Participants:
- Paul Tannahill,: e-Learning Systems Administrator for Linn Benton Community College in Albany, OR.
- Phil McAbee: Moodle Administrator for LA College International in Los Angeles, CA,
If you didn't have the opportunity to attend the webinar, you can view it on-demand, here.
If you have additional questions after viewing the webinar, feel free to do so in the comments below or email feedback@moodlerooms.com.
FAQs: Making the Switch
Q: Paul, can you elaborate on your "use of Moodlerooms at a higher level," compared to your previous LMS?
A: [Paul] "The vast majority of our Blackboard instance was used very simply, mostly to link to native files. There was a very limited usage of learning tools. It was mostly links to other documents or web pages. We realized that most CMS' could manage that. In contrast to content management, it was a course management system, we were missing the bigger picture. With more active usage from faculty, based on pedagogy, students could use it more effectively as a major part of their education. With Bb, there wasn't widespread adoption of it and the cost issue to upgrade was what sparked the search. When we migrated, we decided to analyze how we were using the system and improve our practices so we didn't replicate the low level quality of our previous courses.
Q: Paul, were you self-hosting Blackboard internally or were they hosting it for you? Are you self-hosting Moodle?
A: [Paul] "We were hosting Blackboard ourselves. Now, we're hosting Moodle through Moodlerooms. Without requiring a staff to run the servers, there's also a great cost savings."
Q: What's the difference between Moodle and Moodlerooms?
A: Moodle is a Web application, more specifically, a learning management system (LMS) that's used to create online courses. Created by a global community of developers and users, Moodle is open-source, meaning it can be downloaded and used or developed upon by anyone. Moodlerooms is a Moodle partner and managed services company that harnesses the capabilities of Moodle to deliver a comprehensive enterprise-level e-learning platform that can be scaled to meet the needs of any size university, school, or organization.
Q: Could Phil make his Moodle and Sakai comparison matrix available?
A: Here is a link that Phil used when he originally considered his switch to a new LMS.
Q: Phil, have you done any customization of Moodle? Any idea of the cost/time involved?
A: Phil has done quite a few customizations, and through Moodlerooms, the cost is directly related to the size and scope of the project and the time it takes to complete. Moodleroooms works very closely with customers to determine their needs and expectations of the customization process.
Q: What are the sizes of the LMS support teams at LA College International and Linn Benton Community College?
A: Linn Benton Community College's Moodle instance is run by two administrators (presenter Paul Tannahill included). On the other hand, LA College International has three support staff (in addition to presenter Phil McAbee) to help run the instance.
Q: Is there an overall cost for Moodlerooms hosting?
A: Moodlerooms hosting is priced in blocks of 500 users for one year increments. However, most Moodlerooms customers typically opt for other services based on their needs, making the yearly price differ for everyone.
Q: Could the presenters talk about how different instructional strategies are supported by Moodle?
A: [Paul] "One word, "flexibility." I've found that Moodle can accommodate just about any instructional strategy. The impression among myself and peers is that the tools in Bb, at times simply provide tools for the sake of using tools. Tools in Moodle seem to have a more specific educational intent. Designed by educators for educators. One word: flexibility.
Q: Is joule a fork from the Moodle Community code?
A: Although Moodlerooms manages all code for its customers, joule (Moodlerooms' enterprise platform) is based on the core Moodle codebase. Although Moodlerooms makes many Moodle-based features, integrations and tie-ins available exclusively via joule, it is not a fork in the code. As a Moodle partner, Moodlerooms actively supports the community by contributing 10% of its total revenue to the community annually, and with priority access to core Moodle codebase updates, seamlessly implements those updates for all customers. This way, customers have access to the most recent version of Moodle possible in addition to the added benefits of joule.
Q: Could you discuss Moodle's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other accessibility requirements?
A: The Moodle community has taken great pride in the program's compliance with ADA standards and other accessibility requirements. For more information, visit here.
Q: Could you provide more information on Moodlerooms' course conversion services?
A: For more information on course conversion services, visit here.
Q: What are Moodle Moots?
A: Moodle Moots are simply conferences held globally in which Moodle users and developers can discuss Moodle, other learning technologies and education in general.
Q: Did you allow faculty and some students to demo the various LMSs you were considering?
A: While Tannahill allowed faculty to demonstrate various LMSs at Linn Benton Community College, McAbee at LA College International was on a short time frame for migration and needed to make a quick decision on LMSs which didn't enable faculty to demo other LMSs.
Q: What is the cost of Moodlerooms? What is it based on (users, server space, type of support)?
A: Moodlerooms' services are very prescriptive and differs customer to customer. However pricing is typically based on the number of users, or, people that could possibly login and use the instance at any one time for all aspects of its platform (this includes hosting and any other of our service. For more information on our services, visit here.
Q: "We are a large University with over 26K students and are getting ready to look at various LMS systems to move away from Blackboard CE8, what do you recommend to make this a smooth transition?"
A: While Tannahill's and McAbee's institutions are remarkable different, so are their strategies of transition. Generally, however, most customers have found that the more time allowed for transition, the more favorable and smooth the transition becomes.
Also, according to Phil McAbee, dedication to change might be the most important driving factor:
"At some institutions, the LMS is the heart of the school. Whoever is going to drive that change, you have to be tough and you have to have the mentality to make it happen. It's important to remember that there will be resistance, but there needs to be a representative that can take the hit and keep everything moving once the transition starts."
Q: How much training do each of the presenters suggest?
A: Both presenters agreed that training is key to an effective transition. Although they don't recommend a set number of hours for training, knowledge of your faculty and their overall comfort level is a good way to gauge their need
Q: How important were the security of students records on a vendor-hosted LMS?
A: Both presenters agreed that student security was of the utmost concern and have had no issues with Moodlerooms.
Q: I find that in using our current LMS, our faculty can deliver their course content in a book, chapter by chapter, or linear format only. Does Moodle offer more options for different ways of organizing and delivering content?
A: Both presenters agree that one of the biggest benefits of a Moodle-based platform is the flexibility for designing courses and delivering content as desired.
Q: Was there an increase in tech support to run an open source product?
A: Both presenters agreed that migrating to Moodlerooms actually decreased the need for tech support dedicated to running their campus' LMS. Existing tech support staff was made available for care for other projects on both campuses.
Q: What factors led to the presenters choosing Moodle over Sakai?
A: While Tannahill was more pleased with the features, functionality and possibilities of Moodle, McAbee was pleased with the simplicity and ability to integrate with other learning technologies.
Q: You talked a little about integration between Moodlerooms and a student information system. Can you give more detail about that? i.e., is the SIS a separate, vendor-provided product, are there options available directly from Moodlerooms or is it more just a connector that's available to third-party SIS tools?
A: Currently, Moodlerooms does not provide standalone, in-house SIS or ERP solutions, However, Moodlerooms has created a systems integration tool called Conduit that allows administrators to quickly load critical information from an existing SIS, ERP, assessment or other learning database into joule. Conduit allows you to automate many administrative tasks, such as loading users, authenticating passwords, and uploading courses through Web services or importing/exporting CSV files.
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