http://openacademic.org/news/?p=11
Over on the OpenAcademic blog, Sean Lancaster has asked the following question:
i appreciate the effort that is being undertaken to create a terrific online learning environment that brings various resources together seamlessly; however, i am curious to better understand how Drupal and Moodle are different in what they provide. i mean, why would a person use both tools at the same time?
The short answer is that the best option is a subjective determination -- kind of like Mac vs PC, etc, etc.
A slightly longer answer is that the choice of tool for the learning environment will be determined by the relationship between learners' needs, instructors' needs, and institutional needs.
A still longer answer is that making an across the board choice is no longer necessary, and we are at a place where it's possible to match the tool to teaching/learning style. It's possible for an institution to provide these tools side by side to support learners and teachers in the classroom.
Moving outside the classroom, Drupal is a pretty flexible tool that can be used to create intranets for different academic departments, club sites, a public facing school site, an alumni forum -- within each of these contexts, Drupal can be customized and focused to meet the specific needs of the site users. Some people have also used Moodle to meet these needs. The need for a "one size fits all" approach no longer exists, as we have options.
All of these elements (and others, I'm sure :) ) will factor into the decision. It's possible to set up OpenAcademic without Drupal, or without Moodle. The solution is, by design, flexible and scalable. However, it's necessary to stress that the choice of tool to use is just that: a choice. The user has options. The institution has options. The sysadmin has options. People and institutions do similar things in different ways. The work we're doing at OpenAcademic is intended to provide a flexible, adaptable toolkit. Using the tools within OpenAcademic, you can create a simple web presence, or a learning network that connects learners and institutions on different sides of the world. You can choose to use the tools -- in any combination -- to meet your needs in your way.
If you're still awake and reading at this point, I've written more about ideas related to this topic here and here and here.
Keywords: choice, drupal, flexibility, integration, moodle, openacademic, options
Comments
To my experience integrations are problematic because you can't get the latest developments and refinements integrated. That is the reason I have integrated the 3 systems: Typo3 (instead of Drupal) > Moodle > Elgg with a single sign on system so when the user has logged in via Typo3 then they can access the 3 other platforms. So far I have seen - it is a second to none solution in user roles and flexibility and portefolio. And the great extra is that I can just upgrade each of the 3 systems independently - just in time.
BR
Jens
RE:
Absolutely -- this is why, in OpenAcademic, we are committed to not forking the core code of any of the apps -- by leaving the core intact, we will be able to upgrade the individual pieces of the learning environment independently of one another. By combining that approach with code, along with some clear documentation for the end user, we are hoping to make things as simple as possible.
RE:
It sounds like we're thinking along similar lines -- I'd love to talk with you about your work, and see if there are any potential areas of collaboration.
Cheers,
Bill