Plug in to manage default settings and profiles for course and user

Plug in to manage default settings and profiles for course and user

by Paolo Oprandi -
Number of replies: 16
Hi,

In 2006 we ran the "Minted" project, which was concerned with passing institutional data into Moodle. Two plugins that we developed as part of this work were originally released via a previous thread and we are now re-releasing updated versions of them.

The Minted profile plugin

The Minted profile plugin addresses a missing feature of Moodle by making it possible to set up default settings for automatically created users and courses. An administration web page is provided to allow default user settings to be defined that match institutional policies and applications, without changing the database field defaults. For example, you can set:

  • email format to html or text depending on institutional email application
  • email to show or hide from other users to suit institutional policy
  • email to on or off so users do or do not receive mails by default from the system
  • etc..


Another set of administration pages is provided to allow course defaults to be defined. We think site administrators will find it particularly useful because each Moodle category can have its own distinct defaults, which will define:

  • course settings
  • sidebar blocks and their positions
  • automatically-created activity modules in topic/week zero

Categories usually translate into an institutions department, so the defaults will allow different departments to have different:
  • departmental themes (skins)
  • content formats (topic, weekly, social forum, wiki, etc)
  • departmental policies about allowing guest access
  • departmental policies about permitted enrolment methods to their course sites
  • etc
The Minted enrolment plugin

The Minted enrolment plugin builds upon the IMS Enterprise enrolment plug-in. The main features are that it:
  • accepts more of the IMS E fields
  • updates user and course fields with institutional data, and turns editable fields on Moodle into non-editable fields to avoid overwriting local changes
  • handles all updates via a snapshot interface that compares the institutional data and the Moodle data at the client side to avoid possible errors caused by failed transactions.

We can imagine this plugin could be further enhanced by making it more configurable to suit local institutional needs

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For more information on both plugins, and on the Minted project in general, please visit the Minted web site.

Martin and senior programmers, we have been using these plugins without any problems to speak of since the Autumn term in a Moodle 1.6 installation with 8000 users and 600 course sites. I feel strongly that Moodle would benefit from both these plugins. If you agree, please, tell me how we should progress getting them into the Moodle core. Currently, the Minted profile plugin has only been thoroughly used with the adapted IMS-E enrolment plugin and manual user and course creation pages. However, as you see from my previous thread it can work with other user and course creation mechanisms.

All the best,
Paolo
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In reply to Paolo Oprandi

Re: Plug in to manage default settings and profiles for course and user

by Rick Barnes -
I would love to have more control when I upload users, especially email functions.

I would also love to setlots of defaults for departments and the whole moodle based on topics, and some templates including labels, assessment for learning requirements and to open web pages in a new window so puils tat close windows don't have to log back in to the home page and navigate back to the course. All things that I have set up in a course and use restore from backup for. Good for me but not for new moodlers.
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In reply to Rick Barnes

Plug in to create user and course templates

by Paolo Oprandi -
Hi Rick,

The Minted profile plugin would allow you to control user defaults, such as email. What method do you use to upload users?

I am not sure I understand all your other needs, but indeed some aspects of a template could be included in the plugin if we developed it further, but I wouldn't be interested in doing this without an understanding that it would be added to Moodle core.

Currently it is a category-level course template in so far as you can define settings, blocks and the following activity modules: a wiki, forum and/or glossary, to appear in topic zero of the site, and, for us, the latter is probably the least used feature of the plugin.

Best wishes,
Paolo
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In reply to Paolo Oprandi

Re: Plug in to create user and course templates

by Rick Barnes -
I upload from using the csv upload which included the email but does not allow me to disable them, which is currently a problem as the email accounts do not exist yet, so they all default to the school admin address which is a little bit of a problem with 800 potential users.

I would love to set up templates for each department. but go further than just the topic 0 and to add some labels and simple self assessment activities in each topic to help encourage 3 part lessons across the school.

