{"id":100,"date":"2013-05-25T17:57:36","date_gmt":"2013-05-25T21:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec565abates\/?p=100"},"modified":"2013-06-03T12:28:05","modified_gmt":"2013-06-03T16:28:05","slug":"100","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec565abates\/2013\/05\/25\/100\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: Moodle vs WebCT\/Vista"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(cc) Photo by Irish Typepad via Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

Beno\u00eet 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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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His department head has approached him about offering an online version of Business Writing. However, WebCT is no longer available at his university and Beno\u00eet must choose either WebCT\/Vista or Moodle. WebCT\/Vista is the university\u2019s “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.\u00a0<\/strong>More and more faculty and instructors in the English Department now use Moodle, since it isn\u2019t administered by IT support: less paperwork, less red tape.<\/p>\n

Beno\u00eet 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\u2019s developed content, uploaded it via FTP and then left it there. He\u2019s heard from colleagues that WebCT\/Vista is dreadful, that doesn\u2019t have half the functionality of WebCT, though he has not yet had time to do any evaluation himself.<\/p>\n

Because of his teaching load, Beno\u00eet estimates he could spend up to 5 hours a week developing the online version of Business Writing. The course would go live next semester.<\/p>\n

Discussion questions<\/h2>\n

Please answer in the discussion forum:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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  1. \n

    Moodle or WebCT\/Vista for Beno\u00eet? How might Beno\u00eet 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\u00a0Beno\u00eet<\/strong>\u00a0discussion thread. Be sure to explain why this is an important question.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    How much development time (in weeks) would you estimate Beno\u00eet would need to develop Business Writing, the online version? Post your estimation in weeks in the Module 2:\u00a0Business Writing development timeframe<\/strong>\u00a0discussion thread. Be sure to explain how you came up with this number.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

    Response<\/h1>\n

    “This isn’t a decision you want to rush into and take lightly …” (Panettieri, 2007)<\/p>\n

    Moodle or WebCT\/Vista for Beno\u00eet?<\/h2>\n

    As Beno\u00eet 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. \u00a0For example, he could utilize the user friendly\u00a0evaluation tool<\/a>\u00a0based on SECTIONS drafted by the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. \u00a0By examining both systems, using the same tool created from scholarly research, reliable data can be gathered to make an informed decision and \u00a0allow him to go beyond relying on simple anecdotal reports. \u00a0In addition to the use of an assessment tool, he could access additional scholarly articles (Dougiamas, 2004; Bri, Garcia, Coll, Lloret, 2009), read\u00a0online\u00a0reviews<\/a>,\u00a0comparisions<\/a>\u00a0or forums, examine what other Universities\u00a0have done<\/a>, \u00a0and 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.<\/p>\n

    An important question Beno\u00eet 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?” \u00a0This is an important question as content is paramount and should determine the tools being used and not the other way around. \u00a0Too 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.<\/p>\n

    Business Writing Development Time Frame<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    In regards to development time, I would estimate Beno\u00eet would need five weeks to develop the online version of his Business Writing course. \u00a0This estimate is based on the following:<\/p>\n

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    1. it is assumed the system has been chosen and it is Moodle,<\/li>\n
    2. he has taught the course before,<\/li>\n
    3. from the scenario it appears he has moderate computer skills and literacy,<\/li>\n
    4. and he stated his own estimate of being able to contribute 5 hours a week to the process for\u00a0online course development.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      With those points in mind, I created the following five week plan for\u00a0Beno\u00eet:<\/p>\n

      Week 1<\/strong><\/p>\n