Grassroots Moodle: Providing large scale Moodle services at a decentralized research university Jim Witte, Ph.D. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign jimwitte.com/workshops/moodlemoot2011

My presentation addresses three questions: How did we end up running Moodle when our campus already had an enterprise LMS? What are the major costs/benefits of running Moodle at a college level at UIUC? How can multiple colleges work together to scale out the Moodle service in a cooperative manner?

HOW DID WE END UP RUNNING MOODLE WHEN OUR CAMPUS ALREADY HAD AN ENTERPRISE LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM?

I was not initially impressed with Moodle (1.5?).

In the early 21 st century, Illinois supported three learning management systems.

2003 Campus LMS consolidation to WebCT June 2004 Moodle Dev server June 2005 Moodle Production server Oct 2005 WebCT Campus Meltdown Feb 2006 Moodle Admin on board Early History of LAS/Illinois

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR COSTS/BENEFITS OF RUNNING OUR OWN COLLEGE-LEVEL MOODLE LMS?

Moodle/open source is free, like puppies. Running an LMS does entail costs.

What does our Moodle installation cost? 1 FTE moodle service admin1 FTE service manager1 FTE developer

Benefits to running a college-level LMS LMS admins have a stake in college academic initiatives. Ability to mold LMS to academic program/initiative needs. Licensing issues do not drive timelines for innovation/updates.

HOW CAN MULTIPLE COLLEGES WORK TOGETHER TO SCALE OUT THE MOODLE SERVICE IN A COOPERATIVE MANNER?

Our Moodle service is growing, campus-wide.

How can we scale up and preserve the benefits of running our own LMS? Foundations for campus Moodle governance Interdisciplinary/cooperative programs mean we have a stake in other colleges’ academic success. Colleges contribute to campus Moodle consortium, which gives colleges a stake, a voice, a communications channel. Ultimate decision-making authority rests with college CIOs