Originally written for my sophomore journalism class and (soon will be) published on The BonaBug.

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (Feb. 13) –– Bob Donius trusts his students. The Clare College mentor creates quizzes, posts them on his Moodle page and tells his students to take them wherever and whenever, albeit before a set deadline. With his honor system in place, Donius has faith his students won’t use their textbooks or any other aids during the online quiz.

St. Bonaventure University makes Moodle, an online learning tool, available to every student and professor. Before Moodle, Bonaventure used WebCT as an online teaching supplement. When software company Blackboard bought WebCT in 2006, Technology Services launched a pilot of Moodle (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) in 2009, says Karla Bright, Bonaventure’s instructional technology support specialist. Due to Moodle’s success, the university continues to use the site.

“You can do quizzes, you can do online discussions,” Bright says, naming Moodle’s features. The new Moodle 2.3 –– launched this spring semester –– features drag-and-drop file uploading, new themes and new colors and will eventually replace the older version, says Bright.

“The instructors liked it, found it easy to use and helpful to their students  –– that was our big deciding factor,” Bright says.

Donius agrees.

“It allows me to spend more time teaching in the classroom,” says Donius. He began using Moodle for his quizzes last spring.

“Moodle not only puts it there for you as a student, but it also grades it for me, so it simplifies the process for all of us.”

Some professors, like Donius, even require papers to be submitted via Moodle.

Four of Morgan Statt’s five professors this semester use Moodle regularly and require online paper submissions.

“It’s just easier than having to email or hand in printed-out copies,” says the freshman journalism and mass communication major.

Jules Sheridan feels the same way.

“It’s easier to hand things in online,” says the sophomore education major. “I like the setup of it –– some professors will do the weeks in advance. That way you can keep track of what you’re doing better.”

Salma Khan’s high school offered Moodle access for students. She appreciates having it for her college classes, too. Khan’s professors post PowerPoint lecture notes on their respective Moodle pages.

“Sometimes professors go through lectures too fast,” says Khan, a freshman biology major. “Having access to notes is definitely a benefit.”

Sophomore Taylor Greene agrees. The education major takes notes during classes and refers to Moodle to fill in the blanks.

Even if Greene misses something in class, “I can always go back and reference Moodle,” she says.

However, some students say they use Moodle for other reasons.

Gilbert Yankson, a sophomore sports studies major, relies on Moodle to print PowerPoint lecture notes for his classes instead of taking his own notes. Yankson says he listens and follows along with the notes.

“The students are actually at some times the catalyst for the instructor to use Moodle,” Bright says. “They’ll ask, ‘Can you put our notes on Moodle?’”

But there are cons.

“I can see why some people might not show up to class because they know notes are just gonna be posted,” says Greene.

For this reason, Phillip G. Payne, chairman of the history department, utilizes nearly every aspect of his Moodle page except the uploading of class notes.

“That is essentially to force students to come to class,” Payne says, explaining the lack of notes on his Moodle page. “As a general rule, I know that different faculty have different views –– and that’s fine –– but I have fairly strong views that you’re in college, you’re adults, come to class.”

Payne can use Moodle however he wishes. Bright says the university does not require professors to use Moodle; it’s simply there if they wish to try it.

Donius says he plans to keep using Moodle quizzes for his courses.

“Students get what they earn, but I hope they’ll work hard enough to earn an ‘A,’” he says.