On the development of an open-source learning management system for engineering students

Abstract

With the availability of open source learning management system (LMS) software, it is now possible to create interactive, feature rich, and customized learning materials quickly and easily. In this paper, we describe the preliminary framework of an on-line tutorial source (OnTEn) for engineering courses containing review modules that can be quickly developed using a customized Drupal CMS (Content Management System). The Drupal platform can be used for quick content organization and management, and publication of contents. The online tutorial being developed contains a series of bite-sized modules that allow the students to review through their foundation materials in flipped learning or can serve as quick reference guides. The unique feature of the OnTEn is that authors contributing the review modules need to follow standard guidelines and style templates for uniformity. The review module is submitted to a central review server and included in the website after it has been reviewed and approved for publication by a member of the Editorial Board to ensure the quality of the content. This paper reviews the OnTEn platform and describes how contributors from different universities/institutions can contribute to this effort in creating a high-standard repository of review modules for engineering students.