Development of Web – based Cources on Informatics via Open

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International Conference on Computer Systems and Technologies – CompSysTech’2003
Development of a Web – based Course on Informatics via Open-source
Software Package MOODLE
Lina Yordanova, Georgi Boychev, Yanka Tsvetanova, Vania Hrisuleva, Gabriela Kiryakova
Abstract: The current study discusses the implementation of an Open-source Learning Management
System platform MOODLE for establishment of Web-based course on Communication and Information
Systems subjects. Our shared experience about searching, choosing, installation and implementation of an
Open Source platform is a good example for starting with e-Learning development as the used strategy led
to success. Future work could be encouraging and training students to use the designed and created course.
Key words: e-Learning, Open-source, LMS platform, Web-based course.
INTRODUCTION
When a teachers’ team is going to develop a Web-based course for the first time,
many questions arise concerning the evaluation and a choice of a Learning Management
Systems (LMS) platform that can be adopted easily and quickly in order to benefit all
advantage of distance learning. Obviously the commercial e-learning products are generic
solutions, which can be implemented usually without conflicting with current systems.
Nevertheless the developers of LMS are motivated to build their own platforms because of
many disadvantages of existing software platforms [2, 3].
In our days another approach to start with creation of a Web-based learning system
could be attempt to implement a tool that is an Open Source or free software, to join to the
developer team and to speed in this way the whole process of establishing LMS. The aim
of the current study is to evaluate whether this approach is workable in case of building a
LMS for Communication and Information Systems (CIS), a subject studied in Agriculture
Faculty, Trakia University by students in the fourth degree of Agricultural Economics
bachelor course. The current work is a part of establishment of the Virtual Computer
Laboratory “John Atanasoff”.
OPEN-SOURCE LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
In general the usage of Open-source software is considered as speeding the process
of developing of systems from different kind and increasing the productivity of scientific
investigations. Customizable and free, Open-source is becoming serious competition to
the commercial Learning Management Systems (LMS) vendors. The advantage of Opensource solutions goes beyond cost savings. Learning Management requires a degree of
customization and having access to the source code developers can make appropriate
changes in the source code to adopt it to their needs.
Recent year indicates a remarkable degree in the development of Learning
Management systems platforms. Many studies pay attention to evaluating of available
platform and describe the systems themselves as well as their advantages and
disadvantages as developing environments [1, 3, 4]. The most reasonable seems to be
comparison of the platforms according to the e-Learning models, services necessary for
efficient training [1]. The access to the LMS platform source code could be also a base for
comparing them. There are many open-source packages that can be used for creating
Web-based courses like Fle3, .LRN and MOODLE discussed in [4] competing with
commercial wide disseminated platforms like Blackboard, Intralearn, Docent, Ecollege,
WebCT etc [1, 3, 4]. The LMS platforms usually support the creation, storage and
presentation of learning materials in a structured way. Some of them also include usage of
statistics for the system as a whole that is useful for evaluation of course effectiveness.
The current study started with a choice of one of the next Open Source platforms
described by Keenoy [4]:
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International Conference on Computer Systems and Technologies – CompSysTech’2003
Future Learning Environment (Fle3). Fle3 is a server software for computer
supported collaborative learning and supports learner and group centered work. This LMS
encourages learning through debate and collaboration with tools that allow
communication, discussion and debate among the members of the learning group.
Teachers give a few starting objects and topics for discussion, and learners develop the
workspace.
.LRN. Based on a modular architecture LMS combines a variety of technologies.
Users are registered with the classic login system. There are many types of resource
material, which are currently divided into three main categories - Interest Groups, Forums
and News. One of the interesting characteristics of the .LRN is its flexibility in
personalization of the environment - teachers and students are able to change almost any
settings that concern their account.
Modular Object–Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (MOODLE). MOODLE is
a software package for creating internet-based courses and web sites. This LMS platform
is built in PHP and supports many types of database management systems like Mysql,
Postgresql etc. Each student or teacher has only one account for the whole system and
each account can have different access rights. Teachers of a course have full control over
the course content. Three course formats are available and a wide array of possible
course activities. MOODLE does support event notification in the form of PHP script that
runs periodically according to teacher choice.
IMPLEMENTATION
For reaching an answer weather to buy or build LMS for implementing e-learning
Laura Fransis and Randy Emelo offer a useful approach [2]. Taking such decision goes
trough an algorithm that clearly have showed us that we need to customize an existing
product because there are less than 500 users in our future system, we are teaching our
students to proprietary business skills. Customizing requires fewer resources and a
smaller degree of commitment than starting from scratch.
The choice of MOODLE
The third of the LMS platforms shortly described above, MOODLE was our choice
and subject of interest. The attractive features of consideration were:
According to the full description this platform allows to be adapted for many
operating systems (Windows, Linux, Sun and UNIX) and software environment (Mysql,
Postgresql, MS-SQL Server, Oracle and Access).
MOODLE can be installed at an institutional server and allows establishment and
maintaining of courses from different categories kept in a catalog at a portal page. This
way can be covered wide area of subjects and topics.
MOODLE supports more services than others concerning course activities. The
teacher arranges the activity modules in order the students will use them. The order is
flexible and editing is possible in any time. The available modules are: Assignment,
Choice, Forum, Journal, Resource, Quiz and Survey that answer the needs of our course
project.
Available course formats (Weekly, Topics and Social) give the templates for
course setting, which facilitates the teacher design work.
There are opportunities for uploading files of various formats that allow usage of
materials from previous ordinary courses and easy extension of existing courses. Link to
the web directory that contains the files could be given also.
