Archive for the ‘Moodle’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Cost Cutting with Moodle

Posted by Joel Kerr on 22 Oct
comments

Wednesday saw the announcement of the Coalition Government’s Spending Review, which will affect public spending and education budgets for the next four years.

The good news for schools in England is their budget is set to rise from £35bn to £39bn however they are likely to be affected by the significant cuts to local authorities. Universities have been affected the worst, facing a 40% cut to teaching budgets; post-18 further education didn’t go unscathed, taking a 25% hit.

Saving money with eLearning

In my last blog post I looked at how top universities were using elearning to generate revenue.  Now I would like to take a look at the money saving potential offered by elearning.

You will only have to visit London’s BETT show in January to see that education technology is big news and big money, but that doesn’t have to mean more budget.  As a matter of fact it means quite the opposite.

eLearning offers a number of money saving opportunities for both education and business organisations.  For businesses in today’s credit crunch society training is still a must, as are budget cuts.  eLearning can facilitate both, directly offering significant savings in travel costs and indirectly saving money by reducing the time staff are away from the office.

Ernst and Young provide a good example of the potential savings on offer.  The company cut training costs 35% while improving consistency and scalability.  They condensed about 2,900 hours of classroom training into 700 hours of web-based learning, 200 hours of distance learning and 500 hours of classroom instruction, a cut of 52% (Brandon, 2000)

eLearning can also offers savings on delivery costs, removing the need for classrooms, additional trainer costs and the cost of offline resources.

In a previous blog post I referenced Sawtry Community College’s aims to save up to 20% of the school’s budget over the next year, basing the bulk of their savings on technology.  An example of saving on resources come from their science department, who saved £1000 a quarter on paper, laser cartridges and running costs by scanning resources into their VLE rather than laser printing and photocopying.

Open Source Software

eLearning software comes in all shapes and sizes.  There is the option to buy the software (e.g. Microsoft) or download the Open Source equivalent (e.g. OpenOffice) for free.  Open Source Software, the free version, is readily available and covers almost every requirement in the national curriculum so it is not necessary to buy any software at all.

There is a myth that if it doesn’t cost anything then it isn’t worth anything.  Open Source Software is capable of doing everything commercial software does and comes without the annual license fee, meaning huge savings.

In Becta’s 2005 report on Open Source Software in Schools, a comprehensive study of the spectrum of use and related ICT infrastructure costs, it was discovered that OSS schools made a saving of 24% – 44% compared to non-OSS schools.

The report also found that the cost of support in OSS schools were generally around 50-60% of the equivalent non-OSS support costs.  A quote from one of the school’s involved in the study (although the specific person is not referenced):

“If I moved anywhere else […] I’d implement OSS because the financial savings are considerable and this releases more resources to tackle successful implementation.”

As an additional benefit, because OSS is free to download there is no vendor lock-in leaving you free to shop around for the best value.

Moodle

Moodle is an example of Open Source eLearning Software and fast becoming the Virtual Learning Environment of choice for educators around the world.  As such it comes with all the benefits of the best commercial equivalents but without the added cost of the annual license fee.  This can equate to significant savings in tight budgets.

In a previous blog post I referenced the University of North Carolina’s study into the best VLE for them.  At the time they where using Blackboard, but found,

“the University would realise a cost savings of 52% in year 2011-2012 by switching to Moodle as the standard University Learning Management System.”

Another example of Moodle‘s cost saving potential is offered by Marc Blake, Network Manager at Highworth Grammar School, speaking to the BBC in 2009:

“For our school to upgrade to Office 2007 it will cost around £27,000 as a one-off cost, but that doesn’t include the cost of re-training and updating all the associated worksheets and teaching material

“To get the equivalent of Moodle for our 1200 students would have cost in excess of £3,000 per year.  You don’t get the professional support, but if you’re willing to take that on, it’s great money saving,”

Moodle provides all the cost-saving potential that comes with elearning, and as an Open Source Software it comes with all the benefits of commercial software but without the additional fees.  With cost-cutting at the forefront of every organisation’s agenda Moodle has proved time and again to offer real savings to Schools, Universities, Businesses, Private Training Organisations of all sizes.

