Learning Conversations

This is a response to Donald's post about Moodle and how it may develop in the future

Hi Donald,

An inciteful post as usual. The problems with Moodle's Partner structure has been evident for a while. Bigger companies have chosen to go it alone, simply because it seems they're unable to get on the Partner list - yet there's no published statement (that I'm aware of) which says how Partners are chosen.

Having said that, the idea of the Partner is a good one, as it ensures the long term viability of the Moodle project. Each partner has to contribute to the project in some way or other.

Personally I would prefer to see a structure based around accreditation (ie. demonstration of expertise in one or more aspects of Moodle in one or more contexts). Accreditation could be at individual or company level, with the applicant paying an appropriate amount.

Organisations offering Moodle services (and thus wanting to use the Moodle brand), should get accreditation, and then pay to use the brand. The amount depending on the size of the organisation and the type of services offered.

It really doesn't matter how many of these "Partners" there are in a particular part of the world. Competition is good.

I would like to pick up your point about "constructivist" learning. I agree in some ways that it is a utopian dream. Prof Gilly Salmon does have experience of making it work at the OU and at Leicester, and I have seen it working personally in a year long development project for teacher trainers. The problem with the constructivist approach is that it takes time. Lots of it. As a model for a long-term management development programme it would work well, but for an induction programme it's a waste.

There is a significant difference in the way Moodle works to support the constructivist model as compared to other VLE's and LMS's (which tend to have their roots in the behaviourist approach that most corporates seem to think is the way to do all learning):

A Moodle course can be built around the interactions that will take place over time between teachers and students. Most VLE's have a content space and a discussion space and never the twain should meet.

As for the future of Moodle? I think anyone who decides to fork the project will have to be very aware of what they will be losing out on in terms of the vast beta testing and support community out there. Most corporate Moodlers don't seem to be too involved with that side of things, leaving it to the academic institutions. So any separate corporate Moodle will need a large organisation with resources behind it to ensure that the software continues to develop with the quality we've come to expect.