开源软件Moodle在中英网络教育合作项目中的应用

The Application of Open Source Software Moodle in the Collaborative Project between Chinese and British Universities

中英高教网络教育合作项目系中英大学校长论坛发起、由英国高等教育拨款委员会和中国教育部牵头的研究性试验项目,意在交流和探讨基于网络的远程教学的模式。本文依托开放源代码网络学习系统Moodle在中英合作项目中应用的案例,介绍了Moodle系统的教学思想、功能特点、使用方法,并总结了应用开源系统可能会遇到的问题。作者提出:与商业软件相比,开源系统教学理念更为先进、功能更为丰富、成本更低廉,但是在易用性、获取有效支持等方面尚不如商业软件。论文的最后提出了更好地应用和推广开源系统的构想。

While more and more teachers are preparing to put their courses online, they may find that it is difficult to get an appropriate e-learning platform. For instance, most of commercial e-learning platforms are expensive and difficult to maintain. So, it is impossible for ordinary teachers to use those platforms all by themselves. Fortunately now, they can get some Open Source Softwares, for example, Moodle. This article mainly analyze a case using Moodle in the Collaborative Project between Chinese and British Universities, which was launched by HEFCE of UK and MOE of China in 2003. The project was academic and experimental, aiming at finding an appropriate way for e-learning. The pedagogic ideas, the function characteristics and the employing methods of Moodle are discussed. The possible problems in practice are also concluded. The authors insist that there is many advantages of open source softwares over the commercial softwares,. But they also have some technologic disadvantages and there is a particular way in using and maintaining them.