This proposal presents an argument and justification for the use of Moodle as a LMS system for several programs at a community college in the Lower Mainland area. It assumes that the students taking the course resume within the urban core of the lower mainland and that the courses may be used as standalone online courses and blended courses where online content supports and guides face to face interactions in the classroom. The college has an existing IT department but no existing framework in place for the support and delivery of online courses and content.
Project Outline:
The proposed project requires the setup and online delivery of an online course using Moodle as the Learning Management System. Moodle is a popular open source system that is being used by a large number of post-secondary institutions for online course delivery.
The cost for licensing and set up of many commercial Learning Management Systems may be prohibitively expensive for the college. Moodle provides an affordable option that is easy to use and navigate for instructors, designers, students and administrators. There is a large user community and support can come from other users or from commercial agencies that are Moodle partners and who provide support and training for this LMS.
While Moodle is open source, there are several costs associated with this LMS and the set-up and management of the online courses. These will be offset by the benefits and opportunities that this LMS offers for online course delivery. An overview of Moodle and an outline of the costs and benefits of setting up a Moodle server are provided in the sections below.
What is Moodle?
The word Moodle was originally created as an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. This open source software package can be installed on any computer that can run PHP and support an SQL type database. Moodle can be used under a GNU General Public License. This means that the user can copy, use and modify the program as long as we share our source code with the Moodle user community and do not modify or remove the original license and copyrights (What is Moodle?, 2013)
There are a number of certified service providers available for support with a Moodle system. These Moodle Partners, as they are referred to by Moodle, can offer hosting, customisation, support, training and management of a Moodle project (About Moodle Partners, 2013).
Costs and Resources required for a Moodle Server
Given our time lines and current staffing, we do not have the in house expertise or resources to set up a Moodle server on campus. In order to meet the needs and objectives for the program, the best option is to work with a Moodle Partner for the hosting and implementation of the Moodle project.
We have an average of 400 students in programs that could incorporate online courses into their curriculum. At Lambda Solutions Inc., the smallest hosting package would be sufficient for our program. This package supports 500 students at a cost of $5890.00 for the first year and $2900.00 for subsequent years. This fee includes the set-up, hosting, support and training and branding of the Moodle site (Lambda Sales Representative, personal communication, June 14, 2013). Lambda Solutions is a British Columbia based company that specializes in managed hosting services for Moodle. They have worked with BC Campus for over 4 years and as of March of this year, assisted 11 BC institutions with their Moodle systems (BCcampus, 2013).
The Online Course: Meeting our objectives
There are a number of models available for the selection and application of technology. In chapter four of Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education (2003), Bates and Poole discuss frameworks for selecting and using technology. They present the SECTIONS model which builds upon an older ACTIONS model which looks at access, cost, teaching, interactivity, organization issues, novelty and speed. The SECTIONS model adds two additional factors: students and ease of use. Access is incorporated into student category along with student demographics and the way in which individual students acquire skills and knowledge.
When the SECTIONS model is applied to the Moodle platform, the features and functions of Moodle comply with the needs of the institute and the institution. Access is a key issue and for programs where students will require a computer or internet access to complete the course and program, it can be clearly indicated as a requirement in the registration and course description and this will ensure that students are prepared for the online course and have the necessary tools and equipment to successfully complete the program (Bates and Poole, 2003)
The cost for the establishment of a Moodle server through Lambda Solutions is a modest sum for the number of students that will be supported by the courses and online content. To compare costs for other options, one source cited a 2008 Brandon-Hall report on LMS systems which gave an average annual fee of $55,000 for 500 students for an installed implementation. For a hosted implementation, the fee was closer to $80,00 (http://6clearning.blogspot.ca/2008/03/average-cost-for-lms-per-user-brandon.html). A second source confirmed these costs though the hosted option was slightly lower at $70,000 (http://scorm.com/blog/2009/06/lms-pricing/).
The Moodle system provides an interactive and easy to use interface for both students and instructors. Instructors can easily design and add resources in Moodle that will facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. Chat rooms, forums, discussion groups, self quiz and assessment tools allow for interaction between fellow students and the instructor. Assessment features such as quizzes, exams, and assignments allow for the easy transfer of grades from each course to student records and Moodle allows for class lists for each online course to be built directly from the institute’s registration database.
Moodle provides the platform for the collaborative and interactive learning environment promoted in both the International Society for Technology in Education.NETS·S standards(2008) and the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education expounded by Chickering and Gamson (1987). At a course level, instructors will be able to design and deliver the course as they see fit and incorporate as many multimedia and interactive tools as they wish. They may also retain their course design and apply or share elements across courses and semesters. In short, Moodle is a dynamic and powerful tool that is both affordable and adaptable to the needs and requirements of this institution and the individual programs and courses that will benefit and use this LMS platform.
References:
About Moodle Partners. (2013). Retrieved June 15, 2013, from http://moodle.com/partners/about/
BCcampus. (March 2013). BCcampus Partner Spotlight: Lambda Solutions. Retrieved from http://www.bccampus.ca/bccampus-partner-spotlight-lambda-solutions/
Bates A. W. & Poole, G. (2003).A Framework for Selecting and Using Technology. In A.W. Bates & G. Poole, Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education (pp. 75-108). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 4.
Chickering, A.W. & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39 (7), 3-7. Accessed online 11 Mar 2009 http://www.aahea.org/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm
National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers. (2008). Retrieved June 15, 2013 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm
What is Moodle? (2013). Retrieved June 15, 2013, from http://docs.moodle.org/25/en/About_Moodle