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Benoît is a sessional instructor in the English department of a large, research-intensive university. Previously he has used WebCT to disseminate lecture notes and readings for his face-to-face Business Writing course.
His department head has approached him about offering an online version of Business Writing. However, WebCT is no longer available at his university and Benoît must choose either WebCT/Vista or Moodle. WebCT/Vista is the university’s “official” LMS and has university-wide IT support, but the Help Desk is difficult to get a hold of and can be very slow in responding to e-mail. Moodle is hosted within the Faculty of Arts, but operates as a stand-alone tool with no real technical support: instructors need to set up their own courses from scratch. More and more faculty and instructors in the English Department now use Moodle, since it isn’t administered by IT support: less paperwork, less red tape.
Benoît is very comfortable in the design mode of WebCT; he has also done some general web design, mostly for personal use. In terms of web design he’s developed content, uploaded it via FTP and then left it there. He’s heard from colleagues that WebCT/Vista is dreadful, that doesn’t have half the functionality of WebCT, though he has not yet had time to do any evaluation himself.
Because of his teaching load, Benoît estimates he could spend up to 5 hours a week developing the online version of Business Writing. The course would go live next semester.
Discussion questions
Please answer in the discussion forum:
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Moodle or WebCT/Vista for Benoît? How might Benoît go about deciding whether to go with Moodle or WebCT/Vista? What questions might he ask himself? Come up with one specific question and post it in the Benoît discussion thread. Be sure to explain why this is an important question.
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How much development time (in weeks) would you estimate Benoît would need to develop Business Writing, the online version? Post your estimation in weeks in the Module 2: Business Writing development timeframe discussion thread. Be sure to explain how you came up with this number.
Response
“This isn’t a decision you want to rush into and take lightly …” (Panettieri, 2007)
Moodle or WebCT/Vista for Benoît?
As Benoît is in doubt, he could use an evaluation method such as Bates and Poole’s SECTIONS or Chickering and Gamson’s Seven Principles to determine which LMS may best addresses his needs and those of learners. For example, he could utilize the user friendly evaluation tool based on SECTIONS drafted by the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. By examining both systems, using the same tool created from scholarly research, reliable data can be gathered to make an informed decision and allow him to go beyond relying on simple anecdotal reports. In addition to the use of an assessment tool, he could access additional scholarly articles (Dougiamas, 2004; Bri, Garcia, Coll, Lloret, 2009), read online reviews, comparisions or forums, examine what other Universities have done, and have more in-depth conversation with colleagues using the systems and determine how their skill levels, experience has ‘colored the lens’ of their perception and opinion.
An important question Benoît needs to ask himself as he transitions from an LMS to supplement face-to-face learning to a full online course is “What am I trying to communicate and which system gives me the features and flexibility for my learning community to interact effectively?” This is an important question as content is paramount and should determine the tools being used and not the other way around. Too often, I have seen educators choose the tool first and then attempt to make the content ‘fit’ which often leads to frustration and wasted time.
Business Writing Development Time Frame
In regards to development time, I would estimate Benoît would need five weeks to develop the online version of his Business Writing course. This estimate is based on the following:
- it is assumed the system has been chosen and it is Moodle,
- he has taught the course before,
- from the scenario it appears he has moderate computer skills and literacy,
- and he stated his own estimate of being able to contribute 5 hours a week to the process for online course development.
With those points in mind, I created the following five week plan for Benoît:
Week 1
- research LMS features making note of applicability
- brainstorm and sketch basic structure and organization of new site (possible a fair amount of this is already an experience for him from developing WEBCT/Vista site)
Week 2
- convert any hard copies to digital formats,
- transfer digital documents from existing WEBCT/Vista,
- and if those formats do not exist then create digital content (audio, video, links)
Week 3
- install LMS site or access existing LMS site,
- learn and experiment with basic orientation to structure, layout and interface,
- learn and experiment about accessibility and social features via plug-ins,
- develop the general site (theme, navigation, permissions, calendars, announcements, etc),
- continue activities that remain from Week 2
Week 4
- develop the course sub-site including adding content developed from Weeks 2 and 3,
- continue activities that remain from Week 3
Week 5
- test site as both instructor and as student,
- trouble shoot and fine tune,
- publish completed site
Articles
- Bri, D., Garcia, M., Coll, H., Lloret, J. (2209). A Study of Virtual Learning Environments. WSEAS Transactions on Advances in Enginering Education, 1(6). Accessed online 22 May 2013 http://www.wseas.us/e-library/transactions/education/2009/28-888.pdf
- Dougiamas, M. (2004). Moodle: A Virtual Learning Environment for the Rest of Us. The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language, 8(2). Accessed online 22 May 2013 http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume8/ej30/ej30m2/
- Perkins, M., Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication. Science Teacher, 73(7), 33-37.
- Panettieri, J. (2007). Addition by subtraction. University Business, August, 58-62. Accessed online 11 March 2009 http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=845
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I am an Educator living in Quispamsis, New Brunswick Canada. Currently, I am seconded from my Grade 5 class at Island View School to the position of Educational Support Teacher – Technology in the Southern Anglophone School District. Technology has been a common thread throughout my careers in education and community services. Now I am fortunate to be able to use my enthusiasm for integrating digital technologies into my teaching pedagogy and share those experiences with others in my district.
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