Revista

de la

Universidad

del Zulia

Fundada en 1947

por el Dr. Jesús Enrique Lossada

NÚMERO ESPECIAL

DEPÓSITO LEGAL ZU2020000153

Esta publicación científica en formato digital

es continuidad de la revista impresa

ISSN 0041-8811

E-ISSN 2665-0428

Ciencias

de la

Educación

Año 12 N° 35

Noviembre - 2021

Tercera Época

Maracaibo-Venezuela

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181 
 
Comparison  of  two  platforms  for  distance  learning  students  of 
Moscow Aviation Institute: Microsoft Teams and LMS Moodle 
Petr A. Ukhov* 
Anatoly V. Ryapuhin** 
Natalia A. Biryukova*** 
Anna K. Biryukova**** 
Denis A. Borschenko***** 
 
ABSTRACT 
Microsoft Teams platform is  a kind of  messenger created  on the basis of Microsoft Skype for 
Business  in  2017.  It  implements  the  concept  of  a  collaborative  workspace  and  allows  group 
members  to  organize  joint  online  meetings,  hold  audio  and  video  conferences  and  connect 
additional  Microsoft  services.  Microsoft  Teams  implements  the  possibility  of  individual 
interaction between the teacher and the student through audio and video calls. In relation to the 
pandemic of coronavirus infection, on March 17, 2020, MAI completely switched to the distance 
learning mode. For the organization of distance educational process, LMS MAI website, based 
on the Moodle platform, is mainly used, but the range of its capabilities is limited. In order to 
expand opportunities  and share the flow  of students  using  the  website  for  e-learning,  many 
classes with students began to be held at Microsoft Teams. It has an intuitive interface and meets 
all the requirements of confidentiality and security: encryption, multi-factor authentication and 
device management are used to protect information; necessary protection mechanisms against 
unauthorized  access  are  implemented.  When  this  platform  was  studied  a  number  of  its 
advantages  were  identified  compared  to  LMS  Moodle  platform,  also  there  were  system 
vulnerabilities correlated with LMS and suggestions to eliminate them. 
KEY  WORDS:  distance  learning;  information;  comparative  analysis;  computer  software; 
educational software. 
 
 
*Professor.  Moscow  Aviation  Institute  (National  Research  University),  Moscow,  Russia. 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3728-2262. E-mail: ukhov@mai.ru 
**Professor.  Moscow  Aviation  Institute  (National  Research  University),  Moscow,  Russia. 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2208-6875. E-mail: ryapukhin.a.v@mail.ru 
***Professor.  Moscow  Aviation  Institute  (National  Research  University),  Moscow,  Russia. 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6696-3104. E-mail: natali_4_00@mail.ru 
****Professor.  Moscow  Aviation  Institute  (National  Research  University),  Russia.  ORCID: 
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4879-8686. E-mail: nusy1296@yandex.ru 
*****Professor. Moscow  Aviation Institute (National Research University), Moscow, Russia. 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5968-656X. E-mail: d3n7@bk.ru 
Recibido: 08/07/2021                                                                                               Aceptado: 01/09/2021 

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Comparación de dos plataformas para estudiantes de educación a

distancia del Instituto de Aviación de Moscú: Microsoft Teams y

LMS Moodle

RESUMEN

La plataforma Microsoft Teams es una especie de mensajería creada sobre la base de

Microsoft Skype for Business en 2017. Implementa el concepto de un espacio de trabajo

colaborativo y permite a los miembros del grupo organizar reuniones conjuntas en línea,

realizar conferencias de audio y video y conectar servicios adicionales de Microsoft.

