texas rangers to the rescue: turning your vle into an exam centre
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Texas Rangers to the Rescue: turning your VLE into an exam centre
Sven Gladines & Herwig StulensKU Leuven - Belgium
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Overview
• Introduction• What's this presentation about?• Why a Blackboard exam setup?• Requirements instructor & student view• Under the hood• Live demo
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Texas Rangers
Sven Gladines• KU Leuven since 2008• Software architect• Java developer
o B2 developmento SIS/Campus integration
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Herwig Stulens• KU Leuven since 2008• Business consultant
(customer support Bb & QMP)
Texas Rangers
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KU Leuven & Toledo
• Self-hosted since 2001• Learn April 2014 release• 10 app-server (RHEL 6/HP)• 2 CPU / 48 GB RAM
• 1 DB-server (Oracle/HP)• 4 CPU
• Storage• SAN / NetApp cluster
• Netscaler
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KU Leuven & Toledo
• 6.5 (Java) developers• 3.5 Bb-customer support
• 1 MOOC @ edX (e-psychology)
• KU Leuven Association• 1 university• ±13 colleges • + adult/evening education
• 38K active courses• 9K active community’s• 121K "active" users
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Toledo Exams Advanced System
Change the interface and the behaviour of your
Blackboard system for specific use cases (mobile,
exams,...)
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High Level - How it works?
1. Create a new entrance to your Bb-system, f.i. x.blackboard2. Associate a specific CSS & javascript (js) with this entrance
All x.blackboard pages will have their own stylesheet and specific behaviour
(For more details, see further "Under the hood")
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Example 1
Netscaler
url:
• The same environment• Different requirements
• Different layout (CSS)• Different behaviour (js)
https://blackboard.kuleuven.be
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Example 2
Netscaler
• The same environment• Different requirements
• Different layout (CSS)• Different behaviour (js)
url: https://m.blackboard.kuleuven.be
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Example 3
Netscaler
• The same environment• Different requirements
• Different layout (CSS)• Different behaviour (js)
url: https://x.blackboard.kuleuven.be
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Background - Why an exam setup?
• In Belgium, an instructor organises exams him/herself Online or traditional is instructor's choice
• General trend towards (automatically scored) online examsWhy?• Reuse of formative test material• Growing number of legal disputes
( shift to less questionable multiple choice-tests)
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• Student still has access to course material, personal CMS space, file exchange (group), collaborate, …
• "Accidents" with course setup: test feedback, my grades, material remains available after exam, backup, ...
• Hard to inform everybody about possible pitfalls• Standard Bb offers too many features
Online? Alright, let's
use our Blackboard Possible problems
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Requirements student side
In the context of online examinations, which changes
are necessary?(cfr. standard Bb-functionality)
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1. Extremely large top bar, brightly coloured with clear indication of student name, number and picture.(important for authentication & for proctor surveillance)
Portal page
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2. Only 1 module is present: My Examsi.e. list of x-courses with available membership (mostly only 1)(for closed exams, all student memberships are set to unavailable)
Portal page
(x-course = exam course)
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3. Disclaimer:• avoid "unintended" access to an exam• inform student about logging• inform how to finalize?
(Accepting the disclaimer , generates a course entry record; see further in "under the hood")
4. Bilingual instructions & warnings
Entry to the exam
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5. Entry point = Read me first instructions
The x-course
6. Simplified interface:• no tabs• no logout button• ...
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7. Make an official submission
Finalize
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8. After submission, the x-course membership becomes unavailable student no longer has access to the x-course
Finalize
9. Submission receipt is mailed
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Requirements instructor side
In the context of online examinations, which changes
are necessary?(cfr. standard Bb-functionality)
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Requirements instructor side
1. Specific documentation focussed on online examination:• preparations to do beforehand• preferred test settings• decimal/thousand separator• testing with the preview user• backup scenario• ...
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• Instructors have an extra module to create x-courses• All x-courses are based on a highly tuned template course
Simplify
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All the documentation is part of the x-courseWhat to do before, during and after the exam?Info about the student point of view…
Simplify
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Requirements instructor side
2. Make it easier, hide all unnecessary tools:no fora, no wiki's...
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There are only 2 tools available: contacts and groups, no my grades, no email...
Simplify
Only 4 buttons to add content
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Requirements instructor side
3. Make it safer: • tweak test settings
o no force completion o no self-assessment options...
