Moodle is not only used in universities (widespread use)

2023.01.27

Moodle

Know-how

Case Studies

Moodle Implementation Support and Operation Services

When you hear the word "Moodle", you may think of it being commonly used in universities. Indeed, the most common usage of Moodle in Japan is in universities. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to its increased usage in various other places. In this blog, we will introduce where and how Moodle is being used, particularly outside of universities.

1. What is Moodle?
2. How is Moodle used?
2-1. Use of Moodle in universities
2-2. Use of Moodle in primary and secondary schools
2-3. Use of Moodle in vocational schools
2-4. Use of Moodle in corporations
2-5. Use of Moodle in public organizations
3. Examples of Moodle use outside of universities
3-1. Hospital organizations
3-2. Companies providing their own branded products and services in the health market
3-3. Companies providing comprehensive IT solutions
4. Summary
4-1. What is Human Science Co., Ltd.?
4-2. Implementation design
4-3. Operational support

1. What is Moodle?

First, let me give you a brief introduction to Moodle. Moodle is a learning management system (LMS) that provides features to support face-to-face learning. It was developed in Australia and is distributed under the GNU General Public License. It is developed by a community-based approach. In Japan, it is widely used not only in universities and educational institutions, but also in public organizations and companies. Here, we will introduce how Moodle is used in general and how it is used.

2. Moodle is used for the following purposes

When classifying places where Moodle is used, they can be divided as follows:
Universities, primary and secondary schools, vocational schools, companies, public organizations
And each of them is used for purposes such as school classes, knowledge sharing, training, and certification acquisition.

2-1. About Using Moodle at University

(1) Moodle Expansion Process
Currently, the most utilized platform in Japan is universities. As the original concept of Moodle development was to support face-to-face classes in universities, it is only natural that universities are the best match. Even before the spread of the new coronavirus infection, Moodle was already being used in universities. Teachers who were relatively familiar with the system introduced Moodle in their classes and used it for distributing materials and conducting surveys. After that, due to the impact of the pandemic, face-to-face classes became impossible and many cases of Moodle being introduced to entire departments and universities were seen. At first, the teachers who launched Moodle were in charge of its operation, but as the scale grew, the management tasks became too much to handle. We have heard that some teachers even had to stay up all night multiple times to register new students at the start of the new semester. After that, the operation tasks were transferred to the university's information systems department, and eventually, they started to entrust the operation and maintenance to official Moodle partner companies like ours. This is how the introduction of Moodle has spread to Japanese universities along with the expansion of the pandemic.

(2) Use of teaching materials and assignments
There are various ways to use Moodle at universities. The simplest method is to post teaching materials for students to learn from, or to post assignments for them to submit reports. If the files are in Office format such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, students can download them and read them on their own computers. If the file is in PDF format, it can be opened and read on Moodle depending on the settings. It is also possible to prevent students from downloading PDF files by adjusting the settings. As for assignments, you can give instructions and have students upload their reports to Moodle by the deadline.

(3) Real-time lessons using web conferencing
If you use a web conferencing system, you can watch the teacher's lesson in real time in both directions. With Moodle, you can reserve and launch conferences from Moodle by using a plugin to integrate with the web conferencing system. Zoom and Microsoft Teams have been commonly used in the past. Recently, the use of OSS BigBlueButton (https://bigbluebutton.org/) has been increasing. In Moodle 4.1, the BigBlueButton plugin comes standard. Teachers and students can learn while interacting in real time in both directions.

(4) On-demand video distribution
Teachers can watch pre-made video materials from Moodle. It is also common to record real-time classes and post the videos. When using video materials, you can place the video files on Moodle (on the same server where Moodle is located), but it may be difficult to have stable video viewing when many students watch at the same time (downloading the video may take time). To avoid this, it is necessary to consider the number of students accessing at the same time and the size of the video, and increase the specs of the environment (server) where Moodle operates or increase the bandwidth of the network. Recently, the use of streaming services has increased in order to comfortably watch videos. If you use a streaming service such as Millvi (provided by Evely Co., Ltd. https://millvi.jp/) or Vimeo (provided by Vimeo Inc. https://vimeo.com/), a plugin for Moodle is available, allowing for stable video viewing in collaboration with Moodle (additional fees apply).
Another advantage of using streaming services is that detailed viewing history can be obtained. It is a great advantage to be able to check various histories such as which videos are being watched the most at what time, and what percentage of the target video each student has watched.
If you place video files on Moodle, it is possible to obtain viewing history (progressive download) by using a dedicated plugin. Our video player plugin "HS Video" provided by our company can record viewing status as an evaluation. In this case, there is no need for a monthly usage fee for using streaming services, making it a great cost benefit.

