Hi Don
We are investigating using the DSpace repository in conjunction with Moodle. It doesn't connect to the repository API in Moodle, but it is possible to use common authentication e.g. LDAP or RADIUS with both the VLE and the repository.
Good Luck
Clive
One of the most powerful software is CDS Invenio. (http://cdsware.cern.ch/invenio/features.html)
Here is the largest site: "more than 800,000 bibliographic records, including over 800,000 bibliographic records, including 360,000 fulltext documents
of interest to people working in particle physics and related areas. Covers preprints, articles, books, journals, photographs, and much more."
By the other hand, my favourite is CPS (www.cps.org)
CPS is an open source ECM software that allows the development of enterprise-grade web applications. CPS provides a solid foundation for:
- Web content management
- Document management
- Collaboration
- Workflow / Business process management
- Portals
They are switching to java , but the original project is in python.
ByeHi Don,
At Bromley College we have been using DSpace as an experimental repository for several years and have found it to be stable, reliable and easy to use. I even find the database table structure fairly intuitive, which is more than I can say for Moodle
DSpace has a good development team behind it and is already widely used. According to their Website as of (2007-07-27) there were: 260 installations in 42 countries with 968,297 Documents
Our latest move in using RADIUS authentication with DSpace means that we now have a common login for authentication purposes to both DSpace and Moodle. By using the RADIUS authentication module within DSpace, staff and students can even be automatically be added to different groups in DSpace, giving them different levels of access to collections. This opens up the use of the repository to a wider audience within the College. We are even hoping to wean staff away from using intranet network drives as document dumps
Best wishes
Clive
In my institution we use DSpace as an institutional repository (papers, thesis etc) and we are considering using it as a learning object repository (LOR) also. For that we are thinking about making some extensions namely in metadata (Dublin Core-LOM mapping) and, of course, LMS integration.
Regarding the Moodle Repository API developments roadmap I can't find any plug-in or facility to DSpace, making me think if DSpace would really be a good option...
I look forward to your considerations and experience!
Cheers,
susana
Hi Susana
We authenticate both Moodle and DSpace against LDAP via RADIUS.
However, this does mean that once a user has logged into Moodle, they still need to log in separately to DSpace when they wish to access resources in the repository from Web links within Moodle (using the appropriate DSpace handle reference).
This is not as bad as it sounds, as once DSpace authentication has taken place the login is remembered on the browser using cookies, so on subsequent occasions when a user follows a link in Moodle they automatically have access to resources on DSpace (until they log out of DSpace that is).
As I understand it, Moodle and DSpace use such different technologies that a Moodle plug in to facilitate access to DSpace is not possible.
Please let me know how you get on.
Best wishes
Clive
Thank you for sharing your experience.
I was hoping DSpace to appear in the list of plugins to be developed for the first version in Repository_API docs
DSpace does not support jsr170 and I don't see/find any development in that direction (wiki.dspace.org)
Humm..meanwhile we will have to take some decisions.
I will keep you update.
Cheers,
susana
It has versioning control, is highly scalable and open source.
http://www.alfresco.com/
Alfresco/Moodle integration is on the way! You can see what we have done here (http://elluminate.remote-learner.net/play_recording.html?recordingId=1191608813033_1191610491119) which includes ability for teacher to make calls to resources stored in Alfresco from within their course. Very soon teacher will be able to store resources in Alfresco directly from within Moodle. Sometime next year student will most likely have access to the repository for file storage and creation of portfolios.
Re: How to Choose/Create an External Repository for Moodle
Hi Bryan
Thanks for the video presentation. Given the general paucity of Alfresco documentation, it was very informative
Is the Alfresco-Moodle integration available for the Moodle community to tinker with?
We have our own 'in-house' Moodle (1.6 & 1.9.1) and Alfresco (2.1 and 2.9B) installations and would dearly like to get them talking to each other! Even one way traffic from Alfresco to Moodle, as shown in your video, would be a big step forward.
You may have noticed that Jon Cochran has suggested an alternative Alfresco Moodle tie-in, so it may be productive to consider a combined approach.
Looking at this discussion, has anyone looked at the MrCute (Moodle, Repository, Create, Upload, Tag, Embed) respository system http://www.learningobjectivity.com/mrcute
You can get MrCute 1 at moodle.org, but if you wait until March 2009 you will get MrCute 2, which has extended functionality
Add yourself to the MrCute Moodle site, you can currently try out the 'find' module, and soon the 'upload materials' module in the Visitor Test Area
As the project is still in the programming phase, the team are keen to get any feedback in the forums to make a product the community would benefit from