I would like to propose to the board of Mission Public Schools, a request to install and implement a Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) for the four credit mandatory Graduation Transitions (GT) 12 class.  This class is a requirement for Graduation as of 2007 and is offered in all three schools in the Mission Public School District (MPSD).  As the MPSD is facing significant budgeting pressures, innovated and cost-saving solutions are required in the modern school environment to continue to deliver a first-rate education to our students.   Currently, the GT class is run within the timetable in all three secondary schools in the MPSD, requiring a cost to the district based on the current mandate of student to teacher ratios.  This proposal will eliminate the need for school counsellors and administrator to enrol students in GT in their timetable and offer the course outside of the timetable, opening up opportunities for students to explore other options as well as reduce the cost of running the GT program.  Upon completion of the GT class, students must present a finished Graduation Transition Portfolio during the year in order to be eligible to graduate in June; schools typically have three or four “portfolio presentation” days throughout the year.

When choosing a LMS, we referred to Bates & Poole’s (2003) SECTIONS framework to examine the options available and make the best possible choice for the stakeholders of MPDS; students, teachers, administrators, parents.  Some of the key elements of Moodle that stood out in Moodle’s favour with the SECTIONS framework in mind were:

• Student Access was open to all students with privacy protection via username and password.  Students will also be able to access course materials at any time throughout the school year and can get caught up with readings, notes and assignments at their own pace.  The GT can be presented at any time throughout the year so students have the ability to finish quickly or take their time to complete their final project.
• The Content Management allows for the instructor to develop and manage course content.  As Mark McCall suggested in It’s OK to Moodle at School (2009), “Moodle enables teachers to expand and customize their classrooms to engage 21^st century students and it enables schools to embrace Web 2.0 applications in a controlled, safe digital classroom.
• The Costs of Moodle is quite low seeing as the infrastructure and support networks already exist in MPSD and Moodle is Open Source.  Keeping in mind that Panettierri (2007) states the off-site hosting models provide key benefits in terms of maintenance and management; we feel that the Information Technical Center at MPSD has the expertise and experience to overcome this benefit.  As many assignments, readings and notes in GT will be paperless, there will be addition savings in school photocopying which is a large school expenditure.
• The Interactive features Moodle offers like course email, quizzes, chat, wikis, blogs, whiteboards and discussion forums related to each topic to enhance the student’s experience.  Students can openly share their thoughts in the Moodle environment when some of the students might not be so inclined in a face-to-face classroom setting.
• Tech Support is available online 24/7 through the MPSD ITC department and in addition Moodle offers documentation, forums and books free to their users; all that is required is for the user to enrol in a free course to have access to these features.

In terms of requirements to bring the Moodle server online, the MPSD ITC department already hosts Moodle courses via their Summit Learning Center’s distributed learning program so the infrastructure currently exists in the district.  Therefore, the hosting of the site’s costs is minimized due to economies of scale; the only additional costs for the ITC department would be the ongoing service of the site.  In terms of the design of the site, according to Dr. John Egan of the University of British Columbia’s Masters of Educational Technology Department estimates the instructional designer should be budgeted around 60 FTE (full-time equivalent) days for a new course. That includes 40 FTE days for the course author(s), plus another 20 for the educational design and web design components. The cost would be 480 hours for the setup implementation of the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) for the four credit mandatory Graduation Transitions (GT) 12 class.  Dr. Egan is a Senior Manager, Strategic Curriculum Services at UBC, with many years’ experience as an instructor, facilitator, course designer, program administrator, and educational researcher.

In conclusion, I recommend that MPSD moves forward on this proposal to implement the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS) for the four credit mandatory Graduation Transitions (GT) 12 class.  Not only will it enable the district to save money in the teacher to student ratio of running the class, it will allow the student more flexibility and choices when selecting their courses.

Scott Alexander
Information Technology Instructor
Instructional Team Leader (Bus Ed.)
Mission Secondary School
Mission Public Schools

References:

Bates A. W. & Poole, G. (2003). A Framework for Selecting and Using Technology. Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education. p. 75-108. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

McCall, M. (January 2009). It’s OK to Moodle at School.  Principal Leadership (Middle School Ed.) v.9 no.5 p.62-3.

Panettieri, J. (2007). Addition by subtraction. University Business, August, 58-62. Accessed online 10 May 2011. http://www.universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=845.

Perkins, M. & Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication. Science Teacher, 73(7), 33-37.