LMS tool guides for teachers

Moodle, Blackboard learn, Canvas, Desire2Learn - tool guides for teachers

Teachers often ask "Which tool for what job?" when it comes to designing online and blended courses.

The following tool guides map pedagogical aims (teaching goals) to suitable tools available in each learning management system (LMS or VLE, CMS). These provide notes on ease of use and the applicable Blooms level(s) that may be possible with each tool.

    Sources
Moodle Interactive 'Moodle tool guide' (website - regularly updated - Moodle 4).

Moodle 2 tool guide for teachers (pdf)

Moodle 3 tool guide for teachers (pdf) extended to include non-moodle tools


[v2 local copy] [v2 source]

[v3 local copy] [v3 source]
Blackboard (Learn 9.1) Bb91 tool guide for teachers (jpg) [local copy] [source]
Canvas Orginal source no longer available - see local copy --> [local copy] and [Simplified Auckland version local copy - Auckland version source]
Desire2Learn D2L tool guide for teachers (pdf) [local copy] [source]

Missing your LMS? If you know about a version of this guide for your LMS then let me know and will add it here.

About the guides

The orginal Moodle tools guide was designed by Joyce Seitzinger (@catspyjamasnz | www.cats-pyjamas.net / www.eit.ac.nz) in 2010. Subsequently Gavin Henrick (@ghenrick | www.somerandomthoughts.com) did an update for Moodle v2 and provided an extended template as a PPT file [local copy of the pptx template] that others have subsequently used for their own LMS tool guides. There are now numerous translated versions as listed on Jyoce's site and also on Gavin's blog. Note; Joyce's original site is now only available via waybackmachine internet archive. The website version is maintained by Nicolas Martignoni. The above linked tool guides are all Creative Commons BY NC SA.

This resource complied by Mathew Hillier, 11 Oct 2020, updated 12 July 2023.