> Moodle Plugin Customization

(5) Knowledge Sharing
In addition to classes, Moodle can also be used for knowledge sharing. Teachers create courses on specific topics. If they want to share information, they can post it in the relevant course. They can upload files such as PDFs or add links to share information. By adding activities such as chat or forums to the course, they can exchange opinions on the posted information and promote active knowledge sharing.

You can also check out this article for a case study on Moodle implementation at schools.
> Moodle Usage Rapidly Expanding Due to COVID-19! Latest Updates on Classes and Training Using LMS
> [Moodle Basics Course] What Can Moodle, the e-Learning Management System, Do?

2-2. About Using Moodle in Elementary, Junior High, and High Schools

There is not much information about the use in elementary schools, but let me introduce one. In one elementary school, there are about 30 computers in the computer classroom, and Moodle is used for classes with 25 students. It seems to be used in various subjects. Since there is not much budget, Moodle, which can be used for free, is very appreciated. However, there seem to be some points that need improvement. In the case of elementary schools, there are still many paper materials, so it is necessary to consider how to electronically incorporate them into Moodle. In one usage report, there was a case where Moodle was used to share and learn from the results of learning together. The teacher scans the teaching materials and converts them into data to incorporate them into Moodle. Students who see it from Moodle write comments on paper about what they felt, learned, and thought was good. The teacher scans the paper and converts it into data to incorporate it into Moodle again. Then, students learn by looking at the comments written by their classmates on Moodle. It is necessary to consider ways to make it easier for teachers to scan and incorporate data into Moodle. The Moodle official website has a forum for K-12 schools, where discussions about how to use it are taking place.
Reference: Moodle forum for K-12 schools
https://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?id=7704

We would like to introduce one example of how junior high school and high school can utilize our services. There have been reports of using Moodle plugins such as STACK (※1) and WIRIS (※2) in math classes. These were used for students who are connected to foreign countries, and by using Moodle's quiz function, they were able to conduct quizzes on kanji and Japanese, which increased their motivation to learn.
(※1)STACK is an open-source system for computer-assisted evaluation in mathematics and related fields, with a focus on formative assessment.
https://demo.tkita.net/moodledocs/35/en/d665cf779f77b529385c9ca139883f45.html
(※2)WIRIS is a set of tools for seamless integration with Moodle for mathematics education.
https://docs.moodle.org/3x/en/WIRIS

2-3. About Using Moodle at Technical College

At our technical school, we distribute materials and have students read them, conduct tests, and submit reports through Moodle. We also use the discussion feature for students to communicate with each other and ask questions to teachers. We have heard that it is easier for students to ask questions and be more active on Moodle compared to face-to-face interactions. Recently, as school has resumed, we have been able to use the bulletin board feature on Moodle to receive announcements and messages from teachers.

2-4. About Using Moodle in a Corporate Setting

Since the spread of the new coronavirus infection, many companies have been moving their internal training online. Along with this trend, the use of Moodle has also been gradually expanding. In particular, Moodle is often used for company-wide training, such as compliance, information management, and personal information protection. It is also used for various purposes, such as sales training for salespeople to learn how to sell their company's products, and training for field workers to learn how to perform their tasks. In particular, video materials are often used for learning practical tasks. These videos are filmed while the actual work is being done, and include audio and subtitles. Videos related to safety education for safe work are also used.
The general flow of training is that it is held a few times a year for a set period of time, and targeted employees are required to attend. Employees read the materials uploaded to Moodle. Afterwards, a small test is conducted to confirm their understanding (whether they have read it properly). Once they have achieved the required score, they are considered to have completed the training. Administrators can check the attendance history and encourage employees who have not yet completed the training to do so.

You can also view case studies of Moodle implementation in companies from this article.
> Rapid Expansion of Moodle Usage Due to COVID-19! Latest Updates on Classes and Training Using LMS

2-5. About Using Moodle in Public Organizations

(1) In the case of organizations related to obtaining qualifications
Moodle is widely used in various public organizations. Especially in the case of organizations related to obtaining qualifications, the first step is to provide necessary information for obtaining qualifications. There is not only textual information, but also a significant amount of video materials. These may include explanations by instructors or videos of medical treatments for medical qualifications. In addition, past exam questions may be posted and made available, and many practice test questions are also used. While it may be difficult to prepare test questions each time, Moodle's "Question Bank" feature is very convenient. Once a question is created, it can be added to the question bank. Moodle allows for random selection of questions from the question bank during tests, making it very effective for repeated practice using past and practice questions.

