The Nicholls community prepares for change this semester from the familiar Blackboard to a free web application called Moodle.

Moodle is the new primary source of academic communication with teachers that has similar functioning to Blackboard. There are a number of differences such as the layout, tab names and communication options.

Moodle has forums instead of a discussion board and grades instead of a report card. It has a simple layout design compared to Blackboard’s layout.

What does Moodle mean? Moodle is an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment.

Moodle is free unlike Blackboard.

Tom Bonvillain, director of instructional technology support, is the man to go to when dealing with online communications at Nicholls. He has learned to transition to Moodle after using Blackboard for many years.

“When something is an established thing like Blackboard we get used to it,” Bonvillain said. “People are going to be apprehensive about it because it is a big change and it does affect the students and teachers.”

New students and transfers have to make the transition to a new school while the Nicholls community is transitioning to a new semester and a new database system.

Some students and teachers are not completely happy with the change.

“Moodle sounds like a mix between a cow and a poodle,” Layne Lirette, marketing senior from Bourg, said. “It is free and you can tell it is free. I am a senior and I am used to Blackboard. I used to look at Blackboard for fun and now I don’t want to look at Moodle at all.”

“If things did not change they could not get any better,” Bonvillain said. “If things just stayed this way then it will only be this good forever which is nice, but it has to change at some point.”

Bonvillain explained that the Blackboard change reflects state budget cuts in a harsh economy.

“The government has a budget like any person would and you have to work within that budget,” Bonvillain said. “It is the same thing for the government where they have to work within their budget. We wish we can have more but we can only work with what we have.”

Bonvillain suggested that if anybody has a problem with Moodle then you can find tutorials online.

Another change with Moodle is that instead of using Safe Assign on Blackboard, Moodle will use Turnitin.com when submitting term papers.

“Moodle has a slight social aspect to it where you can add pictures,” Bonvillain said. “It is kind of fun in that you can add your interests and hobbies.”

Some teachers, like Deborah Cibelli, professor of art history, used Moodle last semester to develop an early understanding of the new system.

“During the last semester, I used Moodle to post lecture material for students to access before a readings class so that the class period could be conducted as a seminar,”Cibelli said.

Cibelli utilized the directory folder in Moodle for posting important documents like Microsoft Power Point presentations and Word documents. She conducted a “Power Point Showcase” where students could view their classmates’ work to improve their own.

“Students should ask teachers for an orientation on how their teacher will work with Moodle,” Cibelli said. “If a teacher is not sure on how to build their site then I suggest that they base their site on their syllabus with links for their assignments. I did that last semester, and it worked.”

Cibelli explained that Moodle can help someone to be more organized because it files all documents in one place.

“People should handle Moodle piece by piece,” Cibelli said. “You have to work in phases to understand it.”

Students expressed what they think Moodle is and how they feel about the program.

“Blackboard is more user-friendly and looks more professional but when it comes to budget cuts, Moodle is a good thing,” Zachary Morgan, marketing junior from Metairie, said. “Only thing we need to learn is how to work it.”

Some students believe that Moodle is easier than people make it out to be.

“Moodle is easy to use,” Megan Cloutet, marketing junior from Covington, said. “I like the side tabs and how I can access my grades.”

Moodle has an upbeat name with a technical meaning, but students think of other things.

“When I think of Moodle, I think of a noodle that you use in a pool to float on,” Morgan said.

The most common connotation is that Moodle is a cross between a man and a poodle. Moodle may not be a dog but it is a change. The Nicholls community has to unite to work this new application.

For help and tips on using Moodle this semester, visit moodle.org for tutorials.