in the making of their environment. Moodle also came out at the same time as other major LMSs like Blackboard, which were absolutely racking in dollars at that time. Blackboard’s company value was astronomically high, despite that they did not value the user experience as much.
Overall, a great company with a genuine mission!
(https://docs.moodle.org/402/en/Philosophy)
A great pick, a great company, and a brilliant founder. Moodle, being open-source and utilized by an incredible number of institutions, is incredible in its scope and influence.