OnlineHE_Toolkit

81 The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Project Number: 2020-1-RO01-KA226-HE-095434 Best Practice 1: Virtual learning environment Moodle 1. Topic/ Area Open to all HE subjects/disciplines 2. Title Virtual learning environment Moodle 3. Type of Best Practice Learning Management Systems 4. Date released 20 August 2002 5. Partners/ network Network of Certified Service Providers (https://moodle.com/services/) 6. Level International/EU 7. Description of the methods/ approach and/or theories used The virtual learning environment Moodle is based on the social constructivist theory and principle of flexibility. Social constructivism focuses on social interaction that influences the growth of students’ knowledge and enables the process of cognitive development. Students express their thoughts through interaction. The co- constructivist model of teaching is more closely related to Vygotsky. Vygotsky’s theory is based on the following three major themes: social interaction, the “More Knowledgeable Other”, and the “Zone of Proximal Development”. Students perform social and individual functions through social interaction. The “More Knowledgeable Other” can be some with experience and more familiar with the subject. “Zone of Proximal Development” is the cognitive gap or difference between the students’ ability to perform a task with the help of another or through collaboration and the time the learner performs the task independently (Passey et al., 2018).