We recently covered some of the new features of Moodle 2.5 (ie. open badges, user experience improvements and mobile capabilities that are getting some of our customers consulting with us about moving to the next version. Upgrading from 2.x. to 2.5 does take some planning (and for organizations upgrading from 1.9 to 2.x, it can be even more challenging – which is why we’re here to help).
Even before you come to us to upgrade your Moodle LMS to the latest version, there are things your organization can do to prepare for the change (and if you’re not sure about the answers, we can assist you).
7-Point Checklist for Things to Think About Before You Upgrade to Moodle 2.5
1. How is this going to impact the end users, including teachers, administrators and students? From a usability experience, there should be enough improvements to justify the move, but it’s not just about features. You need to look at the big picture, including security and how data like grades are stored. As well, you may need to schedule some downtime for the system during the upgrade (though we do try to book the upgrades during times of minimal usage such as early mornings or scheduled breaks in the school or training calendar).
2. Are new features going to be added? Which ones are your people likely to actually use? Will you need those plugins to be customized at all?
3. Are you changing the way the interface looks? In Moodle 2.5, you’ll find many of the same features you know and love, but some features look different or may have a collapsed format. You might need to set aside some instruction time so your teachers know what to look for.
4. Are you moving to more of an advanced grading scheme? Both faculty and students must be made aware of how to access them.
5. With the new features like badges and changes in course formats, how might this change how students go through a course?
6. Will your organization need to install new hardware or server software to accommodate the Moodle upgrade?
7. Are you going to need to change the branding of your Moodle site? Moodle 2.x themes should work fine for 2.5, but over the past few months, there have been enhancements for 2.4 and 2.5 themes to make them more compatible with modern web standards. Now we can utilize a lot of new capabilities, such as HTML 5.
Need some help answering the questions in this checklist? We can assist you in walking through these steps to make sure the upgrade to Moodle 2.5 is beneficial and trouble-free.
