Proposal
The e-learning initiative in our board will provide students with flexibility in completing their high school credits. The technology has the potential to provide students with materials that are “interactive, problem-oriented, relevant to real-world issues and that evoke student motivation” (Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996). This proposal will outline the options available for selecting a Learning Management System (LMS).
The options available for an LMS include, purchasing a commercial system from companies such as Desire2Learn or Blackboard, using an open source system such as Moodle, or developing our own solution in-house. I recommend implementing Moodle for a number of reasons including the fact that it is well established and is used in 212 countries by 42.7 million users (Moodle, 2011). I have evaluated potential options using Bates & Poole’s SECTIONS framework which was developed to provide decision makers with criteria to guide decisions in an environment that is rapidly changing (Bates & Poole, 2003).
Students
Since one-third of our school population has an Individual Education Plan (IEP), an LMS would permit teachers to differentiate instruction and assessment for all learners, especially students in open and applied level classes. Moodle allows the inclusion of YouTube videos, text, diagrams, forums and blogs to facilitate collaboration and team work, and also has flexible assessment tools such as matching, multiple choice, true/false and short answer.
Ease of Use
Moodle has been described as “an organized, easy-to-use interface” (Dvorak, 2011, p. 12). In addition, Moodle developers have kept the “look and feel consistent over the years” (Dvorak, 2011, p. 12). Consistency is important for students using it and the teachers developing lessons for it.
Moodle is easy to navigate. I appreciated that the functionality of each icon used in the Moodle editing process was explained when I hovered over it, similar to Microsoft products. I had never used Moodle before, but in the span of approximately an hour, I was able to add pages, create two activities for an Introduction to Business class, create a two-question quiz, add a link to an external website and add a YouTube video. Imagine what a teacher could do with more time!
Cost
Cost is perhaps the most important consideration for a publicly-funded institution in a time of declining enrollment. An online search of costs for Blackboard ranged from an annual fee of $10,000 for hosting an e-learning system for an unlimited number of courses to “$25,000 to $75,000 for the full site” (Trotter, 2008, para. 8). I was unable to locate cost estimates for Desire2Learn software. Moodle, by contrast, is an open source solution that does not have license fees. Implementing an LMS would result in savings on photocopying costs which currently represents a significant portion of our school’s budget.
Teaching and Learning
The Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum document for senior Business courses states that “information and communication technologies are integrated into the business studies curriculum in a way that mirrors the dynamic environment in which business is conducted today” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006, p. 20). Forums can be set up in Moodle for students to discuss the facts of the situation presented as well as collaborate on potential solutions; very similar to how a solution would be developed in the business world. Literature suggests that active learning is beneficial as students “must talk about what they are learning” (Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996).
Interaction and Interactivity
It is important for students to receive timely feedback. Moodle’s assessment capabilities can be tailored to meet student needs. When creating my two-question quiz in Moodle, I was able to add text to appear to the student if they chose an incorrect response. This immediate feedback can provide the student with the correct answer as well as words of encouragement.
Organizational Issues
Unlike purchased software, Moodle could be supported in-house. This flexibility would allow for investigation and resolution of student and teacher issues on a more timely basis.
Novelty
Moodle is not a “flavor of the month” solution. As of May 2011, approximately 1.1 million teachers were using Moodle and 19.4 million students were enrolled (Moodle, 2011).
Speed
Moodle is flexible and materials can be updated quickly when needed such as in the case of a curriculum change. During my review of Moodle, I was able to update an existing activity in about five minutes. In addition, Moodle has functionality to set up RSS feeds so students can follow certain publications such as the Globe and Mail and New York Times on a daily basis.
Resources Needed and Budget
The tasks to be completed, resources required and a time estimate for completing the tasks is summarized in the chart below.
| Task | Time Estimate | Resource | Rationale |
| Determine the amount of space needed to host Moodle, e.g. disk space, bandwidth | 1 – 2 weeks | IT Consultants at Board office and at each school | Space requirements can be determined and resolved early in the process |
| Download Moodle onto school server and identify and resolve issues, e.g. firewall issues | 1 week | IT Consultant at each school | If difficulties are encountered, it is hoped that a contact at another Board or on the Moodle forum could assist |
| Identify pilot group | 2 hours | Principals | Principals can identify volunteers at each school who would become subject matter experts (SMEs) |
| Develop teacher training materials and reference documentation | 2 – 3 weeks | Trainer from the Board Office | A great deal of user documentation is already available in print and online |
| Train teachers (SMEs) at each school | 1 – 2 days | Trainer from the Board Office and Teacher SMEs at each school | Training would provide time to explore and create individual materials in a supported environment |
| Set up student logins | 1 day/school | IT Consultant | Set up based on teacher requests |
| Troubleshoot initial queries |
1 week |
IT Consultant and Trainer | Both individuals would need to support issues that arise due to configuration or user confusion |
In conclusion, a Moodle solution best suits the needs of our students and is a cost effective method to integrate technology into the classroom to meet our goal of reaching all students.
References
Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for Selecting and Using Technology. In Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. (pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers.
Chickering, A.W. & Ehrmann, S.C. (1996). Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 49(2), 3-6.
Dvorak. R. (2011). Moodle for dummies. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Moodle. (2011). Moodle Statistics. (2011, May 25). Retrieved from http://moodle.org/stats/
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Business Studies, 2006, (revised). Retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/business.html
Trotter, A. (2008). Blackboard vs. moodle. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2008/06/09/01moodle.h02.html