Machine Learning Backends help

Machine Learning Backends help

by Vlad Apetrei -
Number of replies: 5

Hello, I'm trying to figure out a plan for improving the existing machine learning backends with GSOC. I've installed the environment and already fixed an easy bug in the tracker so I have a rought understanding of how things work, but I'm having a bit of trouble really understanding how all the parts involved work together. I've read the Analytics API and gone trhgough the related pages in the docs, but without some hands on experience I feel like I'm still falling short of really understanding how the modules work let alone how would a plan for improvement look like.

I think going from examples of functionality to how they work would be a good way of figuring things out. In order to do this I would need a suficiently large dataset to test out existing functions. I could of course generate some minimal data myself, but I suspect for the effort involved that would be a pretty weak return on the time invested. Especially when there are probably numerous datasets that a kind stranger could provide.

Therefore, I have a couple of small requests:

1. Where can I find some good datasets of users interacting with moodle to train some models and observe the ml-backend behavior?

2. Are there any good relatively easy Analytics API bugs that I could tackle to get more familiar with this part of Moodle (I did a quick search, but couldn't really anything relevant)

3. Any other general or specific advice as to how to approach this task of understanding and improving the Insights module is very welcomed

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In reply to Vlad Apetrei

Re: Machine Learning Backends help

by Jon Bolton -
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Just wondering if you have already seen https://docs.moodle.org/36/en/Analytics, which mentions a machine learning backend plugin type and an API to build indicators and prediction models for third-party Moodle plugins.

And, if you’re not already involved, it might be worth joining the Moodle Learning Analytics Working Group.

Average of ratings: Useful (1)
In reply to Jon Bolton

Re: Machine Learning Backends help

by Vlad Apetrei -

Thank you. I did come across that page at some point, yes.

I made some progress by following the actions and their respective implementations and I found some related bugs in the tracker, but I still can't find any mock data anywhere.

If anyone can share some reasonably sized database with user actions, I am still looking for that and would be much appreciated.

In reply to Vlad Apetrei

Re: Machine Learning Backends help

by Neill Magill -
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I suspect it would be difficult for anyone to share real life datasets from a legal point of view (especially if they have any data for people who are European Union (EU) citizens or added data while the users were in the EU)

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In reply to Vlad Apetrei

Re: Machine Learning Backends help

by Elizabeth Dalton -

Hi Vlad,

Please join the discussion at https://moodle.org/analytics, in our Developer Support Forum! smile

We are unable to supply data sets, but I have filed a proposal to write a synthetic data generator that would create data based on a trained learning analytics model: https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-65128

If you are interested in helping to develop this, please let us know. smile

In reply to Elizabeth Dalton

Re: Machine Learning Backends help

by Vlad Apetrei -

Wouldn't you still need some real data to generate this? 

I'm hoping to work on the moodlemlbackend as part of gsoc, I probably won't have time for this too.