For more information on our Moodle services click on one of the following links Moodle Hosting, Moodle Training, Moodle Support, Moodle Themes and Moodle Development or email joel.kerr@synergy-learning.com.

Join our network

Share this link

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine


Add a comment
 

eLearning, Moodle and the University Cuts

Posted by Joel Kerr on 15 Oct
comments

All eyes will be on the government this Wednesday (20th October)  as they announce the results of their spending review, which will lay out public spending plans for the next four years.

The spending review follows on from Lord Browne of Madingley’s Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance. Lord Browne proposes lifting the cap on fees, allowing universities to charge £6,000 to £7,000 annually for degrees, in some cases even more.

Lord Browne also proposes the government withdraws from funding teaching in universities, again shifting the burden to students who will contribute once they have graduated.

The Consequences

If Lord Browne’s proposals are acknowledged in the government’s spending plans, it will have a huge effect on higher education.

The most obvious and immediate result will be the increased financial burden on students. Leaving university with a potential £21k debt (and that’s before factoring in the cost of living) at a time when the benefit of having a degree isn’t altogether evident will be a daunting perspective for any young person.

The changes will also have a knock-on effect on how universities are run and business models will have to be reviewed. Observers predict the closure of universities that struggle to justify the higher tuition fees, as well as the introduction of the 2 year degree. Universities will merge and private universities will emerge. Students will stay closer to home to keep higher education ‘affordable’ and university degrees will be led by student demand.

eLearning

eLearning already plays an important role in universities. It is used to increase the quality of courses, enable courses to be delivered more efficiently and provides the opportunity to teach new groups of students in more flexible ways.

The reduction of government funding and the lifting of the cap on fees will result in costs that will price a number of students out of a university education.  Access will be less about academic ability and more about the ability to pay.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if instead of raising fees to re-coup the losses, universities examined a more innovative use of current technology. In light of the new soft-capped fees, online learning in UK institutions are likely to become an increasingly attractive option for overseas students and offer solutions for people wanting flexible arrangements that allow them to combine work and study.

Top universities are already making use of online degrees to generate revenue. When faced with budget cuts of $800 million the California system’s board of regents were forced to look at new income streams and as a result the University of California, Berkeley aim to be the first top-tier research institution in the US to offer fully online undergraduate degrees.

Closer to home, Durham University generate revenue by using elearning to teach PhD students in Asia and the University of Liverpool have linked themselves with Laureate Education to deliver Online Degrees.

This does not have to mean a compromise on the quality of the courses offered. Dame Lynne Brindley, the head of the UK’s Online Learning Task Force, believes the idea that online learning as a ‘poor substitute’ for campus provision is a myth. Speaking to the Times Higher Education Dame Lynne goes on to say the best examples of online learning were “not cheap alternatives” and required “deep consideration”.

Given the current recession, elearning offers a lot of potential for generating revenue as well as cost cutting. With countries like the US, France and Germany investing more public money in education to aid economic recovery the UK cannot afford to restrict the number of students eligible for university. They are the very people the countries future depends on.

Moodle (an aside)

I could not go without mentioning the added cost-saving benefits of Moodle, which offers the same as a commercial elearning environment and without the annual license fee. And Moodle is proof of the potential growth offered by online learning, growing from a bungalow in Australia to 1,000,000 users worldwide.

Join our network

Share this link

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine


Add a comment
 

New Moodle and Mahara Hosting Platform

Posted by Joel Kerr on 07 Oct
comments

Synergy Learnings Senior Network Engineer, Peter Hinds, has been locked away in his office for the last few weeks, tirelessly building our new hosting platform.

Synergy Learning host Moodle and Mahara sites for a number of clients, from individual trainers to large universities and organisations. I managed to catch up with Peter to find out what he was up to and what benefits it will offer.

Hello Peter, could you tell us a bit about the hosting platform you are building?


Yes, it is a fully resilient platform comprised of hardware manufactured by industry leading vendors. The application tier, which resides on the hardware, allows us to assume full control of all services.

The advantage of building from scratch is that it has allowed us to standardise our operating system and installed packages, which will lead to a quicker diagnostic process and further optimisation for Moodle and Mahara hosting.

