As an open source learning management system (LMS), Moodle is designed to provide educators, administrators and learners with a robust, secure and integrated system to create personalised learning environments. Released in 2002, Moodle is the most customisable and popular LMS for education, enterprise, and public sector. As one of the pioneers in the e-Learning industry, Moodle has paved the way for the many proprietary LMS companies that popped up soon after, to the over 1,000 LMS solutions as we know today.
Why open source?
Open-source products, such as Moodle, are widely preferred by enterprise-level organisations and government agencies for their flexibility and, more importantly, for providing business continuity.
With open source software,
- institutions are not stuck with proprietary vendor roadmaps
- institutions can easily modify the code and build their own extensions
- institutions have many customisation options and avenues for innovation
- institutions can integrate other software (such as CRMs), plugins, and easily with their existing LMS, and
- institutions have business continuity, ongoing support and less significant disruptions, which can have significant impacts if a proprietary LMS provider goes out of business
However, as the LMS market becomes more saturated, proprietary software providers are making false, unfounded claims about open source technologies to win new customers and scare new buyers away from open source options.
In this blog, we discuss some of the common misconceptions about open source LMS and challenge some of these statements to help institutions make informed decisions about their LMS choices.
Myth #1: Open source means lower quality.
Just because there are other existing open source software products that are not maintained or used much, it is easy to generalise statements that say, “open source is bad” or “open source is not high calibre.”
However, widely used open source software, such as Moodle LMS, Drupal, WordPress and BigBlueButton, are of excellent quality and offer long-term benefits. Open source projects innovate quickly and offer cost efficiencies that no proprietary software will match. This is because open source projects are widely used and improved upon, thanks to a big community of users with multiple levels of perspectives and input, driving the project forward.
Moodle LMS, for example, is known for its excellent e-Assessment, Quiz and Assignment features that even the big players such as Canvas have not yet matched, and continues to score low on these attributes. Again, this is largely due to the growing community of enterprise-level Moodle LMS users who contribute to feature improvements over time.
Myth #2: Open source software products are not secure.
Fact: No software – open source or proprietary – is automatically secure. Security depends on many different factors, including maintenance, updates, security configurations and policies, and user practices.
One of the greatest strengths of open source software, such as Moodle LMS, is transparency.
Open source means that millions of eyes continuously review, test, and improve the code. Moodle’s security model allows vulnerabilities to be found and fixed faster than in most closed systems. As the new Moodle Security Whitepaper puts it: “Security isn’t a feature, it’s the foundation.”
Working with Certified Moodle Partners such as Catalyst IT can also add another layer to improve your LMS’s security and help you be prepared for cyber incidents.
Myth #3: Open source software costs more due to hidden fees.
Fact: This is a common misconception about open source software. In reality, while you still pay for things like hosting, maintenance, implementation, support, and training – just as you would with a commercial platform – open source gives you far more control over where your money goes.
Unlike with a proprietary company, Moodle does not charge licence fees, meaning there is no vendor lock-in, and no dependence on a company’s pricing or product roadmap. You can customise your LMS to fit your needs, remove unnecessary features, and prioritise enhancements on your own timeline and budget.
Working with a trusted certified service provider, such as Catalyst IT, also provides transparent pricing and expert support. Because the software is open, you can choose to bring more skills and services in-house over time, reducing long-term costs if it makes sense for your organisation.
The result is a better return on investment: you pay for the services and improvements that create value for you and your organisation, rather than ongoing licence fees or shareholder profits.
Myth #4: Open source means you are on your own.
Fact: For widely-used open source software, such as Moodle LMS, Drupal, and WordPress, there are many communities of practice and service providers who offer development services and ongoing support: You are never on your own.
Moodle has one of the largest support ecosystems in educational technology. With over 520 million users and growing, Moodle users can access extensive documentation for users and the developer community, thus keeping updated with Moodle developments as they happen – with far more details than any book could provide, and certainly more than any commercial vendor offers for their product.
The Moodle community also has access to resources, knowledge libraries, community forums, professional development training, and community events and support, giving users the freedom and flexibility to learn with others and reduce dependency on a single vendor.
For larger instances, Moodle users also have a well-connected network of Certified Partners you can trust. The Certified Moodle Partner network is a classic example of the depth and range of consultants and development companies that you can engage with. From custom development to cloud hosting and Managed Services, they offer everything you need to manage, scale and support your site.
Myth #5: You cannot scale with open source.
Fact: Any software with increasing users, whether open source or proprietary, needs the right mix of infrastructure resources and technical input to ensure high performance.
Large organisations usually use certified partners to support their open source software instances. Companies such as Catalyst IT offer cloud hosting environments for their clients that are fully optimised, automated and scalable; supporting hundreds of thousands of users for universities, government agencies and corporations, without adding extra burden on admin teams.
Myth #6: Open source LMS offers limited features.
Fact: As we discussed earlier, widely-used open source software benefits from a community of users and their perspectives, which means that innovation and development of open source software can move at a faster rate. This includes input on the features users would like to see or improved.
Analytics
Open source software, such as Moodle LMS, offers excellent built-in analytics tools, open source plugins and integrations that provide learner insights to educators, instructors, and LMS administrators.
File Support
Moodle LMS supports all file types used in online learning. The options are endless to make learning happen.
Integrations
Software integration options are limitless. In Moodle LMS, integrations provide advanced features and functionality, allowing administrators and instructors to extend their online learning environments.
The best LMS for you
In a busy LMS market, it can be easy to fall for the glitz and the glamour when trying to decide the best LMS for you. However, it is important to look at both sides of each tool, do your research, and assess current capabilities and operational practices rather than relying on outdated assumptions or unfounded myths.
Today, there are more than 100 certified Moodle Partners worldwide, and over 500 million users who continue to use Moodle LMS in different ways, contributing to its ongoing innovation. Open source doesn’t mean you’re on your own. It means you are part of a global network whose operating model is built on transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvements and innovation, thanks to its community.
If you feel you don’t clearly understand open source, how it works and what benefits it can offer to your organisation, come talk to our open source experts, weigh up what your organisation is looking for, and make an informed decision on the best LMS for you.
Established in 1997, Catalyst IT now has over 350 specialists globally, providing custom open source software solutions, helping our clients achieve their business goals. With our 24/7 Follow the Sun support and well-established partnerships with the world’s leading open source software brands, we are a trusted partner for leading universities, government bodies and major organisations in the not-for profit and commercial sectors. Catalyst IT Canada is ISO27001 certified.
