Forum LAMS for Tech-Heads - General Forum: Re: Re: Re: Advice on accesing External Tool from LAMS

The system I want to implement aims to produce "Learning Metrics" (statistics, graphics, etc.) and return this information to users in external LMS (such as LAMS, BlackBoard, my own OLE, etc.). This statistics and graphics are based on students learning progress retrieved from each LMS database.

So, a tutor within LAMS would be able to request the creation of "Learning Metrics" for a particular group of students. This would involve to obtain this information from LAMS, pass it to my "Learning Metrics Tool" through web services. Then, LM Tool would give statistics and graphics back to the user in LAMS. That's why I thought about implement an Adapter/Wrapper to provide the corresponding GUI and the functionality. Any advice on this?

Cheers!

Alicia.

Posted by Alicia Campos

If the aim of the stats and graphs are for tutors, perhaps this doesn't need to be a LAMS tool.

LAMS tools are primarily aimed at students and are activities for the students to do in a particular sequence.

Since your Learning Metrics system is aimed at tutors/teachers, perhaps is best to be added in the LAMS Monitor module, rather than trying to integrate it as a tool.

Does that make sense?

Ernie

Posted by Ernie Ghiglione

Yeap, it makes sense. But the idea is to develop this system once and make it available from external LMS (LAMS, Balcboard..) by using web services.

If I develop Learning Metrics System within LAMS, then I would have to develop the same functionality for other LMS as well (duplicate the work). The ideal for me, would be to provide in the LAMS Monitor a functionality to allow the user connect with the Leraning Metrics application, send learner progress data to it and receive metrics information.

Would it be possible to add a functionality in the Monitor that send information to my web services and receive statistics and graphics visualising them in the Monitor interface?

In case this is not possible, then I like the idea of exposing the methods getAllLearnersProgress(lessonID,userID) and getLearnerProgress(learnerID,lessonID) as web services.

Which would be the best approach?

Thanks, :)

Alicia.

Posted by Alicia Campos

> But the idea is to develop this system once and make it available from external LMS
> (LAMS, Balcboard..) by using web services.

Yes, that's the way to do it.

What I meant is that you would need to add the button that "pushes" the xml doc (or tells your the Learning Metrics System to get it) in LAMS monitor.

Thanks,

Ernie

Posted by Ernie Ghiglione

I like this idea more than anyone else. So I imagined an option B for the integration between LAMS and my Learning Metrics System.

I planned to add another tab in the Monitor interface (tab "Metrics", for instance), and implement the corresponding GUI.

Option B is attached. If this is not possible then, I would apply option C.

Many thanks for your advice.

Alicia.

Posted by Alicia Campos

> I planned to add another tab in the Monitor interface (tab "Metrics", for instance), and implement the corresponding GUI.

It makes perfect sense and it should be easy to do. If you don't want to do it in Flash, you can create a JSP page that pops-up once you click on a button on the monitor interface (similar to export portfolio for instance).

The JSP can be the one that talks to the Learning Metrics System and passes the XML and then displays the output that gets back from it.

Thanks,

Ernie

Posted by Ernie Ghiglione

I have attached a couple of pictures with possible options for the integration between LAMS and the Learning Metrics System.

The option A, is the plan I had at the begining. Then, when you suggested to me the possibility of exposing as web services the learner progress methods, we envisaged the option C.

What do you think? Is any of them possible according to LAMS architecture and Monitor implementation?

Hope this post hels to clear my purposes. :)

Cheers!

Alicia.

Posted by Alicia Campos

Posted by Alicia Campos

Posted by Ernie Ghiglione