External Learning Activity with its own Test

[blawrence]

Hi,

I am new to using Chamilo and LMS products in general. As a software developer I’ve been tasked with integrating an existing training application into Chamilo. The application is an interactive online lesson that reports a performance score upon completion, which I’d like to store in the Chamilo database.

I can configure the external lesson as a Learning Activity easily enough and launch it through a URL, but Learning Activites don’t seem to have scores in Chamilo. Tests have scores, but tests are limited to the built-in test types (multiple choice, etc).

Can anyone offer guidance as to how this is intended to be handled in Chamilo 1.8.8.4? For each lesson would I configure one Learning Activity and one empty Test, then jam my lesson score into the Test score in the database using a webservice? It seems like I need to extend Chamilo to include either a “scoreable learning activity” or an “external test type” for this to be elegant, but that sure seems like a lot of development work so I must be missing something.

Thanks,

BenL

[Coursenligne]

Hi,

It may mostly depend on how you create your activities/tests.
You may use specific softwares to create your ressources, and this could explain why you encounter those difficulties.

[blawrence]

At the moment I am simply working interactively within the default 1.8.8.4 GUI in a browser. The only point-n-click option for an external learning resource seem to be Learning Activity (which has no score).

Perhaps you are saying that a SCORM package developed in some other tool could be imported to create a Learning Activity that was "scoreable", even if I can't make such an Activity using the Chamilo GUI?

[stephanibus]

Hello Ben,

If I've understood you, it really boils down to whether the interactive application you need to integrate has been developed according to an educational scoring standard such as SCORM, AICC, QTI etc. If so, it should be straightforward to import it directly into Chamilo (via the learning paths or the tests tool) and learners' results will be automatically integrated into Chamilo's Assessment/Gradebook facility. If not, there's no "point-n-click" way to integrate the scores generated into Chamilo (or any other LMS for that matter - that's the whole point of SCORM/AICC etc.) You'll have to reconstruct the activity as a SCORM course, using an external SCORM compliant application, or within Chamilo.

It may be worth taking a look again at the "Tests " tool, particularly the questions options. It may be less limited than you think. Bear in mind that each question option (and it's a pretty comprehensive range) includes a pretty powerful rich content wysiwyg editor (with an html option) so that a "Test" can really be a scored interactive lesson.

If you're looking for more interactive-graphical input (e.g. drag and drop matching) Hot Potatoes is well worth a look. It's an open source option that offers a range of options, and will export exercises as a SCORM package. Chamilo allows for the option of uploading Hot Potatoes exercises in the Tests tool. There's plenty other tools (some quite pricy) for producing SCORM compliant content which you can import to Chamilo, including:

Accent, Accenture, ADLNet, Articulate, ATutor, Blackboard, Calfat, Captivate, Chamilo, Chamilo 2, Claroline, Commest, Coursebuilder, Docent, Dokeos, Dreamweaver, Easyquiz, e-doceo, ENI Editions, Explio, Flash, HTML, HotPotatoes, Hyperoffice, Ingenatic, Instruxion, iProgress, Lectora, Microsoft, Onlineformapro, Opikanoba, Plantyn, Saba, Skillsoft, Speechi, Thomson-NETg, U&I Learning, Udutu, WebCT

All this assumes you're just looking at automated scoring - if there's tutor input to the course then the options you need are all in the "Assessments" tool.

All the best,

Steve

[blawrence]

The external app I am trying to integrate is not currently SCORM or AICC compliant. I have the source code and want to modify it to the least extent necessary to be able to launch it from a Chamilo browser session, run the user through the test, and record their score in the Chamilo database. Full AICC or SCORM compliance would be implemented in the next iteration.

To explain why neither Chamilo's internal test capability nor Hot Potatoes can substitute for my purpose, the external test is part of a language lesson and it uses speech recognition to score spoken phrases based on pronunciation, grammar, etc.

The speech app is an existing C++ Windows application that will be installed on the student's local PC. My plan was to use the Chamilo GUI to hand-configure an external learning activity with a URL that would cause the user's browser to launch my app locally on the student's PC (client side). Once launched, my app would communicate with Chamilo using HTTP POSTs to record the user's score. The POSTs would either conform to the AICC HACP protocol or perhaps to my own webservice extension to Chamilo.

