Abstract:

The growing adoption of Learning Management Systems (LMS), in particular of the Moodle platform, has led to the introduction of new teaching/learning approaches and to the promotion of different educational contexts within the online environment. We developed a descriptive study aiming at exploring the communication tools used by teachers and to evaluate how these resources have contributed to the development and improvement of pedagogical practices. The current empirical study involved 5 teachers and 104 students of the Faculdade Human Movement of the Technical University of Lisbon. Firstly, we characterized the eLearning platform (Moodle) used in the referred higher education institution, based on the analysis of the available statistical data retrieved from the platform software. Secondly, we interviewed every teacher of the DSE (Department of Sciences Education), who already have used a LMS, by using a semi-structured interview. This interview was developed and validated for the current investigation. Finally, the students that participated in the study answered an online questionnaire, which was validated by experts and built using the software LimeSurvey. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (18.0 version). The results indicated that: i) there was a significant relationship between innovation regarding the use of communication tools and the easiness to use the LMS; ii) the satisfaction level of the students in using the LMS was associated to their autonomy; and iii) the efficiency of the LMS depended on the teacher’s role in the platform, namely in what concerns the effectiveness and quality of the information transmitted to the students. Overall, results seem to show that the use of a LMS (like Moodle) may represent an important asset for the achievement of personal goals, by encouraging collaborative work and customization. Nonetheless, it is essential to encorage the dissemination, training and expertise, in order to enable the improvement of the teaching/learning process based on collaboration processes.

Keywords:

online learning, communication tools, usability, higher education, blended learning, moodle.