Utilisation of the Moodle Course Management System (CMS) in Secondary Schools
Hungary , 2006 to Ongoing
Compendium: Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Background
The project aims to introduce an e-learning framework at the secondary school involved. The framework coordinates and tracks the work of 60 teachers and over 850 students, 210 of whom are adults. The learning management system supports development of learning materials, presents the material, keeps track of students and their achievements, logs activities, evaluates activities, provides a communication interface, and provides a collaboration interface. The school uses Moodle and work is currently organised as follows: the IT class provides the tool, which enhances the learning experience and teaching effectiveness. Other subjects provide the goal, content, practice and feedback. Competent IT knowledge must be used in non-IT classes also.
The motivation of the initiative
Improving learning experiences and effectiveness while also compensating the limited supply of classes in adult education. This is feasible because a number of useable educational contents is already available and access to computers and the Internet is not an issue anymore (computer penetration is at 99%, Internet penetration at 98% in the homes of LKG students).
Participants
The school (Leövey Klára Gimnázium), the National Institute for Public Education and the Centre for Multimedia in Education, Faculty of Science, Eötvös Loránd University
Aims and targets
Objectives of the initiative
To introduce and implement a Learning Management System (Moodle in particular) including Course Management Systems and Virtual Learning Environments.
Target group
Regular secondary school students, adult students, teachers.
Methods applied to reach the objective (technological and/or pedagogical)
Training in various subjects regarding Moodle and social constructionist pedagogy.
Strategy and actions
Level of implementation
The project started as a pilot, but became institution-wide in the process.
Implementation
Implementation was achieved by incorporating the necessary software into the school IT infrastructure and training staff and students.
Monitoring and evaluation
Funding/Cost effectiveness
Budget
None. Participants acquired the necessary knowledge and created the infrastructure in their free time.
Sustainability/Transferability
Outcomes/impacts
Achievements
Specific results
For the pilot project: 80 students/5 teachers, 5 subjects/6 courses. Current status: 500 students/20 teachers, 10 subjects/60 courses. New learning methods: blended learning and social construction. Digital literacy is improved because ICT skills are used in all classes, not only dedicated ones. Thus knowledge is greatly deepened and collaborative working is strongly encouraged.
Success factors
Lessons learnt
Choosing the IT background correctly is crucial in delivering the infrastructure in time (LAMP -- Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP as opposed to a Novell NetWare-environment).
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