The laumching part works fine but the only place I can hand-configure a URL using the Chamilo GUI is a Learning Activity, which has no score. Instead I think I will have to craft a SCORM or AICC package containing my URL and import it to create a scorable course. In other words, it appears there are things you do by importing a package that you just can't configure using only the Chamilo GUI. Does that sound about right?

[stephanibus]

That sounds about right to me, yes. The tests tool GUI in Chamilo as far as I understand it is really designed to provide a comprehensive set of typical online test templates for end users rather than the more sophisticated functions you've described.

But I'd stress that I'm not a developer, just and end-user, so it's worth keeping an eye open for a more informed view from someone else on the forum.

Sounds like a really interesting project. Hope to hear how you get on.

All the best,

Steve

[ywarnier]

Hi Lawrence,

Interesting topic. I'm a developer, so I can probably help you a bit more. If you want to minimize changes in Chamilo, you might want to create a learning path, include a minimal exercise in there and *export as SCORM* this learning path.

This way, Chamilo will try (it generally works) to export the exercise adding a series of minimal SCORM libraries that will enable the now-HTML-and-Javascript-based exercise to communicate back to Chamilo.

The inner-working of SCORM is that Chamilo pre-loads a JavaScript library that communicates with PHP scripts (through HTTP/AJAX calls) which save info to the Chamilo database, and the content "hooks into" this global JS library (it looks for a SCORM object in all the parent windows).
So as long as your application can *answer* to HTTP calls, you're good. If it works the other way around, your application has to be able to communicate with th JavaScript that you will have loaded in the HTML that provided the link to your software.

To be honest, I can't really see how this could be done practically with a Windows binary, so let's see the other possibility.

In main/webservices/, you will find a series of web services interfaces that connect to the Chamilo libraries. I don't think there are functions to save results yet, but developing a few ones shouldn't be all that complicated. You could then call these with your binary application (HTTP call) based on parameters that you would have received from the link clicked in Chamilo by the student initially (user-id, course-id, exercise-id, question-id, score, and obviously WS authentication information).

Note that students can have an API key defined which would isolate their permissions (look into the user profile fields at the end of the user block in the admin panel).

...and then others'll tell me we don't do enough for our users :-p

Have fun and let us know if it works!

Yannick

[blawrence]

Hi,

I am new to using Chamilo and LMS products in general. As a software developer I’ve been tasked with integrating an existing training application into Chamilo. The application is an interactive online lesson that reports a performance score upon completion, which I’d like to store in the Chamilo database.

I can configure the external lesson as a Learning Activity easily enough and launch it through a URL, but Learning Activites don’t seem to have scores in Chamilo. Tests have scores, but tests are limited to the built-in test types (multiple choice, etc).

Can anyone offer guidance as to how this is intended to be handled in Chamilo 1.8.8.4? For each lesson would I configure one Learning Activity and one empty Test, then jam my lesson score into the Test score in the database using a webservice? It seems like I need to extend Chamilo to include either a “scoreable learning activity” or an “external test type” for this to be elegant, but that sure seems like a lot of development work so I must be missing something.

Thanks,

BenL

[Coursenligne]

Hi,

It may mostly depend on how you create your activities/tests.
You may use specific softwares to create your ressources, and this could explain why you encounter those difficulties.

[blawrence]

At the moment I am simply working interactively within the default 1.8.8.4 GUI in a browser. The only point-n-click option for an external learning resource seem to be Learning Activity (which has no score).

Perhaps you are saying that a SCORM package developed in some other tool could be imported to create a Learning Activity that was "scoreable", even if I can't make such an Activity using the Chamilo GUI?

[stephanibus]

Hello Ben,

If I've understood you, it really boils down to whether the interactive application you need to integrate has been developed according to an educational scoring standard such as SCORM, AICC, QTI etc. If so, it should be straightforward to import it directly into Chamilo (via the learning paths or the tests tool) and learners' results will be automatically integrated into Chamilo's Assessment/Gradebook facility. If not, there's no "point-n-click" way to integrate the scores generated into Chamilo (or any other LMS for that matter - that's the whole point of SCORM/AICC etc.) You'll have to reconstruct the activity as a SCORM course, using an external SCORM compliant application, or within Chamilo.

It may be worth taking a look again at the "Tests " tool, particularly the questions options. It may be less limited than you think. Bear in mind that each question option (and it's a pretty comprehensive range) includes a pretty powerful rich content wysiwyg editor (with an html option) so that a "Test" can really be a scored interactive lesson.

