Blackboard vs Moodle: A Comparison of Students’ Perspectives of Learning Management Systems at the Open University of Mauritius

Proceedings of The 6th World Conference on Research in Teaching and Education

Year: 2023

DOI:

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Blackboard vs Moodle: A Comparison of Students’ Perspectives of Learning Management Systems at the Open University of Mauritius

pasna Bhunjun Gokhool

ABSTRACT: 

Transitioning from one Learning Management System (LMS) to another is a challenging process whereby it has the likelihood to cause disruption in the teaching and learning process in any university. An LMS platform fosters an environment for engagement, allowing learners to attend online classes, track their grades, and check for updates and course announcements (Al-Fraihat et al., 2020). Learning has to take place and be accessible everywhere to learners and, as such, rely utterly on a user-friendly LMS which is equipped with various pedagogical facilities to support their learning process. The Open University of Mauritius started the transition process from Moodle to Blackboard in early 2022.  Blackboard (BB) provides learners and teachers with an inclusive learning environment that further sustains academic development. Both asynchronous and synchronous methods are incorporated in Blackboard to facilitate the learning process. To ensure a successful transition, several mechanisms were put in place to support learners and teachers transitioning to the new learning management system. The objectives of this study is to assess the effectiveness of Blackboard as an aid to the learning process of the learners, to investigate the learners’ perceived satisfaction between BB and Moodle and finally to assess their learning experiences with the new LMS. To achieve these objectives, a questionnaire will be administered to learners of year 1 only. This sample is representative as these students have used both platforms during the two semesters. The data will unveil if BB is contributing to the learning journey of the learners and if improvements need to be done to ensure that learners’ learning process is not destabilized.

keywords: LMS, Blackboard, Moodle, Student, Open University of Mauritius