Moodle: enhancing the assessment capabilities of the leading open source virtual learning environment

With the merger of Blackboard and WebCT, the selection of the open source system Moodle is an increasingly attractive alternative for many institutions. The Open University (OU) recently choose Moodle as a core component of its virtual learning environment after an extensive requirements gathering process and evaluations of commercial and open source products. The University has now launched a £4m programme to enhance the Moodle suite of e-learning tools, integrate Moodle with existing systems and promote the uptake of the new tools by course teams. It is feeding back its developments to the Moodle community and in turn hopes to reap the benefits of continual efforts taking place across the World to enhance the pedagogical provisions of the system.