I knew from my first experience with Moodle as a learner that it had the potential to revolutionize the current learning management scene. Its ease of use and facilitation of learner collaboration made a lasting impression. In January, Web Courseworks became a hosting and support facility for Moodle. Today, we have experience hosting and supporting Moodle sites for major corporate and academic institutions. I believed I had the inside track on the next great learning management innovation, but little did I realize that the Moodle community’s release of version 1.6 had turned the heads of eLearning professionals in academia and in the workplace. The release of the eLearning Guild’s LMS research in March of 2007 divulged that thousands of corporations were downloading and using Moodle as either a primary or secondary LMS. And why not? It’s a simple and free download. Here’s what the Guild survey revealed: Highest satisfaction ratings of any LMS tool among Guild members Lowest cost per learner #1 LMS for small and medium corporations Low annual cost to operate Moodle prevailed in survey results despite being pitted against traditional proprietary systems like SumTotal, Plateau, GeoLearning, and Blackboard. Moodle’s exponentially growing user base among both corporate and academic organizations can be attributed to its flexibility and user-friendly application. Instructors can create activities spanning from lessons and quizzes to interactive forums and wikis. Adding to Moodle’s popularity is the truly global nature of the collaborative development. There are currently more than 20,000 registered Moodle sites using over 75 languages in over 160 countries. Moodle is open source—that means free, right? Technically yes, Moodle requires no licensing fees to download. However, the installation, customization, and hosting Moodle does add up to a cost between $1 to $10 per learner. The transparency of the code allows for easy customization by a PHP programmer. Web Courseworks has experience with Moodle at all levels: Expert consultancy on launching Moodle internally Training your staff to utilize Moodle effectively Tailoring Moodle to provide the most efficient structure for your courses Low cost hosting, which can provide higher ROI and user satisfaction Support contract to have your Moodle kept up to date and running smoothly Choosing Web Courseworks to implement your Moodle LMS allows you to continue doing what you do best while allowing us to do what we do best, which is to provide Moodle solutions. Jon Aleckson established Madison Productions, Inc. in 1978 for motion picture and video projects. In 1992, he integrated new media production services for interactive CBT and Web-based eLearning projects. His passion for interactive learning led to the creation of Web Courseworks in 2000. This division of Madison Productions uses Flash game-based learning activities to achieve learning objectives for a variety of adult and child learners. Clients of Web Courseworks include Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Credit Union National Association, Miller Brewing Company, GE Healthcare, University of Wisconsin Systems, and the US Army. While managing his twelve-person eMedia development company, Jon is seeking his PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis with a minor in (and special passion for) the study and deployment of learning technology. Jon Aleckson, CEO Madison Productions, Inc and Web Courseworks 6680 Odana Rd. Madison, WI 53719 Email: jonaleckson@webcourseworks.com Web site: http://www.webcourseworks.com Phone: 608-824-8900 Fax: 608-824-8908