As a Senior Network Engineer creating a new hosting platform must be right up your street. What do you enjoy most about a job like this?

It really is, I’m not just saying that either!

I enjoy working with the latest technology and adapting it to best suit our needs. I take great satisfaction in the planning and implementation of the project. On a day-to-day basis working with Linux servers and Cisco brand network devices is excellent.

What are the benefits of the new hosting platform compared to the current?

The primary benefit is that the platform is engineered to be resilient from top to bottom. Every network device is redundant and every server is multi-homed in to the appropriate switches. Our firewalls run in a High Availability (HA) configuration with stateful fail-over, meaning should one firewall drop offline the other will maintain sessions without any noticeable switchover.

We already monitor our current platform 24*7 but improvements on the new platform will allow for even finer tuned monitoring.

Security is arguably the most important aspect of any network and on the new platform we have a really robust solution in place using the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA’s). Our data centre also has ISO270001 accreditation, 24*7 physical security, redundant power supplies backed by diesel generators, strict environmental controls and fire suppression.

What differences will our customers notice?

Our high standard of service will be maintained when clients are migrated to the new platform however the new platform does have unique benefits.

One of particular interest is the ability to adjust server specs as required. For example, if it’s a particularly busy time of year for the client they could increase the CPU and RAM available to their server which would allow them to ensure the smooth running of their moodle application under heavier load than usual.

Increasing storage space will also be very straight forward which means the flexibility of our packages can be adjusted and refined to a particular clients needs.

Will there be a crossover period between the two systems that will impact upon the operations of our clients Moodle sites?

There will be a period of crossover but thankfully not one that will impact upon the operation of our clients Moodle sites. Each client will be contacted in due course and provided with details of when their site will be migrated and any actions they may have to undertake. The migration process is very straight forward and isn’t any cause for concern.

Peter is hoping to have the new system up and running by November, keep posted to the blog for more information. For more information on Synergy Learning’s hosting packages visit Hosting with Synergy Learning.

Join our network

Share this link

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine


Add a comment
 

The Moodle Philosophy

Posted by Joel Kerr on 01 Oct
comments

It is often said that Moodle is designed with pedagogy in mind. The developers are very transparent about the philosophy they use when making decisions about the direction of Moodle, a philosophy that focuses on what is best for the learner.

The design and development of Moodle is guided by a “Social Constructionist Pedagogy”, which can be explained in terms of four main related concepts: constructivism, constructionism, social constructivism, and connected and separate.


1) Constructivism

The constructivism theory supports a constructive form of learning – by reflecting on our experiences, we construct our own understanding. According to Moodle.org’s interpretation,

“Everything you read, see, hear, feel, and touch is tested against your prior knowledge and if it is viable within your mental world it may form new knowledge. That knowledge is strengthened if you can use it successfully in your wider environment.”

We generate our own rules that we use to make sense of our experiences. Learning, therefore, is simply a matter of adjusting our thought process to accommodate new experiences.


2) Constructionism

Constructionism is a theory that supports learning as being most effective when people construct something for others to experience, for example I am learning the Moodle philosophy by constructing this blog post.

Moodle.org:

“You might read this page several times and still forget it by tomorrow – but if you were to try and explain these ideas to someone else in your own words, or produce a slideshow that explained these concepts, then it’s very likely you’d have a better understanding that is more integrated into your own ideas.”


3) Social Constructivism

The social constructivism theory applies the constructivism theory to a social setting. Members construct knowledge for one another, collaboratively creating a group culture of shared artifacts with shared meanings.

When people are immersed in a culture like this, they are constantly learning how to be a part of that culture.


4) Connected and Separate Knowing

The Connected and Separate learning theory describes two different ways that we can evaluate and learn about the things we see and hear.

Separate learners are people who learn without including feelings and emotions, trying to remain objective and factual. They rely on proven facts from reputable sources and their own direct experience. When faced with someone with a different idea the separate knowers will defend their own ideas, using logic to find holes in the ideas of their opponents. Separate learners are typically male.

Connected learners on the other hand are typically female. Their behaviour is more subjective and empathic, tending to ask questions until they feel they can understand things from another’s point of view. The connected learner, “learns by trying to share the experiences that led to the knowledge [they] find in other people.” (moodle.org)

For the purposes of productivity it would be best if everyone where able to use both ways of learning.


