Tonight I’ve released the first all-new version of the OpenShare modification for Moodle 1.9, which I demonstrated last week at OpenEd 2008.

You may view OpenShare documentation or simply download the OpenShare mod now.

Overview of OpenShare

OpenShare turns Moodle into a veritable open educational resources (OER) or opencourseware (OCW) platform by allowing instructors or designers to mark all or part of their Moodle courses as open (public) or closed (enrolled students and teachers only). The open/closed status of any module applies to Moodle’s anonymous Guest role, but OpenShare goes further, adding an Open Learner role that can actually interact and complete open activities such as quizzes. This feature provides a means by which a fully online distance education or independent study course in Moodle can be released as a self-directed informal-social learning environment for the general public, something not provided by typical opencourseware.

License, Open, or Close Resources & Activities

Though based on our old Open Mod for OER, I have renamed this version and reset the numbering because the scripting is 100% new and based on new logic. I owe a lot of thanks to Mike Franks, Jovca, and Eric Bollens of UCLA for explaining their own Public/Private modification to me, and setting me in the right direction with respect to Groupings.

Further, this version of the mod is a Moodle block that requires no modification of core Moodle code. I do, however, have two add-ons to the block that provide advanced usability of the mod. These will be available soon on the OpenShare page.

An optional modification allows for OpenShare changes on the fly.

There are several exciting applications of the OpenShare mod:

• open all or part of live Moodle courses during the semester(s) they are offered; students do not mingle with public unless you so desire
• duplicate complete or self-contained Moodle courses and open them up for public self-enrollment
• duplicate a live Moodle server with courses intact and serve those courses with self-enrollment

One of the most significant advantages of this mod is that it provides an alternative to redundant OER/OCW publishing platforms, and diminishes the need for dedicated OER/OCW staff by putting the power to control the license and release of resources and activities in the hands of the course creators.

From informal conversations and feedback I recognize that the next step is to tackle the problem of getting OER out of Moodle so it is interoperable.

For more info see my OpenShare documentation & download page.