MOODLE supports many languages with opportunity to add extra ones. Originally
Bulgarian language is not available but the text in course activities appears correctly in
Cyrillic. Only some menus in the home page and page for setting courses come in Latin.
Installation and setting
Installation of MOODLE was performed in Windows, at Relation Database
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International Conference on Computer Systems and Technologies – CompSysTech’2003
Management System Mysql and Apache Web server. EasyPHP module makes easier the
Moodle installation process. The setting of courses was done after creating a data
directory and database, server settings and configuring the LMS. The user defined as
administrator of the system maintains the system environment on the institutional level as
well as user access and accounts via the admin page. The tutor of each course creates
and edits his course content online, and follows the events from course activities.
As MOODLE is an Open-source a partial translating of language settings to
Bulgarian has been done which can be noted in the figures. The items of main menus and
messages are implemented in Bulgarian by our team.
Learning objects. Structure of an example course
The main page of the created e-learning site is shown on Figure 1. In the main menu
could be included topics of the seventh types of modules. Only one course is developed so
far: Communication and Information Systems (CIS). It is accessible from the main page for
users identified as guests and registered users with a course key.
Figure 1. The home page of the e-learning site.
For the CIS course was implemented Topics format with the next modules: Forum,
Resource, Quiz and Assignment as shown in Figure 2. As learning objects are considered:
lectures like Resources, tests like Quiz and exercises like Assignment.
The lectures included in the course are of the type resource. Each of them can be
uploaded file of various type; text directly typed into a form (in plain or HTML format) or link
to URL. The used materials in the course follows the lecture of the corresponding subject
CIS.
Tests are of the type Quiz, which consist of multiple choice, true-false, and short
answer questions and graphical objects can be added. Tests allow some attempts and
each attempt is automatically marked. The teacher can choose whether to give feedback
or to show correct answers. Grading facilities are included.
Tasks for students are of type Assignment. Students are able to upload their files to
satisfy requirements till a pointed date. Afterwards the teacher can view each file and then
record a grade or a comment and students will receive notification via e-mail.
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International Conference on Computer Systems and Technologies – CompSysTech’2003
Forum topic includes a discussion on the Internet usage. Students should be
encouraged to fill out their user profile and to take part in discussions. This will enrich their
knowledge on the considered topics.
Additional activities would be included in the course – choice, journal, survey. The
choice could be used for quick polls or class votes considering the question of the teacher.
A survey could be predefined for evaluating and understanding the class and the student’s
attitude to the course.
Figure 2. The front page of the course on Communication and Information Systems
CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK
The following conclusions could be made:
The used strategy of implementing an Open-source LMS platform led to
successful establishment of a Web-site and creation of a Web-based course.
The less cost strategy means short time consuming and free of charge. The time
for developing is decreased and future usage and maintaining is facilitated.
The used LMS platform is flexible, platform independent and facilitating LMS
developing remarkable way. The maintaining many events and activities could make the
course very attractive for the students.
Using a platform for LMS the teacher can create online materials as well as design
the course exactly as he prefer.
Usage of a ready LMS platform allows to teacher to concentrate on the course
content and design of learning activities and knowledge assessment for students.
The course developing process should be a team project never the less a course
could have only one tutor.
The structured design of a course has to be according to the e-learning model and
training goals
Complete instructional materials and learning contents of the course will be a meter
of further work. As Bulgarian language is not among the available languages translating
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International Conference on Computer Systems and Technologies – CompSysTech’2003
the whole list of system messages could be useful for other possible users of MOODLE.
So this is one of the future tasks. The extension of the course list is planed also. The idea
for joining the developing team of MOODLE and contribute for Bulgarian version fits to the
general idea of Open-source. As an important task is considered motivating and training
students to use designed and created courses.
REFERENCES
[1] Colace, F., M. De Santo, Member, IEEE, M. Vento, Models for E-Learning
environment evaluation: a proposal, [Online]. http://www.ssgrr.it/en/ssgrr2002s
/papers/330.pdf. (Accessed April 30, 2003), 2002.
[2] Francis, L., R. Emelo, Buy Versus Build: A Battle of Needs, [Online].
http://www.learningcircuits.org/2002/jan2002/elearn.html (Accessed May 2, 2003), 2002.
[3] Hristov, Ts., St. Smrikarova, A.Vasileva, A. Smrikarov, An approach to
Development of an e-Learning Software platform, proceedings of the International
Conference on Computer Systems and Technologies (e-Learning), 2002, IV.5-1.
[4] Keenoy, K., G. Papamarkos, SeLeNe Report: Existing Learning Management
Systems and Learning Object repositories, Birkbeck College, University of London,
[Online]. Available: http://www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/~ap/projects/selene/reports
/LMS_LOR_Report_15Jan2003.pdf, (Accessed April 2, 2003). 2003.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Assist. Prof. Lina Yordanova, Department of Informatics, Mathematics and Physics,
Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Phone: +359 42 28012838, E-mail: [email protected].
Assoc. Prof. Georgi Boychev,PhD, Department of Informatics, Mathematics and
Physics, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Phone: +359 42 28012636, E-mail:
[email protected]
Assist. Prof. Yanka Tsvetanova, PhD, Department of Informatics, Mathematics and
Physics, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Phone: +359 42 28012838, E-mail: [email protected].
Assist. Prof. Vania Hrisuleva, Department of Informatics, Mathematics and Physics,
Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Phone: +359 42 28012884, E-mail: [email protected].
Assist. Prof. Gabriela Kiryakova, Department of Informatics, Mathematics and
Physics, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Phone: +359 42 28012884, E-mail:
[email protected].
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