Open-Source in Education News

Why should institutions apply Open Source Virtual Learning Environments?

Fred de Vries, educational technologist

The advantage of Open Source Software (OSS) which one hears mentioned most frequently is that it is free and can be adapted and extended to meet ones own needs. More important, in my opinion, is the advantage educational institutes can obtain by applying OSS: to shape e-learning according to a clear vision of the educational methods one plans to apply. In such cases e-learning can be a novel, innovative and unique selling point in a competitive market. As a result a VLE is becoming an increasingly critical business application. When Open Source (OS) VLE components are applied, the future roadmap of development can be influenced for relatively low and controllable costs.

The effort and costs of developing modules of an OS VLE can be shared if there is collaboration between institutes and companies which have more or less the same needs. The institution’s specific needs can then be easily accommodated by shaping the generic modules that become available in the community of developers. Interoperability is maintained by working with agreed interfaces between the defined modules, including the application of Learning Technology standards. A company or organization can either focus on contributing with workforce or on funding for such a network of collaboration. The ultimate goal is arranging and supporting possible complex VLEs on the basis of interoperable modules using open (Learning Technology) standards. Above all, the partners investing in the development will obtain more expertise in the utilization of VLEs in education, and become the clear frontrunners.

The key for successful use and development of OS VLEs in the long run is, without doubt, fruitful collaboration between a small groups of institutes and/or companies which share a vision and educational approach.

In Europe one can notice that more people are curious about the utilization of OS systems. The Netherlands are still at the stage of becoming aware of the possibilities, while in Germany, the UK and France relevant educational organisations are acting on new IT policies which take OS seriously. There is a good fit between OS and the academic tradition, as both focus on sharing results and being open to constructive criticism.

It is expected that the development of OS VLEs will grow in the coming years. Of particular strategic importance will be the use and development of VLE components such as portfolio’s, (learning) content management systems, discussion boards etc. This provides an opportunity to collaborate and renew the world of online education.

Possible scenario’s Many institutes are questioning what their approach should be. I tend to summarize the current situation in roughly 4 phases, which range in practice from widespread to an exceptional.

A. Promote the use of OS, do not develop yourself under OS

In many European countries this is the case, a state of awareness raising. The main idea is to let people experience the quality of VLEs available. There are many EU funded projects and regional initiatives which deliver an OS VLE, which can be evaluated and used. There are also many reports available with advices on how to deal with OS.

B. Develop with OS in specific projects

In this scenario the choice to use and develop OS components for a VLE is dealt with on a project to project base. If there are suitable OS components with high quality, a strong supportive community and a suitable licence, a project can decide working with such a component. As usual a project ends with results which can include a new or adapted component that can be offered to an OS community. In this phase no effort is made for joining a community or building upon prior experiences in OS development, although this can be the result of a series of smaller projects and turn into the next phase.

C. Use and development takes place primarily with OS

Compared to the previous stage, the use and development of OS VLE components is taken up seriously by adopting an OS strategy and arranging the maintenance and support. In order to contribute to one or more roadmaps a VLE reference architecture is maintained. Still like in the previous phases, closed source software is used if OSS components are not mature enough to be applied.

D. Use and development takes place primarily with OS with active participation in community

The difference with the previous phase may not seem that big, but to built and maintain a serious network of developers and users in an OS community model can be a lot of effort. Once a set of VLE modules represents the state of the art, encouraged by R&D in the field of Learning Technologies, it may be that many people and institutes will want to join. Depending on national and European policies it is quite possible to obtain support for such initiatives (and, more importantly, funding), from public institutes.

Despite the growing number of organizations that take the development of OS VLEs seriously, there is still a lot of work to be done, both in removing misunderstanding of what an OS VLE is about and serious widespread effort to make things work.

So my final question to you is; where does your organization stand and where is it heading to?

The full text with graphics can also be downloaded at

http://www.ou.nl/open/frv/Why should institutions apply OS VLEs.pdf