E-learning

Online Learning And Training. OLAT is a web-based Learning Management System (LMS) / Learning Content Management System (LCMS) used in the public sector of Switzerland. The initial development started at the University of Zuerich, Switzerland where it is deployed on the main OLAT server. Official support for OLAT is available at the OLAT-Center (Only available for Swiss university members). OLAT is open source and completely free of charge.

The eLearning XHTML editor (eXe) is a web-based authoring environment designed to assist teachers and academics in the design, development and publishing of web-based learning and teaching materials without the need to become proficient in HTML, XML or complicated web-publishing applications. It supports SCORM exports for LMSs.

Moodle is a Free, open source PHP application for producing Internet-based educational courses and Web sites on any major platform (Linux, Unix, Windows and Mac OS X). Courses are easily built up using modules such as forums, chats, journals, quizzes, surveys, assignments, workshops, resources, choices and more. Moodle supports localisation, and has so far been translated into 34 languages. Moodle has been designed to support modern pedagogies based on social constructionism, and focuses on providing an environment to support collaboration, connected knowing and a meaningful exchange of ideas.

Dokeos is a free software translated in 31 languages and helping more than 1.000 organisations worldwide to manage Learning and Collaboration activities. It allows the teacher/trainer to create content, structure activities along a sequenced path, interact with students/trainees and follow their progress. Dokeos is also a company helping these organisations launch and develop blended learning programmes.

eduCommons is an OpenCourseWare management system designed specifically to support OpenCourseWare projects like MIT OCW (https://ocw.mit.edu/) and USU OCW (https://ocw.usu.edu/).

French Learning Management System (LMS) developped by Agronomical High School of Dijon, Aicc & Scorm compliance.

PS Cafe is a POS (Point of Sale) designed for a school cafeteria, it integrates with SIS Systems like PowerSchool 5.0 (replaces Powerlunch), and Pentamation Student Information System. It takes into account free and reduced lunches and student credit. PSCafePOS is an open-source POS application that is released under GNU General Public License. It is Java based, so it will run on nearly any operating system and it integrates with nearly any SIS.

Connexions is a collaborative, community-driven approach to authoring, teaching, and learning that conveys the dynamic continuum of knowledge. The project involves two basic, interrelated components: (1) architecture and software tools and (2) a Content Commons of collaboratively developed material. A global community of authors, using special authoring tools, continually converts “raw knowledge” into small, self-contained modules of information and places them in a repository, or Content Commons, to be used, re-used, updated, and adapted. Instructors can use a Course Composer software tool to weave modules into customized courses that can be placed on the Web, presented in class, or printed as paper text. Students and other learners access Web courses or individual modules directly using special visualization and navigational tools designed to highlight the non-linear “Connexions” among concepts both within the same course, but more importantly, across courses and disciplines. Unlike any other educational technology project of its kind, Connexions features a synergistic mix of both software and content, and our solutions involving community development, modularization, XML markup, editorial lenses, and intellectual property cater directly to the wants and needs of the academic community. The system currently hosts over 1,000 modules in the Content Commons and is used as the primary text for eight courses. Connexions provides authors, instructors, and students with an environment for promoting collaboration and building communities to share knowledge.

dotLRN is a fully open source eLearning platform. The commitment to open source emphasizes the author’s belief that the core infrastructure and application suite for eLearning should be part of the "intellectual commons" and freely available to all. .LRN is being made available as open source software under the GNU General Public License. A portal framework and integrated application suite to support course management and online communities.Knowledge organizations recognize the need to support a variety of applications and tools to foster learning and to promote collaboration. Just as users rely on the "Office" suite of applications (word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, email) for basic productivity, .LRN contains an integrated suite of applications to support distributed collaborative communities engaged in learning and research. A scalable, secure, and enterprise-ready eLearning platform that can be deployed readily by small and large organizations.By its very nature, an eLearning platform cannot be a stand-alone application. .LRN will deliver “vertical integration” into the enterprise infrastructure through well established open standards and published APIs. A modular architecture to permit flexibility and to drive innovation.As new technologies and tools emerge, ranging from P2P to wireless, organizations need the flexibility to stitch together various solutions and products. Based on the Web Services paradigm, .LRN will deliver a componentized architecture to permit “horizontal integration” of best of breed open source and proprietary technologies.

TinyLMS is a lightweight learning management system for SCORM compliant learning content. TinyLMS is (almost) conformant to SCORM 1.2 at conformance level "LMS-RTE1". (See Known Issues) Tutorials generated with TinyLMS can be used online and offline. Runtime requirements for tutorials are low: HTML, JavaScript and Cookies are all that is needed. TinyLMS supports layered organization of learning content in addition to the hierarchical organization of learning content specified by SCORM. TinyLMS can be used as a SCORM-to-SCORM adapter. This can be used to aggregate fine grained learning content into one big SCO.

Centre is a free student information system for public and non-public schools. Centre is a web-based, open source, student management product with features that include student demographic info, scheduling, grade book, attendance, report cards,eligibility, transcripts, and more.

