This descriptive-evaluative study determined the utilization of Moodle in Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU) by identifying the content and features of Moodle used by the teachers and students as well as describing their experience on the usability, functionalities and acceptability of Moodle as learning management system.  The results of the study would serve as a guide to the school for further developments in terms of integrating information and communication technology (ICT) and learning management system (LMS) in the delivery of instruction.  It will also help the school in assessing, evaluating and planning activities such as seminars and trainings related to its efficiency in classroom instruction that would contribute to a successful teaching.

The study also determined the content and features of  Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Environment (Moodle) used by the teachers and students of NDDU.  The common features of Moodle included in the study are the  General Features, Administrative Features, and Course Development and Management Features.

Determination of the extent of utilization of Moodle was done through a survey using an evaluation tool with regards to usability, functionalities and acceptability of Moodle as learning management system.  The evaluation tool was submitted for validation.

The survey was conducted among the 7 teachers from College of Engineering & Technology and Senior High School (SHS) and 460 students from STEM and ABM Strands who have taken and enrolled the Empowerment Technologies subject for first and second semester of SY 2018-19. The twenty four (24) college students are coming from the IT and CS courses from the College of Engineering and Technology and eighteen (18) Graduate School students from the MBA program who have taken the E-commerce course.

The frequency counts and mean were used as tools in the statistical treatment of the study.

The overall results of the extent of utilization of Moodle as learning management system revealed that; with regards to Usability, the respondents rated it with an overall mean of 4.48 interpreted as Very Usable; with regards to Functionalities, the respondents rated it with an overall mean of 4.43 interpreted as Excellent and with regards to Acceptability the respondents rated it with an overall mean of 4.56 interpreted as Very Acceptable which means that Moodle as a whole is functioning excellently.

The study recommended that the proposed implementation plan framework for Moodle as LMS should be implemented. It further recommends that the Moodle, once in placed, can be upgraded to its newer version and that the possibility of upgrade should consider the technical aspect of the system such as hardware and software requirements and maintaining the integrity of previous data for migration.  It is also recommended that the institution should conduct a follow-up training to the teachers once the Moodle will be upgraded to its newer version.  The use of Moodle as a framework or platform in the conduct of research work in collaboration with other students or schools should also be considered and the usability of Moodle can be further studied using existing standards on Human Computer Interface (HCI).

 

Introduction

Educational institution nowadays, with the rapid increase of information technology infrastructure, has the opportunity to make use of the Internet as a communication medium with the students. For an effective and efficient access to learning materials, the concepts and methodologies of technology-based learning are increasing in importance with e-learning becoming a crucial resource for institutions. The consequence to the advancements of web-based technologies is the development of powerful software systems, known as learning management systems (LMS), in order to enhance learning in a variety of environments (Kakasevski, et.al, 2008)

Adzharuddin & Ling (2013) stated that the Learning Management System or popularly known as LMS in the community of higher institutions in an online portal that connects lecturers and students. It provides an avenue for classroom materials or activities to be shared easily. It is also a portal that enables lecturers and students to interact out of the classroom, having discussions through forums that could otherwise take up too much of the time supposed to be spent learning in the classroom. A typical LMS provides an instructor or moderator to prepare and deliver content, monitor participations by students, as well as assess student’s performance online. The LMS provides interactive features to the students. As such, threaded discussions, video conferencing, and forums for discussions are the main feature of a LMS.

Moodle.org (2018) described Moodle as a learning platform designed to provide educators, administrators, and learners with a single robust, secure and integrated system to create a personalized environments. Moodle is trusted by institutions and organizations large and small, including Shell, London School of Economics, State University of New York, Microsoft and the Open University. Moodle’s worldwide numbers of more than 65 million users across both academic and enterprise level usage makes it the world’s most widely used learning platform. In addition, Zakaria and Daud (2013) also stated on their study that there are several learning management system commercially available on the market such as Blackboard, WebCT, and Desire@Learn. There are also many open-source, free LMS, such as Moodle, Coursework, Atutor and Interact. However, Moodle is one of the popular LMS currently. Moodle is a dream tool for teachers, integrating wide range of resources and assessment strategies and is powerful content creation.

