VLEs have many features and capabilities such as forums, content management, quizzes with different kinds of questions, and a number of activity modules. Moodle has an additional number of contributed modules, including SCORM WebQuest and the Document Management System (Martin, et al., 2004). In this section, we have selected 10 VLE products, including Moodle, to make comparisons between them, and our first comparison is based on the features and capabilities of VLE tools. I am very thankful to the EduTools website (EduTools, 2006), which lists more than 80 VLE products and has performed a comparison of 42 VLE features and capabilities, as in Table 10.2.
Our comparison focuses on two kinds of products. The first is commercial e-learning systems and comprises Desire2Learn 8.1, ANGEL Learning Management Suite (7.1), TeleTOP Virtual Learning Environment, The Blackboard Learning System (V7) and Scholar360. The second is OSS and comprises LON-CAPA, Sakai 2.3, dotLRN/OpenACS, ATutor 1.5.4 and Moodle 1.8. The comparison has two answers, Y or N. Y means the product has the feature and N means the product does not. A table displays information about the ten VLE software packages used in the first comparison. VLE Tools are criteria-based products that enable developers to evaluate and select the best VLE product. No single VLE product can possibly meet all these criteria and may not be the best for interface, technical, functional, or cost reasons. These criteria are described below in Table 10.2 (Dougiamas, 2011 and Al-Ajlan, et al., 2008).
|
No |
Product |
Developer name |
Date |
URL |
|
1 |
LON-CAPA |
Gerd Kortemeyer |
Oct/2006 |
LON-CAPA Project |
|
2 |
Desire2Learn 8.1 |
Desire2Learn Inc. |
Oct/2006 |
Desire2Learn Inc. |
|
3 |
ANGEL Learning 7.1 |
ANGEL Learning Inc |
Oct/2006 |
Angel Learning |
|
4 |
TeleTOP VLE |
TeleTop B.V. |
Oct/2006 |
TeleTop |
|
5 |
Blackboard (V6.2) |
BlackBoard |
Nov/2006 |
Blackboard LSE |
|
6 |
Sakai 2.3 |
Sakai 2.3 |
Nov/2006 |
Sakai |
|
7 |
dotLRN/OpenACS |
dotLRN |
Jan/2007 |
dotlrn.org |
|
8 |
Scholar360 |
Scholar360 |
Jan/2007 |
|
|
9 |
ATutor1.5.4 |
University of Toronto |
April/2007 |
|
|
10 |
Moodle 1.8 |
Moodlerooms |
April/2007 |
VLEs as an e-learning system have many features and capabilities. For simplicity, we have divided these features and capabilities into three phases, which are Learner Tools, Support Tools and Technical Tools, as in a table in Chapter 3 “Virtual Learning Environments As E-learning Systems” has more details about these tools. Table 10.2 lists the features and capabilities of VLE tools that we have used in our comparison in this chapter.
|
Learner Tools |
Support Tools |
Technical Specifications |
|
1.Communication Tools Discussion Forums File Exchange / Internal Email Online Journal / Notes Real-time Chat Video Services / Whiteboard |
1.Administration Tools Authentication Course Authorization Registration Integration Hosted Service |
1.Hardwar/Software Client Browser Required Database Requirements Server Software UNIX Server Windows Server |
|
2.Productivity Tools Bookmarks Orientation / Help Searching Within Course Calendar / Progress Review Work Offline / Synchronize |
2.Course Delivery Tools Course Management Instructor Helpdesk Online Grading Tools Student Tracking Automated Testing and Scoring |
2.Pricing/Licensing Company Profile Costs Open Source Optional Extras Software Version |
|
3.Student Involvement Tools Groupwork Self-assessment Student Community Building Student Portfolios |
3.Curriculum Design Accessibility Compliance Course Templates Curriculum Management Customized Look and Feel Instructional Standards Compliance Instructional Design Tools Content Sharing / Reuse |
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