Daniela Bartalesi-Graf - Wellesley College

Date: November 1, 2024
Organization: Wellesley College
Role in the Organization: Senior Lecturer in Italian Studies
Organization Size: Medium

• Daniela relies heavily on the platform to develop course content and manage instructional tasks.

• She identified several usability issues with the current roles and permissions system, particularly with granting access to collaborators.

• Key challenges include a lack of granularity in permissions, risks associated with over-permissioning, and inefficiencies in role assignment.

• Manual Role Assignment
  Daniela highlighted the repetitive process of assigning roles manually for every course. For example, granting permissions like "Discussion Forum Moderator" or "Data Researcher" must be done manually for each course, even when a user already holds the "Staff" or "Administrator" role.

• Over-Permissioning Concerns
  Assigning the "Staff" role often provides too much access, such as the ability to delete course content, which poses risks when assigning roles to less experienced users or assistants.

• Lack of Specific Roles
  Daniela often assigns the "Beta Tester" role to collaborators who only need to view courses, but this role is limited and doesn’t allow access beyond the course's start. This workaround is insufficient for long-term access needs.

• Fragmented Interfaces
  Role management is spread across Studio, LMS, and Django admin, causing confusion and inefficiencies.

• Missing Permissions for Staff Roles
  Automatically grant permissions like "Discussion Forum Moderator" and "Data Researcher" when assigning the "Staff" or "Administrator" role.

• Granular Viewer Role
  Introduce a role that allows viewing course content without editing or enrollment, ideal for colleagues or collaborators needing read-only access.

• Problem Developer Role
  Create a role that allows users to develop problems and discussion topics without the ability to delete or modify existing content.

• Unified Role Management Interface
  Consolidate role assignment and management into a single interface for easier navigation and usability.

• While Daniela is accustomed to Studio, she notes that new users may find the fragmented role management system confusing.

• A centralized role management interface would streamline workflows and reduce the learning curve for administrators.

• Training for Administrators Provide materials to help administrators understand and utilize new roles effectively.

• Documentation for Custom Roles Detailed guides to assist in creating and managing custom roles.

• Communication on Updates Daniela prefers email notifications with the option for follow-up meetings to walk through significant changes.