Fast and feral

Diversity, duplication and evolution in a university LMS

Abstract

In 2010, UNSW’s Faculty of Engineering ran its own version of Moodle in parallel with institutional learning management systems. This looks like an inefficient local duplication of central services. But reflecting on the reasons why this happened, and on the outcomes so far, we realised that so-called ‘feral’ quick-fix software solutions can contribute a lot to the development of mainstream educational technology in universities. Specifically, they counteract some of the inevitable inertia, or more accurately homeostasis, in university systems with centrally managed online learning management. This case study illustrates the value of allowing for some local diversity and redundancy in a university’s educational technology.