ATutor is an Open Source Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS) designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind. Administrators can install or update ATutor in minutes. Educators can quickly assemble, package, and redistribute Web-based instructional content, or conduct courses online. Students learn in an adaptive learning environment. The first Open Source LCMS to adopt the IMS Content Packaging specifications.

Edubuntu is a version of the Ubuntu Linux distribution designed for use in classrooms. Included with Edubuntu is the Linux Terminal Server Project, a large number of educational applications including GCompris, KDE Edutainment Suite, and Schooltool Calendar.
The primary goal of Edubuntu is to enable an educator with limited technical knowledge and skills to set up a computer lab or an on-line learning environment in an hour or less and then effectively administer that environment. The principal design goals of Edubuntu are centralized management of configuration, users and processes, together with facilities for working collaboratively in a classroom setting. Equally important is the gathering together of the best available free software and digital materials for education. It also aims to allow resource-poor environments to maximize their available (older) equipment.

Wikipedia entry on Edubuntu

OpenACS (Open Architecture Community System) is a toolkit for building scalable, community-oriented web applications. OpenACS is the foundation for many products and websites, including the .LRN e-learning platform. OpenACS is open source and is available under the GNU General Public License.

Fle3 is a web-based learning environment. To be more specific Fle3 is a server software for computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL). Fle3 is designed to support learner and group centered work that concentrates on creating and developing expressions of knowledge (i.e. knowledge artefacts) and design.Fle3 is Open Source and Free Software released under GNU the General Public Licence (GPL).

Interact is an Online Learning and Collaboration platform developed by the Christchurch College of Education, New Zealand. It is a free alternative to the likes of WebCT and Blackboard. It is an open source cms, lms designed with the intention of making it easy for students and lecturers to interact online, based around constructivist and vygotskian views of teaching and learning. The key advantage of Interact is the ability to structure a course the way you want it, rather than being stuck with a predefined separation of content and interaction. The initial system concept was based on the LearnLoop online learning system, but Interact has a completely different code base. Other advantages over similar systems include: The abiltity to share content between course sites. This means that lecturers can have the same content in many course, but only need to update it in one place. Students and Lecturers can access all new course material and forum postings from one central place, no need to check every forum for new posts. Students can be given control of 'group' areas to add and manage their own material. The system is flexible enough to be used as a full intranet/portal and not just for online course management

RELOAD consists of two strands of deliverables. The first strand focuses on developing a set of open source tools: Content Package Editor, Runtime Delivery System, and the Colloquia VLE. The second, smaller strand aims at producing User Guides and Exemplars for disseminating and integrating the project tools into the JISC community. Both strands of the deliverables will be implemented and made available in three main phases: Content: The first phase focuses on producing a definitive content package editor and viewer. The tool will support all aspects of the latest and previous versions of IMS Content Packaging, including IMS Meta-data with IEEE LOM (Learning Object Metadata) vocabulary. It enables content to be aggregated into different structures and tagged with meta-data for exchange between systems and delivery to learners. A package viewer is to be incorporated to enable both authors and learners to interact with packages produced. Both tools will be fully documented and integrated into Colloquia. Content - SCORM: In the second phase, the package editor will be extended to support reusable SCORM (version 1.2) objects and the SCORM 1.3 that will include IMS Simple Sequencing, allowing designs to respond to the learner's actions and to change sequences of content. Learning Design: Editors and a runtime delivery system for IMS Learning Design will be implemented. These will also integrate the optional use of Simple Sequencing to sequence a learner's individual activities, and also ensure that SCORM 1.3 content can be used within the runtime system. The implementation of Learning Design is a significant task, but through open source participation in the Valkenburg Group - see below, this can be expected to have a multiplier effect. The implementation of Learning Design will be accomplished in stages corresponding to its three levels of conformance (Level A, B and C), starting with the foundation Level A and then Level B and C simultaneously.

UniversitySurf is a free and direct access e-learning portal offering a selection of more than 1400 courses on line in French, and giving access to thousands of others by the means of links. The teaching courses or resources come from the 90 French Universities, High Schools, CNRS centers, French-speaking foreign Universities, or of the many personal sites of teachers.

French Open Source LMS (GPL) Need PHP, Apache and MySQL. Currently working on AICC SCORM and XML features. Ganesha will shortly be available in several languages.

