Moodle
Principal function(s): Course management
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. Average IT skills required.
Cost: Free + premium options available
Website: https://moodle.org/
Categories
Type Of Interaction
- Group/pair work - classmates
- Individual work
Content
- Website/other users supply
- You supply
Usability
Interface 
User-friendliness/complexity of the tool´s interface
Modern, intuitive
Time efficiency Time needed for mastering the „how-to“ of the tool and a production of a task
Medium
Interface language(s) The number of languages in which the tool is currently available/adaptable to
Over a hundred languages available
Respect for privacy Does the tool require registration? Who can see my data? Can I remain anonymous?
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 Possiblity to save your or others´ work for reuse/reproduction
Yes.
Tailorability (If so, how?) Possibility of the tool to be used for a range of different activities (e.g. to what extent you can organize a project assignment with a central activity based on this tool)
Yes, Moodle lends itself to virtually any course.
Technical requirements
Installation required?
Yes
Compatibility/ Operating System
Windows, Mac, Linux
Other technical requirements