In an era where digital education is growing faster than ever, the question of where your data is stored is more relevant than ever. Many LMS solutions are marketed as “secure” and “trusted”, but if you dig deeper, you’ll see that they often rely on servers and storage solutions outside of the EU. What does this mean for your organization?

The risks of hosting outside of Europe

1. Data protection and legislation – If your learning platform is hosted outside of the EU, your data is subject to legislation you have no control over. Countries like the US have laws like the CLOUD Act, which means that US authorities can request access to data stored by companies under US jurisdiction – regardless of where the servers are located.

2. Lack of transparency – Many international LMS providers have complex networks of subcontractors, making it difficult to know who is actually handling your data. What happens in the event of a security incident? Who actually has access to your users’ information?

3. GDPR compliance – The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires that personal data be handled with the highest level of security and transparency. If your platform is located outside the EU, it is your organization that is responsible for ensuring GDPR compliance – a risk that can have both legal and financial consequences.

The solution: 100% European hosting with Moodle

With Sparkfore, you can be sure that your Moodle installation is hosted on servers within the EU, under EU law and GDPR. This means:

✅ Full control over your data – No unexpected third-country transfers.

✅ High performance and stability – Optimized hosting in European data centers.

✅ No risk of foreign data visibility – Your platform is protected by the EU’s strictest security requirements.

The future of digital education must be built on transparency, security and sovereignty. Are you ready to take control of your data?

In today’s fast-paced business environment, it is important to stay ahead of the curve. One way to ensure your team remains competitive is by leveraging mobile learning. With Moodle LMS and its branded app, you can transform your training programs into dynamic, accessible, and engaging experiences.

Why Mobile Learning?

Mobile learning, or m-learning, offers several advantages:

Flexibility: Employees can access training materials anytime, anywhere, fitting learning into their busy schedules.

Engagement: Interactive content, such as quizzes and videos, keeps learners engaged and motivated.

Real-time Updates: Instant access to the latest training materials ensures everyone is on the same page.

Taking learning to the next level

The Moodle Branded App extends the capabilities of Moodle LMS, offering a seamless mobile learning experience. Benefits include that you can have your own Look and Feel by customizing the app with your company’s logo, colors, and unique features and Push Notifications to keep learners informed about new courses, deadlines, and updates.

Did you know that the Moodle Mobile App also provides support for offline learning? And this app is outperforming the competitors in mobile app ratings (on a scale of 1 to 5):

Moodle App: 4.29 🌟

Canvas Student: 4.21

Blackboard Learn: 2.73

Open LMS: 3.72

This comparison is composed by the Moodle App team using https://data.ai, a tool that collects applications stores ratings and consolidates the data into different types of reports.

Success story

In 2024 we released our first Branded Moodle App together with one of our clients. The challenge was to provide employees with an on-demand knowledge base in situations where internet connection might be poor. All content was built with a mobile first approach. To ensure a a clear structure and a good learning experience, the material was thoroughly tested by early adopters. The launch of the Branded App included campaign materials with QR codes promoting the target group to download the App and highlighting its benefits and ease of use.

Conclusion

By integrating Moodle LMS and the branded app into your training strategy, you can provide a flexible, engaging, and effective learning experience for your employees. Embrace the power of mobile learning and watch your team grow in today’s competitive landscape.

In the fast-paced work environment of today, it’s important to be able to learn new skills quickly and effectively. Microlearning has become a popular method to meet these needs. But what is microlearning and why is it so effective?

Microlearning involves breaking down learning content into small, digestible chunks that can be consumed quickly and easily. These chunks can be anything from short videos and articles to infographics and quizzes.

New working methods and changed behaviour

Microlearning is well suited when you want learning to take place in parallel with facing changes. When a company is about to launch new working methods, providing relevant information and training on why and how can be helpful for the desired behavioral change, as it can increase understanding and the willingness to change. It is also beneficial to give opportunities for setting specific, measurable and realistic goals, to help employees focus and work towards behavioral change.

