I'm wondering how MOODLE handles the following situation:
Create a course with a 5 question multiple choice test.
Many people take the course.
Update the test by adding 5 more questions.
Many more take the course.
Will this scenario break the reporting structure?
I ask this question because in our current course management system we need to republish an entire course every time we make the smallest update. This also creates a new course code and in essence deletes all past student data associated with that course. I'm assuming that MOODLE lets you update your course in any way without impacting the historical data in this way...but am I wrong?
Once a quiz has one or more student attempts, it can no longer be edited. Well, that's not quite true. You can't add or delete questions, but you can change the questions (I don't understand why this is permitted because it theoretically invalidates the quiz results). To make the quiz editable again, you must delete the attempts. Of course this will affect the gradebook, so presumably you do this at the end of the school year. The usual way to do this is to make a course backup for archival purposes, then reset the course (Administration -> Reset), erasing all the student data.
A better way is to backup the course, the do a partial restore, of just the course structure with no user data.
You can still edit questions after students have attempted the quiz, because some changes (for exampe correcting a spelling mistake in one of the options) is somethign you might want to do. However, if you make radical changes, you probably will break existng results, so you need to be careful.
You can still edit questions after students have attempted the quiz, because some changes (for exampe correcting a spelling mistake in one of the options) is somethign you might want to do. However, if you make radical changes, you probably will break existng results, so you need to be careful.
This is EXACTLY what I needed to know. Thanks for the response.
As always, the answer to the question raises other questions in my mind...like, do I need to have the same concerns regarding updates of CONTENT?
So is there are a "best practice" listed anywhere on course maintenance workflow?
As always, the answer to the question raises other questions in my mind...like, do I need to have the same concerns regarding updates of CONTENT?
So is there are a "best practice" listed anywhere on course maintenance workflow?
Moodle has two kinds of content: (1) resources and (2) activities. The available types are listed in the menus in each topic or weekly block on your course page, which become visible when you turn editing on. The resources are static, as are some activities. That is, they don't have any associated student data except for activity logs. Most of the activities have grades and/or other student data, such as the files submitted by students for an assignment. When you backup a course and restore it without student data, as Tim suggested, the activity logs are erased and the activities are restored to their initial state. At least that's what I think should happen (I haven't reset a course with complex states, like Workshop, yet).
So is there are a "best practice" listed anywhere on course maintenance workflow?
The Finnish Teacher's manual has something like what you're looking for.
So is there are a "best practice" listed anywhere on course maintenance workflow?
The Finnish Teacher's manual has something like what you're looking for.