Moodle, an online course management tool
Course management
Description: Moodle is an open-source learning management system (LMS) that facilitates course management and online learning. It essentially is a platform that allows teachers to create and deliver online courses, organise resources, manage assessments, and communicate with learners. Students access course materials, participate in activities, submit assignments, and collaborate with peers through the Moodle platform. Moodle is open-source software, meaning it can be downloaded, installed, and customised by anyone without cost. Additionally, the source code is freely available for modification and enhancement by developers. Teachers have to create an account to set up and manage courses, while students need one to enrol in courses, access course materials, and interact with course content. Moodle was first developed in 2002 by Martin Dougiamas, an Australian educator and computer scientist.
Evaluation: Moodle is a useful tool that has established itself as one of the most widely used course management systems. It is highly adaptable so it can be used with students of all ages (from primary education to adult education and training), learners of all types (audio, visual, learning-by-doing), in different learning formats (blended learning, distance education), and for any subject. Also, Moodle has many functionalities and can work as a forum for interaction, a place to manage submissions, an index of materials, and much more. Notably, Moodle is also privacy-friendly and an open-source project, so it ticks all the boxes regarding ethics. However, it requires some time to get familiarised with the tool as a “Teacher” or “Manager” since it features a plethora of choices to set up courses, but users can find out about all relevant details online. Substantial IT skills required for use.
Cost: Free + paid options available.
Usability and tech notes ▼
Time efficiency 
Time needed to learn how to use a tool and its time-saving potential: Medium; it takes some time to set up a course, but this can later be duplicated.
Interface language(s) The number of languages in which the tool is currently available/adaptable to: Over a hundred languages available.
Respect for privacy What data does the tool collect and why? What security measures are there? GDPR compliant? : High. Moodle collects personal data for specific purposes but adheres to the principle of data minimisation, refraining from employing it for marketing or commercial purposes or selling it to third parties. Moodle mentions maintaining physical, organisational, and technical safeguards for personal data. It outlines users' rights regarding their data, including the right to access, rectify, erase, and restrict processing. It also mentions the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. Moodle states compliance with the GDPR. See more here.
Saving work for future use Can work be saved for future use?: Yes, users with an account can save their work on Moodle.