Moodle available at the University of Minnesota
Moodle, the open-source course management software, is now being supported by the University of Minnesota through the Office of Information Technology (OIT). Moodle is an alternative to WebCT, and is being used at colleges and universities in the US and internationally. Currently at the University, there are about 362 courses using Moodle.
Moodle is an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. It was first released three years ago by a development team in Perth, Australia. As open-source software, Moodle is continually being expanded and improved upon by a network of developers worldwide. Because it is modular, it is relatively easy to add new functionality or specific tools, and can be more customized than typical “out-of-the-box “ software.
Any faculty member can use Moodle in their courses. Moodle provides many tools for collaboration and interaction between students and between the professor and students. See below for a list of features available in Moodle.
The University Technology Training Center offers short courses on Moodle. UTTC also has a resource page with useful links, downloadable help materials, and links to helpful print materials.
Features
* Discussion options include asynchronous "Forums," synchronous Chats," and synchronous one-to-one "Dialogues"
* Course glossaries
* Collaborative writing projects using wikis
* Blog tools
* Quizzes and self-tests
* Individual or group assignment submission
Links
Learn more about Moodle.