The study of Dellosa, et. al., (2012) on the learning management system for Lyceum of the Philippines, Laguna have cited several types of LMS such as Moodle and Atutor which are being used by different universities. However, the study focused on the use of Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic  Learning Environment (Moodle). Another study conducted by Dimasuay & Pabro (2009) on the Use of Learning Management System of University of The Philippines Los Baños showed that MOODLE can help students in their learning progress and it can augment face-to-face learning between teacher and student. The study of Stasinakis in 2015, revealed that the use of Moodle in the secondary education is beneficial as learning system that enables the participants to learn through interaction.  The use of learning management system should be recommended to all educators to help student improve their performance in classes.

In line with the ever-changing modern times where students rely on the internet for most of their daily activities, it is appropriate for an online system or student portal to be set up to cater to their academic needs. The online portal has to be a place where students can confidently search and obtain information regarding their courses, and also to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information. The Learning Management System (LMS) is one such system which is used by various universities all over the globe (Adzharuddin & Ling, 2013). Dimasuay and Pabro (2009) concluded on their study that in order to make MOODLE more effective, this should be made as a venue for online consultation and student interaction. Interactive modules are preferred by the students not simply uploading lecture materials. That is why giving of quizzes or assignment is highly encouraged.

The e-learning environment using Moodle of Notre Dame of Dadiangas University is limited to those teachers and students who are using it specifically from the Computer Studies program to address the problems of time finishing all course requirements as stated in the syllabus and can be a venue for giving quizzes and submissions of missed assignments. This customization of Moodle for Computer Studies teachers was also inspired from a recommendation of the school’s accrediting agency but the use is still limited since only a few computer studies teachers are using it. With the rise of Social Media usage, even Facebook and other online applications as being utilized by teachers to provide avenue of these online groups.  The researchers would like therefore to test the usability of Moodle as a learning management system for the Senior High School (SHS) students, selected college and graduate school students of  Notre Dame of Dadiangas University.

Statement of the Problem

          The study determined the usability and acceptability of Moodle as a Learning Management System (LMS) as used by the students and teachers of Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU). Specifically, the study answered the following:

1. What are the contents and features of Moodle used by the teachers and students?
2. What is the extent of utilization of the students and teachers in using Moodle as learning management system, with regards to:
   • Usability;
   • Functionalities; and
   • Acceptability?
3. Based on the findings of the study, what framework can be designed?

Research Methodology

The study employs a descriptive-evaluative method of research, as this study involved a collection of data related to the utilization and experiences of faculty and students in relation to the use of learning management systems wherein the results led to the design of learning management system framework for the use of Notre Dame of Dadiangas University.

The primary data needed that focused on the utilization and experiences of faculty and students in relation to the use of learning management systems were gathered through a survey on the faculty and students of the different strands of the Senior High School department such as STEM and ABM and from selected CS & IT students and MBA Graduate students.  The secondary data were gathered from books, journals, non-print materials and other publications such as unpublished master’s theses, dissertations and other studies.

The respondents of the study are the faculty members and the students of SHS department, Computer Studies and Graduate School of Notre Dame of Dadiangas University.  The respondents were purposely selected from the masterlist of the faculty and students.  There were four (4) teachers from the computer studies group and two (2) of them are teaching in the Graduate School.  There are three (3) teachers from the SHS department teaching the Empowerment Technologies subjects and 460 students from STEM and ABM Strands who have taken and enrolled the Empowerment Technologies subject for first and second semester of SY 2018-19. The students from the HUMSS Strand will be taking their Empowerment Technologies subject on the First semester of SY 2019-2020 thus they are not included as respondents.  The twenty four (24) college students are coming from the IT and CS courses from the College of Engineering and Technology and eighteen (18) Graduate School students from the MBA program who have taken the E-commerce course.

