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Table of Contents

Agenda

DoneEst timePurposeActionNote taker
(tick)5mnsEffectiveness & efficiencyReview this proposed agenda.Nimisha
(tick)25mns

Context-switch into DDD mindset.
(review for some, new for some)
Remember and align on terms.

We will read and discuss the following pages from DDD Reference:

  • p 2 Bounded Context
  • p 29 Context Map
  • pp 39-46 Section V
Robert
(tick)10mnsReview Domain Vision StatementedX DDD Domain Vision StatementDave
(tick)25mns

Identify Domain Use Cases


(tick)5mnBreak

(tick)20mnsComparison of modelsCompare identified "use cases" with our previously identified "jobs"Shelby
(in progress)40mnsCore Domains DiagramGeorge
(tick)5mnBreak

(next time)30mnsContext Map?
(tick)15mnsIdentify Next Steps

Notes

DDD Reference

  • Bounded Context discussion (p2):
    • Large codebase, multiple models is inevitable.
    • Organization and Architecture reflect each other.
    • Illustration:
      • What is a course?  What is a course run?
        • LMS: XBlock content.  Not strong association between runs.
        • ECom/Discovery: What it calls a course and what it knows about a course is different.
  • Ubiquitous Language (p3?)
    • Important that all stakeholders are involved.
    • Language must be consistent within a bounded context.
    • Hopefully, the same language will be used across contexts when and where a concept applies.
    • Document this and help with onboarding: how and where is this captured?
    • Someday get clear on how much we are willing to update code to match changes in Ubiquitous Language.
    • Do not allow the same word to mean two different things in the same in the context.
  • Core Domain (p40):
    • We define Core as Core for today, and not necessarily the future.  Could evolve as the company pivots.  Might help us make faster progress on deciding.
    • Questions about whether core could change?  Or maybe the pure core would never change?
    • Assign best developers here.
  • Generic Subdomains (p41)
    • Discern your core.  Dusting off what you first think is core might end up being a generic subdomain, in which case you might choose something off-the-shelf.
    • Notifications is an example.  Payments is an example.
    • Don't assign best developers here.  They won't pick up core domain knowledge.
  • Supporting
    • Supports core but not generic.
  • Example:
    • Game Engines might be generic and you might be required to do your own specific game engine if your use cases are more specific and required.
      • It doesn't make sense for a small company to make their own generic game engine. Can't compete on breadth of features.
      • It may make sense for them to do something very specialized to their game.

Review Domain Vision Statement

  • Was made by Engineers
  • Takes strong stances on revenue, open source (last two paragraphs)
  • Reads as high level business strategy, not clear how it relates to arch in core
    • According to DDD, this is appropriate, and there's another doc that goes with this to bridge the two.
  • Trickiness of defining Core is understanding the business strategy better.
    • What's the timeline of "Vision Statement"?
    • Expectation that the Core will evolve over time.
    • Do we focus on only what we're doing now instead? Example of revenue.
      • There's still some core of edX that won't radically change regardless.
      • The elevator pitch for edX doesn't need monetization details.
      • Is Open Source core in that sense?

Identify Domain Use Cases

  • User types:
    • Learners
    • Educators
    • Admins (wants reports on their students)
    • Researchers
  • Educators (what they need, from Shelby's presentation) + Researchers
    • Support Educators
      • Easy Authoring and Administration of Courses
      • Communities of Practice
      • Actionable Data and Feedback (Insights + Data package)
    • Teaching at Scale
      • Course Design
      • Educational Blocks (Teaching and Assessment)
      • Supporting Learners (Community and Mentorship)
    • Experimentation
  • Learners
    • Discovery: Find the right course/program to help them achieve their goals
    • Achieve Learning Outcomes
      • Rigor/quality of instruction
    • Support through their learning pathway – progress, messaging, social
    • Proof of Learning, credentials/certifications
  • Admins
    • Actionable Data and Feedback
      • What are my students doing 
      • Am I getting my money's worth
    • Setting up edX for their org
      • Curation
      • Integration

Comparison of Models (Use cases versus Jobs)

  • Enterprise seems like there's more we could include in our Use Cases. Motivations: upskilling employees, employee retention.
  • Should we include motivations for each customer group?
  • From the edx perspective, we have to distribute and host content. As a customer, I just need to be able to access content.

