Benefits of using Moodle compared to other DLEs
Open Source
Moodle is open source software which means anyone using Moodle is able to access and make changes to the coding. This then offers a large window of customisation, particularly for those with good knowledge of coding for Moodle.
Free
Along with it being open source, it's also free to download and use, so those on a budget can make good use of Moodle. It can also be good for those wanting to just get used to coding in IT as using Moodle to try new things out could be a good place to start.
Interactive
Teachers are able to create interactive elements, such as drag and drops, quizzes etc. within Captivate which can then be stored and implemented directly on Moodle. These can then help keep the user engaged in their learning longer. Feedback can also be reported on the quizzes for example; this can be very useful as teachers will be able to see where students maybe struggling and then tailor their lessons more towards this.
Store Resources
Learner notes or extra support material for example can also be uploaded onto Moodle for students to also use. This can be useful for more complex topics in which a teacher may feel they need to provide more support for their students.
Set Roles
Finally, users can all be assigned different roles, each with different permissions. For example, admins are able to see and edit everything across the site, whereas a student will only be able to see the content for the course they're enrolled onto. This is a good way of stopping people from accessing or changing things they shouldn't.
Limitations with Moodle
Moodle struggles when working with large groups of people.
When large groups of people are trying to access the same area/ resources, the system will begin to slow down, which then becomes a problem as students are then having to wait time waiting for the system to load, this is then an issue as students are losing lesson time because of the slow system.
Customisation is limited
Unless you have someone with good knowledge of coding for Moodle, then your Moodle pages are going to be rather bland and have no real design to them. This is an issue caused by Moodle being open source software and not offering customised designs/ layouts to their users. The only thing they do provide are some free plugins which can improve the look to some degree.
No Customer Support
With Moodle being open source, it doesn't offer direct customer support, for example, a phone line which you can call to have a support agent assist with any problem you maybe having, this can become a bigger issue if you have a unique or one off issue which others across their forums haven't. The Moodle support forums are also the only method of support, so their maybe some issue which their users aren't able to solve as each school/ college may have a different version/ coding of Moodle; I doubt their responses will be too fast, which for sudden/ high priority issues can be a huge issue too.
Suggested improvements to Moodle
Navigation
One suggestion I do have for improving Moodle is to make it easier to use for the first time user. When I first started using Moodle I found some things weren't immediately obvious on how to navigate or make changes. I feel that making these changes would then help those just starting out with using the system.
Design
Another suggestion I have, would be to make it easier to make changes to the design and layout of each Moodle page. At the moment, the only way this is possible is by using plugins which can change or add to the design slightly, but I don't feel these offer a whole lot.
Reliant On Teacher
How effective Moodle is heavily dependent on the tutor. A teacher with good IT knowledge will be able to use Moodle to it's potential whereas a tutor who doesn't have as much knowledge won't be able to maximise the potential of Moodle. One benefit of Moodle is that it's largely interactive, it can handle forums, ELPs and much more, but for a student to feel these benefits, the tutor first has to implement it into his lesson plans. Some teachers may only use Moodle to upload Word documents, and this isn't exactly using Moodle to it's full capacity.
More User Feedback
My final suggested improvements would be to improve the user feedback and declutter some of the course pages. Having spent a small time looking at various course pages, I noticed that there were lots of wasted blocks, such as an activity block, but it had no activity in it, there was also one for upcoming events, but again, there was no upcoming events in there, so they're all abit wasted and not needed if they're not going to be used. Instead to improve on this, I'd suggest replacing them with something more beneficial to the user, such as a progress bar, which increases as students complete work and other activities. You could also implement a badges reward system, which rewards students with various badges for completing set activities; you could further back this up by adding further activities to this, so when you complete one task, you unlock another and begin to progress through them. This gives students something to aim for, and encourages them to want to progress through their work.
Responding to problems with Moodle
Administration
One common issue we deal with from teachers is that they're not set as admins or course leaders on a course they're teaching, which doesn't give them any admin tools which they may require to upload content for all the students to access, or to access any of the reporting features for instance. This is an issue which doesn't take much time at all to fix, we simply find the course they want admin rights to, and add a permission via the admin block for them to become an admin or course leader, depending on which they request.
Password Resets
Another common issue we face is that students cannot log into their Moodle account. The majority of the time this can be fixed by resetting their password, which we can do by opening the reset password program, entering their student number which then resets the password to their date of birth.
Enrolling Onto Courses
The final issue we often face is that students aren't enrolled onto the course they're studying, this therefore means they cannot access that course page or the content on there. This is another easy fix, all we have to do is find the course they need access to, open the admin block, and enroll users and then find the student by searching for their name and give them student access permissions.
Evaluation
In summary I think digital learning environments can be and are a very useful and powerful tool and provide some great advantages, but only when used correctly. For a DLE to be effective all tutors must have a reasonable level of IT to know how to manage and run their course page, if they don't have the level of IT skills, then maybe the IT department can provide some support or training to help the teacher?
With the teacher now knowing how to use the software, they must now know how to create content for their students which doesn't consist of Word documents or PowerPoints and instead include interactive and engaging content. If teachers are insistent on using this type of content, then students aren't going to really be engaged in the content, for instance, would you read Word documents with overwhelming amounts of text? I feel the majority of people would answer no, and that's because it's repetitive, boring and not engaging, and so with no one willing to read all the text, they're not going to learn anything. If teachers are also expecting students to read Word documents, the school may as well save money and just give them text books to take home and read.
To make the content more engaging and interactive teachers have to create some interactive lesson plans. For instance, have students suggest ideas/ have a discussion on a forum, or complete some interactive drag and drop quiz on an ELP. Teachers can then see the results from the quiz and know which areas to focus on in their lessons to help their students. As this is more engaging than reading Word documents, students are more likely to read and therefore learn from the content.
However, if a digital learning environment isn't used correctly, then it can offer no benefits to the students in particular and for the most part, a waste of a potentially great resource.
On the other hand, traditional classroom based teaching also offers some advantages which a DLE does not, to begin with, tradition classroom based teaching allows for more user interaction and discussion. For instance, if everyone is having a discussion their thoughts on a particular subject, it's much easier and quicker done in a class based environment rather than on a DLE.
A DLE also lacks the personal interaction with a teacher regarding feedback to your work. When you've completed work and a teacher comes to read it, while they can leave feedback on a DLE, it's much easier done in person, where you can explain any improvements, give suggestions and most importantly, ensure the student know where and how to improve. You then know as a teacher that, that student can go away and make the changes required, whereas on a DLE the student may not understand the feedback or know how to improve, and end up changing things they didn't need to.
Another thing a DLE lacks is the instant support which classroom based learning does offer. If you're stuck on a piece of work, raise your hand and ask, but what do you do on a DLE? You could ask you teacher should your DLE have a chat function, but this is reliant on your DLE and then you'll have to wait for a reply. Getting the help and support you need is much easier done in a classroom, where you get instant support, direct from the teacher and in the end, understand the things you didn't.
In my opinion, a digital learning environment is much greater for both teachers and students compared to traditional teaching methods. I feel this way because, for me, the advantages out-way the few disadvantages. For one, with a DLE you can complete work anywhere, anytime so it gives students more freedom rather than being sat in a boring and dull classroom. It also means should any student be off ill, they can still complete work at home and they don't need any extra time to catch up.
The content on a DLE is also more up to date and recent; it's also more interactive and engaging rather than reading a book or worksheet. This should mean that more students will pay attention, understand and complete the work, which is what the main outcome of all this is.
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