ARTICLE 3

A Moodle Course: Design and Implementation in English for Academic Purposes Instruction.
Al Naddabi, Z. (2007).

Summary of central themes

This paper focuses on the use of Moodle as a learning management system in teaching general academic purposes English at an intermediate level of an intensive language program. After describing the Moodle course and providing examples of its content, advantages of integrating it in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) are pinpointed. Also, problems and concerns about its use are presented. Finally, recommendations for future developments of Moodle as an e-learning component in the program and in similar EFL programs are outlined, as informed by the described practice of designing and implementing a Moodle course.

Intended audience

This article is aimed at academics who are interested in the use of Moodle as a LMS interface. The group being studied is from an intensive language program and therefore the specific target audience is educators working with students learning English as a second language. However this does not limit the use of this article to ESL educators, it may be beneficial to educators from other sectors such as university, secondary or even primary school teachers.

Methodology and results

The Moodle components were scheduled to be introduced by the program teachers every 2 weeks, but students were advised to use them in their own time as well. For example, reading and listening quizzes were progressively shown on Moodle so that students could do some practice on the units they had taken in their reading and listening classes. Observations were made regarding the advantages and disadvantages of using Moodle. Advantages which were noted included: Enhancing student-student interactions and teacher-student interactions, Helping students to do their research for independent study projects, Fostering students’ independence and Providing a change of routine.

How does this article relate to the topic?

It identifies the advantages in a practical situation and also identifies some problems associated with the implementation of the Moodle interface. The article highlights the importance of computer literacy for both teachers and students to achieve successful implementation of this LMS as there is no commercial support for Moodle.