Personalisation of Moodle Learning Management System for Effective Teaching and Learning in Higher Learning Institutions: A Case of the State University of Zanzibar

Abstract

The Learning Management System (LMS) continues to persuade instructors and students that the use of the Moodle platform is the correct choice to meet their educational needs. This study presents the personalization of the Moodle LMS based on students’ needs and interest in meeting the intended course objectives. The study employed a quantitative method administered by a questionnaire. The data were analyzed quantitatively and discussed to meet the study objective. The study findings indicated that 61.3% of the respondents have confidence in the use of personalised Moodle LMS to improve their understanding of their lessons. The study also revealed that almost all respondents (95%) agreed that the personalised Moodle LMS motivated students’ learning. Further, and unexpected, the study findings revealed that the Moodle learning environment and pedagogical underpinning were minor challenges to students; instead, the major challenges were infrastructure challenges such as internet access and tools. The study recommends that instructors and students should make the Moodle LMS an essential asset for improving teaching and learning in Higher Learning Institutions. The originality of the contribution of this study is the conclusion that personalized Moodle LMS should be maintained to attract and motivate students in learning activities.

Keywords:

• learning management system
• personalization
• Moodle LMS
• teaching and learning
• higher education institutions
• blended learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Acknowledgments

The study knowledges DANIDA Fellowship Center which sponsors the BSU project at SUZA. The study also thanks instructors and students from the State University of Zanzibar for participating in the training and being part of this study.