Technologies for Learning, Thinking and Collaborating
http://www.dwheeler.com/oss_fs_eval.html
This paper describes a general process for evaluating software, but has a specific focus on how to evaluate Open Source software against proprietary packages. It is useful in that it highlights key areas outside of straightahead functionality to pay attention to, things like cost, support, maintenance, reliability, and license issues. – SWL
– via [OpenSector.org]
“Koha is the first open source integrated library system … the Koha system is a full catalogue, OPAC, circulation and acquisitions system.”
I’m not an expert in OPAC systems, so I leave it to the librarians to judge how full-featured this software is, though on the surface it seems fairly mature. I’m posting this, though, as just another example of how wide the range of open source projects has become. It wasn’t that long ago that people (usually in an attempt to maginalize their effects as part of a FUD campaign) would characterize open source projects as focusing on only those types of programs of interest to the geeks who could build them. There’s probably always going to be a bit of that at play, but a quick glance at, for instance, sourceforge projects by intended audience shows just how broadly the phenomenom has spread. – SWL
– via [OpenSector.org]
http://www.developmentgateway.org/
download/201768/COL_LMS_Open_Source_-_July_2003.pdf
Not sure how this one got past me, must have been the summer doldrums, but back in June this report commissioned by the Commonwealth of Learning evaluating the field of current open source course management systems was released. It provides a fairly extensive analysis of the 5 shortlisted products (Moodle, LON-CAPA, ILIAS, dotLRN and ATutor) and ends up recommending ATutor for adoption with ILIAS coming in second.
It’s an interesting recommendation. One could contrast it with the recent piece from Rob Reynolds at xplana that looked at some of the same products, but with a very different evaluation framework. It’s also a bit unfortunate that it wasn’t able to assess Stanford’s Coursework, which was only then being released. I guess the other small fault I would find with it is that it takes a naive view of product selection based on feature assessment, as it simply provides a total of the various assessments, thus considering all features as being of equal weight, though it does separate out systemic issues from functional features. And if I was the Moodle guy, I think I might cry foul over a few of their ‘subjective assessments.’ Still, a very worthwhile resource and reference. – SWL
http://online.bcit.ca/sidebars/current/index.htm
If you haven’t seen it before, Sidebars is an always fun and educational newsletter produced by the staff of the Learning Resources Unit of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). This month they focus on all things CMS – they are undergoing their own change process currently and have published their well-worth emulating evaluation plan, and various staff also contribute pieces on a few existing open source choices as well as rolling your own CMS.
On this last one, I don’t disagree that you can piece together a variety of inexpensive components that make up part of what we now think of as a standard CMS, but I’m pretty sure you can’t get something that is entirely functionally equivalent, as well as integrated, without a lot of time, effort and money. This is where the CMS movement started from – trying to provide an easier way to access a common set of apps that were being implemented piecemeal. Whether one in fact needs all of that functionality is another question, a good one that doesn’t often get asked enough, and again the folks at Sidebars point to a useful Syllabus article by the Steves from TLTR . Great issue. – SWL
There are more and more of these lists floating around. I keep this one just as a matter of housekeeping on the Edutools project, as at some point we will review most if not all of these, and just thought it might be of interest. The list also includes the license types, countries of origins and some additional notes.
Continue reading “Current list of open source Course Management Systems”