eLumen Community Forum

Phorum Template

atf — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:44:12 -0700

I simply love your phorum template. It's great. I wonder, could you share it? i would like to use it on my forums while giving you credit.

Re: e-Portfolio

sebastian — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:54:10 -0700

OSP was merged into the Sakai framework around a year and a half ago. I know this app fairly well and it is a very complex application (you need to configure over 20+ warfiles just in order to make it work.)

Even though it is open source software, assignments and assignment submission of electronic artifacts do not integrate well with other assessment systems. We do have one experience on this respect.

In general, it was never intended for use with other assessment packages.

Any modification to Sakai is extremely expensive given its size and the fact that it uses the Velocity software package.

Plus, the users were a little disappointed with the portfolio features. The UI is somewhat complicated.

Shared Assessment Packages

ersinghaus — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 06:02:36 -0700

I have a question about shared assessment packages. Note hat these are one of the powerful features in eLumen.

When a shared assessment package is created in eLumen, the user first creates the package then creates an instance of that package. For example: First Year Programming Portfolio is the package. The Programming Portfolio is linked to terms and courses. Once this is done, one creates an instance of this package where the instance is then linked to abilities or achievements in the elumen system and can then be attached to the course or courses.

But I'm wondering why the instance of the package would or should be cloned?

Re: 'Down for maintenance' switch

jrevillini — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:59:43 -0700

You got it - the switch would be most useful to me if it was at the application level, available within eLumen. Perhaps Administration > Maintenance would be a good place. While the switch was in the "ON" state, anyone hitting the site would get the custom maintenance message. If an admin wanted to log in, maybe the backdoor login URL could be http://domain.com/elumen/adminlogin (not sure if this is possible to do within your application architecture).

Re: Banner SQL for eLumen, compliments of Karen @ IPFW

jrevillini — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:52:39 -0700

Yeah - I, too, noticed that it's very important to be careful during the import when it comes to the special topics courses. Good point.

To expand on this for the general community:

Special Topics courses are courses which are real credit courses but which we are still "trying out" more or less. At the end of the run of the course, it can either be dropped (as in: not offered again) or "promoted" to a real course with a permanently assigned course code, like ABC*123, and title. Here's the hitch as Brian pointed out: one semester, the title of HIS*299 might be "History of Blue Jeans;" next semester, maybe "History of Blue Jeans" was a wild success so it became a regular elective with a code of HIS*140, and now there's a new special topics course with the same course code (HIS*299) but with a title of "History of Waffles." During the import process, eLumen will notice that they both have the same course code and will ask if they should be combined under the new title, "History of Waffles." Clearly, they need to remain as separate courses. So the import tool is really excellent - it puts the control in your hands.

To take this a step further, HIS*299 "History of Blue Jeans" sections from the first semester should probably be combined under the new HIS*140. My understanding is that this functionality is on the way also, which will be great for merging our oldest data in the system with the imported data.

Re: Graphical Representation of Data

jrevillini — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:35:11 -0700

Hey, everyone loves a picture! I don't think you'll get any argument there. My thoughts:

The fundamental thing about eLumen is its controlled flexibility. Since the same assessment model could be assembled in a variety of ways to get the kind of output people need, it would be hard or impossible to provide stock relational models which expose complex relationships as a packaged unit. Additionally, building these kinds of diagrams is still in many ways not quite there for the web, for a variety of reasons. However, there are great analysis tools out there which provide the framework for designing dynamic, data-driven diagrams which just need to be fed the data in a certain format to produce lovely pictures that put ideas into perspective for us. One such tool - one we use in the IR department at Tunxis - is SPSS. The base package would probably not be able to do the diagrams, but some of the add-on products that they make can do it. And since the eLumen database is open, it would be 2 steps to generate an open diagram that could be reused by any college. Step 1: write the SQL query to extrapolate a CSV data dump; step 2) create the diagram in {tool of choice} which would dynamically analyze the data and produce a deliverable graphic.

Taking all this into consideration, you posted in the right forum! :) I think this could evolve into a feature request once we agree on the parameters that would go into making such diagrams and how the parameters interrelate.

Re: Statement of Purpose

jrevillini — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:15:45 -0700

I think we should explore the "plug and play" idea you brought up. Many software come with sample data, or a sample data pack is available somewhere on the supporting website. Letting users have a glimpse of what they can do with the system through examples is an important step in realizing how the software fits in with your day.

