Technical and Didactic Knowledge of the Moodle LMS in Higher Education. Beyond Functional Use

• Published in: Journal of new approaches in educational research 2019, Vol.8 (1), p.25-33
• Main Authors: Cabero-Almenara, Julio, Arancibia, Maria Luisa, Del Prete, Annachiara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Classrooms; Collaboration; College Faculty; Distance learning; E-LEARNING; Education; Educational Needs; Educational Practices; Educational Technology; Foreign Countries; FORMACIÓN DEL PROFESORADO; FORMACIÓN VIRTUAL; Higher Education; Innovations; Integrated Learning Systems; Knowledge; learning; Learning Activities; Learning management systems; Learning Processes; MOODLE; Online instruction; Original; Pedagogy; Questionnaires; Student Centered Learning; Students; Surveys; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher education; Teacher training; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Technology; Technology Integration; Technology Uses in Education; Undergraduate Students; Virtual training
• ISSN: 2254-7339; 2254-7339
• DOI: 10.7821/naer.2019.1.327

Higher education institutions at the international level have seen the need to adopt and integrate information and communication technologies to meet the opportunities and challenges of innovation in teaching and learning processes. This logic has led to the implementation of virtual learning environments called ‘Learning Management Systems’, the functionalities of which support flexible and active learning under a constructivist approach. This study measured didactic and technological use of Moodle and its implications in teaching from a quantitative approach by administering a questionnaire to a sample of 640 higher education teachers. Some guiding questions were as follows: Are teachers using the Moodle platform for didactic purposes? What strategies, resources and tools are teachers using, and what do they contribute to student-centred teaching? Are teaching strategies that are focused on collaboration, interaction and student autonomy promoted? The results coincide with those of other studies, confirming an instrumental and functional use of the platform, which is mainly being used as a repository for materials and information, while its pedagogical use remains limited. This is becoming a problem in higher education institutions, something that requires debate and reflection from a systemic perspective on the adoption and integration of technology in the classroom.