I have attached a screen shot of an example.
Topic 0 has
a news forum
scheme of work
teachers guide
aims and objectives
and a level guide (assessment matrix)

Each topic then has 3 labels
Starter
Main
Plenary
and possibly homework

and there is a self assessment choice which we add specific criteria to for each course and then ask the pupils to score themselves on each week.

Then in the last topic a self assessment work sheet to download and complete
and a final assignment set up for multiple files to which we can add instructions.

I can do all of this with restoring to a new course from a backup, but I would like to have this set up automatically so I can give department heads course creator roles without having to teach them to create a course from a backup, but instead help them to set up their coourse template.

I know other schools that are looking into a prescribed course template for the whole school. Obviously different content.

Could your plug in be set up to copy a hidden course in a category, then each categoy (school department) could create their own basic template.

Attachment course.JPG
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In reply to Rick Barnes

Re: Plug in to create user and course templates

by Paolo Oprandi -
Hi Rick,

The main aim of this plugin was somewhat simpler, but I can see your need, and I think this plugin, if extended, could meet it. I would do this using the logic I used in creating the topic zero activity modules, but I haven't looked into referencing the backup and restore functions, which could be another way.

I have just been looking at the External Database enrolment settings. This seems to do more or less what you want.
One of the options reads:

"Optional: auto-created courses can copy their settings from a template course. Type here the shortname of the template course."

Does anyone know any more about this? There is very little in the moodle docs. I don't believe it removes the needs of my plugin which is to set user and course defaults without changing with database field attributes.

My main task at the moment is getting what i have into the Moodle core smile. If you would like to trial the plugin 'as is' for the csv upload of users in Moodle 1.6.x I do have a plugin version which I can make available.

Cheers,
Paolo
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In reply to Paolo Oprandi

Re: Plug in to create user and course templates

by ian lake -
Paolo
Wonderful plug in does everything that I would want for creating course and user defaults. We do not currently use IMS enrolment but that is on my todo list (my urgent todo in the next week or so list).

There is however one small problem, I have been experimenting with the DiDA e-Portfolio mod. However on installing your plug in access to the EPM settings disappeared, apart from one folder and some .php files its as though it never existed, also the Manage Courses label in the Administration block now appears as managecourses, I know this is a language problem but do not know how to sort it out.

Re-installing the EPM mod has the effect of removing your plug in and using the latest version of the DiDA has no effect as this update seems to have problems of its own. We are currently using 1.6.4 and csv enrolment.

Having fully read the post to which I am replying, would it be possible to test the plug in you have available.

ian

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In reply to ian lake

Re: Plug in to create user and course templates

by Paolo Oprandi -
Ian,

Fantastic! I am so pleased, because I know you had some problems in the summer installing it and I fear that was largely due to problems with the plugin version rather than anything you had done.

The clash between the DiDA eportfolio mod and mine is that we must be both writing over the same file - probably admin/index.php (but also perhaps admin/configure.php or admin/user.php). If you send me admin/index.php file for the DidA eportfolio I will try to make it work with both plugins.

Best wishes,
Paolo
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In reply to Paolo Oprandi

Re: Plug in to create user and course templates

by ian lake -

Thanks for the offer, and thanks for remembering me, but whilst 'scouting around' I stumbled upon Matt Oqists latest e-portfolio option, it is far better than the dida version so i wont be going back to that.

Is the CSV plugin you have available the same one that I had problems withor different, if it is the same then I won't need to test it.

Something else that occured this morning that seems a little odd - a tutor tried to update an enrolment key and was unable to, yet when I as admin went to do it  - no problem.

This was on a course created before the mod was installed.

ian

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In reply to ian lake

Re: Plug in to create user and course templates

by Rick Barnes -
Could you let me know how you are getting on with e-portfolios, and give me a link to Matts version so that I can try it out.
Thanks in advance, Rick.
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In reply to Rick Barnes

Re: Plug in to create user and course templates

by ian lake -

The link is really easy - http://moodle.org/mod/data/view.php?d=13&rid=686

As to how we are getting on with e-portfolios....

