1 / 26

From Student One to Blackboard A Snapshot of SCU Practices

From Student One to Blackboard A Snapshot of SCU Practices. Presented by Schelly Gardner & Roger Murphy, Southern Cross University, NSW. Session Objectives. Show how user driven business rules were built into the Bb6 snapshot process to maintain integration with the SCU portal

raoul
Download Presentation

From Student One to Blackboard A Snapshot of SCU Practices

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. From Student One to Blackboard A Snapshot of SCU Practices Presented by Schelly Gardner & Roger Murphy, Southern Cross University, NSW

  2. Session Objectives • Show how user driven business rules were built into the Bb6 snapshot process to maintain integration with the SCU portal • Show how SCU snapshot process was developed to manage site creation and access for more than just learning sites

  3. Session Objectives (cont.) • Innovation • Integrating the snapshot with SCU portal to display Bb sites organised by site type, eg learning sites, information sites • Results/Outcomes • Demonstrate how SCU snapshot, using an extensive list of Data Source Key’s, is used to deliver Bb sites with the SCU portal, organised by site type

  4. Session Outline • About SCU • System configuration • ‘Pre-snapshot’ with BBCI 4.11 • Transition to BB6 and current Snapshot process • Bb Integration SCU built portal • Ongoing issues • Future goals

  5. About SCU • Small, multi-campus regional university based on the NSW north coast • Distinct students in learning sites about 10,700 • Enrolment instances at about 25,000 • Academic staff approx 640 • Total learning sites about 1300 with about 50% actively used in teaching • Overlapping Teaching Periods Semesters 1 and 2 Trimesters A, B and C Asian Semesters 1 and 2 Asian Trimesters A, B and C Summer Schools Research Periods • With Blackboard since 2000, starting with Bb CourseInfo 4 then to Bb 6 in Dec 2003

  6. Current Configuration • Blackboard Learning System Only • Release 6.3.1.424 on high availability architecture • Oracle 9.2.06 • Linux, Red Hat Enterprise 3 • In-House built portal using Kerberos authentication • Staff, Students and Non-Standard Accounts • Student Record System • Student One Version 3.2

  7. How we began BBCI 4.11 - 2000 until Dec 2003 • Developed ‘pre-snapshot’ process (MS Access) to manipulate data from Student System (Student One) and manage site creation and site access • Based on solid foundation of business rules • One learning site for each unit offered by the University • Managed student access to learning sites • Managed student access to school, course and information based sites • Developed SCU portal which was integrated with BBCI using course categories to group sites by type • Developed ‘Self Service Centre’ for support to staff to manage site access requests and view student enrolments

  8. How we began, (cont.) BBCI 4.11 - from 2000 until Dec 2003 • Very Manual Administration • Site creation managed with batch files • Copied content for lecturers to newly created sites from previous teaching sites • Opened and closed site access based on specified dates and teaching period • Archived sites at specified dates

  9. Our objectives for transition • Objectives - BB6 snapshot controller • Maintain and build on existing process • Maintain portal integration and ability to group sites by category/type • Automate • Site creation and site access requirements • ‘Specialised’ site access requests • Archiving process • Management of an increasing number of exceptions and variations to the rules

  10. Snapshot Controller vs Tool • Snapshot Controller is defined by Institution’s: • Bb Version • Student record system • Authentication method • Infrastructure design • Business rules • Snapshot Tool updates Bb database with text files created by the Controller

  11. Snapshot Controller (cont.) • Bbsnap database • Receives data from Student and Kerberos systems • Oracle procedures (snapshot controller) • Manipulate data from source data tables using support tables • Exports data to text files on App Server • Blackboard Snapshot Tool updates the Blackboard Database • Extensive use of Data Source Keys (DSK) • An identifier within Bb that identifies a subset of data • Used by Admin for the management of these subsets of data • Used to organise Bb sites on SCU portals