(2) Knowledge Sharing in Medical Conferences
Regarding medical conferences, there has been an increase in cases where Moodle is used as a platform for sharing the latest information on specific medical fields. This allows medical professionals such as doctors and nurses to obtain new information and perspectives on healthcare through Moodle. Hospitals are using Moodle to provide necessary updates to medical professionals, including doctors and nurses. While a website can be used for information disclosure, using Moodle allows for tracking of who accessed which information and how many times it was accessed each month. This information can be used to update teaching materials or replace them with materials from other fields, depending on the results.

(3) Voting function for officer election
In some organizations, the Moodle voting function has been reported to be used for selecting officers in the board of directors. Normally, for officer elections, a series of tasks such as announcing candidates, voting, collecting and tallying votes, and announcing results must be done manually. However, by using Moodle, this series of tasks can be almost completely automated. The administrator can use the Moodle voting function to set up officer candidates as options and have members vote. Once the voting is completed, the results will be tallied and available immediately. This voting function allows for both anonymous and named voting, and members can choose to select only one candidate or multiple candidates from the list of candidates.

(4) Identity Verification for Qualification Exams
A common request we have been receiving lately is to conduct qualification exams on Moodle. In order to do so, identity verification is necessary. Currently, one method of implementation is to randomly take photos using the computer's camera once the exam has started. These photos are automatically uploaded to Moodle, allowing administrators to confirm whether the test-taker is the actual person throughout the exam. Please be aware that in order to start the exam, you will need to turn on your computer's camera and agree to have your photo taken.
Although there have not been any implementation reports yet, there is also a service that uses AI to monitor whether the test-taker is engaging in any fraudulent behavior. This involves observing the test-taker's behavior, such as whether their eyes are moving around or if they are repeatedly turning their face to the side, and determining if they have been replaced by someone else. AI can analyze these small details and provide a result indicating the likelihood of fraudulent behavior by this person. If someone exceeds a certain threshold, administrators can review the actual footage (recorded for monitoring purposes) to confirm. As more practical examples using AI emerge and their reliability is proven, we expect them to be adopted in many qualification exams.

3. Examples of Using Moodle Outside of Universities

As mentioned at the beginning of this blog, Moodle is indeed the most widely used in universities. However, Moodle is also frequently used outside of universities. Here are three examples of non-university use cases. Please consider if you can utilize it in your own environment.

3-1. Hospital Organization

A certain municipal hospital organization has established an e-learning site using Moodle. The number of registered users is about 6,000 employees within the organization, and the server is using cloud services. The operation of Moodle is carried out by the internal staff themselves. Due to the impact of the new coronavirus infection, we were in trouble because we could not hold group training, but the information promotion department introduced and launched Moodle. The training covers general topics such as information security and compliance, as well as specialized content for the hospital organization. For teaching materials, we record the training conducted on Zoom, place the videos on a streaming server within the organization, and distribute them on Moodle. After learning, we conduct a confirmation test and give a badge when the course is completed to maintain motivation. In addition, there is a training that we definitely want everyone to take, so we use Moodle to manage whether individuals have taken the required training or not.

3-2. Companies that provide their own branded products and services in the health market

At this company, we use Moodle on-premises for security education. The number of users is close to 1,000, including group companies. Internal training is conducted 2-3 times a year for the entire company, and new employee training is conducted once a month for about 10 people. We create and operate our own video and text materials. Videos are embedded in the Moodle screen for display. In addition to training materials, it seems that they also upload recordings of all company events, which can be as long as 2-3 hours. This is temporary, and after the period has passed, we delete it because it takes up a lot of space (apparently, not many people watch it because it is too long). We control the video materials so that they cannot be downloaded and saved. Also, each course has a quiz, and after watching the video, we ask them to take the quiz. There are about 10 questions.

3-3. A company that provides comprehensive IT solutions

The purpose of using Moodle is to provide employee education, including initial training for newly hired employees. Initially, it was only used in one department, but it has spread to other departments and is now used throughout the company. There are approximately 2,000 users. Moodle is operated on a rental server. In the future, we plan to integrate it with Zoom and Microsoft Teams. We also have requests to handle personnel changes and department transfers in detail, and to use the progress of learners for personnel evaluations.

You can also view case studies of Moodle implementation in companies from this article.
> Rapid Expansion of Moodle Usage Due to COVID-19! Latest Updates on Classes and Training Using LMS

> Moodle Implementation and Operation Support Results

4. Summary

Currently, Moodle is being used in various places beyond its initial development concept of "supporting university classes". For readers considering implementing an online learning system, there may be some who are unsure of how Moodle can meet their needs. We recommend seeking the help of Moodle's official partners to build your own original online learning system using Moodle's rich features.
There are several official Moodle partners in Japan, and this time we will introduce Human Science Co., Ltd., which has a wealth of experience.

