Roadmap
This page outlines the planned steps and milestones for the development of the aspired Moodle Data Archiving Solution. Listed milestones possess a certain order but are not guaranteed to be completed in the exact order listed below.
Legend
The state of each Milestone is depicted by the respective icon and color:
Completed
In progress
Not started yet
Milestones
Analysis of existing solutions
Finding and inspecting existing solutions for extracting data from Moodle activities used for e-assessments. Identifying core features and limitations of each solution to gain insight into the current landscape.
This task is completed. Results can be found here: Analysis > Existing Solutions
Analysis of core Moodle activities available for e-assessments
Identifying all Moodle core activities that can be used for e-assessments and therefore should potentially be supported by the aspired archiving solution. For each activity, the data that it stores is analyzed. This includes listing all relevant user data points, metadata, file submissions, and other relevant information. Moreover, the structure of the existing data and how it relates to other data of the activity is analyzed.
This task is completed. Results can be found here: Analysis > Data Analysis
Stakeholder workshop
Conducting a workshop with stakeholders / universities in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria to gather requirements for the aspired archiving solution. Identify both general requirements, as well as institution-specific needs and weigh them by their perceived relevance. Create a digest of the workshop results and use them as a basis for the requirements engineering phase.
This task is completed. Results can be found here:
[Download as PDF]
[Download as PDF]
Perceived demand is indicated by the amount of dots on each card
Formulation of user stories
Formulating concrete user stories in a structured fashion to highlight the expectations on the aspired archiving solution from various perspectives. Rating of every user story based on the perceived relevance / demand.
User stories are based on the results of the stakeholder workshop, inputs from multiple conference talks / sessions about archiving of Moodle quizzes, and results from personal interviews with members of the Moodle community.
This task is completed. Results can be found here: Requirements > User Stories
Definition of base requirements for archiving exam data from Moodle
Defining hard base requirements that the aspired archiving solution must fulfill from a technical, functional and legal point of view. These requirements are independent of the actual Moodle activity itself but target general topics like data integrity, traceability, compatibility, regulatory topics, and privacy.
This task is completed. Results can be found here: Requirements > Base Requirements
First technical architecture draft
Creating a first draft of a possible technical architecture for the aspired archiving solution. Defining core components, interfaces, process states, and information flow. Forming proper abstractions and interfaces to allow flexible embedding in university infrastructures. Defining core implementation philosophies and principles.
This task is completed. Results can be found here: Architecture
Public availability of this document and project sources
Making this document and the project sources publicly available on GitHub.
This task is completed. The public repository can be found here: ngandrass/moodle-data-archiving-concept
Presentation within the Moodle community
Present this work and the next steps within the Moodle community to get the news out, gather feedback, and potentially find early adopters as well as potential contributors.
Prototype implementation
Creating a prototypical implementation of the aspired archiving solution for a single Moodle activity. This shall include all core components and interfaces as defined in the technical architecture draft. The prototype should be limited to a single Moodle activity and a single storage backend.
Re-evaluation of the technical architecture
Re-evaluating the technical architecture based on the insights gained during the prototype implementation. Adjusting the architecture where necessary and refining the interfaces and components.
Automated tests
Creating automated tests for all central components of the archiving solution. Tests must be automatically executed by a CI pipeline and be mandatory for every release. Tests must cover all supported Moodle, PHP, and database versions to lessen the likelihood for regressions.
Full implementation of the archiving solution for a single activity
Implementing the full set of features for a single Moodle activity. This implementation should represent a reference implementation to be used as a guideline for further activities, storage backends, and other extensions.
Stable release on GitHub for early-adopters
Publishing a stable release on GitHub to allow early adopters to test the solution in their environments. This shall also constitute a base for further feedback and potential contributions.
User and administrator documentation
Creating comprehensive documentation for users and administrators of the archiving solution. This documentation should cover installation, configuration, usage, and troubleshooting.
Implementing additional activities, storage backens, ...
Implementing support for additional Moodle activities, storage backends, and other customizations.
Release within the Moodle Plugin Directory
Releasing the archiving solution to the wide public via the Moodle Plugin Directory. For this release, the archiving system must not only be stable and tested, but also extensive documentation and help resources must be available.
Ensuring Maintenance
Ensuring the maintenance of the archiving solution by creating a sustainable development and support structure. This can, apart from creating an open-source community around the project, also include appointing designated maintainers and support contacts at different universities.