LMS Moodle Proposal
1
RUNNING HEAD: LMS MOODLE PROPOSAL
Learning Management System Proposal: Moodle
Ryan McKeown
ETEC 565
Dr. John P. Egan
University of British Columbia
June 10th 2011
LMS Moodle Proposal
2
Dear xxxx xxxxxx, Superintendent of Education:
In the last 10 years, there has been a troubling rate of course failure/dropping from the academic
(university) level math in grade nine to applied (college) level math at our two Catholic high
schools. Student service teachers, the departments of math and grade eight teachers are
overwhelmed and frustrated and are looking for a solution. The entering grade nine level
students who cannot handle the content load of the grade nine academic math curriculum are
causing a reshuffling of teaching and school resources as students drop down a level or ask to retake the math credit again in the second term. As there is no entrance test/exam, a large
percentage of students in grade eight just select that level due to parent and peer pressure.
Our goal and vision
1) The first goal is to create a voluntary online Moodle e-learning environment where any grade
eight student (along with parents) can gauge their mathematical abilities against that of the grade
nine academic math curriculum.
2) The second goal is to provide a Moodle e-learning site for students entering grade nine
academic math with bridging lessons that can be accomplished over the summer months.
Rational
Using this Moodle e-learning tool, grade eight students (and their parents) should be more keenly
aware of their abilities and competencies in relation to the rigors of the program. While only
voluntary, it is hoped that this Moodle platform will take some of the pressure off of staff and
resource shuffling at the grade nine level for the two high schools. Bridging lessons, broken into
unit modules, would better prepare those students who do chose academic math. With the help of
LMS Moodle Proposal
3
this platform, students will be able to reach the sources they seek, they can look for new
knowledge building via network(ing) and teachers can observe the activities of the students.
(Yaman, 2010). The universality of this site is that it works in direct correlation with the Ontario
Ministry of Education’s goal of lowering student drop-out rates. As stated by OME, “...we know,
for instance, that if students fall significantly behind in the number of credits they earn, they are
more "at risk" of dropping out.”
Why Moodle as a Solution
Moodle can act as Learning Management System (LMS), Course Management System (CMS) or
Virtual Learning Environments (VLE). In the situation we are facing, Moodle can serve as an
excellent place to begin because of its simplicity, user access and cost. It operates as Open
Source Software (OSS), meaning it is free to use. It requires no licensing fees or purchasing
keys. Other LMS/CMS/VLE providers such as Blackboard (WebCT), Pearson LearningStudio,
and Desire2Learn, all require you to purchase licensing, either by amount of courses or by
number of students using the software. As we have a fairly small potential audience and a
relatively straightforward objective, we should make us of an OSS such as Moodle.
Moodle was chosen as the best choice solution using Bates and Pools (2003) SECTIONS
framework. SECTIONS stands for Students, Ease, Cost, Teaching/Learning, Interactivity,
Organization Issues, Novelty and Speed.
Students
Grade eight students, ages 13-14, which have a relatively high computer fluency
rate. Most students already engage in online communities such as Facebook,
Twitter or blogging sites. Some have engaged in online lessons through Google
documents at school or have even completed their Canadian Boating licence
online. All this exposure should make the Moodle site a valued asset to student
success. As Ugur, Akkoyunlu and Kurbanoglu (2008) note, it can be seen that
generally the students perceive blended learning (as) flexible and student
oriented.
LMS Moodle Proposal
4
Ease
Students and teachers should feel fairly comfortable using this platform. To the
benefit of the teacher(s), as Perkins and Pfaffman (2006) note, the interface
should be familiar to anyone who has taken a college course in the past five years.
For students, it would be a lateral move from the technologies they make use of
on a daily basis.
Cost
For the school system, there is no direct purchasing or licensing costs. Costs
would be associated with maintaining the Moodle software on the school’s web
server as well as possibly employing a moderator or making use of one of the
board’s technology coaches.
Teaching/
A benefit of online learning is the ability to review discussions and lectures
Learning
multiple times, thus increasing the student’s ability to achieve course goals
(Bedard & Knox-Pipes, 2006). The Moodle environment provides the precise
abilities needed for our situation. Stepped quizzes or evaluations can be supported
by learning guides. These guides can also be used as bridging material, reviewed
over and over again.
Interactivity Our students who use this tool/site, can experience a wide range of interactivity
greater than their math textbook. As Martín-Blas and Serrano-Fernánde (2009)
point out, “from the didactic point of view, the usage of multimedia tools to
create attractive activities makes the learning process friendlier for students.”
Organization The Moodle site would help to bring the two teaching panels closer together.
Issues
More so, it should synchronize learning objectives for each of the two groups.
Novelty
While the LMS/CMS medium itself is not very novel, the use of this software, for
this specific purpose, may led to best practice usage amongst other school boards
in the province.
Speed
By using Moodle, a functional site can be up and running in the time it takes to
create the learning and evaluation material. Installation of Moodle is
straightforward as is the changing of content.
Conclusion
The implementation of a Moodle e-learning site/tool could only enhance the success rates of
grade eight and high school students. It would be a cost effective tool that could be implemented
with little oversight. It also presents scalability for future usage, such as bridging activities within
the K to 12 grades. While this tool will not alleviate 100% of the issues regarding the grade nine
academic math stream, it will provide a valuable resource to the grade eight students and their
parents – key stakeholders in high school graduation rates.
LMS Moodle Proposal
5
References
Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for Selecting and Using Technology.
In Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success.
pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers.
Bedard, S. and Knox-Pipes, B. (2006). Online Distance Learning: The K-12 Student's
Perspective. [Article] Distance Learning 3(4), 13-19.
Martin-Blas, T. and Serrano-Fernández, A. (2009). The role of new technologies in the learning
process: Moodle as a teaching tool in Physics. [Article] Computer & Education 52(1),
35-44.
Moodle About (n.d.). What is moodle? Retrieved June 8, 2011, from http://moodle.org/about/
Ontario Ministry of Education. (1994). For the Love of Learning : Making it Happen. Retrieved
June 8, 2011, from:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/abcs/rcom/full/volume4/chapter16.html
Perkins, M. and Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom
Communication. [Article] Science Teacher 73(4), 33-37.
Ugur, B., Akkoyunlu, B, and Kurbanoglu, S. (2011). Students’ opinions on blended learning and
its implementation in terms of their learning styles. [Article] Education and Information
Technologies 16(1), 5-23.
Yaman, S. (2010). Technology Supported Learning Platform : Moodle Integrated Academic
Course. [Article] Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 11(2), 146-160.