          In the data collection, the study used a researcher-made instrument, that is, the survey questionnaire.   The instrument has two parts:  the Type of Respondent which determined the groupings of the respondents by group.  The questionnaire for the teachers and students’ utilization on Moodle are coming from three aspects on Usability, Functionalities and Acceptability.   The instrument used in this study was submitted for content validation.   The validation was made by five (5) professors coming from different colleges.   The results of the validation of the instrument revealed that the validity of the content has a weighted mean of 4.7 which means that it is valid in terms of its content and format.

          The study employed frequency counts and mean as the tools in the statistical treatment of the study.  On the other hand, purposive sampling was used for the selection of the number of respondents.

          The following are the steps in gathering the needed data:

 

Content and Features of Moodle used by the teachers and students

               The study presented both the general features and interface of Moodle and the content and features used by the teachers and students.  These were presented and discussed based on the actual or existing application as stated or presented by different references or authorities.

 

Teachers and Students Utilization of Moodle

          The study have developed an evaluation tool with regards to usability, functionalities and acceptability of Moodle as learning management system.  The evaluation tool was submitted for validation.  The evaluation tool was then used to conduct the survey among the SHS grade 12 ABM students and grade 11 STEM students which were purposely selected by Strand and who are enrolled in Empowerment Technologies subjects for First Semester and Second Semester of SY 2018-2019.  This was also conducted to selected college students from the Computer Studies group and selected MBA students from the Graduate School.

Survey and user-based acceptance testing results were tallied, tabulated and interpreted.

Design of Moodle Framework

           The study developed an institutional framework on the use of learning management system based on the utilization of the teachers and students.

 

Summary of Findings

          The features included in this study were consist of the common features of Moodle which are the General Features, Administrative Features and Course Development and Management Features.  The General Features include the Moodle interface and navigations. The Administrative Features includes managing roles and permissions, setting courses, enrolling users and managing accounts.  The Course Development and Management Features include course administration, assignments, quizzes, grades and other student activities.  These features are used by the teachers and students of NDDU from different department.

          The extent of utilization of Moodle with regards to Usability, Functionalities and Acceptability were conducted to five hundred nine respondents (509).  The respondents included the seven (7) teachers from College of Engineering & Technology, the two of which are also teaching in the Graduate School, and from the Senior High School department.   The five hundred two (502) students were purposely selected.  The 460 students were from STEM and ABM Strands who have taken and enrolled the Empowerment Technologies subject for first and second semester of SY 2018-19. The students from the HUMSS Strand were not considered because they will still take their Empowerment Technologies subject on the First semester of SY 2019-2020.  The twenty four (24) college students came from the IT and CS courses from the College of Engineering and Technology and eighteen (18) Graduate School students came from the Master in Business Administration program.

           The study revealed that the extent of utilization of Moodle as learning management system with regards to Usability is Very Usable; with regards to Functionalities, the study revealed that the utilization is Excellent and with regards to Acceptability the study also revealed that it is Very Acceptable which means that Moodle as a whole is functioning excellently.

Conclusions

Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions are drawn:.

The content and features of the Moodle as used by the teachers and students were clearly described and were fully utilized based on the responses of the teachers and students.  On the part of the students, most of the SHS students enrolled in STEM and ABM strand were able to participate actively in the survey and are using the system for the entire term while enrolled in their subject Empowerment Technology.  This is true also to both the college and graduate school students which employed the system for one semester but for selected subjects only.

The usability of Moodle was rated as Very Usable by the respondents which mean that both the teachers and students’ experiences were very efficient and effective. Moodle as a learning management system was perceived to cater the needs of the teacher and students in the delivery and accessibility of learning activities and resources.  However, the teachers and students were able to experience some weak areas on some part of the interface such as the provision of clearer error messages.

