Moodle or a custom LMS

Start with learning journeys

Before comparing platforms, describe how a teacher prepares a unit and how a student completes it. Include assessment, feedback and questions. These journeys create clearer acceptance criteria than a list of product names.

Moodle is an LMS with course, activity and assessment capabilities documented by the project. IOTIC considers it when those capabilities fit the requirement. Custom development may be appropriate where a distinctive workflow cannot reasonably be addressed through configuration or compatible extensions.

Questions to compare

These are IOTIC’s planning criteria; they do not assume one option is superior for every project.

Consider post-launch responsibilities

Both options require administration, course organization, account management and maintenance. Identify what your team will handle and what support you expect from the provider.

An LMS also does not automatically replace enrollment administration, financial workflows or institutional records. If these are part of your needs, assess an academic management system and any necessary integration. Avoid making one screen responsible for unrelated processes with different owners.

Validate with a representative pilot

Choose a realistic course with representative material and activities, using data prepared for testing. Ask a teacher and a student to complete their tasks. Observe where they need help, which steps are unnecessary and how the experience works on a phone.

Then compare implementation effort, operating terms and workflow fit. IOTIC can help assess an existing Moodle installation or define custom functionality from those findings.