If you're looking for more interactive-graphical input (e.g. drag and drop matching) Hot Potatoes is well worth a look. It's an open source option that offers a range of options, and will export exercises as a SCORM package. Chamilo allows for the option of uploading Hot Potatoes exercises in the Tests tool. There's plenty other tools (some quite pricy) for producing SCORM compliant content which you can import to Chamilo, including:

Accent, Accenture, ADLNet, Articulate, ATutor, Blackboard, Calfat, Captivate, Chamilo, Chamilo 2, Claroline, Commest, Coursebuilder, Docent, Dokeos, Dreamweaver, Easyquiz, e-doceo, ENI Editions, Explio, Flash, HTML, HotPotatoes, Hyperoffice, Ingenatic, Instruxion, iProgress, Lectora, Microsoft, Onlineformapro, Opikanoba, Plantyn, Saba, Skillsoft, Speechi, Thomson-NETg, U&I Learning, Udutu, WebCT

All this assumes you're just looking at automated scoring - if there's tutor input to the course then the options you need are all in the "Assessments" tool.

All the best,

Steve

[blawrence]

The external app I am trying to integrate is not currently SCORM or AICC compliant. I have the source code and want to modify it to the least extent necessary to be able to launch it from a Chamilo browser session, run the user through the test, and record their score in the Chamilo database. Full AICC or SCORM compliance would be implemented in the next iteration.

To explain why neither Chamilo's internal test capability nor Hot Potatoes can substitute for my purpose, the external test is part of a language lesson and it uses speech recognition to score spoken phrases based on pronunciation, grammar, etc.

The speech app is an existing C++ Windows application that will be installed on the student's local PC. My plan was to use the Chamilo GUI to hand-configure an external learning activity with a URL that would cause the user's browser to launch my app locally on the student's PC (client side). Once launched, my app would communicate with Chamilo using HTTP POSTs to record the user's score. The POSTs would either conform to the AICC HACP protocol or perhaps to my own webservice extension to Chamilo.

The laumching part works fine but the only place I can hand-configure a URL using the Chamilo GUI is a Learning Activity, which has no score. Instead I think I will have to craft a SCORM or AICC package containing my URL and import it to create a scorable course. In other words, it appears there are things you do by importing a package that you just can't configure using only the Chamilo GUI. Does that sound about right?

[stephanibus]

That sounds about right to me, yes. The tests tool GUI in Chamilo as far as I understand it is really designed to provide a comprehensive set of typical online test templates for end users rather than the more sophisticated functions you've described.

But I'd stress that I'm not a developer, just and end-user, so it's worth keeping an eye open for a more informed view from someone else on the forum.

Sounds like a really interesting project. Hope to hear how you get on.

All the best,

Steve

[ywarnier]

Hi Lawrence,

Interesting topic. I'm a developer, so I can probably help you a bit more. If you want to minimize changes in Chamilo, you might want to create a learning path, include a minimal exercise in there and *export as SCORM* this learning path.

This way, Chamilo will try (it generally works) to export the exercise adding a series of minimal SCORM libraries that will enable the now-HTML-and-Javascript-based exercise to communicate back to Chamilo.

The inner-working of SCORM is that Chamilo pre-loads a JavaScript library that communicates with PHP scripts (through HTTP/AJAX calls) which save info to the Chamilo database, and the content "hooks into" this global JS library (it looks for a SCORM object in all the parent windows).
So as long as your application can *answer* to HTTP calls, you're good. If it works the other way around, your application has to be able to communicate with th JavaScript that you will have loaded in the HTML that provided the link to your software.

To be honest, I can't really see how this could be done practically with a Windows binary, so let's see the other possibility.

In main/webservices/, you will find a series of web services interfaces that connect to the Chamilo libraries. I don't think there are functions to save results yet, but developing a few ones shouldn't be all that complicated. You could then call these with your binary application (HTTP call) based on parameters that you would have received from the link clicked in Chamilo by the student initially (user-id, course-id, exercise-id, question-id, score, and obviously WS authentication information).

Note that students can have an API key defined which would isolate their permissions (look into the user profile fields at the end of the user block in the admin panel).

...and then others'll tell me we don't do enough for our users :-p

Have fun and let us know if it works!

Yannick