Providing the sample data as an option, or having multiple sample data packs to demonstrate various "serving suggestions" could be a great boon for eLumen (or any other assessment-related software). I can't take credit for this idea - the idea was suggested to me at least 6 month ago by my colleague, Jesse Abbot, who is a faculty member at Tunxis. Jesse has some very compelling thoughts about what I'll just paraphrase as "assessmentology;" i.e. a synthesis of ideology, psychology, and methodology of assessment. I hope he will join us here in the forum some day, but if not, I'll continue to sprinkle his thoughts into my posts where applicable.

Your final note really intrigued me: "Open source Assessment Standards and Practices." YES YES YES, I say. You have succinctly nailed the very thing that I wanted this forum to do for us all, which is to be about open [source] information - that is, information that is 1) usable and accessible, 2) free, 3) a complete work and yet a work that can be expanded upon, changed, and resubmitted for use by others. I'd like to see this forum be the vehicle for discussion and collaboration on such projects, and when I finally get around to putting up the wiki, it would be the repository for community produced open source products, such as your Assessment Standards and Practices Guide, Jesse's sample data packs, HOWTO docs, and so on.

I'm so glad that you're on board with the open source model for information sharing. As involvement with eLumen grows at our colleges, we'll have to stay on top of how each college is leveraging eLumen so we can learn what is working and what needs improvement. From there, we can begin to synthesize our documentation and continue to increase collaboration.

Re: 'Down for maintenance' switch

clangevin — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 05:24:27 -0700

Hey Jim
Where it would make the most sense to put a switch like that? To totally avoid Tomcat (if that's whats down for maintenance), you'd want to totally avoid it and have your iis or apache web server redirect the elumen url to a static page. An application-level switch would give you a certain level of control - preventing non-technical-support users from logging in but not sure if that's whats needed?

Working Backwards...

anthrodocz — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 08:40:57 -0700

One key insight that seems to stand out in developing intended abilities and standards for their assessment, is that we need in some ways to do this backwards. That is, we need as institutions to work backwards from
*defining main institutional outcomes or abilities
*to defining program abilities/outcomes
*to defining discipline abilities/outcomes
*and finally to defining course abilities/outcomes

The abilities/outcomes we then assess in a given assignment ought to be
1)clear and
2)usually linked to intended course--discipline--program--institutional abilities/outcomes

This seems to make much sense, but I have met with some resistance at time in proposing this perspective...

Re: Statement of Purpose

anthrodocz — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:59:17 -0700

This semester, through a project with the Center For Teaching in the Connecticut Community College System, I have been available to groups and/or colleges in our system to discuss the matters of learning-assessment. I have been careful in the process to let people know: "I'm not selling eLumen" (literally or figuratively), but instead am trying to engage people in converstations about the big-picture of practical, institutionally supported efforts around regular, consistent assessment of student learning.

I think that the fundamental things we need to work on, that will transcend the specific tool(s) we use, are the standards we learn to set for ourselves, and our understanding of how to reflect these in the design of our courses, programs and related assessments. The advantage we have in eLumen-- those of us who are now using it-- is that the design of the system comes from people who understand the values and standards of teaching and learning; I don't mean this as a statement of pious praise, but instead in terms of practical understanding that is reflected in things like the open, adaptable design of the system setup and the underlying database structure. In some ways it certainly would be easier if such a system were simply plug-and-play. But from what I have heard consistently both state-wide and beyond when talking with groups, many people resist (if not fear) learning-assessment for the very reason that they don't want someone else to come along and tell them what and how to assess student learning.

So we need to learn to grow our efforts for their local effectiveness, but also for their systemic, institutional consistency and continuity; and this we need to do not only within the walls of a single institution, but with an eye on inter-institutional coherence and consistency. I haven't put this in real specific terms for myself, but it strikes me that at this level of defining standards and values together, within and between institutions, we could be very much in the mode like the 'community' that engages in development of opensource software--each contributor with her/his own intended use and contributions, but all sharing an underlying set of standards and practices at a 'meta' level, at the same time. (Opensource Assessment Standards and Practices?)
Brian

Graphical Representation of Data

anthrodocz — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:03:07 -0700

This might go under "Mashups," but also under "Requested Features"... and yet I am putting it here first under "3rd Party Tools."

I just checked out the "curriculum map" feature of eLumen, and it returned some interesting results, mostly about counts of assessments. This reminded me of the number of times I have thought about what any of our data could look like, were some creative, graphically-oriented db person to put their mind to it. Imagine, for example, our 'intended outcomes' or 'intended abilities' being mapped to a graphical layout like that used by Steihl and Lewchuk's mapping approaches:

This is just one sample, but imagine the possibilities of how both quantitative and qualitative data might be very effectively presented in unexpected ways:

And then there is the mashup potential....
The following is a clickable link --->
We Feel Fine: A Mashup of Emotions on the Web!

