Google Apps - Moodle integration possibilitiesGoogle Apps - Moodle integration possibilities 1Google Apps - Moodle integration possibilitiesA discussion paperNiall Sclater, October 2010Google Apps for Education is becoming a key way for students to interact and share content. Moodle is the Worlds most popular learning management system. Many institutions have both platforms available for students but integration, if any, is often limited to single sign-on between the two systems. There are various potential benefits of integrating Moodle and Google Apps more closely e.g.:Providing a more integrated (and hence less disjointed and confusing) experience for studentsStudents being able to view content from their LMS/VLE in a more customisable, personalised environment e.g. using iGoogleTeachers being able to create innovative learning activities using rapidly evolving functionality not available in Moodle but able to present it within a Moodle siteThere are various ways in which Google Apps and Moodle could be further integrated:Moodle transfers data to existing appExisting app transfers data to MoodleMoodle transfers data to new appNew app transfers data to MoodleApp presented within MoodleApp content presented within new Moodle blockDeeper integrationExamples of the first five of these are shown in the following diagram and elaborated further below.Collaborative Spreadsheet ActivityNew Forum AppDocsCalendar1,253,4ForumStudy Planner Moodle transfers data to existing appThere are a number of situations where it may be useful for Moodle to transfer data to a Google App. It may simply be more convenient for the user to view Moodle content this way they may for example wish to use iGoogle as their front end to the virtual learning environment. Transferring data from Moodle may also add value to an existing app.The simplest form of this is for an app to consume an RSS or ATOM feed. Some of these are provided already by Moodle and the following scenario is already possible. Scenario 1.1John, a student, uses iGoogle as his home page and views news from his modules using Google Reader.More complex examples could involve Moodle updating content in an app using the Google Apps API.Scenario 1.2Lesley wishes to have study planner data from her modules viewable in her Google Calendar. She clicks the View in Google Calendar button next to the study planner to set this up.ProjectsThe JISC-funded DOULS project (Distributed Open University Learning Systems) at the OU is exploring the presentation of Moodle content in scenarios such as 1.1 and 1.2.Scenario 1.3Mhairi is required to develop an eportfolio while taking her nursing module. When submitting the eportfolio for assessment the permissions of her files are altered so she can no longer change the content or delete the files.ProjectsThe eportfolio project in the OUs Roadmap Acceleration Programme is examining how an eportfolio in Google Docs could be submitted for assessment. Scenario 1.4Elena, a curriculum manager, wants to view usage stats for the modules she manages. From each module website she can click the View usage stats in Google Charts link and then see useful graphical representations of various types of usage.ProjectsLewis Carr from Leeds City College details the Moodle Meter facility he created using the Google Charts API which measures the activity levels of his users. Existing app transfers data to MoodleMore complex functionality would involve a transfer of data back from an App to Moodle.Scenario 2Lesley ticks off study items as shes completed them from within her Google Calendar. When she views her study planner within Moodle it shows the items shes done.Moodle transfers data to new appNew apps could be created for Google Apps with functionality aimed at learners. As with existing apps this could either take place by the app reading a feed from Moodle or Moodle using the apps API.Scenario 3Iain studies 2 modules, both of which have forums, and is also active on forums hosted by the Students Association. He doesnt want to waste time by going into each forum in Moodle to see if there are new posts. Through a new forum app, presented in iGoogle, he can get an immediate overview of how many new posts have been made on his forums. He can also view forum comments from within the app itself.ProjectsThe OUs Roadmap Acceleration Programme is exploring the possibility of creating a student dashboard for viewing forums from a Google App. New app transfers data to MoodleIf users are able to view Moodle content outside Moodle from new apps there are compelling use cases for those apps to be able to access and update content on Moodle. Heres one example:Scenario 4When Iain views a forum comment from within the new forum app Moodle is updated by the app. The comment is marked as read in future when viewed on either platform.App presented within MoodleIt is easy to integrate some Google Apps content (e.g. a presentation) within Moodle by simply making it available as a web page and adding it as a Moodle resource. Michael Penney shows how to incorporate a Google Doc within Moodle in his blog. Meanwhile the process of adding a Google Map to a Moodle site is detailed by MoodleNews. None of this requires any adaptation to standard Moodle or Google Apps.It is also possible to present a Google App within Moodle in an iframe. This allows the user to access Google Apps functionality while giving the impression that they are still in Moodle.Scenario 5Dougie, an economics tutor, sets up a Google spreadsheet and asks his students to work collaboratively on the spreadsheet in small groups.Dougie can view the spreadsheet for each group within Moodle and see them being updated in real time.ProjectsAt Valladolid University the facility to incorporate a Google Doc as a Moodle activity has been developed. A tutor can see the spreadsheets being worked on live by different groups in a single scrollable page within Moodle.Barcelona Tech has developed similar facilities which allow a Google Doc such as a spreadsheet or a presentation to be submitted as a Moodle assignment. This can also be done collaboratively. The intention is to integrate other Google Apps such as forms, maps and calendar. They are implementing the IMS basic Learning Tools Interoperability specification.App content presented in new Moodle blockAnother form of integration is the presentation of content from Apps within a block in Moodle. In a similar way to Scenario 3 above (but in reverse) selective data is taken from one system and presented in the other. Scenario 6.1Eileen goes into Moodle daily but doesnt use email much. She finds it useful to see when there are new messages waiting for her in the gmail block on her module website. If there is one she clicks to view her gmail in a new window.ProjectsMoodle-Google provides a gmail block and a Google Apps block (simply linking to docs, calendar etc) within in Moodle. Moogoogle is another initiative which has created a block within Moodle with links to gmail, calendar, docs etc. Information on this project is not current so it may be discontinued.Deeper integrationFull investigation between the two platforms has been investigated by the OU Moodle development team. If Moodle could be implemented on the Google Apps Engine this might be feasible however there are several serious technical hurdles to this taking place. The most significant is that Moodle is written in PHP, Google Apps in Java. There is currently no way of emulating PHP in Google Apps. A rewrite of Moodle to fit this platform would be a mammoth engineering task and result in a long term burden of maintaining the two versions in parallel.ProjectsThe most significant project tackling integration between the two platforms has been a joint effort between Google and Moodlerooms called Moodle-Google. The main features are common authentication and the Apps blocks within Moodle detailed above. The software does not appear to have been updated since May 2010.Rashan Anushka from UCSC has developed a Moodle GApps integration code package for joint administration of accounts in Google and Moodle and common email handling between the platforms. He plans to add email list management and integration with docs, calendar etc.Gahoodle is another project supposedly looking at single sign on and deeper integration between Google, Moodle and Mahara but there is no evidence of current activity. While full integration is highly problematic there are clear advantages for the OU in progressing some of the developments outlined above. One obvious use case is the replication of the tutor group (and sub tutor group) structures within Google Apps. Documents could then be shared by tutors with their students or students could connect more easily with those in their tutor groups.