What are the best and worst online learning platforms?

At Liberty U we are using Blackboard which works fine, but it's kind of cumbersome to use. What are some other platforms you have used? Are they better or worse than Blackboard?

 

We are switching from Blackboard to Moodle.....

 

Yea, isn't Moodle free? Opensource? I'm interested.

 

The paid version......

 

We currently use Moodle at Chatham. I like Moodle a lot, is very easy to use, less cumbersome than Blackboard. :fing02:

 

I'm going to be doing some research on the efficacy of online learning applications and I'm strongly considering using Moodle.

The user interface is not very flashy on the free version, is it slicker on the paid version?

 

The paid version is 10X better, easier to use and easier on the eyes. I used Blackboard in the past, and while it is good, I definitely like Moodle a lot more.

 

Do you know if the paid version is available on a small scale for a low price; one that an individual could afford?

 

We use Moodle at Aspen. Pretty straightforward and less irritating than Blackboard.

 

Yes, especially the threaded discussion function in Blackboard, which is really inconvenient to use.

 

alas if it were only as pure as vBulletin....

 

I've never used vBulletin; how is it?

 

you just used it lol (see very bottom of the page)

 

Moodle is excellent. Blackboard is terrible (as a student and as an instructor). I have used Moodle a lot (on both sides there, too) and really, it's the best there is. It's kind of hilarious how much better the free open-source software is than the software that some universities pay thousands of dollars for.

Moodle's not perfect, of course, but it's darned good.

 

Perhaps I only used the free version of Moodle, but I hated it. Stuff was hard to find and basically unmanageable. Now, in all fairness, it has been nearly 2 years since I used it, so it might be much better now. But I didn't care for it at all.

Normally, I like "new" things and didn't have trouble learning Bb (my first online experience as a student and as an instructor), WebCT, eEcampus/Angel, eCollege, etc. But Moodle just never seemed to work well.

Of the ones I use on a regular basis (Bb, Angel, eCollege), I probably like eCollege the best.

 

that crack about using VBulletin was a joke!!!

 

Mine too

 

There isn't exactly a "paid version" of Moodle per se... you can pay folks to configure it, host it, set it up for you, etc. But the software itself doesn't split into a paid version and a free version as far as I know. Of course, various providers probably hack it in different ways so you might see a difference between a particular copy provided by a paid Moodle Partner and the copy you install yourself. And if a paid host sets it up for you and customizes it in a really intuitive way it probably does seem nicer than the basic version.

I find it to be reasonably easy to figure out, but I've been using it since it was still pretty new. And it is sooooo powerful that there are a lot of features to get lost in.

The one thing I dislike greatly in Moodle is the gradebook. That is way, way too complicated for the way I use it. It took hours of tinkering. But now that I've got it set up right, it works great.

But like many open source projects, it could be a little better in the user interface area. Still, compared to either Blackboard or eCollege -- no contest, I go with Moodle every time.

 

I'be used Blackboard, D2L and Moodle.... like D2L best.

 

Different course management platforms have their strengths and weaknesses. Over the years, I have had experience with Blackboard, WebCT, Desire2Learn, ANGEL, Moodle and Sakai (and a little of eCollege). Although open source platforms (Moodle and Sakai) are technically “free,” since the source code is freely available, they are not free to deploy across a campus, as you need server hardware, server administration and programmers who are proficient in either Java (Sakai) or MySQL & PhP (Moodle). The programmers are essential if you wish to integrate the course management system into other campus administrative systems (e.g. the student information system) or to adapt the program to meet your campus’ needs. An alternative is to use a third-party Moodle or Sakai vendor, such as Moodlerooms or rSmart, but then you are dealing with other outside company that sells you their branded version of the product.

My years of teaching with and administering Blackboard were frustrating. Even though the product was basically stable and worked pretty well for instructors and students, the back-end administrative tools of the system were severely lacking and unreliable and Blackboard’s customer service was very inconsistent. My institution was quite happy with ANGEL, which had excellent administrative tools, very good instructor/student capabilities (albeit a bit complex), was extremely reliable and provided exceptional technical support and customer service—that is until ANGEL was acquired by Blackboard. Since we have seen a notable decrease in the quality of customer service and programming since the Blackboard takeover and, since ANGEL has effectively been given a death sentence as a product, we are now beginning to evaluate our options.

We started with a presentation of Moodle Joule from Moodlerooms. Moodle is nice for those looking for a more Facebook-like interface, but, having been “spoiled” by ANGEL’s superior administration and reporting tools (and since I do not have MySQL/PHP programmers on staff who report to me), it looks unlikely at this point that we would adopt Moodle.