moodle external database enrolment

Moodle External Database Enrolment


Yong Liu


Contents

• Background

• External database enrolment

• Problems

• Solutions

• Challenge

• Conclusion


Background

• Main online system in 2008

o Blackboard 7.3.

o 80% courses were online.

o Mainly as a lecture notes library and notice board.

o Lecturers set enrolment rules to enrol students.

o No access to the database


Background

• Moodle history in Unitec.

o Start using Moodle from 2006

o By Feb 2010: Registered students: 20096

Registered courses: 2142

o Moodle trial from mid 2009 Several trial course were put on Moodle

There were also some existing courses


External database enrolment

• Create Moodle accounts from external database.

• Synchronize Moodle accounts with external database.

• Enrol / unenrol students into/from Moodle courses according to external database.


ProblemsWhen implement external database emrolment in Feb 2010.

• 107 courses exist on Moodle need to enrol students.• 2276 students need to be enroled onto Moodle courses• 3002 existing users on Moodle

o Use self registration.o Use arbitrary user names, names and email.o Many of them have no identifications.o Many of them have blog and forum posts and grades on Moodle.

• Can not directly implement external database enrolment.o Cannot clean enrol.o Cannot create duplicated accounts.o Some exceptions


Solutions

• Disable self-registration

• Use Unitec course IDs for all Moodle courses

• Suggest existing students put ID number into their Moodle accounts

• Merge new student accounts with existing accounts.

• Create exception list


Solutions

External database Moodle account first run315 Moodle courses with ID 107 match in external DB 2276 students to be added

3002 existing Moodle users

Merge

Moodle external DB students

2276 Moodle DB students


SolutionsExternal database new accounts – Merge criteria

Moodle DB students

Exist studentsSame user

name?

Same ID or same email + FULL

name?

Same ID or same email + FULL name?

Yes No

New student

Merged with the same user names

Yes

Use existing student’s user name but give another user name to the existing student

Merged with different user names

New students added

NoNo Yes

Compare


Solutions

External database account -- Merge

2276 students to enrol

3002 existing Moodle users

Merge

2276 Moodle external DB

students

1619 new students added

181 merged with different user names

35 no match but user names conflict

441 Merged with the same user names


SolutionsExternal database accounts – Update

Moodle Existing DB students

External DB student

Find a match? YesNo

Compare

Suspend Update info & Skip

Moodle Existing DB students

Find a match? YesNo

External DB student

Compare

Merge with Moodle no DB

users

Update info & Skip


SolutionsExternal database courses enrolment

Moodle course list

X is in the list?Yes No

External DB course X student A

Compare

Enrol into this Moodle course

SkipA in Moodle course?

Yes No

Skip

External DB course B student list

Moodle course B student list

-

Unenrol from this Moodle course


Summaries

• Convenient authentication

• Convenient enrolment

• Automatic account creation

• Automatic course enrolment

• Extra work needed

• Exception required


Watch this presentation online

http://www.slideshare.net/yong_liu/moodle-external-database-enrolment


Questions

moodle external database enrolment

Education

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