Pioneering eLearning Earns Accolades

Wednesday, 24 October 2007, 11:31 am
Press Release: Open Polytechnic

Pioneering eLearning Earns Accolades for Open Polytechnic

National distance learning provider The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand has been honoured at the New Zealand Open Source Awards for its pioneering role in promoting the adoption of low cost eLearning technology in New Zealand (New Zealand Open Source Virtual Learning Environment project - NZOSVLE).

'Open source' is a rapidly growing global movement that makes software innovations freely available at no or low cost, permitting users to use, change and redistribute the software. The new awards recognise the achievements of New Zealanders in this emerging field in global information technology.
The Open Polytechnic received a Special Category Award for its role in leading a collaborative project to lower cost and technology barriers to eLearning in New Zealand. As a result of the project, 10 polytechnics and three universities, along with Government departments and a growing of schools are using the 'Moodle' open source learning management system.

The system is freely available on the web and was evaluated, adapted and improved for the New Zealand environment. It allows organisations and other users to manage, modify and deliver eLearning services and resources for students or employees.

Supported by $1.5 million in funding from the Tertiary Education Commission, the project also developed a global collaborative community called Eduforge that now hosts 190 education projects from around the world.

The success of the Moodle roll-out in New Zealand has helped encourage overseas institutions such as the UK Open University, Athabasca University in Canada and UCLA in California to adopt the system. Registered Moodle sites world-wide have increased from 350 to 35,000 over the course of the project.

Project leader Richard Wyles says the project has given New Zealand a prominent position internationally in open source education. "In typical Kiwi fashion we were early adopters, and the number of organisations using the system here has grown beyond our expectations.

"New Zealanders are active participants in the global Moodle community, contributing improvements to the software that can be shared around the world."

Don Christie of awards organisers Catalyst and a leading advocate of open source in this country said The Open Polytechnic-led project had delivered huge economic value. By removing cost barriers, it was also seeing the benefits flow through communities and schools who couldn't afford commercial systems.

Background on NZOSVLE

The New Zealand Open Source Virtual Learning Environment project (NZOSVLE) supported by $1.5 million eCDF funding from the TEC was completed in June 2006. It involved a consortium of 20 TEOs to establish “a virtual learning infrastructure that minimises the financial, organisational, and technological barriers to delivering eLearning across New Zealand’s knowledge economy.” The project involved evaluating and developing software by participating in global communities using the open source development model.

After a rigorous selection process early in 2004, the project team selected Moodle as the most suitable open source learning management system (LMS) for the New Zealand environment and has continued to participate in the ongoing development community. An LMS is a core component to the overall virtual learning environment framework.

The project successfully:

• Reduced total cost of ownership for e-Learning technology and infrastructure
• Reduced barriers to entry
• Increased flexibility to support alternative environments and pedagogy.

Open source now underpins much of the national e-learning infrastructure. Along with cost benefits, Moodle also offers other advantages, such as the ability to modify the system to suit local and institutional needs. Users can also adapt the LMS as they need, giving the ability to respond rapidly to change.

As a further outcome, the project developed an “open access environment” called Eduforge (www.eduforge.org ). This provides a virtual space for users around the world to share ideas, research outcomes, open content and open source software for education. Initially conceived as a collaboration platform for the NZOSVLE partners, Eduforge now hosts over 190 education projects and has helped position New Zealand as an innovative leader in the eLearning field.

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