Project Title

Implementation of an Open Source School Web Learning Environment

Introduction

With Virtual Learning Environments having now developed into mature systems capable of supporting a range of pedagogical models, it has become necessary to examine the effectiveness of these systems in meeting the needs of the school environment.

This project aims to be a starting point for further research into this area by providing a nontheoretical view of the needs of a secondary school and the effectiveness of a specific Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle) in meeting those needs.

This project is primarily an investigation into whether the open source Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) known as Moodle is capable of meeting the requirements for web-based distributed learning found within a secondary school environment. This project aims to provide a factual account of the requirements for web-based learning within a specific secondary school and the abilities of Moodle in meeting them, to be used as an aid for schools investigating which VLE to implement and a starting point for further research.

Aims/Objectives

This project aims to examine the application of open source software in web-based learning within a secondary school environment, through customisation and implementation of a Moodle Virtual Learning Environment solution to meet a chosen school's virtual learning needs. The objectives of this project are:

• Research the subjects of Learning, Teaching, Open Source Software and Virtual Learning Environments within Secondary education.
• Identify and adopt a suitable methodology capable of providing the necessary structure for the project life cycle.
• Gather the requirements for a Virtual Learning Environment from technicians, teachers and students at the chosen school and from these, derive a set of core fundamental requirements to be addressed primarily.
• Develop a suitable look for the Moodle installation that fits within the current systems used by the chosen school.
• Develop a Moodle solution capable of meeting the core requirements of the chosen school.
• Make the developed Moodle solution available for use by the chosen school.
• Contribute modifications and findings back to the Moodle community.

Minimum requirements

The minimum requirements for this project are:

• A literary review of existing material on the subjects of teaching, learning and Virtual Learning Environments.
• A requirement document generated through interview with problem holders.
• An open source Moodle solution customised to meet core requirements and to match existing systems within the chosen school.
• Deployment of the solution for use by the chosen school.
• An evaluation of the final solution against the specified core requirements.

A few possible enhancements to the project are listed below:

• The inclusion of non-core requirements into the system including real time chat and revision quizzes.
• The generation of material to assist with the usage of the LPS Moodle environment.
• An evaluation of the project process.