Just thinking--- 'graphical representation of eLumen-generated evidence'

Re: e-Portfolio... two more cents

anthrodocz — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 06:25:23 -0700

Adding an eportfolio function to eLumen it seems to me would be a kind of "holy grail" for assessment purposes. I have not looked at OSPI lately (in the past year or so) but there is one example of an opensource effort that has potential.

eLumen doesn't (yet) have the eportfolio functions that it might, but 'market pressures' certainly point in this direction. I had mentioned at the NEASC annual conference that I learned a new company had formed called Cengage, formerly known as Prince (no, not really, but formerly known as Thompson Learning), which also then bought out a fairly developed Learning Outcomes Management System called TrueOutcomes, subsequently putting major development resources behind it. This will be fully integrateable with LMS's, and will include a full-blown electronic-portfolio functionality. So we are in the midst of the emergence of some big players.

In all of this, one of the virtues of being where we are with eLumen, is that we are right in the midst of the simultaneous development of the system itself as it addresses our needs, and in the midst of defining its use according to our own expectations of standards, academic self-direction, core values of teaching and learning. Though eLumen itself is not opensource, where we are at in its development and use is much more like an opensource environment than I suspect will be the case when a full, commercial, prepackaged system gets instituted by someone further away from the ground-level implementation.

It is not always pretty (or comfortable) being on the development-edge of this stuff, but at least at this point we have the space and the opportunity to explore possibilities before options might be suddenly narrowed by system choices and decisions.

Brian

Re: Banner SQL for eLumen, compliments of Karen @ IPFW

anthrodocz — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 06:02:35 -0700

Am in the same situation as Jim with the limits on our Banner access. Right now I work with an extract that is provided by a spreadsheet, that I then import into an Access db (provided by Sebastian). Once that db is verified for all its details, I can now do the last step of the import through the data load interface that the Bluefin team (Sebastian?) have built into eLumen. I just did this for the first time, and it worked like a charm. It even caught some possible inconsistencies in our courses-- which were actually the result of having "special topics" courses the titles of which change each semester; the interface caught these and asked to verify that this is what we intended.

Brian

Re: hi, I'm Jim, and I use eLumen

anthrodocz — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 05:51:31 -0700

Timing hasn't been the greatest with our setup for this semester at QV, but as of yesterday I have finally finished our class imports. In the ideal setup, all of this would happen from a link to a secure clone of Banner. The development people with eLumen have created several alternate routes, and now there is a built-in feature to load data, either from xml or from an Access db.

It was through the last option that I did this semester's setup. Preparing the database to import was the same as semesters past; but now, once this is done there is an interface for uploading, checking and importing that data into the eLumen db itself. This went very smoothly. One key is to make sure the data you are importing is clean; the eLumen upload interface does its own bit of checking but getting your original data into the Access database is the place where most of this is up to the person doing the import. The eLumen team have created a process and instructions that are very step-by-step, and I have found these most effective each time I have used them.

I'll be glad to talk off-list with anyone who might have further questions about any of this.

Brian Donohue-Lynch

'Down for maintenance' switch

jrevillini — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:09:43 -0800

I'd love to have a 'Down for maintenance' switch and custom message field that would show up instead of the login screen when activated. The Administrator role and TECH SUPPORT would probably have permission to the switch.

Now that I think of it, it would also be helpful to have a back door login URL for admins to continue to use the system while it is down.

Re: [SOLVED] 'remember my user id' does not remember e-mail-style usernames

jrevillini — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:54:46 -0800

OK - Chris Langevin banged out the fix this morning in eLumen 3.0.1i (Build 20080305 10:54am). I'm marking this solved. Thanks for testing, Steve. The fix can be viewed on the development server. And thanks again, Chris.

Re: [BUG] 'remember my user id' does not remember e-mail-style usernames

ersinghaus — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:09:28 -0800

Jim and Chris,

I reproduced the bug quite easily.

1. At the login screen, you put in your data and click the Remember checkbox

2. Login to eLumen

3. Logoff

4. Return

5. Upon return, elumen only remembers the first 8 characters.

Re: [BUG] 'remember my user id' does not remember e-mail-style usernames

jrevillini — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 07:08:08 -0800

Hi Chris,
I was able to reproduce this issue on Firefox 2.0.0.12, IE6, and IE7. The attached screen capture is from IE6. Incidentally, have you ever used CamStudio for doing screen captures? It's great!

Thanks,
Jim

Re: [SOLVED] Duplicate output in report security > users with users who were manually entered

jrevillini — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:32:41 -0800

The latest update, eLumen 3.0.1h, solved the problem. Thanks very much! Marking this thread solved ...

