Using Off-Line Solutions for Online and Blended Learning

Brenda Mallinson

Outline

Context & Environment

The Problem

Possible Solutions

Successes & Challenges

Reflection & Discussion

PHEA ETIProject Background

Vision to “support interventions in universities to make increasingly effective use of educational technology to address some of the underlying educational challenges facing the higher

educational sector in Africa”

Time span: 2009-2013

One of the Specific PHEA ETI objectives:• Build academic capacity in quality online course design and

delivery through use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

7 participating sub-Saharan Africa HEIs26 sub-projects 11 involving online / blended courses

University of Ibadan (Nigeria)

University of Jos (Nigeria)

University of Education Winneba (Ghana)

Catholic University of Mozambique (Beira)

University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)

Kenyatta University (Kenya)

Makerere University (Uganda)

Context & Motivation• The first experience of engaging with online learning for

majority of academics

• Phase B (Implementation) planned for:– Initial Sensitisation – Series of Capacity Building Workshops (over 3 years)

• Interspersed with– Support for Design & Development of online courses– Quality Improvement Process

• Customised for each participating HEI– Environmental Context– Specific Project Purpose

Capacity Building ProgrammeSensitisation

Design & Dev of Effective Online

Courses

Supporting Course Dev & Internal

Reviewing

Multimedia Design &

Development

VLE (Moodle) in Depth

Quality Improvement of Online Courses

Quality Improvement of Multimedia

External Review & Feedback

OER Deployment

Online Facilitation

Moodle Front End Administration

External Team

Support

Internal Team Support

Peer Support

Environmental Problems ExperiencedCourse Developers Students

• Unreliable internet access and limited bandwidth• Unreliable local power supply• Sustained effort required to become familiar with VLE• Off campus access to internet for:

* course development / participation* course resources

Leading to:

• Interrupted access to own course/s in the VLE• Preferred online course access for development /

participation / engagement taking place mostly on campus (generator & intranet)

• Incurring costs for off-campus (home / café) access• Limited time to become familiar with VLE & course resources• Further exclusion from the affordances of online T&L

VLE/LMS - elements

• Course / module comprises:– Static resources (materials / resources)– Dynamic activities (communication, engagement)

• Site & Course Management– Authentication– Calendar– Tracking– Grades– …

Possible Solutions• Offline version of virtual learning environment– Poodle (MAFLT)– Stand Alone Moodle (SAM) – USQ; Jolongo – Offline Moodle– FlashTrack (TESC)

• Enabling access to– Full course with learning pathway– Identical structure and functions– Resources & materials

• Online or synchronization for:– Uploading assignments– Communications e.g. forums

Poodle (Portable Moodle)

• A version of Moodle that mounts on portable drives e.g., USB sticks, memory cards, HDD's, etc.

• Offered at no cost by MAF-LT– http://www.maflt.org/products/poodle

• Leave no electronic fingerprint when proper shutdown procedures are followed

• Installation and setup guide provided• For Moodle v1.9.3 and v2.1

Outcomes

• VLE Skills development at own pace & in own time• Offline Course development• Training – academic staff and students• Accessing course and resources• Leaves no ‘foot print’ on host device

Successes: (Poodle – offline Moodle)

• Provide each lecturer with a flash stick for course development• ICT support needed to upload from lecturer flash stick to server• Provide each student with their courses on a flash stick• Producing multiple copies – time consuming

Considerations:

• Internet access still needed for communication & interaction• Synchronisation not yet available in Poodle (other initiatives may provide this)

Challenges

Reflection

• Who are your stakeholders?

• What is the potential impact of online / blended course provision for them?

• How can you develop or enhance processes at your institution to address the challenges?

User Involvement

Executive Management Support

Clear Statement of Requirements

References• Alexander, S.N. & Dias, G. (2012) Offline-Capable version of the Moodle e-Learning System. Department of

Computer Science and Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Available online at http://www.nitc.lk/old/archive2012/images/pdf/10%20Surangi.pdf

• CoICT (2011) ‘Poodle Becomes Panacea To Internet Connection’. Issue 02, eLearning Newsletter, CVL, UDSM • Cole, J. and Foster, H. (2008). 2nd Ed, Using Moodle: Teaching with the Popular Open Source Course

Management System. O’Reilly Community Press, CA 95472• Farley, H., Janke, D., Murphy, A. & Fowler, J. (2012) Using Portable Moodle and eReaders to Enhance Learning at

a Distance for Incarcerated Offenders. Available online at goo.gl/BclTv5• Graf, S. and List, B (2005). An Evaluation of Open Source E-Learning platforms Stressing Adaptation Issues,

Proceedings of ICALT 2005. Fifth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, 5-8 July 2005, pp. 163 – 165.

• Jolongo – offline Moodle client. Available online at http://www.jolongo.net/ • MAF Learning Technologies (2012) Poodle: A Portable Moodle Solution. Available:

http://www.maflt.org/products/poodle • Moodle.org (2013) Offline Moodle. Available online at http://docs.moodle.org/dev/Offline_Moodle • Open University UK (2012) Offline Moodle Project Development Centre. Available

http://hawk.aos.ecu.edu/mobilemoodle/v0.5/index.html• Sclater, Niall (2008). Enhancing Moodle to meet the needs of 200,000 distance learners. In: Silesian Moodle

Moot, 30-31 Oct 2008, Technical University of Ostrava, Celadnzech Republic.• Ssekakubo, G, Suleman, H and Marsden, G. (2011). Issues of Adoption: Have E-Learning Management Systems

Fulfilled their Potential in Developing Countries? SAICSIT 2011, October 3–5, 2011, Cape Town, South Africa.• TESC (2012). Thomas Edison State College, About FlashTrack. Available:

http://www.tesc.edu/academics/catalog/FlashTrack.cfm• Ward, B and Clark, J (2010). Poodle: Portable Moodle for Offline Delivery of Content. Available:

http://www.maflt.org/news/watch-recorded-presentation-about-poodle-maf-lts-solution-using-moodle-courses-without-internet

Thank You!Questions?

Brenda Mallinson brendam@saide.org.za

Slideshare - http://www.slideshare.net/brenda6

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.