Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/5394
ILTA White Paper Firm University 34 I nstructors searching for a flexible and fast and learning management system (LMS) need look no further than Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment), a robust LMS that boasts a complete array of features and functions wanted and needed by professional educators; and it's free for download. Moodle now has more than 30 million users worldwide (http://moodle. org/stats/, November 20, 2009). Moodle enables an instructor to create a course, add it to the online course catalog, schedule classes, register participants, post a lesson plan, create discussion forums, distribute e-learning materials, conduct tests and tally results. Moodle complies with any number of industry standards, such as those set by the Aviation Industry CBT (Computer-Based Training) Committee (AICC), the Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) and the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). Indeed, the power of the Moodle raises awareness that managing educational content and media can be as complicated as managing any other content in the legal industry, whether that content is documents, records or customer relationship data. The learning curve for Moodle is probably similar to that of any other professional-grade LMS. It varies by user role and which feature sets the enterprise chooses to use. As with any new system implementation, users have the most feature choices to make during the implementation stage. Accordingly it is the project leaders who need to take the most time to review user options. Once the system is in place, teachers need to learn how to post and manage their specific course content. For students, the system is intuitive and easy to use. For example, I discovered only recently that my local public school system's LMS is Moodle, and that my 10-year-old daughter is an enthusiastic user of the system, including the elective discussion boards where students enjoy extolling the virtues of their favorite books. There are a number of installation options available. By virtue of Moodle's open source license, it is redistributed freely through a number of channels, by the Moodle organization, and by VARs who bundle Moodle with professional, support and/or hosting services. Microsoft redistributes Moodle (and other OSS Windows Server applications) through the freely downloadable Web Platform Installer (http://www. microsoft.com/web). This wizard-like application bundles the appropriate combination of Web services (IIS or Apache), scripting language (ASP or PHP) and database back-end (MSSQL or MySQL), and quickly installs the Web application in minutes. To learn more about Moodle, visit the Moodle website at www.moodle.org, the Moodle professional services website at Moodle.com, the Moodle demo site at demo.moodle.com or one of the Moodle hosted- service providers such as www.moodlerooms.com. ILta mark manoukian kegLer, broWn, hiLL & ritter Learning Management Systems: The Moodle Option