Moodle 2

Technology change is inevitable and  Colgate's Moodle is no exception. Moodle version 2 will be in place for the fall 2012 semester after two years of version 1.

Why must we change? Security updates, software support, and new or improved functionality are the primary drivers. Why don't we want to change? Lost or reduced functionality, new interfaces, time to migrate and re-learn. Simple resistance to change is probably also somewhere in the mix of your, and my, reluctance to switch.

And yes, we in ITS are along for the ride with this change, learning and re-learning and flustering and cursing with you. Much has changed behind the Moodle scenes and we are struggling to understand the new software and create a functional version.

We are maintaining the link http://moodle2.colgate.edu as our starting point for information on the transition to the new version. Check there for the latest server links, Moodle news, and how-to files.

So what about this new Moodle version are we likely to praise? Curse?
Below are some of the changes we are expecting. 

Computing Tips and Tricks

Do you login to the Portal to connect to Moodle? Do you Copy/Cut/Paste text by going to the File menu? Do you never use your right mouse button (or does your Mac not even have a right mouse button)? Do you stop your PowerPoint presentation to open a web page or media clip and then stumble back to your presentation? Does the existence of the Control key make you suspicious? Does your twelve-year-old cringe whenever you start to work on your computer?

If you answered "Yes" to any of the above, then this post is for you (and for many others out there). And even if you are a computer whiz who knows all about these topics you may still find my message motivating.

Educational Silos

One of the main functions of an LMS (learning management system, AKA Moodle) is the creation of a course silo, or stack. That is, the LMS creates a place where students, faculty, and associated others connect with course materials and participate in classroom activities, a place where only enrolled or invited people can work. The silo exists while the course is in session and usually is deactivated shortly after the semester is ended.

There are some excellent -- even some essential -- reasons for creating this course stack. One obvious requirement is copyright law, which restricts the open posting of some course content, be it text or media. One particular advantage is maintaining the privacy of discussions of potentially controversial or embarrassing topics.  Perhaps less obvious in the privacy arena is maintaining the long-term privacy of even non-controversial topics -- former students may find that old, non-controversial but still-public blog posts are not in keeping with their current views or those of their employers.

The silo fits less well in the overall concept of an ongoing personal educational process, where course content, student submissions, and other materials may be (should be?) relevant to one's growth during a four-year evolution. A seminal paper in the silo for Course I is likely to retain relevance in Course II, and may even have important meaning in unrelated Course B. Yet it is stuck in the Course I silo.


So this course silo which is so convenient in many ways is in other ways antithetical to what we want our students to become; life long learners. What are the alternatives? Open courses in Moodle? Moodle courses need not be restricted to a semester's length.  Other open systems? An environment which is open at least to the Colgate academic community (without some copyright-restricted materials, of course) might be used to facilitate this more open learning. But even these tools can't make students want to participate, and then actually participate, in this more broad, developing learning process.

More reading on the topic...

• Learning Management Systems: Hub or silo? 
• Learning Silos — the biggest barrier to learning in post-secondary
• Course Management Systems: Trapped Content Silos or Sharing Platforms?

...dan wheeler

LMS Alternatives

Colgate's Moodle learning management system (LMS) isn't the only way to work with a class. An LMS is designed to provide management, control, content, and educational features in a single platform, but some of its features will be lacking in comparison to other tools. For example, Moodle provides a built-in wiki activity, but one that doesn't provide all the features and usability of MediaWiki (WikiPedia's software) or PBWorks (a free, on-line wiki service). Furthermore, the LMS control features create "silos" based on courses and semesters which are sometimes counterproductive to an individual's educational process. So why not try something else?

One basic trade-off when deciding to use an alternative to Moodle is functionality versus management and control. With an LMS you know that you can add content and conduct activities with access and participation limited to your students. That control is built into the system, and we provide the enrollments so you need not manage the participants. But if you are willing to take on more of that management role, there are tremendous collaborative features available in Google Docs, Google Sites, PBWorks, Blogger, and other "cloud" platforms that might improve your interactions with students.

Another trade-off with these alternatives is the consistency provided by a standard LMS. When you use another, better tool, your students will not necessarily be familiar with the features and use of that software. They may require some specialized support, much of which will fall on you.

With all this in mind, ITS is working on tools which make it easier for a professor to manage external resources. For instance, we soon hope to be able to easily create Google Groups for your classes; Groups can be used to make sharing of Google resources, such as Docs and Sites, much simpler for professor and student. Also in the planning stages are tools to let you create class lists which can make it easier for you to share other on-line resources with your current students. In the support area, we may be able to create specialized student documentation or instruction for alternatives to Moodle (e.g., we already have some basic instructions for using Google Docs for class assignments).

Instructional technologists are happy to work with you on creating and managing collaborative environments outside the LMS. Alternatives to Moodle might include:

• document submission, markup, and return using Google Docs
• class writing and response using Blogger
• collaborative knowledge creation and exchange using Google Sites or wikis
• creation of a simple, collaborative class web presence using Google Sites

...dan wheeler
lead instructional technologist
moodle system administrator