Microsoft Teams implementa la posibilidad de interacción individual entre el profesor y el

alumno a través de llamadas de audio y video. En relación con la pandemia de infección por

Coronavirus, el 17 de marzo de 2020 MAI cambió completamente al modo de aprendizaje a

distancia. Para la organización del proceso educativo a distancia, se utiliza principalmente

LMS MAI, basado en la plataforma Moodle, pero el rango de sus capacidades es limitado. Con

el fin de ampliar las oportunidades y compartir el flujo de estudiantes que utilizan la página

web para el aprendizaje electrónico, se comenzaron a impartir muchas clases con estudiantes

en Microsoft Teams. Tiene una interfaz intuitiva y cumple con todos los requisitos de

confidencialidad y seguridad: se utilizan cifrado, autenticación multifactor y gestión de

dispositivos para proteger la información; se implementan los mecanismos de protección

necesarios contra el acceso no autorizado. Al estudiar esta plataforma se identificaron

algunas de sus ventajas en comparación con la plataforma LMS Moodle, también hubo

vulnerabilidades del sistema correlacionadas con LMS y sugerencias para eliminarlas.

PALABRAS CLAVE: aprendizaje a distancia; información; análisis comparativo; software

informático; software educativo.

Introduction

Microsoft Teams is a corporate platform developed by Microsoft, it has the ability to

combine chat, meetings, notes and attachments in the workspace, the product is a part of the

Office 365 suite and distributed through a corporate subscription. It has integration with all

company products and even with third-party applications (Nashilov, 2019; Chernaya, 2020).

This platform is an excellent option for conducting classes in the distance learning

mode: it implements the concept of a workspace for collaboration and chatting, and it can

also be used to hold meetings and exchange files and applications.

In addition to chats, Microsoft Teams has audio and video calls and document stores

(figure 1) (Robotx.ru, 2020). These funds are divided into private (individual) and collective

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ones. Students of MAI immediately assessed the possibility of a collective discussion of

projects, reports and current training issues when using the platform.

As for conducting classes, it is worth noting the possibility of “visual” contact between

teacher and students, which allows for control, for example, during tests or verification

works. The platform allows holding meetings using a webcam, record all conferences,

interact with a teacher not only during the conference, but also at any convenient time: it is

a kind of messenger, so we can access any content of the working group: messages, document

library, files or information about participants (Ukhov et al., 2018; Ukhov et al., 2020).

To register on Microsoft Teams platform, a student of MAI must go to the official

website mai.ru, where he can receive corporate mail and password (Microsoft, 2017). The

data for receiving login (mail) and password will be the name and telephone number. If the

search in the students’ database was successful, the student will have the data to enter in

Microsoft Teams, he will only have to log in (Microsoft, 2020a).

Figure 1. Platform work window

In order to start a conference, which will be an analogue of a seminar or lecture, we

need to create a team and add participants to it (figure 2, 3). A team is users who are united

by a common characteristic. It can be students who carry out one project, group of them,

students and teacher, etc.

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Figure 2. Creating a team

Figure 3. Adding members

After that, group members will have access to a general meeting chat with various

options (figure 4):



investments;



stickers, emoji, GIF animation;



“Start Meeting” button.

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Figure 4. Team chat

1.

Materials and Methods

As a result of a survey of a group of students of 100 people, it was revealed that

Microsoft Teams is the second most popular platform for interacting with students (among

the platforms used by teachers) (figure 5). During the survey, students also shared their views

on the use of this platform, highlighting its advantages relative to LMS MAI.

Figure 5. Student survey results

50%

25%

14%

11%

ADVANTAGES OF THE MICROSOFT TEAMS PLATFORM

Multifunctional chat

Autonomy

Access to materials and networking with participants of chat anytime

Multilingualism

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2.

Results and Discussion

In the article about a software product such as Teams, from the knowledge base of the

Russian University of Chemical Technology, the authors indicated the following positive

aspects for the software product:



Creation of Team for organizing training in groups of students;



Access to training materials and files;



Assignment and verification of individual and group assignments, tracking their

timely implementation and implementation of verification, and for students - an indication

of the deadline for the delivery of work;



Create virtual classrooms that enable students to make presentations or share a digital

whiteboard. Teachers and students can interact using not only a whiteboard, but also text,

audio or video;



Organizing and conducting webinars, video lectures or practical online seminars that

can be recorded for offline viewing (RCTU knowledge base, 2021).

In the article, we have also highlighted and shared these benefits of the platform so that

educators and students can use the same experience in Teams to learn, collaborate and

interact online.

