2004 Blackboard European Users Conference

1. Using Snapshot Technology for Daily Maintenance Blackboard Peter VerheijenUniversiteit MaastrichtThe Netherlands 2004 Blackboard European Users Conference

2. Schedule • UM and Problem Based Learning • Concepts of synchronizing data • What is snapshot • Architecture • Account, course, organization, enrolment management • Monitoring • Steps for realization snapshot environment

3. Universiteit Maastricht • Founded in 1976; youngest university in the Netherlands • Still growing now 11,000 students, 3,000 staff • Seven faculties and one university college • Innovation in education and research • International orientation in the content of study programmes and the nature of academic and social life • Small-scale and student-oriented concept of Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

4. Organization education • Curriculum is divided in blocks (themes) • Block period is 6-8 weeks • Problem tasks / block books • Tutorial groups 10-12 students • Block coordinator / Tutor • Twice a week tutorial group meeting • PBL-based SIS: Premium • Faculty Educational office is responsible for organization education within the faculty

5. Student services architecture Active Directory Premium Persons Exchange Fileservices

6. Student services architecture Active Directory Premium Persons Exchange Snapshot Fileservices Blackboard

7. Data synchronisation • Efficiency: changes are done one time • Quality: less mistakes • Security: less pollution of data • Clearity: when it’s clear who is the owner, it is clear who is responsible

8. Data synchronisation Concepts • Db connection • Difficult to make • Permission/support • Update • Event driven is possible • API interface • Difficult to make • Event driven is possible • Text-based export/import • Easy • Security • Only batch processing

9. Snapshot Concepts • Records are created or changed with an “identifier”: Data-source-key • Fields can be defined as: • Blackboard owned: when changed with Bb UI, snapshot does not overwrite • Snapshot Owned: when changed with Bb UI, snapshot does overwrite

10. Features • Input has three variations: • Snaphot: all data in input file + DCK will be processed. Data in Bb with the same DCK which is not in the input file will be disabled. • Manual: all data in input file + DCK will be processed. Data in Bb with the same DCK which is not in the input file will stay the same • Remove: all data in the input file + DCK will be removed

11. Snapshot components • Snapshot generator: • Custom build software to generate input files • Snapshot tool: • set of commands, to be executed at the command prompt, to change a large number of records using an import file. • Snapshot controller: • Determines input files • Checks validation of data • Import input files, using the appropriate snapshot commands and data source key’s • Generates log files

12. Snapshot programs

13. USER Maintenance • Users.txt Bold = bb-owned

14. Course and Organization Maintenance • 0405_courses.txt • 0405_org.txt Bold = bb-owned

15. Enrolment and staff assignments • 0405_enroll.txt • 0405_orgmemb.txt • 0405_staff.txt Bold = bb-owned

16. Catalogue • Category.txt • Manage course and organization catalogue structure • Links.txt • Links course/organization in the appropriate place in catalogue structure

17. Monitoring • Controller.log • Bb-services-log-snapshot-jdbc.txt

18. Monitoring II • Copy the input files to a webserver where they can by monitored by key users of Bb: LINK www.unimaas.nl - /eleum/logfiles/ [To Parent Directory]Tuesday, October 05, 2004 6:00 AM 221312 0405_COURSES.TZATuesday, October 05, 2004 6:00 AM 2018976 0405_ENROLL.TZATuesday, October 05, 2004 7:01 AM 22620 0405_ENROLL.TZA.invalidTuesday, October 05, 2004 6:00 AM 57199 0405_LINKS.TZATuesday, October 05, 2004 6:00 AM 597822 0405_ORG.TZATuesday, October 05, 2004 6:00 AM 1361296 0405_ORGMEMB.TZATuesday, October 05, 2004 7:04 AM 14952 0405_ORGMEMB.TZA.invalidTuesday, October 05, 2004 6:00 AM 105824 0405_STAFF.TZATuesday, October 05, 2004 7:02 AM 4539 0405_STAFF.TZA.invalidTuesday, October 05, 2004 6:00 AM 16842 CATEGORIES.TZATuesday, October 05, 2004 7:04 AM 6750 controller.logTuesday, October 05, 2004 6:30 AM 2453086 USERS.TXTTuesday, October 05, 2004 6:44 AM 6552 USERS.TXT.invalid

19. Steps • Make an inventory of fields needed for maintenance of • Users • Courses • Organizations • Enrolments in courses and organizations • Staff assignments • Determine syntax (Course-id’s, course-names etc) • Determine source for data needed • Determine snapshot or Blackboard ownership • Determine data source key’s • Write snaphot generator application • Create course and organization templates

20. Input • Documentation • Blackboard consultancy

21. Missing features • Additional Administrative role: • View all courses • View all organizations • View all enrolments in courses and organizations • View all staff assignments • View users • Cannot change anything This would make it a lot easier for educational offices to analyze problems in Bb and correct them in the SIS. • Maintenance of group pages

22. Questions