We are present at ChamiloCon in Lima, where professionals from more than 15 countries are sharing about e-learning with free software . The central theme revolves around Chamilo LMS, and this is certainly something to be grateful for, since we are learning about what I currently consider to be the most user-friendly open-source e-learning system , which also has incredible power, with a very short learning curve that translates into simpler implementations and training in less time.
On this first day we have reaffirmed our affection for Chamilo ( of which we are not experts, but we have studied it on repeated occasions ), learning about its origins, its development methodologies, its simple but necessary configuration steps and above all sharing with a pleasant, productive, critical community with great aspirations oriented towards the quality, efficiency and usability of this open source tool.
Already with more mature knowledge, and reaffirming the positive vision I had about this LMS, it is likely that it can bring much more useful information about Chamilo, so in the coming days we will be preparing some tutorials so that others begin to enjoy the teaching experience. or learn without getting bored.
What is Chamilo LMS?
Chamilo LMS or Chamilo Learning Management System is an open-source tool, distributed under the GNU/GPLv3+ license , developed using PHP and MySQL , which allows us to create virtual campuses for online or blended learning in a fast, secure, and simple way that students or users appreciate for its ease of use, the large number of options, its integration as a social network, and its user-friendly interface.
This wonderful project and the association that governs it were created in 2010 by Yannick Warnier , who based its development on the Dokeos project , which in turn was based on Claroline . Currently, the Chamilo project has more than 18.000.000 users , with 41000 portals distributed worldwide , with Mexico being the country that contributes the most to these figures. The principles and integrity of the tool are directed by the Chamilo Association, an NGO that seeks to improve education worldwide and ensure the development of the Chamilo software as an open-source product that helps reduce the digital divide between rich and poor countries.
Chamilo LMS Features
Chamilo LMS has many features, many of them aimed at making the application more user-friendly , and others designed to allow developers and implementers to properly adapt the tool to their clients and beneficiaries.
Mainly Chamilo is an LMS that has 5 general qualities that we must take into account:
- Improves the efficiency of informal learning.
- Improves learning tracking.
- Improves document storage.
- Improve the availability of courses.
- Reduces costs and training times.
Additionally, I can say that Chamilo LMS allows for teaching in a user-friendly way , with simple principles that adapt to each circumstance and allow both teachers and students to learn or access learning information more effectively.
In general, Chamilo LMS has characteristics, among which are:
- Clean, fast, responsive interface with simple requirements.
- Simple installation both on local computers and in the cloud, it is also available in the softaculous installation suite which is present in most current hosting services.
- Extension capacity through plugins.
- Excellent functionalities for the creation and management of educational content.
- It has a set of learning tools that allow us to teach using new technologies and various multimedia resources.
- It allows to have an exhaustive monitoring of the results of the students, which allows us to change or improve the applied methodology.
- Own educational social network.
- Ability to manage multiple users and roles.
- It allows managing multiple implementations in the same database.
- Simple configuration parameters, with access from the interface or with parameterization from the code.
- Multi language, with regional locations.
- A great capacity for managing access to courses.
- Support for data encryption.
- Integration with third-party services through Web Services with SOAP.
- Multiplatform and with availability of application for Android.
- Free, Free and open source.
- A large active community distributed throughout the world.
- Many more ...
How to install Chamilo LMS?
We can download the Chamilo LMS build from here , and we can also clone the main Chamilo LMS repository with the following command:
git clone https://github.com/chamilo/chamilo-lms.git
Next, we can follow the installation manual prepared by the Chamilo LMS development team, which can be found here . Generally speaking, the installation is quite simple and only requires a properly configured LAMP or WAMP stack.
In conclusion, I can say that Chamilo LMS is a real alternative to the open-source and proprietary LMSs that currently exist. Likewise, I must highlight the impact this tool has had on communities, where it has managed to bring education, breaking down the barriers of poverty and exclusion. This is undoubtedly the greatest benefit of free software: the opportunity it provides for more people to participate in this technological revolution.