So that sums up the 4 main concepts of the Moodle Philosophy. As a Moodle Partner, Synergy Learning’s content developers also endeavour to follow these four principles because, quite simply, we think they make sense and they have proved successful for a number of our clients.

For more information on our content development services visit Moodle with Synergy Learning or contact Synergy Learning .

Join our network

Share this link

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine


Add a comment
 

The World of Moodle

Posted by Joel Kerr on 30 Sep
comments

I came across this presentation by Cecelia Foster a few months ago and was blown away by the amount of detail that was included and the simplicity of the navigation.  I stumbled across it again today by accident and was reminded why I was so impressed with it in the first place.  I have decided to put it on the blog to remind me that it is there, a must see for all Moodlers.  Thanks Cecelia

The World of Moodle on Prezi

Join our network

Share this link

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine


Add a comment
 

What makes Moodle so special?

Posted by Joel Kerr on 13 Sep
comments

I really enjoyed this short video posted on  Joseph Thibault’s youTube channel, taken at this years Moodle Moot Australia, asking the question “what makes Moodle so special?”

Any more thoughts on what makes Moodle so special?

Join our network

Share this link

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine


Add a comment
 

Moodle Case Study: The South East GP Training Programme

Posted by Joel Kerr on 07 Sep
comments

Introduction

The South East Training Programme for General Practice, based in the city of Waterford, was established in 1991 to prepare doctors for working in General Practice. In February 2009 the Programme commenced online training with the view to enhancing the onsite training.

After a review of course management systems in use by universities and businesses, it was decided Moodle offered the best solutions.  According to the research carried out by the South East GPTP(1), some of the benefits of Moodle included the ability to:

  1. Create a course for GP trainees and control access to the course
  2. Lay out the topics for a term and upload aims and objectives, documents, presentations, web links and multimedia
  3. Engage in discussion forums with teachers and learners
  4. Set and review assignments and receive submissions

Synergy Learning worked closely with the South East GPTP to implement the new Moodle site providing Moodle Hosting, Support and Training.

Results

Questionnaires carried out by the South East GPTP found trainee’s experience of Moodle was overwhelmingly positive:

  1. 84% of respondents believed that Moodle had brought positive changes to the training programme
  2. 95% respondents would recommend Moodle to colleagues in other GP training programmes

Respondents were asked to comment on their experience of Moodle.  In all, 95% of respondents made comments.  The most frequent topics raised in the comments were:

“ Easy to use, great communication tool, allows wide sharing of information and cuts down on paper waste.”

“Topics posted in plenty of time prior to meetings which allows for better preparation and planning.  Better follow-up by particiapants in topics raised as documents can be uploaded within the week.”

“Immediacy of contact, promptness of reply and all the information in one place.”

“Has fitted in well with the running of meetings and also useful as a study tool”

“It has resulted in better communication between trainees and programme directors and facilitated better planning of day release.  It has also made it easier to communicate with the programme administrator”

“Very positive, all GP training schemes should have one.  Has facilitated communication and information-sharing, I think it has been of enormous benefit”

Conclusion

In conclusion, the authors of the Research Article comment:

“Moodle is easy to use [and] the online learning environment was rapidly adopted and maintained to facilitate teaching and learning.

“Moodle has been successfully implemented in the South East GPTP.  The course management system has received widespread acceptance and participation from trainees, programme directors and trainers.

“Moodle repays the time and effort made by all parties in making it work.  The members of the South East GPTP recommend the use of Moodle to augment general practice training.”

(The South East General Practice Training Programme is funded by the Health Service Executive.)

(1) O’Mahony, B. Rouse, M. Drennan, P. Farrel, J. Dowling, S. Brennan, D. (2009) ‘Training programme gets ‘in the Moodle’’ Forum, Journal of the Irish College of General Practitioners December. p33 – 34.