Metacoon is a online platform for learning, cooperative work and for producing learning material (authoring tools). The platform is opensource (this means it can be used by all educational institutions and can be advanced/adapted by them) and the authoring tools are freeware (licence free use also for commercial purpose) The development started 2001 at the Bauhaus University of Weimar. In the meantime several universities and companies are cooperating for further development. Central functionality of Learning Management Systems are further developed by the CampusSource community (Campus Source Engine) A metacoon plattform consists of A website. Entrance room (for all platform users) And any number of learning or working rooms The system is adaptable - it bases on a modular design principle - each learning/working room can individually equiped with tools for learning, communication, cooperation and authoring (for instance for an individual course didactic). Therefore the system is not just used as a Learning Management System but also as: Virtual office. Platform for distributed R&D projects or A community portal (like Interkulturelles-Portal (https://www.interkulturelles-portal.de)). On the learning platform any learning material can be put. For instance PDF-files, slide shows (Powerpoints), HTML course material, SCORM course material. Besides this authors can produce learning material with the metacoon authoring tools: Hypertexts: XML learning material pages can be produced with OpenOffice (having a metacoon plugin). This is very similar to Microsoft Word and is running locally on the PC of the author. Media (animations, figures, videos) and entries of the reference book of the platform (like glossay or the bibliography) can be included. The combination of many XML larning material pages to a hole course material (SCORM manifest ~ table of content) is done with a authoring tool on the platform witch is very similar to the Windows file manager. Video slide presentations and audio slide presentations are produced with a authoring tool on the platform. Question & tests are produced with a authoring tool from the university of Chemnitz "elQuest", which is running localy on the authoring PC.

NEW is a powerful and robust Internet teaching and conferencing environment based on open-source Internet conferencing software. NEW is a suite of open-source distance education software, which is highly modular and makes efficient use of both network bandwidth and human time. NEW is easy to adapt for a wide variety of distance education and conferencing uses.

eStudy is an Open Source e-learning and collaboration platform for colleges and universities. In addition to usual course management facilities, eStudy provides special support for role-play simulations in computer science.

Claroline is a free GPL software working with PHP /MySQL. It is a course based educational tool allowing the teacher to create, admin and feed his courses through the web. Features: Shared Documents (File Manager); Agenda; Forums; Student; papers upload; Links; Statistics; Announcements; Logging and sessions; ...

This project was created by a group of graduate students at MIT, as part of a class assignment. The students believe strongly in the principles underlying Open Source software.

The Sakai Project is a $6.8M community sourceCommunity source describes a model for the purposeful coordinating of work in a community. It is based on many of the principles of open source development efforts, but community source efforts rely more explicitly on defined roles, responsibilities, and funded commitments by community members than some open source development models. software development project founded by The University of Michigan, Indiana University, MIT, Stanford, the uPortal Consortium, and the Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI) with the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The project is producing open source Collaboration and Learning Environment (CLE) software with the first release in July 2004. The Sakai Educational Partners' Program (SEPP) extends this community source project to other academic institutions around the world, and is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and SEPP member contributions

Eledge Open Learning Management System is designed to provide the framework for creating a web site for online instruction, including student registration, authentication, content creation, quizzes, exams, homework graders, report uploads, instructor gradebook, class calendar, and online help. Eledge consists of a collection of Java servlets and a MySQL database to store information and course content.

FreeMIS is a web based management information system (MIS) for schools. It allows teachers write quality reports for parents. FreeMIS is fully functioning and currently used in two UK schools. It is an Open Source project, so it is free software and will always be so. it provides the same level of data security as online banks. It is completely customisable to suit the needs of your school.FreeMIS is web-based, so teachers can access FreeMIS on any Internet-connected PC or Laptop. FreeMIS automates the collation and printing of reports, saving days of work for office staff. FreeMIS offers teachers the facility to create their own flexible, smart comment banks. It displays report histories for pupils at the click of a mouse. FreeMIS allows teachers to write and edit reports whenever it is convenient for them to do so, at any point in the school session.

The idea behind MIT OpenCourseWare (MIT OCW) is to make MIT course materials that are used in the teaching of almost all undergraduate and graduate subjects available on the web, free of charge, to any user anywhere in the world. The purpose of MIT OCW is to serve as a model for university dissemination of knowledge in the Internet age.

Stud.IP offers a "minimal standard" for presence teaching or blended learning as "open source" software. University courses are not replaced, but supported by Stud.IP, and administrative procedures are simplified. Stud.IP offers a quick and uncomplicated introduction to the world of e-learning. A “minimal standard” for presence teaching is offered. For every course offered at an institute, a range of tools are available. These include schedules, document folders, discussion forums, participant lists, literature and link lists, news tickers and much more. The aim is not to replace existing courses, but to support them with a multimedia approach. The second focus is at an administrative level, allowing the updating of current institute homepages via the internet, the administration of resources such as rooms and technical equipment, print-outs of course commentary or administering appointments with the integrated Personal Information Manager (PIM).

COL (Commonwealth of Learning) is creating an Open Source Learning Object Repository system based on integrating 2 open-source software packages: pakXchange, and eRIB. pakXchange implements a document repository system ("Library"). Its features include comprehensive role-based administration of publications, and version control of publications. In addition, it enables users to define Learning Object Metadata for electronic files published into its Library and to subsequently enable the Library to be searched using the Metadata values. eRIB is a Learning Object Respository demonstration system created by EduSource. eRIB contains a local repository. In addition, it provides a federated search feature that enables users to query Metadata from other EduSource Nodes as well as the internal repository, for interesting learning objects. eRIB does not provide role-based administration or version control for its contents. The COL Learning Object Repository system(or in short COL LOR) integrates eRIB and pakXchange such that the local repository of eRIB is disabled and replaced with pakXchange, and pakXchange is modified to act as an EduSource node for the purpose of searching.