Also the advantages of MicrosoftTeams are:



Multifunctional chat that allows exchanging files, carry out audio and video

communication and format sent messages (figure 6) (Chernaya, 2020; Microsoft, 2020a). It

should be emphasized that LMS MAI platform does not have such options (this platform

only supports audio communication) (Ukhov, 2020);



We can discuss ideas in a private chat and share them with the rest of the team.

Microsoft Teams also allows storing all files and documents together, we can access them at

any time, as well as view the content and history in the group chat or in a private chat

(Chernaya, 2020; Microsoft, 2020a) (LMS MAI platform does not provide these capabilities:

it does not have a closed chat; we can view the group's chat history only if a video conference

was recorded before, etc.);



Ability to communicate directly by mentioning and tagging team members. Microsoft

Teams supports the addition of tabs on channels, which allow conveniently configuring the

workspace for the needs of users, connecting not only Microsoft.GIF and stickers in

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messages, but also various services and applications, including from third-party suppliers

(Chernaya, 2020; Microsoft, 2020a);



Microsoft Teams has smart features like background blur (LMS MAI does not have

these features). Conferences in office365 allow attendees to connect to Microsoft Teams from

any device (Nashilov, 2019). Note that there is a mobile version for this platform, while LMS

MAI has only a mobile version (Ukhov, 2020). Interestingly, in Microsoft Teams, chat bots

can act as chat participants, from which we can specify the necessary information and receive

recommendations, which can greatly simplify the work and seriously increase the

productivity of employees (if the functionality of such bots is developed) (ActiveCloud.by,

2020) (not supported by the platform LMS MAI);



Multilingual Microsoft Teams: the interface of this platform supports most languages,

for example, Russian, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Microsoft, 2017;

Microsoft, 2020a). (LMS MAI platform only supports 6 languages: Russian, English, German,

French, Spanish, Chinese (Microsoft, 2020b)).

In addition to the positive aspects of Microsoft Teams platform, which is used for

distance learning of students at MAI, there are some negative aspects related to information

security.

Compared with LMS MAI platform, Microsoft Teams has solved the problem with a

password system: receiving a password is not done by sending usernames and passwords to

the monitors of the groups via social networks or in other ways, but by students themselves.

To access Microsoft Teams, as well as other services of MAI information systems, we need to

go to the website https://mai.ru/getpass and enter the student’s personal data: in particular,

full name, phone number and student status, and then select the method for obtaining a

password (Microsoft, 2017). There are two options for obtaining it: automatic generation and

setting your own password (figure 6).

In addition, the "registration" provides protection with the help of captcha from

various bots, spam and attacks of automatic programs.

We consider automatic password generation (figure 7). This method is one of the

most reliable and proven, since attacks from spam machines are excluded and direct contact

with the student is obtained. Also, with this solution, we can implement not only a one-time

confirmation of registration on the website, but also regular login to your account.

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Figure 6. Password retrieval page interface

Figure 7. Receive verification code via SMS

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After entering the six-digit code received in the SMS, a page opens with the login and

password for access to MAI information systems, as well as to Microsoft Teams distance

learning platform.

In the case of independent assignment of a password by the student, similar operations

occur: the student fills out the proposed forms and enters the six-digit code received in SMS.

After these actions, the student is asked to enter his own password, which is presented with

the requirements inherent in strong passwords (figure 8). It is also important to note that

there is a certain limit on changing the password, which also excludes the possibility of

unauthorized editing.

Figure 8. User password setting

Based on the above-mentioned information, we can conclude that when using the

access system to information system it is impossible to prevent the sending of information

with logins and passwords by the group leaders in LMS MAI (Agranovich, 2020).

Hacking this system is also practically impossible due to the fact that a sufficiently

large number of time and computing resources are needed.

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In case of changing the password by the user of MAI information system, the user logs

out of the Microsoft account, and, accordingly, from Microsoft Teams (Microsoft, 2020b).

This means that revocation of access keys is configured on this system. Comparing Microsoft

Teams and LMS MAI platforms with this parameter, it is important to emphasize that LMS

MAI did not previously have the ability to revoke keys (Agranovich, 2020), but today, this

shortcoming of the main platform for distance learning of students of MAI has been fixed,

and this option has become available to students.

