Open Source School Information Management System

[penfold_99]

Is there any reason that you aren't participating in The SchoolTool Project (The SchoolTool Project — The SchoolTool Project) rather than starting a new project? Many Open Source projects fail because once the initial enthusiasm wanes, they become one or two man projects and these individuals don't have the resources to drive the project forward. The Shuttleworth Foundation are supporting SchoolTool, and I think a product will emerge at some point.

 

We have thought about joining another project and push it forward. We have looked at 4/5 School MIS's and talked to the creators and they have liked the idea of a os independent web based super project that will pull together the ideas, features, best practice from their projects into a consolidated effort.

 

We have talked about a number of reason to start from scratch and some for not.

 

Ian

[Gerry]

Have you got a couple of grand spare to buy it?

 

Ok eOSMOSIS.org sounds good!

[CyberNerd]

I've added some general feature categories for discussion:

 

Category:Features - OpenSIMS

[kesomir]

As you are at a preliminary evaluation stage, I have a working (not yet feature complete) management information system I wrote for my school over the past 18 months.

 

I've been debating whether or not to release the whole thing as open source, or whether to release the core system under a non OS license but provide modularity for plug ins.

 

Part of the problem is that the system is considerably more complex than an application such as a web-forum, with many dependencies on the core systems.

 

Waiting on trademarking at the moment, but features are thus:

 

Written in PHP with MySQL Database

Built on the Codeigniter MVC Rapid Development Framework

Uses CSS for gui

It uses absolutely no javascript - to improve cross browser compatability

valid XHTML

 

Current working systems:

Multi-lingual support.

Authentication.

User management.

Group management (for classes, clubs and entry years).

Calendar system (we use for assigning applicants to weekly visits and assessments).

Correspondence template system (used to generate various letters during enrol process - pulls data from calendar + user systems).

Config in database so that admin section can be used to alter settings.

Electronic Testing system.

Digital signage page

Export (currently exports year groups to ranger AD tool and moodle, but can be tooled to export to any csv)

Accounting invoice generation (operational)

Ability to modify external LDAP database passwords

 

Features not yet developed:

Attendance (Register)

Discipline system

Templates (not too hard to do - separate folders)

lesson plans

"my page" for vle

File management

code tidying

"delete" functionality for various parts of the system

garbage collection

Application's admin section

Active Directory integration (needs modification of existing ldap code + config to select on/off and type).

 

 

I've started running into a few instances where not using javascript (or ajax) causes a few probs with usability, but I think that flex is a better route to go than Ajax to enable a RIA experience. The beauty is that flex modules for the gui can be swapped in to place with the existing system with minimal rewrites due to the MVC setup.

 

It sounds from your information that my application meets all of your design requirements as a base.

 

I honestly think that for such a project to succeed, the open source or collaborative portions of the system have to be modular.

 

CORE

Authentication

User management

Groups

Calendar

Correspondence

Basic Accounting

Gradebook

Registration / Attendance system

Export

Add / Remove Modules

 

MODULAR

Testing

Discipline system

Accounts system

Lesson plans

VLE

etc, etc.

 

If I were to get the system to a point of modularity, would it be something you might be interested in contributing to? Would you be influenced by whether it were released under an OSS or other license if it were available to use for free?

[penfold_99]

I think you would get a lot of support for an OSS version. Is there a demo avaliable?

[ZeroHour]

*nudge nudge* I speak php + more

 

Edu-MIS project anyone

[kesomir]

Academis

 

I'm currently stripping the application and database down to barebones in preparation for an early alpha developer release - system is feature incomplete, but in production use (think second death star in ROTJ )

 

I would be interested to see how many people familiar with php, mysql (codeigniter a +) might be interested in actual code contribution, security auditing, bug hunting etc, as well as those interested in testing, feature input etc.

 

My roadmap for Academis MLE is to go beyond basic MIS, to also provide VLE functionality incuding SCORM package handling as I think that moodle is not so well suited to schools in terms of usability.

 

Application is targeted at Primary and Secondary UK Schools.

 

Theres a flash demo link on the site above, though I warn you it's not a marketing piece and for those not interested in the content is a real sleep inducer!

[penfold_99]

kesomir,

 

i think you should avoid trying to re-invent the wheel but trying to replace moodle.

 

We have been able to fully integrate moodle with sims and active directory.

So when a user logs in to moodle is pulls their course membership from sims.

 

we can help replicate this with your system.

 

Also i would be best to release the whole of Academis open source include sub modules and use the support stream as the revenue stream.

[kesomir]

kesomir,

 

i think you should avoid trying to re-invent the wheel but trying to replace moodle.

 

We have been able to fully integrate moodle with sims and active directory.

So when a user logs in to moodle is pulls their course membership from sims.

 

we can help replicate this with your system.

 

Also i would be best to release the whole of Academis open source include sub modules and use the support stream as the revenue stream.

 

Moodle is a very powerful system that has been produced with higher education in mind, and the interface does not lend itself well to a more simple use that is better suited to Primary and Secondary schools.

 

Just look at the commercial offerings - they deliver a simple and instantly understandable feature set.

 

I'm not looking to reinvent the wheel, but to solve a different problem than the one moodle is suited to. I would like to see Academis able to export and integrate well with other systems such as moodle for those that require or want a more comprehensive system. There will always be overlap of features - moodle has forums for example, but not at the level of vbulletin (or

 

I have decided to release all of Academis together. Although content is more appealing to me than support as a potential revenue stream down the line ie: test and scorm elearning packages etc.

