Open Source Learning Management Systems: Moodle

and Sakai

Eric Jansson

NITLE - http://www.nitle.org

AMICAL Conference 2007

• Software

• Communities

• Organizations

• Technologies

• Platforms

• Toolsets

What are ?

are Software.

• Open source• Collaboration and

learning environment• Scalable• A continuously

growing set of tools

is a Community

• Started with four institutions — Michigan, Indiana, Stanford and MIT

• Campus-based developers contribute to the common good

• Used on six continents, from very large (UNISA has 116,000 users) to very small

• Mostly higher education

http://www.flickr.com/photos/narniabound/482131193/

is a Community

• More traditional open-source product (“inverted pyramid meritocracy”)

• Enormous installed based all over the world

• More diverse

Is an Organization

• Oversight by Sakai Foundation who coordinates activities around Sakai

• Sakai Partners are dues-paying members of the Foundation who provide the intellectual, human and financial support

• Community source vs open source

• Vendor support

is an Organization

• Coordinated by Martin Dougiamas

• Looser, more traditional open-source model

• Partially funded through ‘Moodle partners’ who provide paid services

• Recent funding from foundations and others

[Photo Not Availablehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/moodler/109119450/Creative Commons, anyone?]

is Technology

• Interoperability and standards-awareness top priorities

• Tools built around well-defined Application Protocol Interface (API)

• Standardized hooks for easy customization

is Technology

• Flexibility / rapid development: ecology of innovation top priorities

• PHP/MySQL - tends to match infrastructure at many smaller colleges

• API interfaces, but less elaborated and detailed

• Standards-aware

• For course management

• For enhancing existing learning in a “hybrid” environment

• For collaboration of many kinds

are Platforms.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalknave/450816007/

are Toolsets

• Management and navigation tools

• Communication tools

• Teaching tools

• Assessment tools

• Go to http://moodle.nitle.org/

• Sign in with your account

Getting starting with Moodle

Moodle as a Faculty - Hands-on

• Go to http://moodle.nitle.org/• Sign in with the account

– Username/password: nitlefaculty1/nitle101

• Go to the “Squirrels” course• Enter edit mode• Go to your week and restrict view to that week• Configure that week, adding at least 2 tools, a

title. Use one tool we have not seen yet: http://download.moodle.org/modules/

• Add an RSS Feed

Getting starting with Sakai

1. Go to http://sakai.nitle.org/portal

2. Click on “New Account”

3. Sign up for an account

Sakai Interaction Standards (vs Moodle)

• Tools sometimes edit in place• Sakai saves the state of a tool when

you navigate off of it, so “Cancel”-ing when leaving tools can help

• Sakai does not have the concept of (global) “edit” and “view” mode, but acts contextually based on your authorizations

Sakai as a Faculty - Hands-on• Click on the My Workspace link toward the top

of the screen.• Click on the Worksite Setup tool to the left.• Click on the New link toward the top of the

screen.• Make this a Project Website • Finish creating the site

– Add tools and configure them– Add a logo– Add a RSS Feed and a Web site as Tools

• Enroll in a new course

Tools

• New tools added with each release• Tools on the horizon:

– Modules tool, for releasing course content to students on a pre-defined track

– Portfolio tool, for gathering student portfolio pieces and assessing progress toward learning outcomes

How can LMS systems improve academics?

• Help create an active learning environment– Participatory and always available

• Expand contact and remove boundaries– Overcome geography and time– Contexts for contact faculty-student, student-

student, course-outside experts• Place course topics in larger contexts

– RSS Feeds• Reconfigure classroom time

– LMS = management & class time = interaction• Track progress and make adjustments

How can LMS systems improve academics?

• Other Initiatives– Integrating with other academic systems: library,

advising• Sakaibrary: http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/projects/sakai/

– Aggregating course content into repositories, allowing for search and discovery, peer-review, evaluations

– Integrating with electronic portfolios• Sakai and Open Source Portfolio Initiative,

http://www.osportfolio.org/

• Lots of interest from Moodle community as well