LMS Comparison - Miller

Joomla(LMS)

Joomla(LMS) is designed to be self-installed on top of a Joomla CMS site. It is open-source licensed and is highly customizable with numerous additional components and templates publicly available. It supports both synchronous and asynchronous learning as includes both course and group chat options. Users can chat inside conferences, use shared whiteboards, exchange files, play SWF files (video streaming is also supported), and share webcam views. Conference sessions can also be recorded.

Content can be organized through the use of hierarchical chapters and by creating dynamic learning paths for students. It allows for importing and exporting content and SCROM packages. Upgrades are available and free for self-installations. They offer paid installations as well. Users will need a standards-based web browser to access courses. Since it is built atop the Joomla CMS platform, it shares the same simple GUI interface. Several sample websites are available through joomlalms.com. Students and instructors will share similar experiences when working in Joomla(LMS). Sites have a very interactive feel and can be designed with social networking features familiar to most users.

Courses are assigned and permissions extended through an administrator. Students can be auto enrolled or enrolled by instructors or administrators. Courses can be created using templates and there are subscription and payment options available. Users can create content online through their web browsers. Most major file types are supported and they can be shared with others. Links can be created for any document and quizzes and surveys can be created and managed within the platform.

Administrators will like the simple Web 2.0 interface, easy to use tracking and reporting tools, and the many options for customization. Learners will also appreciate the intuitive interface and collaborative tools found in Joomla(LMS). Chat, group conferencing, usergroups, and file sharing features will allow for better communication between learners.

This platform would work well for higher education and corporate environments where community building is important with users attending several courses over a longer period of time. The "Learning Path" course tracking/progress feature will especially benefit this audience.

Sakai Project

Sakai is another open-source product that is available as a free self-install. It supports synchronous and asynchronous environments with a large number of available add-on tools and functionality. It is also easily upgradable to new versions and is highly customizable. You can create collaborative research groups or sites with other specialized purposes.

Student work can be tracked using e-portfolio tools. They can design and publish their work and share and view each other's e-portfolios. There are several collaborative elements available to users. These include blogs and wikis, forums and RSS, and calendars and external webpages. Chat functions are built in.

Content is presented via modules chosen and developed by instructors. In addition to the content-laden features mentioned above, instructors can also build out learning sequences using the lesson building feature and incorporate tests and quizzes into their courses. Sakai allows for broad user experiences and integration with other Sakai supported institutions. This is one of their strengths.

Sakai installations include a WYSIWYG editor for internal authoring and a GUI interface available to instructors and students. A modern web browser is needed to view and create content. External authoring tools can be used to create content that can be imported into Sakai.

From an administrator's perspective, Sakai offers a wealth of valuable tools for course development, reporting, and implementation. Site set-up and editing is easily managed as is account information through the assignment of roles and permissions. Sakai appears to lack the ability to combine courses in a way that allows for team teaching and active collaboration between two or more courses. As a learner, Sakai does an excellent job making the e-learning experience beneficial by providing a familiar and comfortable interface. Sharing of coursework is also easy as is the ability to create content through blogs and wikis.

Sakai is best suited for academic institutions of higher learning. It appears designed and developed for this market. The creation of e-portfolios by learners is the key feature I would use most. The ability to have users create content, have it reviewed with feedback by multiple parties, and then published for internal or external use is a strong selling point.