Today I want to show you how easy it is to add the free Moodle course management system to your self-hosted teaching site using cPanel and Fantastico. But first, I’d like to discuss some things to keep in mind when you and your students start using Moodle.

When signing up for a web hosting account, most of us choose the least expensive option, which is shared hosting. Wikipedia defines share hosting as “a service where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet.” It is the cheapest hosting option because many people are sharing the overall cost of running and maintaining the web server.

This arrangement generally works well for personal sites and even small business sites. But if your site starts getting “hit” beyond a certain threshold, it slows down the entire server because everyone is sharing the same system resources. Most web hosts closely monitor server activity and will issue a warning should you exceed their threshold (this varies by web host). Ignore warnings at your own peril — in the worst case your account may be suspended.

You can avoid unpleasant surprises with a dose of common sense. First, make sure you choose a reputable web host (see Part 2 of this series for guidelines). Reputable hosts are there when you need them and will try to resolve any issues fairly. They can also suggest upgrade solutions should you need one to handle more traffic.

I bring this up because Moodle  increases server load depending on the number of students interacting with it at any given time. This is generally not a problem when randomly accessing Moodle outside of class for homework or other assigned tasks. But problems can occur in wired classrooms or computer labs when too many people are using Moodle at the same time. Response becomes slower and slower, and eventually the system may freeze (I speak from experience).

So, tip number two is to limit the number of your students simultaneously accessing Moodle to no more than 20. This is purely a guideline but one that has worked consistently for me. You can manage this in larger classes by preparing one or more non-Moodle learning activities and rotating your students accordingly.

By now, anyone gamely following this series should have registered a domain name, set up a web hosting plan, and changed your nameservers to point to your host’s address on the Internet. Now let’s put a face on your website.

In this tutorial, I’m going to be creating a demo site using the domain name eltinternet.com, which I have previously registered. Please substitute your own domain name as you complete the following steps:

1. Log in to your cPanel
2. Install WordPress in the root directory of your website using Fantastico
3. Log in to WordPress
4. Install any themes you have previously downloaded
5. Select a favorite from among them
6. Don’t forget (as I did!) to log out when finished

As I mention during the video, you certainly do not have to use WordPress as your default home page.

If you are familiar with FTP, you can upload a readily-available HTML template. Or, using Fantastico, you might want to install Moodle, Drupal, Joomla, or other content management system as the front door to your site, and put WordPress in a separate directory. That’s the power of self-hosting — you really can have it your way and at an affordable cost.

I should also add that what I’m covering here is merely the scaffolding to support your e-teaching space. The real challenge, of course, is putting together your content.

Coming next: Moodle – installation and considerations for self-hosted teaching sites.

According to the experts at TopTenReviews, this table presents the best of the best web hosting companies. Which one should you choose to host your site?

The answer: None of the above. Unfortunately, this outfit and tons of other review sites put profit ahead of objectivity when making their recommendations. The underlying motivation shows clearly in this video clip.

Finding a truly “good” web hosting company is probably the biggest challenge you’ll face when setting up your site. Word of mouth is a good place to start. But in the end you have to test-drive the service yourself before you really know if the fit is right.

For me, a “good” web host has to offer, at the minimum, the following:

• Money back guarantee
• Better Business Bureau rating of at least B+
• A telephone number that is answered within a reasonable amount of time
• 24/7 tech support from knowledgeable staff via chat, phone, or email
• Modern, reliable hardware with limited down time
• Generally positive comments from independent customer forums
• Full feature set, including cPanel and the Fantastico script installer

I have researched quite a number of web hosts but found precious few that satisfy these criteria. Among those that pass are Arvixe, Inmotion, and Host Gator. Any one of these would probably be a good choice.

But even if your experience is unsatisfactory, you can easily back up your entire site and transfer it to another provider. Intact. That’s one of the biggest advantages to going with a host that features the proprietary cPanal versus other control panels. It makes managing your site a breeze.

Once you have registered a domain name and chosen a web host, the next step is to connect them and start building your site. Look for details in Part III of this series.