A study of the Sudanese students´ use of collaborative tools within Moodle Learning Management System

This study aims to investigate the use of Moodle Learning Management System by Sudanese students, particularly forum and wiki collaborative tools. The participants for this study were 92 undergraduate students from University of Khartoum in Sudan, where face to face collaboration is a common indigenous way of learning. The students took part in a Software Engineering blended learning course during the first semester of 2010-2011 academic year. The students´ use was assessed using Moodle activity report tool, wiki entries, forum transcripts and students´ final examination marks. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to test for the relationship between using forum and wiki tools and the students´ performance in the course. A detailed description of the students´ use of the tools is provided. The study also showed a moderate correlation between participating in discussion forum and the students´ performance in the course, and a low correlation between wiki participation and course performance.