In the article "Instrumental and methodological foundations of providing distance

educational process with digital technologies (for example, Microsoft Teams)" from the

journal "Pedagogy. Theoretical and Practical Issues” it was reported about such platform

shortcomings as the impossibility of carrying out laboratory work on real equipment

(Revunov et al., 2020). We agreed with this statement by conducting additional research on

the platform's functionality. But we would like to note that it is possible to share the platform

with other products from Microsoft and other manufacturers. Naturally, speaking of using

one platform, we still cannot call Teams universal, but combining it with other products can

solve any set tasks.

In addition, in the process of using Microsoft Teams platform, several shortcomings

were identified, the solutions to which are presented below.

It is necessary to make new methods of authorization and user protection. A possible

solution to security problems would be the generation of complex passwords by users, for

example, with an increased length (more than 16 characters). In addition, another option may

be the method of introducing “combustible” passwords, that is, the user receives a temporary

password for a one-time login to the system (Ukhov et al., 2021a; Ukhov et al., 2021b).

LMS MAI platform does not provide the function of informing about an attempt of

unauthorized access to the account (Man’zhov et al., 2017): if third parties try to access the

student’s account, the student will not be able to take the necessary measures to stop hacking

attempts (Moscow Aviation Institute, 2020). Microsoft Teams platform has the ability to

notify the user of all logins to the distance learning system. Also, Microsoft Teams is

configured to send email notifications about an attempt to change email, directly about

changing email and password change, which is not in LMS MAI.

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Another drawback of the system is the problem of extraneous inputs, which was also

observed on LMS MAI. This situation occurs due to the theft of information and data about

the usernames and passwords of students by other users for the sake of jokes or by intruders.

There are three ways to solve this problem:



registration of new devices in the system (information about a new device and an

authorization code are sent to a mobile or mail);



creation of a log of entrances;



blocking users from whose accounts third-party logins are made until the user

password is changed to more complex ones.

In addition, independent experts discovered Remote Code Execution, a vulnerability

that could allow arbitrary code to be executed through Microsoft Teams platform. This

platform, unlike LMS MAI, uses the Squirrel utility, which provides the download and

installation of updates created using the NuGet package manager. Experts found that the

“update [URL]” and “download [URL]” commands allow uploading a file to Microsoft Teams

folder, where it will be automatically executed (Moscow Aviation Institute, 2020). Possible

recommendations for counteracting code execution through Microsoft Teams are the

following:



user should not be able to disable antivirus software;



method for automatically updating anti-virus signatures should be implemented;



anti-virus software used should provide protection against boot viruses;



virus removal process must be planned in advance.

Conclusion

The trend of universities to use electronic platforms for distance learning provides

students with autonomous and flexible learning. Thanks to this, in the current situation, the

educational process was not stopped or disturbed, but was even supplemented by such

advantages as flexibility and autonomy in obtaining knowledge.

Microsoft Teams platform, which is widely used for organizing video and audio

conferences by various organizations and higher educational institutions, contributes to the

process of obtaining knowledge. Good password system, ability to format sent messages,

access to send materials at any time and wide choice of interface language make this platform

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one of the most frequently used platforms not only at MAI, but also around the world. With

the quality organization of distance learning at Microsoft Teams, including in terms of

information security, it becomes possible to provide quality education.

From comparisons between Microsoft Teams platform and LMS MAI, we can

conclude that Microsoft Teams platform as a whole is more optimized and protected from

attacks than LMS MAI. However, Microsoft Teams also has some vulnerabilities and

methods for fixing proposed here.

References

ActiveCloud.by (2020). Teams is an effective teamwork service. Retrieved at:

https://www.activecloud.by/news/novosti-kompanii/2020/teams-effektivnyy-servis/.

Agranovich, M. (2020). The Ministry of Education and Science recommended that universities organize

distance learning. Retrieved at: https://rg.ru/2020/03/15/minobrnauki-rekomendovalo-vuzam-

organizovat-distancionnoe-obuchenie.html.

Chernaya, A. (2020). How to use Microsoft Teams: features, tips, life hacks. Retrieved at:

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