Enabling Microsoft Office SharePoint Server as the File System for Moodle

Safeguarding files saved in Moodle just got better.  As the title suggests, the white paper explains how IT Pros and partners can configure Moodles to use Microsoft SharePoint, a world class content management system, as the file system for all of their Moodle instances.  Moreover, IT Pros and partners do not have to develop or install any new code to enable this integration. 

So why would an institution want to make Microsoft SharePoint the file system for Moodle?  There are number of compelling reasons and here are just a few.  First, SharePoint contains versioning capabilities that the Moodle file system does not.  This means if a teacher or administrator accidentally or purposefully overwrites a file in Moodle (e.g. updates a homework assignment with new content), SharePoint retains both the original version of the file and the updated version in case the teacher or someone else would like to access the original file.  Without SharePoint enabled as the file system for Moodle, the original file in Moodle would be lost.  Second, SharePoint will not actually delete files even if the teacher accidentally deleted it from Moodle.  Instead, SharePoint will retain the file in the recycle bin in SharePoint where the IT Pro can retrieve it and return it to its proper location in Moodle.  However, the IT Pro is at liberty to delete the contents of the recycle bin at any time. Third, SharePoint contains rich search capabilities.  This enable IT Pros (or potentially others) to search for file content across all of the various Moodle classes an institution has.  This means teachers working in Moodle have a straightforward and efficient way of finding and accessing content saved in Moodle by others via SharePoint.  The Moodle file system does not include such file searching capabilities.  Teachers would have to manually access each individual Moodle course and conduct a visual scan of the content included in the various courses – this process could be somewhat akin to finding a needle in a haystack. 

All of this additional functionality is delivered without changing the teacher’s current user experience with Moodle.  They still navigate to the same place in Moodle that they usually do to both save and open files.  They don’t need training or otherwise need to learn new software. Institutions and IT Pros can deliver the same Moodle experience their teachers are accustomed to. 

We look forward to your feedback on the white paper and other Education Labs projects on our discussion boards.