Page Comparison

(1a) nonsensical)

(1b) The original library is brought to the new instance along with the course, although the library does not become part of the instance’s list of libraries available for authoring. Instead, the library maintains a connection with the original instance, and can receive updates from the library on that instance. In this sense, the library copy is a replicate of the “centrally” managed library.

Pro: Libraries can be used across instances, while still maintaining simplicity of central management.

Con: Library bundling increases export size.

Challenge: Would need to figure out how to stop remote library keys (from original instance) from clashing with local library keys (on new instance).

Challenge: We’d need to figure out the replication strategy. Push-by-original-instance? Or pull-by-new-instance? And, how we keep track of the URL of the original instance?

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(2a) Essentially, library blocks turn into ordinary blocks when a course is exported.

Pro: Courses will work out-of-the-box when exported and imported. We avoid wrestling with cross-instance library versioning altogether.

Con: Use of a library is confined to a single instance.

1c)

Specific version(s) of each library can be chosen for export. Multiple versions of the same library can be imported into an Open edX instance without disrupting one another, and importing a library at a version does not necessarily mark it as the “newest”. Library versions are uniquely identified and referenced by a hash of their contents, avoiding conflicts that may arise between human-friendly version names/numbers across instances.

If the required version of the required library exists on an Open edX instance, then the course automatically uses it. Otherwise, library blocks in the course gracefully degrade to rendering hidden blocks.

Example story: https://lucid.app/lucidchart/4950383b-a703-4bd8-b08e-f94a6f144c1a/edit?invitationId=inv_73bdba67-80b6-45d3-9c7b-bf2e5d8e0ac3&page=Mm5j-6d_dnBg# (in the “Import/Export Story” tab, start at the very top and read downwards.

(2a) Essentially, library blocks turn into ordinary blocks when a course is exported.

Pro: Courses will work out-of-the-box when exported and imported. We avoid wrestling with cross-instance library versioning altogether.

Con: Use of a library is confined to a single instance.

Challenge: Would need to develop a non-library version of randomized content banks.(2b-library version of randomized content banks.

(2b) Same pros and cons of 2b, except:

• remove Con: Library bundling increases export size.

• new Challenge: Including just the necessary library blocks in the course export.

(2c) Same pros and cons of the 2b1c, except:

• library bundle size is no longer a Con.

• additional challenge of slicing necessary parts of out of library for remove Con: Library bundling increases export size.

• new Challenge: Including just the necessary library blocks in the course export.

(3a) nonsensical)

(2b3b) Same pros and cons of the 2b1b, except:

• library bundle size is no longer a Conremove Con: Library bundling increases export size.

• New Con: Course doesn’t work out-of-the box until first replication-from-original-instance occurs.

(3c) Same pros and cons of 1c, except:

• remove Con: Library bundling increases export size.

• New Con: Course doesn’t work out-of-the box. User must import correct library version into instance.