....the installation was a 'doddle' and finding out what does what is easy, but there are surprises, but then its only been installed for less than 24 hours.

If you would like to know how the college as a whole has been getting on with e-portfolios since their original installation..

..well..

The tutors and SMT were in the early days (04/08/2006 for us) of Moodle clamouring for e-porfolios - some sort of buzz word I suspect - I did some looking around and DiDA appeared to have the answer as it tied in with their e-assessment. I duly installed the module, let everyone know of its existence and waited patiently for the queries and problems...

... I am still waiting as to date no instance of e-portfolios has been used. (if however I move something on the front page then I get to hear about it ..often).

Perhaps I will have better luck with this version - everyone is still talking about e-portfolios - but I'm not going to wait for things to happen, I'll give the staff time to find it ( I have told them where and what it is) and start using it, then, when, as is traditional I receive no feedback - despite having asked for it - I withdraw it I'll find out just how useful it is.

I'll keep you posted.

Ian

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In reply to ian lake

Re: Plug in to create user and course templates

by Rick Barnes -
Thanks for the link and your comments.
I have some ideas about how I would like to use an e-portfolio for our new ICT course (OCR National) but I have some other modules that I want to set up first as they have other potential users.

Rick.

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In reply to Paolo Oprandi

Re: Plug in to manage default settings and profiles for course and user

by Jose Hales-Garcia -
Your plug-in has features we're interested in using here at UCLA.

I was wondering if it controls the appearance of the student's picture? We would like to have instructors see pictures of their students but restrict the pictures from view by others.

Does your plug-in handle pictures? Is handling pictures harder because it's maintained separately from the other profile variables?

Thank you,
Jose
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In reply to Jose Hales-Garcia

Plug in to manage default user settings

by Paolo Oprandi -
Hi Jose,
I am glad you are interested in using our plugin.
The Minted profile plugin isn't designed to control student pictures because it isn't designed to change the way Moodle works, but make it reference locally-defined defaults when creating users and courses.
Best wishes,
Paolo
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In reply to Paolo Oprandi

Re: Plug in to manage default settings and profiles for course and user

by Chris Schembri Baldacchino -

Hi Paolo,

Since I am replying to a forum post which dates back over 8 years, things have probably (and indeed) changed.. at least for the better.

Since we started using Moodle at our institution, we have always made use of Minted / IMS Enterprise for course and user creation. One thing I have been struggling with over the last few years and which I want to tackle asap is the users' default profile settings.

It seems that in spite of setting default preferences for user profiles (/admin/settings.php?section=userdefaultpreferences), preferences of newly created users (via IMS Enterprise) do not follow what I set up. I am particularly interested in applying defaults for defaultpreference_maildisplay and defaultpreference_trackforums.

It would be appreciated if you could share any info / experience you might have on the matter. Much thanks!

Chris

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In reply to Chris Schembri Baldacchino

Re: Plug in to manage default settings and profiles for course and user

by Paolo Oprandi -

You have two options:


One, make sure the variables you want are set in the mdl_user_default database table 

Two, alter the plugin to use the user default records in the config table (these are the ones that are set through the settings page you mention).


I hope that helps

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In reply to Paolo Oprandi

Re: Plug in to manage default settings and profiles for course and user

by Chris Schembri Baldacchino -

Hi Paolo,

Much thanks for you input on this.

For correctness' sake, by "mdl_user_default database table" are you referring to clicking 'structure' when navigating to the 'mdl_user' table? Since there is no table named 'mdl_user_default'.

Thanks again

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In reply to Chris Schembri Baldacchino

Re: Plug in to manage default settings and profiles for course and user

by Paolo Oprandi -

Hi Chris, when you installed the plugin it should have created the "mdl_user_default" table. It isn't a Moodle default.

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