 

If you read some of the threads I've posted on the academis forums, production of elements is quite modular - so anyone wanting to contribute to the system can work away at a discrete unit / feature that interests them.

 

EDIT: The problem with Active Directory Integration you describe is when you're running moodle / academis on a remote linux webserver and your AD domain is on your LAN.

Edited June 5, 2008 by kesomir

[CyberNerd]

Just look at the commercial offerings - they deliver a simple and instantly understandable feature set.

 

Its these featureless commercial VLE's that many (secondary) schools are ditching in favour of Moodle/mahara/elgg. I have to agree with Penfold here, moodle integration is the way forward. If you need to, write a separate moodle module that dumbs it down.

[kesomir]

I agree with the point about integration - I'm all in favour of choice.

 

I just needed to clarify that my vision for VLE functionality within Academis is just that - a basic, "featureless VLE"

 

As this wouldn't meet everyone's needs and writing a moodle clone is a waste of resources - I fully agree that integration is the best solution.

 

It's moot anyway - I'm sure that someone will write integration code with moodle. I already have the ability to export year groups in a csv format that moodle can import, although any such integration should/needs to be fully automated as described by penfold.

[penfold_99]

EDIT: The problem with Active Directory Integration you describe is when you're running moodle / academis on a remote linux webserver and your AD domain is on your LAN.

 

AD integration isn't really an issue with the setup you have described as you as long as you local firewall you can exposed the SSL Ldap port for Active Directory and this will allow the remote site to authenticate users.

[kesomir]

AD integration isn't really an issue with the setup you have described as you as long as you local firewall you can exposed the SSL Ldap port for Active Directory and this will allow the remote site to authenticate users.

 

I was going to say:

 

If the lan is connected to the internet via adsl say - and the connection goes down there, wouldn't that result in a failure of remote auth on the remote moodle server?

 

But instead:

 

it makes no difference in this scenario because Academis would be running next to moodle on the remote server regardless.

 

--

One thing I do want to tackle is separating sensitive data - webserver is the most vulnerable place to put sensitive material. I had thought of a two part system whereby live has only the data it needs for reporting / interaction pushed to it and whatever else going the other way pulled from it periodically so that sensitive info remains more safely on the LAN.

 

Anyhoo - gone off on a tangent there.

[Flightcrew]

Umm 98% of East Sussex schools are with the County preferred Learning Platform provider. Seems to me like there is an awful lot of energy being spent on something that isn't going to catch on. Also seems to me that anyone hooking a patch into SIMS is asking for trouble. All it would take is someone to breach the system and a whole load of personal data is out there in the public domain. I certainly wouldnt like to be the tech who set that up. CHoice is a good thing, and competition in the market place does no one any harm, but freeware or open source software is just what it says on the tin. I wonder if many head teachers would sanction its use?

[webman]

freeware or open source software is just what it says on the tin. I wonder if many head teachers would sanction its use?

 

What on earth do you mean by that? Wake up. The internet practically runs on open source.

[CyberNerd]

Umm 98% of East Sussex schools are with the County preferred Learning Platform provider. Seems to me like there is an awful lot of energy being spent on something that isn't going to catch on.

 

Strange - I heard ESCC school ICT advisers were recommending that schools who already had moodle should carry on using it over university. and that the majority of ESCC secondaries (and the whole of west sussex and Brighton/Hove) were using moodle already.

 

Also seems to me that anyone hooking a patch into SIMS is asking for trouble. All it would take is someone to breach the system and a whole load of personal data is out there in the public domain. I certainly wouldnt like to be the tech who set that up. CHoice is a good thing, and competition in the market place does no one any harm, but freeware or open source software is just what it says on the tin. I wonder if many head teachers would sanction its use?

 

If you check out the integration you'll see it relies on a view from the SQL server - so you'd need to independently break into the SQL server first. Other commercial VLE's query directly to SIMS web parts so are naturally less secure as more data is available.

Besides Moodle has a larger user/install/coder base than most of the commercial VLE's, so chances are that the code is of better quality - even HT's realise that.

[kesomir]

I work in the independent sector, so the time I spend developing such tools is not impacted at all by what a number of LEAs may at any particular time choose to promote.

 

That said, this thread is about a SIMS replacement - not something to hook into sims and act as a VLE - moodle is already out there for that.

 

I'm still on track for making a preliminary release of my system this summer as posted on the website - there's just an awful lot of code to work through.

 

In reference to the security point, I imagine that sensitive data on these systems (even web based applications) will be protected by more than just the system itself - There's no real need to allow external access to many functions so will be sitting nicely behind a bunch of firewalls on a secured network.

 

We all know how good government institutions are at looking after sensitive data though, so perhaps we should take a leaf out of their book?

[localzuk]

Umm 98% of East Sussex schools are with the County preferred Learning Platform provider. Seems to me like there is an awful lot of energy being spent on something that isn't going to catch on. Also seems to me that anyone hooking a patch into SIMS is asking for trouble. All it would take is someone to breach the system and a whole load of personal data is out there in the public domain. I certainly wouldnt like to be the tech who set that up. CHoice is a good thing, and competition in the market place does no one any harm, but freeware or open source software is just what it says on the tin. I wonder if many head teachers would sanction its use?

 

That is just plain ridiculous. Just because the source is open doesn't mean it is dangerous or a threat. Spain has just announced it is moving its schools to open source software, totalling 500,000 computers. France has significant portions of its government working via open source software, as do Poland and various South American countries.

 

Software should be looked at on its merits, not on whether it is free or not. Linux is a more stable OS, more actively developed OS, cheaper OS, than Windows. BSD is even more stable. Why should that be discounted simply because the source is available?