Posted by TomK on February 7, 2013 at 3:47pm
I am just getting started in Drupal and this is my first entry. I apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge. I publish a textbook that is used in many high schools and colleges. I now want to create an online component that supplements the textbook. Within the next few years I may want to eliminate the text, and create a complete online curriculum. I believe I need a website, a course authoring program, a CMS and LMS. Can Drupal support all of these components and if so, can they be integrated into existing delivery systems that high schools and colleges use? Thank you for your comments.
Comments
Potentially yes
It really depends on your comfort with code and diving in should you find an issue. At Penn State we use Drupal to augment the traditional LMS for online textbook creation. We have extended that experience beyond simple textbook creation through online-learning communities for students to submit and critique work in the classroom.
The reason to use Drupal as an educator (in my opinion) is the degree of flexibility it gives you. Edu is always being forced into buckets (and then newer shinier buckets) when really people want to start with a bucket and often times add a spout or drill a hole to get people else where and serve different needs. I'd recommend checking out many of the educational distributions to get a feel for what's possible in Drupal.
If you are authoring a textbook in Drupal I'd recommend checking out the MOOC distribution I'm working on (http://drupal.org/project/mooc) as it's being created just for this purpose. It's also based on the toolsets our instructional designers have used in Drupal 6 for the last 4 years.
If you are interested in hooking it up to an LMS / extending functionality back into the LMS I highly recommend checking out the LTI module (http://drupal.org/project/lti_tool_provider) or this screencast that shows what you can build with MOOC and LTI -- https://drupal.psu.edu/content/learning-tools-interoperability-drupal
Drupal CAN do all of the things you mention above, the major issue becomes support and technical capability of you / whoever is also involved in helping support.
Ex Uno Plures
http://elmsln.org/
http://btopro.com/
http://drupal.psu.edu/
a thought on LMS as a designation
Hi Tom,
Debates rage on the use of Drupal as a "Learning Management System." You're sure to get a lot of feedback and recommendations regarding the up- and the down-sides.
In advance, it may be useful to identify essential features --the more specific the better. While I'd certainly balk at a project to replace Blackboard or Moodle with Drupal unless it were a very well funded initiative, at OwnSourcing we've built several Drupal projects specifically for intranet-based 'learning management,' and I'm convinced there was no better alternative starting point. We're working on another for a department at Harvard, and are expanding the "LMS" we use in our own training line of business (acquisition of Drupal skills and related professional skills).
It would be interesting to hear more of what you have in mind. Chances of getting good advice are highest if you hone in on the minimum viable product.
ownsourcing.com - strategy, training, documentation
Thank you kay_v
I will definitely check out minimum viable product and OwnSourcing. I am also investigating Blackboard, Moodle and Moodlerooms.
looking forward to checking out mooc
great to see your post, btopro - will have to take mooc for a spin!
ownsourcing.com - strategy, training, documentation
Thank You btopro
Coincidentally the first thing I read once I joined Drupal was one of your posts. It led me to ELMS and then to the Drupal in Education group. I will definitely check out your recommendations. I am not a programmer so I'll be looking for technical support from individuals or companies. I am just trying to become familiar with some of the most popular options that will hopefully lead me to the right planet. Thanks again and I'll be following your steps.
whatever you do and whoever
whatever you do and whoever you bid out to I'd highly recommend getting LTI integration included. It's very easy to implement on the Drupal side and will help streamline / increase adoption by binding UX to the more traditional LMS sources.
Ex Uno Plures
http://elmsln.org/
http://btopro.com/
http://drupal.psu.edu/
LTI vs SCORM & Experience API (Tin Can API)
Is there a relationship between LTI and SCORM (Experience API (Tin Can API))? Or are they separate initiatives?
LTI and SCORM are two
LTI and SCORM are two different efforts, they are related in that they are both from the imsglobal learning consortium (http://imsglobal.org/). SCORM is more of "take this package and get it over there" as well as migration and repurposing of material. Personally, I can't stand it and it's extremely complicated (though well intentioned).
LTI on the other hand is extremely simple conceptually and in implementation. It's essentially an OAuth request that tells a system who someone is via a POST submission to an address (from inside another tool providing system, LMS, etc). This gives you enough context to essentially extend the learning experience and unify logins / UX in the process. It has other parts of the spec for things like grade posting but I haven't dug into that yet.
I've only seen write ups about Tin Can so I can't speak to it directly. Seems to be a replacement for SCORM but I'm not positive. I also like that all the major LMSs support LTI and that it's been created by an international standards body.
Ex Uno Plures
http://elmsln.org/
http://btopro.com/
http://drupal.psu.edu/
Authoring textbook-like-thing
Tom,
I'm doing something similar. A few years ago, I studied learning research, then made a textbook-replacement-thing at http://coredogs.com.
Now I'm working on a Drupal distro so other people can use the same techniques. It's not an LMS - it's more aimed at textbook-replacement creation. It includes a business model for independent authors to make some $.
Current home of the project is http://dolfinity.com.
Kieran
Kieran Mathieson
kieran@dolfinity.com