Microlearning with Moodle and Sparkfore’s add-ons

With Sparkfore you can use the Elearnspark activity with interactive features such as hotspot images and simple knowledge tests. The activity has a portrait format that is well suited to be displayed on mobile phones.

Microlearning can be completed anytime, anywhere, making it perfect for professionals with busy schedules. Microlearning can also refer to a delivery method. With Sparkfore Course Messages, you can easily push a series of modules at a specified interval, such as every 10 business days.

Implement microlearning in your organization

To successfully implement microlearning in your company, the following steps are recommended:

Identify needs: Determine which skills and knowledge are most relevant to your employees.

Create relevant content: Develop short, focused training modules that are directly applicable in the work environment. One learning goal per section!

Use technology: Utilize the learning platform to deploy microlearning content.

With the increasing use of mobile devices and digital tools, microlearning with Sparkfore offers a flexible and effective solution for continuous skills development.

In October, the vibrant city of Mérida, Mexico, hosted MoodleMoot Global 2024, a dynamic three-day conference dedicated to the latest trends in online education and elearning technology. On this event educators, learning designers, developers, administrators, and elearning enthusiasts from around the world meet and share experiences.

Inspiring Keynotes and Sessions

Martin Dougiamas, founder of Moodle held a keynote on what education will feel like in 2034. He talked about how AI will make it easy to provide learning material in different formats. We know that there are no things like learning styles, however we think that variation is key for a good learning experience. Being able to easy shift from video, to text, to podcast etc will make the learning experience thrive. He also pointed out that Moodle, with it’s new AI framework, is well-suited to take the leap into the future. Watch the full keynote on YouTube.

We got inspiration on how to use Moodle as a Software Solutions Sales Platform at a session presented by Ryan Hazen from Moodle US. He showed that you should combine the skills of a sales person and a teacher when it comes to understanding the need of a prospect. This perspective can also be applied to any target group that has a challenge, and you want to provide the solution. Watch the session on YouTube.

The Sparkfore team presented a session called How to thrive with Moodle using an insightful onboarding process. The purpose was to share our tried and true method for onboarding new Moodlers using five steps and to give inspiration to successfully launch a digital learning offer in your organisation. Watch the session on Youtube.

Networking Opportunities

MoodleMoot Global is a fantastic opportunity to connect with a global community of learning professionals. Share experiences, collaborate on projects, and build lasting relationships that can help transform educational practices. We especially appriciate the Partner’s Day, held one day prior the actual conference, where we get to share experience with other Moodle Partners and talk about important questions with Moodle HQ.

Join in

Whether you’re looking to advance your skills, network with peers, or simply immerse yourself in the latest trends, MoodleMoot Global has something for everyone. For those of you who has yet to discover the experience of this conference, make sure to mark your calendars for Sep 16-18 2025 when the conference will be held in Edinburgh.

On Friday 17 November the HR-dagen (HR Day) was held at Münchenbryggeriet in Stockholm targeting those who work with personnel responsibilities in companies. There, visitors had the opportunity to meet us and other interesting exhibitors and listen to a number of inspiring talks.

The main topic was how companies can become and remain attractive to employees. Among other things, the exhibitor Brilliant Future gave a talk which provocatively stated that “it is now that you as an employer must act - before everyone quits”! Brilliant’s data show strong correlations between the employees' energy and their trust in management teams. And in the surveys, employees trust their immediate supervisor more than they trust in the company management.

How can companies work with employer branding? Well, of course, communication and transparency. With digital training, you can gather and structure information about your company’s purpose and vision, but it doesn’t have to end with a one-way communication. Let the learning management system become a living forum where employees interact by brainstorming ideas about direction and the way forward. Create space for participation that is independent of place and time. Why? Well, because involving the staff is a success factor for building commitment.

Do you want to know more about how Moodle LMS can support social learning? See this article on how to Implement effective social learning experiences with Moodle or contact us.

Good luck!