  12. SCU Data Source Keys (DSK) PK1 BATCH_UID DESCRIPTION • 149 USERS Blackboard Users • 150 FLEXIBLE Flexible Study Periods • 151 TESTING Testing/Demonstration • 152 TEMPLATES Templates • 153 WORKGROUPS Workgroups • 154 INFORMATION School/Course Information • 346 SCHOOL_INFO School Based Information Sites • 347 COURSE_INFO Course Based Information Sites • 157 PAST_STUDY Past Study Periods - Student Access • 206 CPD CPD units and enrolments • 286 ARCHIVED_2004 2004 units and enrolments • 267 UNITS_2005_1 Semester 1 Units 2005 • 309 UNITS_2005_2 Semester 2 Units 2005 • 307 UNITS_2005_B Trimester B Units 2005 • 308 UNITS_2005_C Trimester C Units 2005 • 310 UNITS_2005_AT1 Asian Trimester 1 Units 2005 • 311 UNITS_2005_AT2 Asian Trimester 2 Units 2005 • 314 UNITS_2005_AS2 Asian Semester 1 Units 2005 • 315 UNITS_2005_SS Summer School Units 2005 • 316 ENROL_2005_A Trimester A Enrolments 2005 • 317 ENROL_2005_B Trimester B Enrolments 2005 • 318 ENROL_2005_C Trimester C Enrolments 2005 • 319 ENROL_2005_1 Semester 1 Enrolments 2005 • 320 ENROL_2005_2 Semester 2 Enrolments 2005

  13. Snapshot Process‘Text files’

  14. Snapshot Process (cont.)‘Users’ • Data Source Key = USERS • Our users DSK is much the same as everyone else – staff, students and nonstandard • Extensive use of nonstandard accounts to allow for staff industry partners, guest lecturers and students in industry and professional development programs access to Blackboard sites.

  15. Snapshot Process (cont.) ‘LearningSites’ Data Source Key = UNITS_YYYY_X • Created with unit title and teaching period • Eg ACC00123-2005-2, ACC00123-2005-2-HK • Created from templates for each School • Sites Merged by default • All availabilities and locations merged into a single site • Except for sites as per pre-defined support tables • Unavailable by default, awaiting academic input

  16. Snapshot process (cont.) ‘Information Sites’ • Data Source Key = INFORMATION • Based on academic program, not driven by teaching period • School Based Sites • Course Based Sites • Information Sites ‘Others’ • Archives • Past Study Periods • Flexible • Workgroups • Testing

  17. Snapshot Process (cont.) ‘Enrolments’ • Learning Sites • Based on student’s enrolment against a unit availability • Data Source Key = ENROL_2005_2… ENROL_2005_AS2 • Course Based Sites • Based on student’s admission to a course • Enrolled in COURSE_INFO DSK • School Based Sites • Based on student’s enrolment in a unit associated with a School • Enrolled in SCHOOL_INFO DSK • Information Sites • Based on academic requirements • Enrolled in INFORMATION DSK

  18. Snapshot Process (cont.) ‘Data Sets’ • Therefore creating enrolments using the following data sets Unit Code Student_ID Learning Sites Course Code Student_ID Course Based Sites School Unit Code Student_ID School Based Sites

  19. Snapshot Process (cont.) ‘Tables’ Bbsnap Database Support Tables • For Learning Sites • Enrolment_Exceptions • Merge_rules • Location_Codes • Study_periods • Site_template • For Information Sites • Course_based_sites • School_based_sites • Information_based_sites

  20. Student One Database BBSNAP Database (Snapshot (Snapshot Source Support data tables) data tables) Kerberos Database Blackboard Application Server (Snapshot tool) SCU Snapshot Controller Snapshot Process (cont.)‘Data flow’

  21. SCU Built Student Portal • UsingDSK’s, provides links to sites in sections, eg Learning Sites, Information Sites, Past Study Periods • Sites not yet available to students are displayed andidentified by icon

  22. SCU Built Student Portal

  23. Ongoing Issues • Automate staff access to sites • Need to get reliable staff teaching data from student system • Reinstate ‘Self Service Centre’ to manage transitional period and then only nonstandard sites • Server clean-up at end of each teaching period • Identifying unused sites for removal • Identify and clean up of nonstandard site access (CPD, past study periods) • Archiving cycle - when to move sites off server

  24. Future Goals • Revamp and reinstate ‘Self Service Centre’ • With access from within a link in the control panel • Move to a combined snapshot and event driven snapshot process

  25. Summary • IF YOU ONLY REMEMBER 1 THING: • Solid business rules built into the snapshot process can be used to simplify and automate management of user expectations and requirements • Follow up Contacts: • Schelly Gardner sgardner@scu.edu.au • Roger Murphy rmurphy@scu.edu.au • Earl Whittaker (portal) ewhittak@scu.edu.au • Guy Waugh (unix) gwaugh@scu.edu.au

  26. Questions? ?

More Related