For Benoit, one of the key questions that will need to be considered is centered around the issue of efficiency of teaching, as discussed by Coates (2005). In particular, how much time does Benoit feel he can afford to apply to the development of his online course, and how much time does he envision his students spending on learning within his chosen LMS? With his prior familiarity and experience in WebCT Vista, Benoit would likely spend less time on developing his online course through Blackboard Learn, and therefore require less support. He would be sacrificing some of affordances offered by Moodle in terms of controlling the flexibility and customizability of the learning environment, but his proficiency with Web CT Vista might lead to the development of a better constructed LMS initially in Blackboard Learn.
Benoit should weigh the benefits of Blackboard Learn and Moodle by speaking with colleagues who have had some experience, both positive and negative, with both LMS before determining how these may or may not match the learning goals that he’s established for the students in his business writing course. In terms of efficiency, will the students be as familiar with working in Moodle as they would be working in Blackboard Learn, and how might this impact the quality of time they are able to devote to the writing course? According to Bates (2014), “it is not only students though who may need prior preparation. Technology can be too seductive. You can start using it without fully understanding its structure or how it works.” In this case, is Benoit’s goal for himself, and his students, more concerned with the learning of the LMS itself, or engaging with the course content?
To be honest, I’m not entirely sure how much time Benoit would need to devote to developing his business writing course. With at least some of the content already in place from the lecture notes and readings from his face-to-face course, Benoit seems to have a solid starting point, as well as having prior experience with WebCT Vista. If he’s going with his estimate of 5 hours per week, it would seem that Benoit will require 2-3 weeks to experiment with his chosen LMS and learn about the tools and possibilities before spending another 3-4 weeks developing the course itself in time to launch for the upcoming semester. This might be a conservative estimate if Benoit choses to work within Blackboard Learn, and he may require additional time if he choses to develop with Moodle, depending on how he choses to develop his writing course to best meet the learning goals for his students.
References
Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in a Digital Age. http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/(Chapter 8 on SECTIONS framework)
Coates, H., James, R., & Baldwin, G. (2005). A critical examination of the effects of Learning Management Systems on university teaching and learning. Tertiary Education and Management, 11,(1), 19-36. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11233-004-3567-9