Moodle Learning Management System

Moodle is a free and open-source Learning Management System (LMS) designed to help educators create effective online courses grounded in pedagogical best practices. Developed primarily in PHP and distributed under the GNU General Public License, it enables the creation of dynamic courses with integrated tools for content delivery, assessment, and collaboration, supporting both fully online and blended learning scenarios. As of November 2025, Moodle powers over 154,000 registered sites worldwide, serving nearly 495 million users across more than 54 million courses, making it one of the most widely adopted LMS platforms globally. Originating from the work of Australian educator and developer Martin Dougiamas, Moodle's development began in 1999 as a response to limitations in proprietary learning systems during his PhD research at Curtin University. The first official release, Moodle 1.0, occurred on August 20, 2002, marking the launch of the Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (its original full name). By 2004, it had grown to 1,000 registered sites, and by 2007, it was recognized as a leading open-source LMS with over 500,000 users, earning awards for its innovative approach to education technology. Today, it is maintained by a global community of developers, educators, and partners through the Moodle project at moodle.org, with commercial support available via Moodle Pty Ltd, ensuring ongoing updates like the AI-enhanced features in version 4.5 released in 2024 and further AI integrations in version 5.1 released in 2025. Key features of Moodle include a flexible course structure allowing educators to build personalized learning paths with activities such as forums, quizzes, assignments, and wikis; robust security measures like multifactor authentication; and scalability for institutions from small classrooms to large enterprises. It supports mobile access via the Moodle app, integration with third-party plugins (over 2,300 available), and tools for tracking progress, grading, and analytics to enhance teaching efficiency. Widely used in K-12 education, higher education, and corporate training across 237 countries, Moodle emphasizes accessibility, data privacy under standards like GDPR, and adaptability to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence for personalized learning.