Submitted by Bryan on

A new version of Moodle is released with the developers stating that Moodle 1.8 is "a very high standard" and is "highly recommend production sites using older versions to upgrade to Moodle 1.8".  Moodle is a course management system (also called a learning management system) and used by educators to build online learning communities.

The most significant new features in this version of Moodle include:

  • Accessibility improvements (Complies with all major international standards in this area, including XHTML Strict 1.0).
  • Moodle Network (Allows for cross-site roaming)
  • Roles improvements

Additional changes and enhancements can be found in the Moodle 1.8 Release Notes.  Downloads of Moodle 1.8 can be found on the  Moodle Downloads page.

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Moodle

AmyStephen's picture

Downloaded this tonight after seeing your article. I really do like Moodle. I am looking for good (free/open) SCORM editors, too. If you happen across such solutions in your travels, please let me know. Thanks for this article and for all you do, Bryan. :)

SCORM

Bryan's picture
SCORM was a new word for me.  I had to look it up at Wikipedia:

Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based e-learning. It defines communications between client side content and a host system called the run-time environment (commonly a function of a learning management system). SCORM also defines how content may be packaged into a transferable ZIP file.

SCORM is a specification of the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative, which comes out of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

In my organization, we continue to play with various software packages for computer-based training.  The fact that we seem to have a new favorite every year shows me just how much learning/course management systems have to go before they mature.  That's good news for us folks in IT!

The promise of SCORM

Amy Stephen's picture

The promise of SCORM is that learning material can finally become portable between LMSs.

The basic philosophy, as I understand it, is that each "teachable concept" would be distilled to a single unit. Those units become building blocks to create courses (i.e., collection of teachable concepts.) Quizzes and tests and papers (self, peer and instructor/expert evaluated) are ways of helping measure learning.

And, most importantly, this learning material can be imported into any SCORM-ready container. As with anything else, there are levels of SCORM compliance, but, Moodle is one tool that is moving towards (and in some ways ready for) SCORM.

There are several tools that can utilize (display) SCORM material. Few editors, especially free/open source capable of producing it (the XML output.)

The most disappointing part of writing learning material is knowing that as soon as you place this knowledge into a document or a web page where it can be consumed by a learning -- it is already less valuable because the content is locked inside of "the format." SCORM aims to separate learning material from presentation. (Sound familiar?)

"The fact that we seem to have a new favorite every year shows me just how much learning/course management systems have to go before they mature. That's good news for us folks in IT!"

25 years in the industry and I know what you mean and why it's good news. Those years of re-doing the same thing slightly differently have fed and clothed two children, straightened their crooked teeth, put wheels under them and (hopefully) will send them on to college! ;-)

ttyl...Amy :)