• assignment behavior (turn off Crocodoc)• availability grade center columns, turn off my grades tool, ...
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Why exclude Crocodoc service?• hard to exclude (pc room)• university policy about distribution of exam material
Assignments
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Requirements instructor side
4. Enhance tracking: keep a finger on the pulse with an online dashboard:• status• (multiple) start time(s)• end time• (multiple) IP address(es)• other Bb-sessions?• exam progress (in development)• group membership
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Under the hood
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The address bar
SIMPLE URL, but distinguished from VLE• VLE:• blackboard.kuleuven.be
• Exam:• x.blackboard.kuleuven.be
• Add DNS entry• Add new host to HTTPS CERTIFICATE
url: https://x.blackboard.kuleuven.be
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Login
SEPARATE LOGIN
SHIBBOLETH CONFIGURATION• Add "application"• application bound to "x." hostname
login
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LOOK & FEEL
? SPECIFIC LOOK & FEEL
Blackboard Learn’s "Brands & Themes"• CREATE BRAND• Bind it to hostname "x.blackboard.kuleuven.be"
• CREATE THEME• Assign theme to brand• theme.css• theme.js
login
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• SPECIFIC COLOR PALETTE• High(er) contrast• Soft Colors
• SIMPLE INTERFACE• Simple widgets• Reduce "cognitive overhead" : hide stuff that isn’t needed
• VISIBLE INTERFACE (Surveilling)• Very large top bar• Large names and account ID• Picture (via B2, Bb avatar not used)
THEME.CSS
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THEME.JS
• FURTHER REDUCE COMPLEXITY• Hide unnecessary elements : Remove from DOM tree
• SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS FOR ENVIRONMENT• Show disclaimer upon entry ("I have read and understood")• Inject "Finalize"-button in x-course menu• Blocking of certain URL’s• …
• To use this, we altered Blackboard’s page template• Inject reference to theme.js in HTML <head> tag
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PORTAL PAGE
PORTAL PAGE PER "ENVIRONMENT"
• LOADBALANCER (NETSCALER) REDIRECT RULESIf x.blackboard.kuleuven.be and not logged in, then:• redirect to: /webapps/portal/…/tabs/tabAction?tab_tab_group_id=_313_1If m.blackboard.kuleuven.be and not logged in, then:• Redirect to /webapps/portal/…/tabs/tabAction?tab_tab_group_id=_230_1
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PORTAL PAGE EXAMS
EXTREMELY SIMPLE PORTAL PAGE• 1 module for students ("My Exams")• 2 modules for instructors ("My Exams" & "Create New Exam")• Portal page depending on "environment"
• Blackboard’s TAB GROUP & TAB• MODULES
• "My Exams" for everyone• "Create New Exam" only for specific institution role "xcourse-admin"
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PROCTORING & TRACKING
? ENABLE TRACKING & PROCTORING• Timing: start time, end time• IP address• Access to learning environment• Student progress
• WEB SERVICE (BUILDING BLOCK)• Collect data & log events
• DASHBOARD• Visualize data at a glance
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AND MORE …
? SUPPORT SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS• Send confirmation email upon finalisation• Automatically block access upon finalisation• Make x-course unavailable when last student has finished• Simplify access control for proctors• …
• WEB SERVICE• Business logic & feed back to dashboard
• DASHBOARD• Dynamic buttons for block/allow
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WEB SERVICE
REST
DB
Java
• Building block• JAVA 7
• Third party libraries: Spring, Hibernate, …• Blackboard API’s• Toledo dependencies: utility libraries, API’s …
• 2 DB tables • Tracking data• Events log
• REST API• AJAX (get/post/put)• JSON objects• Decoupling: web frontend - Java backend
• Built with Maven 2
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DASHBOARD
Javascript
Ajax
HTML• Building Block
• HTML 5• Twitter Bootstrap (Web GUI framework)• Awesome Font (fonts & icons)
• Javascript• jQuery• Underscore.js (JS utilities)• Backbone.js (Ajax framework)• Marionette.js• Moment.js ( date/time )• Noty ( notifications )
• Built with GRUNT
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Time for demo1. Surf to:
http://bit.ly/1Oe21AM(change name of demo user & submit)
2. Next go to:toledo.kuleuven.be/english/exam(wait a few seconds and continue)
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Questions?
please go ahead orsend us an email at toledo@kuleuven.be
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