4-1. What is Human Science?

Human Science Co., Ltd. was certified by the Australian Moodle headquarters in 2017 and became an official Moodle partner. Only companies with expertise and achievements in building and operating Moodle are certified. Certified companies exist all over the world, but there are only a few in Japan.
Leveraging our expertise and top domestic operating record (over 700 projects and more than 80 cases for companies, schools, and organizations), we provide a total solution for Moodle implementation and support.

Next, we will explain the services provided by Human Science Co., Ltd. in stages.

4-2. Introduction Design

<Learning Designer>
We will provide Moodle configuration support to realize the education flow that the client wants to implement.
Moodle has a wealth of features, so we will make it easy for learners to use by assuming how to use it. By setting Moodle, you can show/hide functions.
・Requirements definition
We will hear what the client wants to achieve when introducing e-learning and refine the specifications.
・Support for building e-learning operation process
Various tasks such as course registration, contacting users, delivery, and effectiveness measurement occur in e-learning operation. We will help you build the workflow to make the introduction and operation a success.
・Building a demo site
We will launch a demo site and tune the settings and functions while allowing the client to check the actual movement of Moodle.

> Moodle Implementation Support and Operation

<Moodle Construction>
Install Moodle and make it available for use.
We also provide construction to on-premises (self-owned, self-operated) as well as to cloud services such as AWS and Azure.
We also offer replacement from your existing system to Moodle.
・Selection of hardware specifications
This will be determined based on the number of users and how they will be using it.
・Installation of middleware
We will install open source middleware such as apache (Nginx), php (php-fpm), and postgresql.
・Installation of Moodle
・Configuration of Moodle
We will configure Moodle based on its intended use.
・Customization and plugin development
We offer customization and plugin development for features that cannot be achieved with Moodle's standard functions.

> Moodle Construction
> Moodle Plugin Customization

In addition, we also offer a cloud service called e-CoreLea.
You can use an environment with Moodle already installed and configured, so there is no need for you to prepare, build, install, or set up servers, networks, etc.
We also have plans that include video distribution and course materials. Please contact us for more details.

> Moodle Cloud Service (e-CoreLea)

4-3. Operational Support

＜How to Use Seminar＞
We will hold a seminar on the basic usage of Moodle.
The lecture will be conducted in a web conference system (such as Zoom) and is expected to last for approximately 5 hours per day. The topics covered will include preparation, user registration, course registration, creating quizzes, downloading grades, and creating surveys.

Operation Manual
We provide tutorial manuals on how to use Moodle.
> Moodle Implementation, Seminar, and Manual

Regular Maintenance (Version Upgrade)
Moodle has many versions.
Human Science Co., Ltd. supports version upgrades.
> Moodle Version Upgrade

＜Inquiry Support＞
We provide support services for Moodle by phone and email.
Moodle is open source and free, but maintenance and operation are the responsibility of the user.
The main contents are as follows:
・Support by phone and email for inquiries about Moodle operations
・Monthly report delivered summarizing inquiry contents
・Investigation of Moodle bugs (fixes are separate)※In addition to support for Moodle operations and maintenance, we also provide regular maintenance such as frequent Moodle updates, server environment version upgrades, and new information on new features.

> Moodle Maintenance and Operation
> Frequently Asked Questions about Moodle Implementation and Operation Support

From the above, it can be seen that Human Science provides support for Moodle from implementation to operation. For those who want to know more details, you can obtain materials from the link below.
Introduction of Moodle Implementation Support Service | Case Studies and Useful Materials Download | Over 2,693 Achievements of Human Science (hs-learning.jp)

At Human Science Co., Ltd., we offer various services to help our clients introduce and operate e-learning.
If you have any concerns, please feel free to contact us.

> eLearning Material Production
> eLearning Material Translation
> In-house Material Production Support
> Articulate Storyline, Studio Implementation and Creation Support Service
> Microlearning Implementation Support
> Flash to HTML5 Migration and Conversion
> Moodle and Totara Learn (Open Source LMS) Implementation and Operation Support

Contact Form: (https://hs-learning.jp/contact/)

Contact Us:

Phone Number: 03-5321-3111
hsweb_inquiry@science.co.jp

No.1 in domestic achievements for schools and organizationsIntroduction to Moodle implementation support service

Introduction of No.1 Moodle Implementation Support Service for Schools and Organizations in Japan

Moodle is a learning management system (LMS) that provides features for both face-to-face classes and e-learning support.
Human Science is an official partner of Moodle and we utilize our expertise and extensive track record to provide support for the implementation and operation of Moodle.

Project: Over 700 cases
Corporations, Schools, Organizations: Over 80 Case Studies

Download Useful Materials