Help with a Class Project

Help with a Class Project

by Z F -
Number of replies: 2

Hello all,

I am currently a student at Florida State University and enrolled in a technical communications class.  This semester, our final project was to create a presentation based on switching from a proprietary software package to an open source package.  Our group decided that we'd work on switching from Blackboard to an open source alternative. 

I was wondering if there was anybody out there who could provide any useful information such as the cost of a Blackboard license.  Also, is anybody who'd be willing to allow me into one of there classes so that I can get a better feel of the Moodle environment? 

Thanks for any help you can offer,

Z

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In reply to Z F

Re: Help with a Class Project

by John Isner -
You need to spend a few hours reading the Moodle forums. There's one called Comparisons and advocacy where people discuss the kind of issues you're interested in. For "free courses," go to the front page of moodle.org and type "free courses" into the search box in the upper right side of the page. However be aware that courses that allow guest access tend to be simple resource collections that don't give you a true sense of the power of Moodle.
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In reply to Z F

Re: Help with a Class Project

by Craig Lugenbeel -
I'm sure the cost of a license is going to depend upon the number of seats using it, in any case I always contact the vendor for that. Then there is the negotiation process...

You might want to consider factors such as what features are currently used, which are important and how do instructors and students feel about them. A survey might be in order (use www.surveymonkey.com ? it's easy to set up, easy to use and provides good data). Don't underestimate the cultural factors of an institution, personalities, history, preferences can all make or break a project.

You can install Moodle on a PC for testing if you are uncomfortable with Linux. There are some pretty good instructions out there and it is low risk. You will need to install an Apache server, MySQL and PHP - but this might be useful experience. The O'Reilly publication 'Using Moodle' is probably version 1.5, but easy to use - maybe a used copy? What better demonstration than a walk through on your laptop or projector?

Best of luck.


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