Participating colleges interested in open-source collaboration and learning management systems can enroll in our managed Moodle services--designed for smaller colleges and universities and the non-profit organizations that serve them--at a level appropriate to their needs. Campuses can use our services to test-drive Moodle, provide integrated support for campus courses, or foster inter-institutional collaboration with off-campus partners. Find out more below, or go directly to the online enrollment form for our three levels of Moodle Services.
Why learning/course management systems?
Using the right learning and course management system, faculty members can quickly and easily create flexible online learning environments for their students to encourage and nurture on-going learning and interaction. Faculty members can use these shared online environments to
- foster and guide peer-to-peer discussion on defined topics;
- support and monitor collaborative group projects or peer-review activities;
- accommodate their students' different learning styles and preferences--or challenge students to step out of their learning-based comfort zones;
- promote reflection on the learning process;
- safely and accessibly distribute course content to supplement face-to-face learning;
- gather and review assignments, conduct surveys, and give quizzes;
- make more effective use of limited face-to-face time with students by moving selected course elements online.
Likewise, students can
- retrieve and review course materials such as syllabi, articles, images, and lecture notes while studying at home, in the library, or any other place with online access;
- participate in discussions with fellow students;
- ask questions of the professor in a shared environment that allows everyone to learn from both question and response;
- review grades and feedback from the faculty member on assignments and tests.
In short, learning and course management systems enable faculty members to create an always-available, shared space that they and their students can access asynchronously and as needed to share, interact, and learn.
What does Moodle offer?
Moodle is an Open Source course management system centered around learners' needs and designed to support collaborative approaches to teaching and learning. Philosophically based on social constructionist pedagogy, Moodle has been and continues to be developed on a grassroots level, with new versions regularly released to the user community. Moodle offers users a rich interface, context-specific help buttons, and a wide variety of tools (such as discussion forums, wikis, chat, surveys, quizzes, glossaries, journals, gradebooks, and more) that allow them to learn and collaborate in a truly interactive space.
What services are available?
- Basic Moodle Service: access for up to 100 users and 10 courses within a shared, hosted instance of Moodle. Currently included with participation in the NITLE Network. Includes server and application maintenance.
- Moodle Campus Service: access for up to 250, 500, 1000, 1500, or 2000 users within a standardized, hosted instance of Moodle dedicated strictly to the enrolled campus. Standard updates and other service changes occur on a pre-determined schedule. Includes server and application maintenance.
- Moodle Premium Service: access for up to 5000 users within a customizable, hosted instance of Moodle dedicated strictly to the enrolled campus. Includes server and application maintenance. The enrolled campus can fully control configuration and other aspects of the application. A set-up fee for custom configuration applies. Customization and code changes are available via consultation with NITLE.
- Authentication Services: enrolled campus can choose either LDAP binding or Shibboleth binding
- Consulting Services: technical consultation on Moodle, available to any participating college regardless of enrollment in NITLE's Moodle Services. Campuses can use these consulting services for projects involving the transfer of legacy data, research, general problem-solving. Consultation on custom coding available to Premium Service enrollees only.
What must the enrolled campus provide?
Campuses enrolled in NITLE Moodle Services must provide:
- A campus Moodle Coordinator. The coordinator serves as the local resource for service-related questions, communicates with NITLE about the service, and acts as campus coach.
- A campus technical contact. When important information of a technical nature must be communicated to campuses enrolled in the service, NITLE will contact the technical contact.
Is training available?
Yes. NITLE offers four training/professional development options open to all participating colleges regardless of enrollment in NITLE Moodle Services.
- Regular Moodle User Community Meetings, which faculty and staff members from participating colleges use to share knowledge and experiences, learn from one another, and identify areas for on-going collaboration. This peer-support network enables campuses to share best practices in pedagogy; exchange information about technical and support issues; avoid duplication of effort; and collaborate to develop better solutions. See our program calendar for a complete listing of face-to-face and virtual meetings.
- Our online workshop, "Explore Moodle," which is delivered online via Multipoint Interactive Videoconferencing (MIV). See our program calendar for scheduled instances.
- "Teaching with Learning Management Systems: Moodle," available upon request. (Find out more about our Workshops-to-Go program.)
- The Moodle Exchange, a web-based collaboration site that allows Moodlers to engage in peer-to-peer exchange about Moodle and work together to build a user community particularly focused on the common needs and interests of smaller colleges and universities. The site supports active peer-to-peer collaboration on coding, modules and functionality, documentation and training, and forums for technical support and best practices. Any participating college may use this password-protected site by contacting Karen Lee Davis for the enrollment key.
How was the service developed?
NITLE developed these different levels of Moodle services in collaboration with its participating colleges via the Moodle Pilot Project and on-going conversation with participants about L/CMS, Moodle, and the specific needs of smaller colleges and universities. NITLE thanks the Moodle User Community generally, and particularly thanks Earlham College, Franklin College Switzerland, Millsaps College, and the University of Redlands, whose early participation in the Moodle Pilot Project enabled NITLE to identify the best approach to delivering Moodle to participating colleges as a managed service. These institutions worked with NITLE to test and experiment with Moodle and explore the potential of collective access to open-source LMS implementations, providing important feedback to NITLE about developing a production-level managed Moodle service.
Whom should I contact with questions?
To enroll in or ask questions about our Moodle services or to share your ideas for other similar services that would be useful to your campus, please contact Karen Lee Davis.