Evaluation of open-source e-Learning platforms based on the Qualitative Weight and Sum approach and Analytic Hierarchy Process

E-learning is now playing a very important role in learning processes and the major concern in all education institutions and universities. Open source e-learning platforms are one of the latest e-learning management systems used to deliver e-learning courses in most of the universities and higher educational institutions in the entire world, also in Jordan. There is a need to compare and evaluate these platforms to assess their weaknesses and strengths. It is currently not clear what the best method to evaluate these platforms. A number of studies have been carried out in this field already, but there is still a need for further analysis to choose the best platforms [1]. This paper presents an evaluation of open source e-learning platforms. Based on the functionality of these platforms and the main characteristics provided of each platform we combined the Qualitative Weight and Sum (QWS) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) approaches for the evaluation process of these open source e-learning platforms. For our research we used all open source e-learning platforms that are implemented and used at all Jordan Universities. The result for the evaluation in Jordan shows that all Jordanian universities use open source e-learning platforms and that the Moodle platform is the most widely used. However, Intelligent Web Teacher (IWT) obtained the highest evaluation results according to the QWS and ASP approach. Claroline comes in the second place. Both IWT and Claroline are highly recommended to be used. The results of this research paper will be very useful for higher institutions in Jordan and all over the world to decide which open source platforms will be more reliable and beneficial in their institutions and which features of these e-learning platforms are the most important to be activated when implementing the open source platform. This research also helps the open-source e-learning platform software developer to decide which features are more important for learners based on the scores in the evaluation