Colin Fredericks - Harvard University

Date: October 30, 2024
Organization: Harvard University
Role in the Organization: Manager of Instructional Technology, oversees course development and permissions systems
Organization Size: Large (150+ courses on the platform, mostly self-paced)

• Main Pain Points:

  • Tedious Role Assignment for Large Teams: Each time a new course is created, 12-15 team members need to be added manually, which is a time-consuming and repetitive task. To save time, he developed a script to automate this process, the script is over Selenium and is sensitive to changes in the UI.

  • Need for Separate Staff Permissions: The current “staff” role combines permissions suited for both instructors (who need access to grades) and course creators (who manage materials). Splitting these roles would make it easier for teaching assistants and content developers, who may need editing permissions but not access to grades.

  • Manual Removal of Departed Staff: Removing access for former staff across multiple courses is another time-intensive process. A Python script was developed to help automate this, as there’s no centralized way to revoke access across all courses.

  • Inconsistent Role Management Across Interfaces: Managing roles in different areas of the platform, like LMS and Studio, adds inefficiencies. A centralized tool or API could simplify these tasks.

• Feature Requests:

  • Bulk Role Assignment Tool: A batch enrollment feature for adding multiple users with specific roles at once would significantly reduce the time spent on manual role assignments over courses.

  • Split Staff Role into Author and Instructor Roles: Separating the staff role into distinct permission sets for instructors (focused on grading) and authors (focused on content) would ensure that each team member has only the permissions they need.

  • Centralized Tool or API for Removing Users in Bulk: A tool or API that allows quick searching and removal of users across all courses would be particularly helpful for large organizations with frequent team changes.

  • Option to Copy Staff Assignments Between Course Runs: A button to transfer previous course staff to new course runs would help maintain consistency in staffing between course versions.

• Ease of Use:

  • Role Assignment Complexity: Although the team is familiar with the membership interface, the lack of batch processing options makes role assignments time-intensive.

  • Separate Role Management Interfaces: Managing permissions in different sections of the platform (like LMS and Studio) adds extra steps. A single screen for handling all roles would improve workflow.

• Support Needs:

  • Documentation and Community Engagement: To stay informed about updates, the team relies on Open edX’s Slack channel and holds meetings with MIT. Clear and detailed documentation is especially valuable for updates related to roles and permissions.