Metadata Methods for Improving Usability in Moodle

Extraction of web information has, so far, relied mostly on the human user’s dexterity and patience. Lately, these practices have slowly but steadily changed direction, turning towards offering various automated solutions for processing web data. The main objective was to relieve the effort of the user. Automated solutions rely on the standards used to publish information on the web. Microformats and RDFa are amongst these standards. They are simple and easy to use methods for adding structure and meaning to the content. This paper presents several methods for republishing user contact information inside the well-known Moodle LCMS, leading thus to the increase of its usability. The chosen approach was that of a block, used to integrate hCard, vCard and QR codes into Moodle. The premises were that correct information extraction (contact information, calendar events, and locations) was equally, if not even more important in eLearning environments. The present model allows future extensions, so as to improve the publishing process for data regarding events (vCalendar, hCalendar, iCal) and locations.