Frequently Asked Questions.
General
What is an LMS?
LMS stands for Learning Management System. An LMS is a software application that delivers online education.
Why does my organisation need an LMS?
A well designed LMS will not only meet the expectations of the hybrid learning and work world but will also streamline your operations. Delivering more courses, across more locations and to more people; or onboarding and training employees will become easier.
A good use of LMS can increase your income streams (if you are an extended enterprise learning organisation, for example; or if you are looking to sell large volume of short courses online); as well as save time (by reducing the number of physical resources required to deliver training) and positively affect your bottom line.
A well designed LMS will also keep your end users happy.
What kind of modules / benefits does an LMS provide?
- Student management
- Content management
- Assessments management
- Reporting
- Communications – virtual classrooms, chats, feedback loops between students and educators; as well as students and other students
- Gamification
LMS software is often used by organisations to increase collaboration and informal learning which accounts for a lot more than formal learning, when it comes to people growth and development.
The use of LMS software and its reporting features is also known to greatly improve student success by making communications more personalised, approaches to students more individualised and assistance more accessible.
What is blended learning?
Blended learning is something many universities and colleges are yet to master and can serve as a major competitive advantage for those who are able to deliver on it at a high standard.
Blended learning combines the traditional face-to-face / on-campus learning with online learning to deliver on the various needs of individual learners. In the world where flexible schedules is an expectation, blended learning is becoming increasingly important to do well.
What is micro-credentialing?
Micro-credentialing generally stands for shorter courses on completion of which, individuals receive a certificate or a badge which they can add to their list of skills and qualifications. It is definitely on the rise among various institutional bodies as well as major education providers including large universities and colleges.
What is SCORM?
SCORM stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model and is basically a file format used for sharing training courses between LMS. Catalyst IT have recently developed a Moodle SCORM Remote plugin for easy course sharing between Moodle LMS (and those that do not support LTI) – learn more here.
Moodle
What is Moodle?
Moodle LMS is the world’s most popular learning management system (LMS) used by organisations of various types and sizes including enterprise level organisations. It is used by many schools, universities, colleges and other education providers, as well as not for profit, government and large organisations in the commercial sector that heavily rely on ongoing training and development of staff.
How do I set up a Moodle site?
While anyone can set up a Moodle site, for larger, enterprise level organisations we highly recommend getting a Certified Moodle Partner involved, who have deep knowledge of various integrations and can customise the site to your specific needs. Some partners, like Catalyst, can also help with maintenance and hosting of your Moodle site in their secure, high availability infrastructure.
Does Moodle offer support services?
While Moodle provides all documentation you need as well as community forums to help users navigate through Moodle capabilities and/or any issues that may arise for your Moodle site, Moodle HQ recommends engaging Moodle Partners for support; especially for larger, more complex Moodle sites.
Who are Moodle partners?
Moodle Certified Partners provide a great range of technical services and customer service at a high standard. They also offer Moodle Workplace installation and maintenance services – Moodle’s enterprise learning management platform. Moodle Workplace services are exclusive to certified Moodle Partners. Learn more here.
How do I know someone is a Moodle Certified Partner?
Check out the list of certified partners for your region on MoodleHQ site. Alternatively, look for a Moodle Certified Service Provider badge on a company website.
How secure is Moodle?
Moodle’s development practices include security by design. This means that MoodleHQ embeds a security mindset right from the start in all development to deliver a secure platform. Being Open Source, the Moodle project is constantly monitored by the global security community. The software is continuously tested and monitored and achieves all privacy compliance obligations. Moodle also manages education of and ongoing communication with their partners and users to influence the take-up of changing security practices.
Learn more here.
PLEASE NOTE: the software is just one part of the equation when it comes to security. How it is managed and the infrastructure architecture it’s hosted in are other very important elements which are often beyond the software product provider’s control.
Why trust Catalyst IT with deployment, maintenance and hosting of your Moodle site?
Catalyst IT are multi-award winning Moodle providers and are regular contributors to the Moodle project.
Six reasons to feel secure with Catalyst Managed Services.
We are trusted by major education providers (universities and colleges), government bodies, as well as large organisations in health, commercial and not-for profit sectors. View our client success stories here.
What is Totara?
Totara is a Moodle based learning and performance management system. Totara has three key modules – Totara Learn, Totara Engage and Totara Perform – working together to deliver on a complete Talent Experience Platform. Totara helps you keep employee management tools in one place and provides a platform for employee collaboration. Learn more here.
Catalyst IT is a Totara Platinum Alliance Partner. Please visit our Solutions and Partners page for more information and if you require help with installing, maintaining or hosting your Totara site.
Open Source Software
Open Source Software (OSS) is software that can be freely used, modified and shared.
Open Source Software of all sorts is widely used by organisations around the world, including large, enterprise level companies and government bodies.
For more comprehensive information on OS initiative, please visit https://opensource.org/faq/#osd
What are the key benefits of Open Source Software?
Open Source benefits are many including:
- Flexibility
- Agility
- Transparency
- Cost effectiveness
- Quality
- Security
- Network of support
- Endless possibilities / Freedom to innovate
Check out the two recent blogs we’ve written on the benefits of OS:
Why OS and business resilience go hand in hand.
Why choose Catalyst for your Open Source projects?
Catalyst IT have over 25 years of experience in Open Source code development and maintenance, as well as OS software hosting and consulting. We are trusted by major education providers (universities and colleges), government bodies, as well as large organisations in health, commercial and not-for profit sectors.
Catalyst IT are ISO 27001 Certified and offer 24/7 support to their clients around the world.
For more information about Catalyst IT Australia services, please visit https://www.catalyst-au.net/services
For our clients success stories, head to https://www.catalyst-au.net/case-studies
For recent news and blogs from Catalyst, visit https://www.catalyst-au.net/blog
Have a question? Contact our team today.