Join our network

Share this link

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine


Add a comment
 

Moodle Themes from Synergy Learning

Posted by Joel Kerr on 01 Sep
comments

I’ve finally managed to drag Caroline Kennedy, our Multi-Media Designer (and recent winner of the Moodle 2.0 Theme Design Contest), away from her computer to talk us through designing Moodle Themes, her experiences of Moodle 2.0, and her time at Synergy Learning…

Congratulations on your success in the Moodle 2.0 Themes Contest. You must be pleased?

Yes I’m delighted and really excited to see the theme in the Moodle 2.0 core. It has been a huge learning curve for me over a short period of time and a great opportunity to get to grips with Moodle 2.0.

How long have you been working with Synergy Learning?

I am pleased to say I have been working at Synergy Learning since September 2007. This excludes my time here for placement during my University years.

As a Multimedia Designer at Synergy Learning, I am responsible for creating engaging and interactive eLearning content that will make your virtual learning environment unique to you.

Synergy Learning is a leading Moodle and Mahara partner in the UK and the only Moodle Partner offering full service solutions, therefore, I play a huge role in the design and development of themes for these eLearning platforms. I am also very much involved in any multimedia/web-based design that goes on here at the studio.

What makes Synergy Learning themes different?

Apart from having years of experience and a specialist team of designers and developers, we also offer a personal touch to each and every theme. We work very closely with our clients, to produce a theme that is right for them in design and functionality, whatever their budget.

We love a challenge and also have the expertise to fully customise a theme to give the client exactly what they need. With Synergy Learning you can achieve a theme, which is slick and professional, showcasing your learning environment.

What process do you go through when designing a Moodle Theme?

This will vary slightly depending on which of the 3 Moodle Theme packages the client purchases.

The Bronze theme package, allows the client to choose one of our template designs and personalize it with their logo and a colour scheme.

The Silver theme package allows me to design a complete Moodle makeover based on the client’s logo and any visual identity guidelines they may have in place.

The Gold theme package allows the client to experiment more with their Moodle environment and incorporate customized functionality in order to achieve more of a website style look and feel.

I would work closely with the client to make sure I understand their requirements and start a process of ‘Moodle-boarding’ and feedback, which leads to a professionally designed Moodle theme.

What do you think makes a good Moodle Theme?

Moodle is Open Source, the functionality is there and continually being improved, so for me a good Moodle Theme is one that makes excellent use of the features Moodle has to offer but at the same time, comes with a strong design concept.

A lot of the core themes are pretty standard in terms of design, so to be able to build upon what is there and give it an edge, is very important.

What challenges did Moodle 2.0 present?

Moodle 2.0 came with a huge number of core changes to the platform. Getting to grips with the new layout structure was possibly the most challenging. However, these changes have created greater flexibility in terms of skinning a theme.

Any tips for Moodle Themers out there?

Have patience! It is not always easy to work with someone else’s code. Think outside the box… almost anything is possible when it comes to themeing for Moodle.

To view the winning Moodle 2.0 ‘Splash’ Theme click here.

For more information on Synergy Learning’s Moodle Theme Services click here or email info@synergy-learning.com.

Join our network

Share this link

Add to FacebookAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Yahoo BuzzAdd to Newsvine


Add a comment
 

Moving to Moodle | Northwestern State University

Posted by Joel Kerr on 09 Aug
comments

I read an article recently about Northwestern State University’s move from Blackboard to Moodle and thought it did a good job of highlighting some of the reasons Moodle is fast becoming the VLE of choice for educators around the world.

I have picked out a few key quotes for those of you who are reading on the go.  To read the full article click here.

“We wanted a course management system that was more flexible and could be customised to meet our needs”

“One major advantage of Moodle is it’s compatibility with mobile devices. The interface has a different look and feel, but it is very user friendly”

“Students will be able to walk around campus and access hot spots to listen to podcasts of lectures, check assignments and take part in class discussions”

“Using Moodle will eliminate some software licensing fees”

“Faculty will be able to record all or part of lectures and make them available for students to download and view”

NSU are introducing Moodle over a transitional period, running it simultaneously with Blackboard for a 12 month period.  Previously Moodle has been piloted in classes for a year, and the Faculty has undergone training to learn about the software’s features.

For more information on Synergy Learning’s Moodle services, including Training and Content Development visit www.synergy-learning.com/moodle


Add a comment
 
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »