.LRN & Dokeos 2.0

.LRN and Dokeos 2.0

.LRN (pronounced .dot learn) is an open source software system that is supported by private and public sponsors. It has messaging capabilities (email and bulk email) and allows for slide presentations. Sound capabilities were not a feature of .LRN insofar as the slide presentations were concerned. It has an asynchronous platform

Content Organization is primarily up to the instructor who can decide the language and customize portlets, if desired. Administrators can choose to have their course closed or open and require approval for entry, if desired.

The interface design is devoid of superfluous information. I would almost describe it as bare bones in nature; it possess the basic needs for an LMS to function. To that end, it is intuitive for both the administrator and learner (making navigation easier).

This LMS has a simple communication platform (email and forums).

From the point of view of the administrator, I liked the simple interface because it allows novices to become familiarized with a LMS in a non-threatening way. From the point of view of an administrator, I disliked the lack of creative freedom in presenting course content.

From the point of view of a learner, I liked that you could personalize your own portal layout. I disliked the lack of audio capabilities, especially as it relates to the forums; learners might benefit from hearing and verbally participating in discussions around course content.

I would use this platform for novices in K-12 education as it provides very few distractions for the learner.

Dokeos 2.O is an open source learning suite that is both asynchronous and synchronous. It has email, instant messaging, sound and video capabilities.

With Dokeos, the administrator is able to create a system within the suite of options available. The interface design is simple; it has screenshots of what specific functions look like. Due to the array of options and examples, it seems intuitive for both the administrator and user.

Dokeos makes it easy to assign courses and gives the learner multiple ways to interact with other learners. This is both a content and communication platform that works to inform the learner.

From an administrator’s perspective, I like the array of choices in creating course content and dislike that this LMS format might appear to be overwhelming to novices.

From a learner’s perspective, I liked that the multimedia options at my disposal and disliked the use of avatars to create “identities” in the chat (it seemed a bit childish).

I could see Dokeos used in higher and K-12 education and possibly in a training capacity for corporations as Dokeos possess and easy way to track the progress of learners.