/
Elizabeth Gordon - Arizona State University

Elizabeth Gordon - Arizona State University

RBAC Interview: Elizabeth Gordon

Date: November 12, 2024
Organization: Arizona State University, EdPlus
Role in the Organization: Assistant Director, International Learning Technologies and Instructional Design
Organization Size: Large, with over 50 micro-sites and thousands of instructors involved in the platform.

 

 

Key Insights

  • Elizabeth's team manages a MOOC project in Ethiopia, supporting a vast number of universities and instructors across multiple platforms.

  • The team utilizes custom-developed roles to address limitations in the current RBAC system, relying heavily on external tools like Salesforce for managing roles.

  • They expressed a strong desire for API integration and centralized role management to reduce reliance on manual tasks and external tools.

 

 

Pain Points

Fragmented Administration
Managing roles requires accessing multiple platform sections (LMS, Studio, Django admin), making the process complex and inefficient.

Limited Built-in Role Options
The lack of native granular roles necessitates custom development, which is time-consuming and introduces additional maintenance burdens.

Reliance on External Systems
The integration with Salesforce for role management highlights the platform's insufficiencies in meeting organizational needs.

Complexities in User Access
Administering user updates, such as correcting names or email addresses, requires full Django access, which is impractical for many users.

 

 

Custom Roles Suggested

Limited Instructor Role
Restricts access to advanced settings and membership tabs to avoid accidental misconfigurations.

  • Permissions: Basic course editing capabilities without administrative rights.

  • Restrictions: No access to advanced course settings or membership management.

Org Role
Provides access limited to specific universities or sub-organizations within the platform.

  • Permissions: Access specific to organizational data and resources

  • Restrictions: Limited to specific university-level contexts.

Modified Staff Role
Adjusts permissions for staff to exclude membership management and advanced course settings.

  • Permissions: Standard staff capabilities for course management.

  • Restrictions: Excludes sensitive administrative features.

Course Designer Role
Designed for instructional designers and content creators.

  • Permissions:
    Full Studio access.
    Course content management capabilities.

  • Restrictions:
    No access to student or user data.
    No access to personal information.

User Management Role
Focuses on user profile management without backend access.

  • Permissions:
    Modify user names, email addresses, and profile details.
    Bulk user management capabilities.

  • Restrictions:
    No Django admin access.
    No backend access.

Certificate Management Role
Handles certificate-related tasks.

  • Permissions:
    Manage certificate statuses.
    Generate certificates.
    Access certificate-related student data.

Enrollment Manager Role
Manages course enrollments.

  • Permissions: Add and manage enrollments for courses.

 

 

Feature Requests

  • Granular Role Customization Simplified workflows for creating roles tailored to organizational needs.

  • Centralized Administration Panel A unified interface for managing roles, permissions, and user data across all platform sections.

  • Comprehensive API Access Tools to enable automation for repetitive tasks like bulk assignments and role updates.

  • Enhanced Role Definitions Expand the default roles to cover common use cases and organizational needs.

 

 

Ease of Use

  • The current system’s reliance on multiple interfaces and lack of cohesive workflows increases the learning curve and inefficiency for administrators.

  • A more intuitive design and centralized management tool would significantly improve usability.

 

 

Support Needs

  • Documentation for API and Custom Roles Detailed resources to assist organizations in transitioning to and utilizing enhanced RBAC features.

  • Training for Administrators Materials to guide administrators in role creation, assignment, and management.

  • Clear Communication on Updates Presentations at Open edX meetups and conferences, as well as written guides for upcoming feature changes.