KU: Whenever we select critical organization-level software we are thinking about medium- to long-term viability of the technology, organizational costs, lock-in, and other factors that we hope will position us well. With this in mind, where do you see open-source learning-management systems generally and Moodle specifically in five years?
RS: Our choice was focused on selecting the best launching platform for developing a robust environment to support teaching, learning, and collaboration. From what we could directly evaluate and what we could learn from others, Moodle's progress over the past five years indicated that it will remain a stable and responsive technology platform that tracks (and in some cases) leads this application space. For example, new tools appear rapidly; standards are implemented; accessibility, pedagogy, and end-user experience drives design; and it has a global vision and commitment to global education. Our expectation and our intention with a dual focus on interoperability is not that the Sakais and Moodles will merge, but rather that the functionality we need will be best met by combining the best of breed across this application space.
KU: What about other proprietary systems?
RS: It is encouraging to see the engagement of proprietary solutions with initiatives focused on the development and (true) implementation of standards, open API definitions, and an architecture that enables a mix and match of tools.
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