          On the Functionalities of Moodle, the respondents rated its features as Excellent, which means that the content, features and the design of the user interface of the Moodle as learning management system is functioning well as a whole.  Most of the features are functioning excellently such as user registration, communication and course requirements and resources.  On the other hand, the respondents found some weaknesses on the interactivity of some part of the systems interface.

The findings of this study also stated that Moodle as learning management system is Very Acceptable to both the teachers and students. This means that the respondents agree that Moodle as a whole can be favorably received and allowed for utilization and that system is flexible and it can provide different needs of the users. Consequently, teachers will engage students effectively in key futures education themes–including the use of information and communication technology (ICT) and Moodle.

 

Recommendations

          The following recommendations are formulated based on the findings of the study.

1. The use of Moodle can integrated as an ICT tool or resource on the delivery of instruction  at  NDDU.

2. The Moodle once in placed can be upgraded to its newer version and that the possibility of upgrade should consider the technical aspect of the system such as hardware and software requirements and maintaining the integrity of previous data for migration and the institution should conduct a follow-up training to the teachers once the Moodle will be upgraded to its newer version.
3. The use of Moodle as a framework or platform in the conduct of research work in collaboration with other students or schools should be considered.

1. The usability of Moodle can be further studied using existing standards on HCI-Human Computer Interface.

5. The future researchers can do enhancement on this research by taking into consideration the conduct of survey before and after using Moodle in the classroom and try to find its effectiveness in the delivery of instruction.

1. The proposed implementation plan framework for Moodle as LMS should be implemented.

.

References

Adzharuddin, N. & Ling, L. (2013).  Learning Management System (LMS) among University Students:  Does It Work?  International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-management and e-Learning, vol. 3. No. 3.  Retrieved from www.ijeee.org/papers/223-ET1026.pdf.

Dellosa, R., Prospero, M., Rodriguez, J. (2012).  Learning management system for LPU-Laguna.  Lyceum of the Philippines-Laguna Research Journal, Vol. 2 No. 1. Retreived from http://ejournals.ph.

Dimasuay, L. & Pabro, B. (2009).  Use of Learning Management System:  A University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Classroom Experience.  The Sixth International Conference on E-Learning for Knowledge-based Society, Thailand. Retreived from http://www.ijcim.th.org/SpecialEditions.

Jin, S. (2012).  Design of an Online Learning Platform with Moodle.  The 7th International Conference on Computer Science & Education (ICCSE 2012) Melbourne, Australia.  Retrieved from https://moodle.org/pluginfile…/Design%20of%20an%20Online%20Learning%20Platf.

Kakasevski, G., Mihajlov, M., Arsenovski, S., Chungurski, S. (2008).  Evaluating Usability in Learning management System Moodle. Proceedings of the ITI 2008 30^th Int. Conf. on On Information Technology Interfaces.  Retrieved from www.researchgate.net/publication/4359722_Evaluating_usability_in_learning_management_system_Moodle

About Moodle Open Learning System Platform. Moodle.org.   from https://docs.moodle.org/

Stasinakis, P. & Kalogiannakis, M. (2015).  Using Moodle in secondary education: A case study of the course “Research Project” in Greece. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT), 2015, Vol. 11, Issue 3, pp. 50-64.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1086651.pdf

Šumak,B., Heričko, M., Pušnik, M. and Polančič, G. (2009)  Factors Affecting Acceptance and Use of Moodle: An Empirical Study Based on TAM. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4351/22bd184d779f6093d8ae0e77e6e5267376ca.pdf

Zakaria, E. & Daud, Y. (2013).  The role of technology:  Moodle as a Teaching Tool in a Graduate Mathematics Education Course.  Asian Journal of Management Sciences and Education. Retrieved from http://www.ajmse.leena-luna.co.jp