I realize that this might be somewhat contentious, but I think Moodle.org desperately needs a better forum software, to organize and facilitate the increasing amount of discussion that this community creates. It's easy to google moodle.org, but otherwise very hard to stay on top of all the relevant discussions. Moodle's forum activity is great for course use, but not optimal for this kind of use. Discourse (discourse.org) would be a much, much, better alternative. I'll be happy to extrapolate my argument if there is any chance of this being considered.
The Moodle.org forum software is the forum software for Moodle itself. This means that it incorporates features and integrations specifically aimed at education. By using it for Moodle.org it means it is heavily tested by the organisation developing it, and it is free/libre software.
I did not suggest the forum to be replaced by a closed-source software, on the contrary, the potential candidate for replacement I mentioned is open source.
Also, I would dispute the fact that moodle.org forums are needed for the purposes of a test installation.
My suggestion rose from the opinion that with a modern forum software, moodle.org would be even better a place to learn, discuss and share things about Moodle than it already is.
Even if Moodle.org keeps using Moodle's forums, I suggest you look at Discourse, it's a great piece of software. =)
Also, I would dispute the fact that moodle.org forums are needed for the purposes of a test installation.
My suggestion rose from the opinion that with a modern forum software, moodle.org would be even better a place to learn, discuss and share things about Moodle than it already is.
Even if Moodle.org keeps using Moodle's forums, I suggest you look at Discourse, it's a great piece of software. =)
I think it goes deeper than that:
'Here is this wonderful piece of education software, built with forums for your students to communicate in class'
'Here is this magnificent community that uses forums to discuss said wonderful piece of software'
'Ah, so I'll be able to see the forums from this tool actually in use'
'Oh no, we don't think they're good enough for us to use - but you should really use them with your students!'
Yep, I can see that going down well in presentations to HE/FE/3rd sector decision-makers, all across the world.
Now, that isn't saying Moodle's forums can't/shouldn't be improved (they certainly can be, and are being) - but we should (IMO) be using as much of Moodle as we can for relevant purposes (such as forums) and if that leads to improvements being made through pointing out alternative/better ways of doing things, then so much the better (there's already the MoodleOverflow discussion forum type in the plugins database, which I think is excellent, personally)
I think having Discourse as a forum within Moodle would be amazing.
Would love to see that project happen.
Would love to see that project happen.
Ok, Moodle is a PHP application, Discourse is a Ruby-on-rails application, so in the spirit of 'Wile-E-Coyote':
P.S.
- What's wrong with the Moodle forum?
- What features does it lack?
- Why do those features benefit an educational focus?
- Where's the funding coming from to implement those changes?
Ok I didn't realize my little post would get such a hearty response. I have a very specific use case in mind that I'll explain, though I'm certain it's out of scope.
I am using Moodle to set up an internal training program within a research institution. Videos of in-person workshops and recordings of webinars, among other content, will be turned into on demand trainings.
We already use Discourse as a communications platform. If each of the courses had a forum that was hosted on the same Discourse instance, then it would allow these two platforms to compliment each other. The forum activity could have an extended life outside of the moodle course.
> How do those features benefit an educational focus?
Our educational focus is specifically one that is demand driven. We'll post content as it becomes available. And if there is a demand for a particular training, we can respond to it. A stand-alone forum that is also integrated into an LMS could help keep the flow of information more open and flexible, making the community more responsive to training needs.
Just to be mildly contentious, why not simply embed your choice of forum?