Open Source Educational Software
| Educational Software (eLearning) |
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 Click For a Bigger Picture. Electronic learning (or e-Learning or eLearning) is a type of education where the medium of instruction is computer technology. In some instances, no in-person interaction takes place. eLearning is used interchangeably in a wide variety of contexts. In companies, it refers to the strategies that use the company network to deliver training courses to employees. In the USA, it is defined as a planned teaching/learning experience that uses a wide spectrum of technologies, mainly Internet or computer-based, to reach learners. The term eLearning 2.0 is used to refer to new ways of thinking about eLearning inspired by the emergence of Web 2.0. From an eLearning 2.0 perspective, conventional eLearning systems were based on instructional packets that were delivered to students using Internet technologies. The role of the student consisted in learning from the readings and preparing assignments. Assignments were evaluated by the teacher. In contrast, the new eLearning places increased emphasis on social learning and use of social software such as blogs, wikis, podcasts and virtual worlds such as Second Life. This phenomenon has also been referred to as Long Tail Learning. eLearning systems are sometimes also called a Learning Management System (LMS), Course Management System (CMS), Virtual Learning Environments (VLE), education via computer-mediated communication (CMC) or just Online Education (eLearning). The systems we support all have one thing in common: they can be used online or in an intranet. The benefit with a web based system is that you have "anytime, anywhere" access to learning content and administration. Most of the software can be extended with plugins/modifications and you can change the look and feel with skins and themes. Though the software is very advanced and create the learning environment for you, you still have to create the courses. Moodle
Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open Source software package designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effective online learning communities. You can download and use it on any computer you have handy (including webhosts), yet it can scale from a single-teacher site to a University with 200,000 students. This site itself is created using Moodle, so check out the Moodle Demonstration Courses or read the latest Moodle Buzz. Moodle is a software package for producing internet-based courses and web sites. It's an ongoing development project designed to support a social constructionist framework of education. Moodle is available in many languages and features a WYSIWYG HTML editor. The teacher has full control over all settings for a course. There is a flexible array of course activities (Forums, Journals, Quizzes, Resources, Choices, Surveys, Assignments, Chats, and Workshops), user logging and tracking, mail integration and much more. Development Status: Production/Stable. ATutor
ATutor is an Open Source Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS) designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind. Administrators can install or update ATutor in minutes, develop custom themes to give ATutor a new look, and easily extend its functionality with feature modules. Educators can quickly assemble, package, and redistribute Web-based instructional content, easily import prepackaged content, and conduct their courses online. Students learn in an adaptive learning environment. ATutor's base in Open Source technology makes it a cost effective tool for both small and large organizations presenting their instructional materials on the Web, or delivering fully independent online courses. Development Status: Production/Stable. Claroline
Claroline is an Open Source eLearning and eWorking platform allowing teachers to build effective online courses and to manage learning and collaborative activities on the web. Translated into 35 languages, Claroline has a large worldwide users’ and developers’ community. The Claroline platform allows hundreds of organizations from 93 countries to create and administer courses and collaboration spaces online. Adjustable to various training contexts, Claroline is not only used by schools and universities, but also by training centres, associations and companies. The platform is customizable and offers a flexible and custom-made working environment. Claroline has been developed following teachers' pedagogical experience and needs. It offers intuitive and clear spaces administration interface. The daily platform management doesn't require any specific technical skill. The platform is quickly installed and the use of any web browser allows to manage the various course sections and enrolled users fluently. Development Status: Production/Stable. Dokeos
Dokeos is one of the largest and most recognized companies dedicated to open source Learning Management Systems. Its main product is a SCORM compliant open source learning suite used by multinational companies, federal administrations and universities in some 60 countries for a total of 1,297,000 users. Dokeos operates on a professional open-source business model based on open code, community development, professional consulting, quality-assurance services, and subscription-based customer support. Development Status: Production/Stable. OLAT
OLAT is the acronym for Online Learning And Training. It is a web application - a so called Learning Management System that supports any kind of online learning, teaching, and tutoring with little didactical restrictions. OLAT is based on Java, Open Source and completely free of charge. The development of OLAT started in 1999 at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, where it is the strategic learning management system and deployed on the main OLAT server. The University of Zurich leads the further development and has a team of 12 developers pushing OLAT to the next level. Development Status: Production/Stable. |
