The presenter will introduce the K-State LMS data portal and introduce some available insights from there and focus on one particular facet of this big data--the third-party apps that K-State faculty, admin, and staff have activated and what that says about how we're using Canvas.
Canvas LMS Data Portal: A Data Dictionary and Lots of Data Files!
- A data dictionary (schema docs): Version 1.16.2
- Data extraction and processing
- What it can tell us: (un)available data and information
- Activated third-party tools in K-State Online Canvas LMS instance
- What this says about what K-Staters (early adopters) are using
- Practical applications of this third-party app activation data
- Adding value to LMS data portal data
K-State Online (powered by Canvas): Some Background
- LMSes generally have the following capabilities: delivery of learning contents, intercommunications, collaboration, assessment creation and deployment, grading, collaborations, live web conferencing, persistent profile creation for presence, e-portfolio development, and secure links to various protected on-campus data systems.
- Canvas LMS is evolved on an agile and fast development cycle with updates every few weeks.
- This is a hosted solution, which means that the LMS functionality and data reside on Instructure servers.
- Canvas is known for its integrations with various social media and other platforms.
- In late 2015, Canvas rolled out its data portal, and K-State signed on to access its data in October 2016.
- The data tables range in size up to millions of rows of data.
Data as a Byproduct of LMS Functions
A brief inventory: "Fact" files and Dimension ("Dim") files
assignment_fact
assignment_group
assignment_override
assignment_override_user
assignment_override_user_rollup
communication_channel
conversation_message_participant
course_ui_navigation_item
discussion_entry
discussion_topic
enrollment_fact
external_tool_activation
file
grading_period
group_fact
group_membership
module_completion_requirement
module
module_item
module_prerequisite
module_progression_completion_requirement
module_progression
pseudonym_fact
quiz_fact
quiz_question_answer
quiz_question
quiz_question_group
quiz_submission_fact
quiz_submission_historical
score_
submission_comment
submission_comment_participant
submission
wiki
wiki_page
A brief inventory: Dimension files
account_dim
assignment
assignment_group
assignment_group_rule
assignment_override
assignment_override_user
assignment_rule_dim
communication_channel
conversation
conversation_message
course
course_section
course_ui_canvas_navigation
course_ui_navigation_item
discussion_entry_dim
discussion_topic
enrollment
enrollment_rollup
enrollment_term
external_tool_activation
file
grading_period
grading_period_group
group_dim
group_membership
module_completion_requirement
module
module_item
module_prerequisite
module_progression_completion_requirement
module_progression
pseudonym_dim
quiz_dim
quiz_question_answer
quiz_submission
quiz_submission_historical
role
score
submission_comment
submission_comment_participant
submission
user
wiki
wiki_page
Levels of App Activation
"Global" (Instance-Wide) Activation of the Apps
Third-party apps in the Canvas LMS instance may be activated at the global level of the instance, which enables access to those apps by all users and all in-instance courses / course shells.
"Course-Level" Activation of the Apps
Otherwise, third-party apps may be activated at the course level by the instructor and / or admin of the course. These apps have to be activated in each course and cannot be activated across multiple courses simultaneously.
Some Apps Made by K-State Developers
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Some Common Third-Party Apps
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Activating Apps
Apps in Pages, Modules, Quizzes, Assignments, Discussion Boards, Auto-generated Syllabus...and elsewhere
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Dr. Shalin Hai-Jew
shalin@k-state.edu
iTAC
Kansas State University
Note: This presentation was presented initially for "Have a Byte!" in Fall 2017 at Kansas State University. This research was updated through 2018 for a book chapter on the same topic.