Correct ... the original hack has to be totally rewritten from the ground up to cope with roles and it's a bit of a complexity nightmare (since basically EVERY SINGLE PERSON can have different views depending on roles+groups+overrides) so I had to remove it for now until there's some time for someone to work out a solution.
I think it might be better to work on "login as" instead and log in as a specific person rather than a role.
Or perhaps there's a third solution which is even better.
I think it might be better to work on "login as" instead and log in as a specific person rather than a role.
Or perhaps there's a third solution which is even better.
The current student view - without roles - is also only a global student view. As soon as conditions become student specific it is also blind.
Beginners like the button: it helps them to get a look and feel of student versus teacher view. Maybe call it 'global student view' ? (combined with your tip login_as..
Beginners like the button: it helps them to get a look and feel of student versus teacher view. Maybe call it 'global student view' ? (combined with your tip login_as..
Nice idea about “Global Student View” button.
We do not allow teachers to login as students for privacy reasons. Only admins can do so. Therefore, teachers still need some kind of a tool allowing them to get the look/feel of a student.
So if I want it back I need to make some time........ 
Bad time of year for that
Bad time of year for that
One of the reasons I like the student view, is that if I project the course in a whiteboard to my students, then they are able to see what is not yet available for them.
Also, how do you manage the "show to students" option in most activities (the "Eye")? because now this must become a selection of roles that can view the activity.
So, the "change role view" can be very usefull , but of course it needs the hability to grant to which roles one can switch view.
Maye it could be intersting to make roles as a hierarchy, in the way that a sub role has some fewer privileges than its parent:
This allows students to be a subrole of teacher. And students to have different kinds of students as subroles.
And then the buton "student view" become a "subrole view", an editing teacher could have the teacher view.
This puts some restricitions as a lower member in the hierarchy can not have any privillege its parent does not. But i think that this can be solved with the privileges that can be assigned inside a course.
Also, how do you manage the "show to students" option in most activities (the "Eye")? because now this must become a selection of roles that can view the activity.
So, the "change role view" can be very usefull , but of course it needs the hability to grant to which roles one can switch view.
Maye it could be intersting to make roles as a hierarchy, in the way that a sub role has some fewer privileges than its parent:
This allows students to be a subrole of teacher. And students to have different kinds of students as subroles.
And then the buton "student view" become a "subrole view", an editing teacher could have the teacher view.
This puts some restricitions as a lower member in the hierarchy can not have any privillege its parent does not. But i think that this can be solved with the privileges that can be assigned inside a course.
Good point Joan, the whiteboard argument.
I know the student view was a key feature for our faculty in the 1.6
release. Losing it and not having a replacement is going to be a big
loss. Having a "login as" feature would probably be sufficient replacement.
Cory >
I know the student view was a key feature for our faculty in the 1.6
release. Losing it and not having a replacement is going to be a big
loss.
I agree. I am amazed (and really frustrated) at the disparition of this useful indispensable feature. It's especially useful when demonstrating a course to teachers or students. Logging in as student is not the same and is not what I want. Should we have a campaign to "bring back the student view button" ?
Joseph
My faculty members will be gravely disappointed to lose this
button. That was one of the features in 1.6 that they were
happiest about! I want to disable 'login as' entirely (we feel
that is a privacy violation as an unnamed instructor once sent an email
reguarding missing assignments to the class under the name of a student
because she forgot she was "loggedin as"; any student who replied to
the email would have sent information back to the unsuspecting student
account--nightmare!). I
guess we can keep using the "sample student" account!
atw
atw
Yes, it is popular in my school, too.
-- Art
-- Art
I will not want the "login as" button completely gone. It might be nice to have a role/attribute to control it.
We use this for help desk staff. When a student calls and is having problem, they have to be able to login as the student and see what they are seeing as "it is" before they can help them. Removing it will not be a good thing, but a better control of who gets access to it will be good.
We use this for help desk staff. When a student calls and is having problem, they have to be able to login as the student and see what they are seeing as "it is" before they can help them. Removing it will not be a good thing, but a better control of who gets access to it will be good.
I can agree with that! I would like to limit its use, so assigning that permission through a role could work well.
atw
atw
Please relax, it's on the list to put back in, once the security issues can be worked out. For example, if you're an editing teacher who has no power to assign new roles to people then it's a possible major security risk to be able to grant yourself a temporary role (such as admin) that may have more rights than you yourself have, so it's likely that such people would not be able to see the "assume temporary role" button.
There's just so many other things on that list (like working backups and enrolment!) that I'm sure are a bit more urgent just at this very moment.
There's just so many other things on that list (like working backups and enrolment!) that I'm sure are a bit more urgent just at this very moment.
Martin > it's on the list to put back in, once the security issues can be worked out.
Good to hear that! Now I will relax...
Joseph
> if you're an editing teacher who has no power to assign new roles to people then it's a possible major security risk to be able to grant yourself a temporary role (such as admin) that may have more rights than you yourself have, so it's likely that such people would not be able to see the "assume temporary role" button.
The security issues are indeed important but anyone who has any kind of teacher role should be able to switch to generic student/guest view even if he/she has no right to assign new roles. If nothing else, may be the capability of switching to "generic student view" or global student view" should be explicitely a part of role privileges, independent from power to assign new roles.
The security issues are indeed important but anyone who has any kind of teacher role should be able to switch to generic student/guest view even if he/she has no right to assign new roles. If nothing else, may be the capability of switching to "generic student view" or global student view" should be explicitely a part of role privileges, independent from power to assign new roles.
Please test current CVS version for the new "Switch roles" function. Only people who have permissions to assign roles can use this feature, but they can switch to any role that they can assign. There is no such thing any more as a "generic student role", it could vary from site to site or course to course, so this way of doing it allows teachers to see views that match those in the site.
I think this works OK in practice. I'd mark the bug resolved but no-one filed one
I think this works OK in practice. I'd mark the bug resolved but no-one filed one
Looks fine to me. We could do with a little padding between the dropdown list and the Turn editing on button, but that can be done in the themes' CSS.
I've just started to test it and will keep you informed,
Joseph
I've just started to test it and will keep you informed,
Joseph
That looks great. I'm glad to hear the feature isn't being dropped. 
I like the way that this has been applied. But want to throw one further idea into the works.
Are the following ideas feasable.
Are the following ideas feasable.
- Roles be assigned a priority order. What is most senior to junior roles.
- Add an option when defining roles of allowing the users of that role to see the "switch role to..." functionaility
- If '1' is implemented, groups who have had the option of using 'switch role to...' can switch between their own role and those of lower priority.
Well currently:
1) you can sort the roles as you like on the Define Roles page.
2) you can set up what roles people can assign using the "Allow role assignments" matrix
So if you want to set it up as you described you can (but we are not limited to that).
1) you can sort the roles as you like on the Define Roles page.
2) you can set up what roles people can assign using the "Allow role assignments" matrix
So if you want to set it up as you described you can (but we are not limited to that).
Moodles new tagline looks like being 'No Limits'. I like that 