Re: [BUG] Duplicate output in report security > users with users who were manually entered

jrevillini — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 05:30:13 -0800

Hi Chris,
That's great news. I'll deploy the new WAR file Monday and mark this thread [SOLVED] if everything looks good.

Re: [BUG] Duplicate output in report security > users with users who were manually entered

clangevin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:24:14 -0800

Hey Jim
I published a new build of elumen.war on the ftp site - should take care of this problem. The sql query was not grouping properly and resulting in repeating rows everywhere.. I also migrated the fix to 3.1
Chris

[SOLVED] Duplicate output in report security > users with users who were manually entered

jrevillini — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:08:06 -0800

Steve Ersinghaus reported a bug in eL 3.0 which was that he was seeing his user record many times when he searched for his name in Security > Users. We think that this bug is MINOR because it only seems to be a reporting issue. That is, it does not affect usage of eLumen other than that it looks funny.

I investigated further, and this issue only appears to happen to users who have been manually input. So imported user data is not affected. It also does not appear to affect eL 2.7. Attached are a couple of screen shots I took of the issue.

Chris Langevin of the eL Collaborative is already on the case and is working with me to reproduce the issue on their servers. If the bug turns out to be legitimate, Chris tells me that the issue will be resolved in eL 3.1

Re: [BUG] 'remember my user id' does not remember e-mail-style usernames

jrevillini — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:04:02 -0800

Glad you like the site, and even gladder that you've joined!

The bug was produced on Firefox 2.0.0.13Pre (a prerelease) originally, and then I think I replicated it in IE6, but let me double check tomorrow. Thanks very much for the swift response!

Re: [BUG] 'remember my user id' does not remember e-mail-style usernames

clangevin — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:21:31 -0800

Hi Jim
Hey I like the site! Great job .

OK - am having trouble replicating this problem in IE 7 - was this an issue in Firefox or some other browser?
Chris

[SOLVED] 'remember my user id' does not remember e-mail-style usernames

jrevillini — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:56:07 -0800

At Tunxis, our usernames look like e-mail addresses. For example, my username is ########@txcc.commnet.edu (where each # character is a number). In eL3, if I select 'remember my username', when I return to the login page, it only remembers the part up to the '@' symbol.

I'll submit this to the eLumen Collaborative.

[TIP] Subscribe to be notified of new posts!

jrevillini — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:54:04 -0800

Hey Gang,
I've just entered the 21st century by learning how to use RSS Feeds so I thought I'd share how to subscribe to this forum's RSS feeds so you can be notified when new posts come in, even if you aren't subscribed to the post itself (because you can do that when you write a post as well).

So if you want to subscribe to the entire forum, you would click on the feed icon that should appear in your location bar (see the diagram I've attached) and then select either 'Subscribe to RSS (topics)' or 'Subscribe to RSS (topics +replies).' That will bring you to the feed page. Now you can grab that URL and paste it into your feed reader. I'm trying out Google Reader right now because I already use gmail, so my existing account just works for that. If anyone else has other readers to recommend, I'm all ears.

If you're still not sure about how to access the feeds, here they are for your convenience:
eLumen Community Forum RSS Feed (topics only) <- this will alert you when a new topic is started
eLumen Community Forum RSS Feed (topics + replies) <- this will alert you when a new topic is started or when someone replies.

Re: Banner SQL for eLumen, compliments of Karen @ IPFW

sebastian — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:12:20 -0800

Thank you so much Karen! this may save a lot of time!

Re: Statement of Purpose

jrevillini — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:39:53 -0800

You're spot on, Brian! The why's and how's are the key to unlocking a successful assessment model that works for students, faculty, and yes, the accrediting bodies! This is the place to explore how eLumen can help our colleges put everything together - I have a feeling that these forum walls will swell with the ideas of the eLumen pioneers. Steve is already putting forth some great examples of assessment in practice. Looking forward to many great discussions. Thanks for joining.

Re: Statement of Purpose

anthrodocz — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:10:07 -0800

The community of eLumen users is small but growing in CT, and is growing much faster in other parts of the U.S. There are certainly aspects of what we share that focus on the technical how-to's (always a help!); and we also need to develop our questions and approaches in relation to the why-to's and the non-technical how-to's as well. It is exciting to see this all growing at Tunxis, QVCC and elsewhere in the state--and beyond. As David Shupe has so often said, "it isn't about the technology"...the technology is a tool; now to put it to good use to improve teaching and learning!

Brian

Re: hi, I'm Jim, and I use eLumen

anthrodocz — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:02:35 -0800

Hi Jim! Hi All!
I am Brian Donohue-Lynch from Quinebaug Valley Community College, and we are running eLumen here, as well. We too are happy to share our experience with the technical side of things, as well as with the user side of this system.

Brian D-L