Database and forms (eva-project@googlegroups.com)

[Cai Melakoski (Google Docs)]

Database and forms

Message from cai.me...@gmail.com:

The database structure and campus feelings slides by Christoph Schubert are now uploaded for review in EVA folder Database and Forms

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• Database and forms

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[cai]

Dear all

We have now several topics on databases. To avoid confusion I suggest we use only this chain of messages from now on.

Some colleagues think they are not competent to discuss databases. This is totally wrong. We all have ideas about what we should be able to put in the system (=data input) and what we want to see on screen and/or print out (= data output). So everybody is a database expert from the viewpoint of her/his needs. (Those needs are the main content of the database. Additionally the database needs some automatic functions connecting the data together. Example: now my only chance of getting a list of TAMK students on all EVA courses is to copy the information course by course. If we had a database such a list would be generated in less than a second by my request.) 

In Mittweida we agreed to give final thoughts about the functions of the campus this week. You can see the structure of data flow, the bloodstream of the campus in the picture Christopher has made.
I have some remarks on the table Courses and the connecting tables. Chris has of course designed them following the present structure. But I find our present course environment weak. I suggest the  the fields would follow the model I have proposed on the form draft:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEg0OUttTzBQaGxTTEdiMXlncHpwUWc6MQ 

The input to this form would create the content of the present Course Home page.

Then about the connecting tables known as following subpages on our present course  pages:

Students

Syllabus

Units

Calendar

Course readings

Lecture notes

Assignments

Student activities

Exams

Online textbooks

Do we need them all? I need only the page Students.
 It is very confusing for the students that there are 10 subpages, of which only some are used by the professors. We should do better design, but we need the input from all partners to manage it. 
For Tampere meeting I made a summary of how the subpages were used by then (And things have not changed much):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amy2ZTTHtjssdGk2ODFXdW8wbXpmbmxxSF9XNXRYa3c#gid=0 

Another problem is that professors are using same pages for different purposes. If this is a student centered project we simply cannot confront students with such mess. (There should be at least guidelines for professors what kind of information to put where.

I'm sure some pages can be combined and we can do with five subpages.

To initiate the discussion I suggest we have one page for additional information and then the pages for uploading stuff. And a chat room. What do you think?
***
One more detail: On the student page you can email to students. But there is no way the professor can get a copy of the email, except copying the message manually to a file. (Unless (s)he subscribes to his own course.)