Moodle at DCU

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Moodle at DCU

• Dr Barry McMullin
• Morag Munro

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Presentation summary

• Background VLE/e-learning at DCU
• Rationale
• Evaluation process
• Deployment and progression to an MLE

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VLE/e-learning at DCU

• Pilot VLE deployments TopClass, WebCT
• In-house tools
• Three options
• Commitment to WebCT
• Customise in-house tools to provide VLE
  functionality
• Open source VLE

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Initial questions

• Do we need a VLE?
• What do we want it to do?

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Do we need a VLE? (1)

• In house custom tools
• Web-spaces
• Student portal system teaching and exam time
  tables, course outlines etc
• Class discussion lists
• Custom VLE systems

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Do we need a VLE? (2)

• Advantages of VLE over custom solutions
• Wider functionality
• Integrated, secure access
• Ease of use
• Consistency
• Integration with other systems

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What do we want it to do? (1)

• Aligned with strategic aspirations
• Technically viable
• Support various pedagogical models
• Intuitive
• Functionality comparable with WebCT

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What do we want it to do? (2)

• Why Open source?
• Strategic aspirations
• Avoid vendor lock-in
• Not a cost saving device (but maybe apply limited
  resources in more strategic ways...)

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Short list of candidates

• Claroline
• Bodington
• Moodle

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Evaluation process (1)

• Evaluated according to
• functionality
• usability
• pedagogy
• accessibility
• technical viability and scalability
• existing user community
• projected longevity

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Evaluation process (2)

• VLE users group meeting
• WebCT users
• Staff using custom solutions
• CSD staff
• ODTL staff
• Those interested in VLEs
• Individual consultations
• Demo installations

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Evaluation process (2)

• Claroline
• Intuitive
• Accessible
• Limited functionality
• Developer documentation in French
• Bodington
• Java
• UK-based
• Odd navigation
• Small user community

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Moodle

• Intuitive and user-friendly
• Feature rich
• Supports various pedagogical models
• Large user community
• Technically robust

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Risks

• No VLE is perfect
• Some functional weaknesses
• No large-scale deployments
• Only room for 1-2 real OS contenders
• Migration of existing users
• No technical support

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Deployment strategy

• Phase 1 2003/2004
• WebCT phased out
• Small scale Moodle deployment
• Phase 2 2004/2005
• Expansion of Moodle deployment
• Moodle to become framework for a MLE
• Phase 3
• Institution-wide deployment 70 Modules using
  Moodle to some extent

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Summary

• Moodle selected as a result of extensive
  evaluation/consultation process
• Successful first year of deployment
• Candidate for enterprise-wide MLE
• Institutional commitment to contribute actively
  to international Moodle development community