With the rise of use of Moodle in education, it is more important than ever to develop a continuous improvement approach to course design to achieve success in teaching and learning. To do this one has to look into the effectiveness of this open source software which has attracted the attention of many administrators, faculty and students.

Moodle is a flexible tool that can be accessed by Unitec students from on and off campus locations and is available 24/7 provided the learner has a pc/laptop and internet. In other words, learning is not limited to strict time schedules and physical boundaries thus enabling students to learn at flexible time at their own pace. This flexibility benefits part-time students a lot since they have to juggle educational, work based, social and domestic responsibilities (Hart & Rush, 2007). By engaging in online readings, quizzes, forum discussions and other resource materials students can come prepared for the upcoming classes and would be better informed  to be able to participate in more meaningful class-based activities (Callagher, 2008).

The Unitec lecturers are open, accessible and responsive to students during the course. Reminders and course announcements are provided at regular intervals so that everyone is one the ‘same page’. Throughout the semester student led discussions have been ongoing facilitating group communication and collaboration. Moodle forum encourages learners to interact in English therefore improves their language skills. Timely and constructive feedback especially on assignments enhances learning since students are motivated and value the feedback on their progress (Stanigar & Chapman, 2011). Moodle is transparent and intuitive for educators and students.

Strong support and adequate scaffolding provided by Unitec staff enables students to cope with their studies quickly. Having experienced Moodle in my home country I adjusted quickly with Unitec’s Moodle, however students with no experience with Moodle should be given enough directions and training.  According to Johnson, Lillis, and Hall (n.d) “a greater support system needs to be in place to support students with this new influx of technology in their learning environment, thus ensuring that they are not intimidated”. 

Moreover, updated readings, Powerpoint slides and course materials are uploaded on a week-to-week basis and are made available to all students regardless of their location and time zone. Most of course materials and resources are available online and this reduces paperwork since majority students read online rather than printing materials. Much on-line learning is essentially static and teachers tend to concentrate their efforts into the creation of resources (the lecture, associated materials) rather than a learning activity (Hart & Rush, 2007). Educators should design student-centred learning activities that develop discovery, self-directed, and reflective learning experiences (Stanigar & Chapman, 2011). 

Example 2 - The University of the South Pacific, Fiji