LMS Conference Lookout - Moodle

What we're looking for at the upcoming MoodleMoot Global 2024 users conference

Author

Glenda Morgan
October 16, 2024

Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Sign up, and get your own copy of the news that matters sent to your inbox every week. Sign up for the On EdTech newsletter. Interested in additional analysis? Try with our 30-day free trial and Upgrade to the On EdTech+ newsletter.

Earlier this year, we attended three of the four major LMS user conferences — D2L, Instructure, and Anthology (owners of the Blackboard product line). Before each event, we shared posts outlining what we planned to observe at the meetings. The big Moodle conference—MoodleMoot Global—is taking place next week, and I’ll be attending in Mérida, Mexico. Here’s what I’ll be looking for, in addition to the cochinita pibil.

Looking back at the LMS archives, in 2018 Blackboard and Moodle ended Blackboard’s participation in the Moodle Certified Partner program, which was a big deal as that company had been the largest partner in revenue and contributions. Blackboard had been part of the program since 2012, following its acquisition of several companies already certified, including Moodlerooms and Australia-based Netspot. Over time, Blackboard acquired other Moodle hosting companies that were also Certified Partners. As is often the case, the breakup was a bit messy, as Michael Feldstein noted at the time.

Moodle Pty., the company that runs Moodle development and owns the Moodle trademark, suddenly announced right around BbWorld that it was ending Blackboard’s membership in the Moodle Partner program. Blackboard scrambled to put out a press release saying the decision was mutual.

As Phil explained last year, the Partner programs are a central part of how Moodle funds development of the LMS.

Moodle the LMS product is open source and freely available at moodle.org. Moodle HQ is the for-profit company founded and run by Martin that manages the project (developing Moodle code and coordinating community code contributions, as well as select services) and holder of the trademark. The majority of Moodle HQ’s funding comes from a tithe of roughly 10% of Moodle-based revenue from Certified Service Partners that wrap hosting and services and custom plugins around the open source product and are allowed to use the name using a trademark license. Moodle HQ also runs Moodle Cloud and Moodle Workplace, which use different funding and partnership licensing models.

Here are some questions that Phil and I have ahead of the conference.

MoodleMoot Global 2024

Moodle is by far the most widely used academic LMS worldwide. Only in North America, does it not have a majority of the higher education LMS market share (as seen in our Year-End 2023 market report).

Higher ed LMS market share by institution count by various global regions

Beyond higher education, Moodle is also used in K-12 education and corporate and government sectors. However, despite its widespread adoption, Moodle’s market share in higher education peaked a decade ago, with the market reductions driven in part by user frustrations with usability and ease of use.

This doesn’t mean that Moodle’s usage has not grown, in particular since the pandemic (there have been increases in total LMS usage). But it does mean that when colleges and universities adopt their official LMS, the choice for Moodle has not grown for more than a decade. Market share.

As the LMS market matures, proprietary platforms increasingly target “freemium” solutions like Moodle as opportunities for growth, adding competitive pressure.

The past year has been particularly eventful for Moodle. In September, Martin Dougiamas announced he was stepping down as CEO after 24 years to become Head of Research. In December 2023, Moodle named Scott Anderberg as the new CEO. Anderberg brings extensive EdTech experience, having worked at eCollege, launched Pearson’s Online Program Management (OPM) business in Australia, and led Pearson’s Online Learning Services business outside North America.

What I have not seen yet is a public presence from Anderberg laying out his vision for Moodle. But that is why MoodleMoot Global is so important!

Our Biggest Questions

  • With Martin moving to research and Scott taking over as CEO, are there tangible shifts in strategy or product direction?

  • Last year, Product Manager Marie Achour’s product vision presentation emphasized the need for more intuitive design. What improvements have been made since then? If progress has stalled, what changes will ensure this work happens—and happens faster?

  • Are the issues with the Certified Partner model being addressed, and if so, how?

  • Moodle recently introduced an AI subsystem in Moodle 4.5, enabling integration with large language models (LLMs). However, the initial functionality is limited. What are the next steps? How does Moodle plan to balance the benefits of AI with concerns about cost and environmental impact, given its ongoing commitment to access and the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

  • And, finally: Is Mérida really as delightful as everyone says?

Stay tuned— we will be posting our full report from MoodleMoot Global soon.

The premium On EdTech+ newsletter is intended for a single recipient with occasional forwarding allowed.