January 2015

Planned annual upgrade of Moodle VLE platform. We should be looking at a yearly upgrade but jumping 2 versions at a time (upgrading in June/July each year).  The exact version each year will be dependent on our plugins and how quickly they can be tested/redeveloped by non-Moodle HQ developers. At present we expect to deploy in July the version that comes out in the December previous

The development of pilot projects exploring the use of technologies and  functionality for innovative assessment and feedback practice. Focus will be on evaluating opportunities and challenges for integration with existing systems, best match with pedagogic requirements, adaptability and scalability. We anticipate that the technologies explored will be a mix of hosted (cloud-based) and installed here.  Schools and courses with a history of innovative approaches to assessment will be identified and invited to develop these pilots.

Three separate projects are expected :- Adaptive Learing - Started as TEL014 Map My Programme Feedback Analytics Capture Systems

TEL011 (AP34-049)

Next Generation Personal Response System (PRS) - Procurement

Compliance  

Milestones   

RAG Status

GREEN

Report by Maurice Franceschi for January 2015

With scoring complete, some final checks with colleges and LTW remain outstanding before we can confirm award.

Status back to Green as this now has confirmed timescales for completion.

Achievements in Last Period

• Assessment of ITT - completed
• Presentations from Suppliers - completed
• Hands-On testing - completed
• Finanace assessment - completed
• Final score - completed
• Award of contract - not completed

Issues

• no issues at this stage
• Two Amber risks - last reviewed 27th October (NHS and Wireless) - both being managed and confirmed as low risk  

Next Steps

• Award of contract
• Enage ERI to start on contract and T&C's
• Set Payment Schedule
• Prepare for follow on implementation project

TEL013

Learn Automated Failover

Milestones

RAG Status

 AMBER

Report by Colin Forrest for January 2015

Achievements in the last period

• The completion of the final piece of project work has been delayed.  The final piece of the project is to sign off the Learn system checks that were developed during the core work of the project.  The checks are on a witness server and are not directly connected to Learn.  This means that they can be deployed as LIVE system checks with minimal sign off as they will not impact on the performance of the Learn infrastructure.

Issues

• We have not been able to complete the validation of the system checks in TEST due to staff unavailability through the busy January period for this low priority work.
• A further complication has arisen because of the time elapsed.  The instructions for operating the checks were communicated in emails between stakeholders initially.  The instructions would always need to be documented.  Since referencing multiple older emails is confusing the project will 1^st document the instructions for the system checks before asking the teams to verify that the checks function as expected. 

Next Steps

• Instructions to be written for the system checks. Resource has been agreed and requested with Development Technology.

• Instructions and system checks will be reviewed by the ‘Digital Learning Applications and Media’ team and ‘Technology Management’

• If all OK then the system checks will be promoted to LIVE.

• The project will then be closed.

TEL014 (AP45-059)

Online Assessment/Feedback Evaluations - Adaptive Learning

Milestones:

RAG Status

GREEN

Report by Sue Woodger for January 2015

Achievements

• All high priority issues with system were completed by CogBooks before Global Tectonics pilot
• Signed off Global Tectonics materials
• Global TectonicsPilot went live 12 January 2015

Issues

• Geophysics materials - having issues with editing - system is slow and not responding to changes well. Lead editor and SME have agreed to go with what materials they have if not completed by the sign-off date of 11 February.This means that some lectures may be as they were - just lectures without the CogBook element. They have escalated the problem to CogBooks but no improvement has yet been noticed.

Next Steps

• Approval of Geophysics materials
• Geophysics pilot
• DSOR and closure of project
• Feedback and review and lessons learned will continue with TEL after the project closes and a link will be put on the website to the wiki

TEL017 (AP45-038)

VLE Student Analytics

Milestones

RAG Status

GREEN

TEL018

QMP Upgrade

Milestones:

Milestones to be re-planned

RAG Status

 RED

Achievements in the last period

• The project work has seen the upgrade implementation instructions as written by QMP actioned by members of our Development Technology team.

Issues

• Work on the upgrade of QMP from 5.2 to 5.7 has encountered an issue that cannot yet be resolved by either ourselves or by guidance from the QMP support team.  There is potential that the issue is related to our own infrastructure profile as the upgrade makes some large changes to the way the database for QMP works and our infrastructure (as it is) is not in the configuration they'd recommend for a fresh installation.  

• During the upgrade process we've been in close contact with QMP who have had sight of our infrastructure and did not flag it as a show stopper.  However we cannot make the upgrade function correctly in TEST and so have no confidence in the current deployment plan as provided by the supplier.  

• The consequence of this is that we will miss our deployment timeslot in Innovative Learning Week.

Next Steps

• Check for potential future deployment dates.
• Get a clear line from QMP on our infrastructure.  Our belief is that our issue is a new issue for them and that is why in conjunction with QMP we have not been able to identify/solve our issue.
• With this knowledge, plan to procure any appropriate support necessary from QMP.  This could be in the form of an online call for a number of hours as the upgrade happens or someone on-site.
• Re-plan the project timeline once we know the cause of the issue.  Get approval from the business and update the project site.

TEL021 (AP45-039)

TELS Management Information

Discretionary  

Milestones   

RAG Status

GREEN

Report by Maurice Franceschi for January 2015

Achievements in Last Period

• Project started

Issues

• no issues at this stage
• serious risk around resource of BIMI developer

Next Steps

• project brief agreed, estimation and planning
• manage the resource risk