LabXchange 2018-05-17

Updates:

• New Use Cases doc for blended learning uses of Blockstore

• Super-duper early draft of edX Use Cases

• Prototype code

  • Jill experimented with GraphQL initially

    • was generating tons of database queries in the backend

    • switched to REST APIs for now

  • In progress

Agenda:

• Tagging - anyone else working on this? Adaptive learning etc.

  • LabXchange needs to decide soon on free-form vs structured tagging.

• Strategy for Encapsulation of external content: XBlock or some other mechanism? (edX + LabXchange common use case)

• Continue taxonomy discussion

• Leverage xAPI and/or OSIDs?

Notes:

• LabX Use case document

  • will be updated soon with latest definitions

• Tagging and taxonomy

  • Free formed with namespace? or structured tags?

    • structured tags can be implemented with free-formed namespaced tags

    • marketplace to discover standardized taxonomies

• Should external content always be encapsulated in xBlocks?

  • External content from:

    • Khan academy 

    • https://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive
      https://www.amgenbiotechexperience.com/what-we-do/curriculum-resources 

  • Doesn't have to be xBlocks

    • xBlock as a large surface area of APIs, which we don't necessarily want all external components to implement

      • has runtime, url generation, sandboxing issue, etc.

  • DART has multiple "content adapters"

    • xBlock is only one of the adapters

    • based on iFrames of iFrames of LTI

  • If we went with DART's API

    • Open edX supports xBlocks and so would have to update the entire codebase to use a new adapter

  • Use cases for external content

    • grade exchange?

    • fit inline within a sequence?

    • data synch

  • Possible Option:

    • Take a stab at what a new minimal xBlock API would look like

    • We would then implement an adapter from new API to old API (to support existing system)

  • From Blockstore's perspective, treats files/resources just as xBlocks 

• Pathway Hierarchy

  • A concept within Blockstore?

  • Implemented as a taxonomy?

    • Taxonomy of hierarchical relationships and then tag content.

  • "Sequence"

    • table of contents (mapping units in a course to a hierarchy)

    • recommended path to a course (adaptive case)

    • learner's actual pathway through the course

  • One option

    • Let Blockstore be where things are authored

      • where we store "definitions" of the content

    • Blockstore stores:

      • Units

      • Pathways

      • Overrides

    • For Blended Learning

      • Relative due dates and default values would live in the Blockstore

      • Creates a taxonomy for their own (CCX) context

      • Aligns taxonomy items to any unit in the Blockstore

      • Captures overrides in the Blockstore by mapping Block-IDs to Override-IDs

    • Key difference from today's modulestore: blocks stored outside of courses

Action Items: