SOCIAL ISSUES

When considering social issues for Moodle, accessibility is a concern for users. Learners must have a computer or laptop/iPhones with a good internet connection in order to access the course resources. For distance learning, some students in less developed areas may have difficulty in accessing the internet and even the supply of electricity may be a problem.

The digital divide theory explains the lack of access to internet and digital technologies at various socioeconomic levels. Moreover, connecting to Moodle off-campus may put an additional cost on learners in order to connect internet.  Not to mention, while some students will be well versed with the technology there will be few who might be struggling to learn basic Moodle tools. Differences in technical skills, user experience and levels of online connectivity can affect a student's availability to study. 

CULTURAL ISSUES

In the field of education there are a range of differences that includes gender, race, ethnicity, class, to name a few and the presence of technology in the classroom may lead to a conflict with students from anti-tech culture. The technology disadvantaged groups lack meaningful opportunities to apply technology effectively in an empowering manner (Subramony, 2011). This affects students’ engagement and learning; therefore teachers are faced with the challenge to instructional planning that is culturally responsive. Language barriers can also become a problem for whom English is a foreign language. 

ORGANISATIONAL ISSUES

Integrating Moodle in teaching and learning may be a difficult task requiring leadership, time and investment. Although Moodle is open-source, the organisation will be responsible for installation and maintenance of the hardware and operating Moodle system. To keep the system running at optimum level regular monitoring and performance tuning is essential. 

Expert technical support should be available to cope with the challenges of this technology. Prior to the installation of Moodle, the organisation must take necessary measures to avoid the risk of losing online course materials and resources and so a complete system backup is vital. 

Other risks like hacking, quality assurance policies and standards, network problems, viruses and professional development of teachers to deliver content online also needs to be accounted for. Moreover, depending on the user base, the institution must invest in having enough computers with good internet speed to meet the learning demands of the students, teachers and administrators. 

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

Moodle massively changes the role of the teachers and learners. The teacher serves as a guide, facilitator or coach whereas the learners take an active role and responsibility in learning. “In preparing teaching staff to recognise the pedagogical affordances, further intentional strategies need to be employed to address the teachers’ perceptions if they are to successfully transfer their teaching dispositions to the new context of learning technologies” (Tabitha & Rata-Skudder, 2012b, p. 9).

 Organisations should give release time to the staff to participate in part/full time workshops or in-house training that enables them to reflect and plan on their practice. Students also need to trained well on using Moodle tools and explore its many features through workshops, orientation programmes, Moodle user manuals, videos, tutorials and so forth. 

WORKLOAD ISSUES

Using an online tool for teaching may be challenging and overwhelming for some teachers especially if they lack technology skills. Teachers will have to plan and organise course resources differently compared to the face-to-face teaching styles. And for this reason some teachers may take additional time than usual in preparing learning activities. 

In addition to this, educators have to constantly upload and updating course resources, respond to Moodle forums, post course news and monitor online activities. Thus, teachers should be allocated enough time in their timetable load to prepare themselves for effective on-line delivery.

COPYRIGHT & ASSESSMENT ISSUES

Most institutions using Moodle have set out their terms and conditions concerning copyright issues. Materials like lecture notes, handouts or worksheets written by staff are usually held by the teacher or the institution. Educators can also create links in Moodle to personal websites to safeguard copyright. Ethical and legal issues are also a concern when teachers upload articles on Moodle and students download multiple copies without buying the original work. 

Moodle quizzes are critical tools that allow students to self assess and gauge their own level of performance on a specific topic and boost the course’s effectiveness. Feedback provided by educators on discussion forums enables modifications to improve teaching and learning activities. However, Moodle limits the methods and levels for assessment.

Strategies for effective implementation of Moodle