Course start dates and external database enrollments

Re: Course start dates and external database enrollments

by Randy Thornton -
Number of replies: 9
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To work the way you need, this would need to be added to the external enrollments plugin code so there is a new field for course start date, since a single template won't work in your case.

Have you looked at the code or put in a Tracker request to have this feature added?

A workaround would be to have a SQL script (or PHP) go through after the fact and update the course start dates based on course name, category, or some other information.

I had a site where courses started monthly and were in monthly categories. A one line SQL update set course dates based on category id.

If you don't need or use the course id number field in the external database you could put the date info there, then have a SQL script update the course startdate based on that.

I'm sure you have tried to use the course uploads tool too, setting default dates in batches after the fact. It will do it, but it's very manual intensive.


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In reply to Randy Thornton

Re: Course start dates and external database enrollments

by Scot Hacker -

Thanks much Randy, and apologies for the response delay. 

I did find a ticket in the Moodle Tracker related to this problem, logged back in 2012. I've upvoted it and left a comment. I'm kind of surprised this hasn't been an issue for more schools. 

Yes, I could write a script that would cross reference the external database (which has start dates) with course IDs (which are stored in both places). Just need to find the dev time. 

Thanks again! 

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In reply to Scot Hacker

Re: Course start dates and external database enrollments

by Randy Thornton -
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Scot,

What's the tracker number? I'd upvote that. Would be very useful to have external database support as many fields as other methods do, especially dates.

Randy

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In reply to Randy Thornton

Re: Course start dates and external database enrollments

by Scot Hacker -

Hi Randy - 

The ticket is linked to in the comment above:

https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-35809

Talking this over more with my manager, it feels like we must be missing something. It just *can't* be the case that thousands of schools rely on the external db enrollment plugin and *no one* considers missing or wrong start dates on courses to be a show-stopping bug. This is critical data.  I feel like we must be missing something obvious here. How do other schools deal with this? Everyone just codes up their own fix-it scripts to run after the fact? Seems so... broken and messy. 


Thanks.

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In reply to Scot Hacker

Re: Course start dates and external database enrollments

by Scot Hacker -

Also, if anyone can share their post-enrollment cleanup script to fix start dates, we would be most appreciative! Thanks.


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In reply to Scot Hacker

Re: Course start dates and external database enrollments

by Randy Thornton -
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Voted up.

My experience is db enrollments is fairly rare in schools, at least in the US, where people tend to have SIS. I'm sure it is out there, but I don't see it so much as SIS systems. I see db auth and enrollment more in companies that have membership type sites.

I do see a lot schools that force sweep though courses and set them visible or hidden at the start of terms rather than set dates but that's a solution to a different problem.


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In reply to Randy Thornton

Re: Course start dates and external database enrollments

by Scot Hacker -

Interesting - if they're not using external db auth and enrollments, how are they populating Moodle? I thought external db was the main/official technique.

Also, how does having an SIS change things? Doesn't that count as an external db? (wouldn't such a school point the external db plugin at their SIS?)

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In reply to Scot Hacker

Re: Course start dates and external database enrollments

by Randy Thornton -
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Scot,

Almost all SISs have their own separate enrollment plugins and own methods, usually written in PHP or perhaps via webservices, and use the Moodle API calls. 

In theory, you could write an SIS hooking into the Moodle db enrollments method, but in practice this has limitations, because, as you discovered, the external database enrollments is rather generic, lacks a lot of data fields, and has no ability to report back from Moodle either. 

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In reply to Randy Thornton

Re: Course start dates and external database enrollments

by Scot Hacker -

Interesting, thanks. Guess it's up to us to come up with a post-enrollment date fixing system then. 

I appreciate your responses! 

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In reply to Scot Hacker

Re: Course start dates and external database enrollments

by Randy Thornton -
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Yeah, if db auth and enrolments got even half the love of user uploads & flat file manual methods, they would be amazing tools that could rival some low end SIS systems. 

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