Brainstorm of customer motivations

  • Educators:
    • I want to teach millions of learners around the world, and know my time is a good investment. 
    • I want to improve as an educator.
    • I want to elevate my brand and attract millions and millions.
    • I want to connect with and learn from a community of educators.
    • I want to make money.
    • I want to do academic research and publish some papers. 
    • I want to effectively, and easily do my job (course build, course run, learner management, data review).
  • Learners:
    • I want to learn, so that I can improve my life (career change, improve my job, raise, change roles, fulfill educational requirements).
    • I am a lifelong learner.
    • I want to connect with others in similar fields of interest.
  • Enterprise Admins:
    • I want to effectively, and easily do my job (course curation, employee management, data review).
    • I want to know my time and my employee's time is a good investment.
    • I want to upskill my employees.
    • I want to validate completion of internal requirements (legal / business policies).
    • I want to retain my employees (a benefit).
    • I want to create a pathway for my employees.

Identify Core Domains

User TypeMotivationJobsUse CasesCore/Supporting/Generic
Educators


  • I want to teach millions of learners around the world, and know my time is a good investment. 
  • I want to improve as an educator.
  • I want to elevate my brand and attract millions and millions.
  • I want to connect with and learn from a community of educators.
  • I want to make money.
  • I want to do academic research and publish some papers. 
  • I want to effectively, and easily do my job (course build, course run, learner management, data review).
    • Effectively includes ability to pick and choose learning components.
Content Authoring
  • Easy Authoring
    • Extensible educationable blocks
    • Course Design (Structure - outline, etc)
    • Educational Blocks (Teaching components and Assessment)

Core

  • Authoring learning components to later be delivered to a learner.
  • Rich eco-system of learning components.
Course Management
  • Administration of Courses

Core

  • Launch a course run.
  • Collect revenue share.
Research to Improve Learning
  • Actionable Data and Feedback
    • What are my students doing 
Supporting

  • Communities of Practice
Supporting or Generic?

  • Supporting Learners (Community and Mentorship)
Supporting or Generic?
Learners
  • I want to learn, so that I can improve my life (career change, improve my job, raise, change roles, fulfill educational requirements).
  • I am a lifelong learner.
  • I want to connect with others in similar fields of interest.
Course Discovery
  • Discovery: Find the right course/program to help them achieve their goals
Supporting or Generic?
Learning
  • Achieve Learning Outcomes
    • Rigor/quality of instruction

Core

  • Consume content to achieve learning outcomes.
  • Determining learning pathway.
    • Inside and outside of course.
Assessment;
Learning from Others
  • Support through their learning pathway – progress, messaging, social
Supporting or Generic?
Accreditation
  • Proof of Learning, credentials/certifications
Supporting or Generic?
Admins
  • Enterprise Admins:
    • I want to effectively, and easily do my job (course curation, employee management, data review).
    • I want to know my time and my employee's time is a good investment.
    • I want to upskill my employees.
    • I want to validate completion of internal requirements (legal / business policies).
    • I want to retain my employees (a benefit).
    • I want to create a pathway for my employees.
  • Educator Admins:
    • I want to effectively, and easily do my job (learner management, data review).

  • Actionable Data and Feedback
    • Am I getting my money's worth
Supporting
Learner Acquisition
  • Setting up edX for their org
    • Curation
    • Integration
Supporting

...

  • What is core - supporting technology for courseware (xblocks) versus the blocks themselves
  • What is the goal of identifying core?
    • As engineers: One thing we need to make sure we do right
    • Tackling monolith: Core to designate what to decouple from monolith - focused effort - 80% of time
    • For management: Identify pontential disconnect between eng/prod and leadership - do we agree on core
      • Resourcing
      • Management needs to support the focus on core

Next Steps

  • Finish Core column on table - timeboxed effort
  • Bounded Contexts - Core may influence this (are there multiple bounded contexts in play)