Paper presented at Moodlemoot Ireland & UK, Dublin, Ireland, 2-4 April 2012 Usually we think one of Moodle's great assets is its worldwide community. However, IMHO you may question whether the community as it is organized today can cope with future challenges. IMHO what we need is: 1. an organized way to give the Moodle community a voice; 2. an open discussion on what is going on in the e-learning field and how we perceive these developments are valuable for our teaching/learning and have their impact on the position of Moodle. 3. an open discussion on the Moodle characteristics that are appreciated most by its users. 4. an assessment of alternative roadmaps for development. As an example, the Open University has given various presentations on earlier Moodlemoots on the way this large educational "factory"organizes course development and has changed their own instance of Moodle (3000 changes, I once heard, if I remember correctly). I really want to know more about what they are doing. And I really would like to use that if it is more appropriate than Moodle’s standard edition. Or even better, if we agree on such changes, make them the standard edition. Of course such issues require careful discussion of advantages and disadvantages, and careful decision-making. A better organized community could initiate and facilitate this. What do you think about it?

1. info@sofos.nl - www.sofos.nl
Pieter van der Hijden MSc
Sofos Consultancy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
THE FUTURE WITH MOODLE
2012 – Sofos Consultancy / Pieter van der Hijden (pvdh@sofos.nl) - This work is licensed under
a Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
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ABOUT
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AGENDA
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SWOT ANALYSIS: STRENGTHS
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SWOT ANALYSIS: STRENGTHS
Strengths
 Whole process supported by single package
 Client is in control thanks to open source
 Great Community of Practice
 Software license is free of charge
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SWOT ANALYSIS: STRENGTHS
Google Trends: Moodle
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SWOT ANALYSIS: STRENGTHS
Moodle registered sites
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SWOT ANALYSIS: WEAKNESSES
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SWOT ANALYSIS: WEAKNESSES
Weaknesses
 Design tools are missing
 Client uncertain about future
 Ecosystem needs more balance
(kernel, partners, community)
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SWOT ANALYSIS: OPPORTUNITIES
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SWOT ANALYSIS: OPPORTUNITIES
Opportunities
 Need for beacon in turbulent world
 Need for gradual shift to student-centered learning
 Growing need for lifelong learning
 Solving capacity problems via distance learning
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SWOT ANALYSIS: THREATS
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SWOT ANALYSIS: THREATS
Google trends: Moodle, Blackboard
Threats
 Turbulent environment
 Fierce competition
 Growth rate is declining
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SWOT ANALYSIS: THREATS
New Moodle registrations: Growth rate is declining
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CONCLUSIONS
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CONCLUSIONS
Conclusions
 Shared vision needed
 Community importance underestimated
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RECOMMENDATIONS
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RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations
 Community needs to take responsibility
 Give the community a voice
 International Moodle Association
 Representing the users
 Window to the world
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THANK YOU!
Pieter van der Hijden MSc
Sofos Consultancy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.sofos.nl – pvdh@sofos.nl
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