Can you imagine a world where you could set your students tests and they would come in already marked? Imagine a time when pupils could submit their coursework and projects digitally instead of on paper. Not only would we save an awful lot of trees, but there would be no more "the printer ran out of ink"-type excuses for not handing in homework on time. If only there was a system that allowed students and teachers to exchange work through a carefully administered, fully automatic, digital framework. You would never have to worry about a student's work ever going missing again.

These systems do exist and they're called Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), or Course Management Systems (CMSs) depending on who you ask. Moodle is one of many, but it's certainly the one that's become by far the most popular in all tiers of education—and including work-based learning, too.

Advances in technology are also driving the use of Moodle: there is the rise of the low cost mini...