[sims] Batch create Aspects in SIMS?

[LosOjos]

I'v still got a copy of the Excel file and it is perfectly feasible to adapt it to make bulk generation of aspects not reliant on the existence of 2 additional text files in the same directory as the Excel file.

 

Think I might give it a go actually......something to get my teeth into

 

Let us know how you get on, I think the reasoning behind using a pre-existing aspect as a base is it already specifies the gradeset, aspect type etc.

 

There are certainly ways you could do it with a nicer front end, but finding time to do that when this one has worked for me has meant it's always been at the bottom of the list unfortunately!

[tben2505]

Something which allows you to choose a different gradeset for each row would be great, too!

[LosOjos]

I can see this becoming another little EduGeek project... kind of feels wrong continuing development without @Dancer's blessing though...

[vikpaw]

If you know the gradeset IDs in your system, you would be able to push that into the file where it is currently specified quite easily.

[tben2505]

Well, I couldn't !!

 

And there doesn't seem to be a way of easily finding the ID - furthermore, it seems (redundantly) every aspect not only needs the gradeset ID, but also the grades and equivalent values of that gradeset. Which is silly!

[LosOjos]

And there doesn't seem to be a way of easily finding the ID - furthermore, it seems (redundantly) every aspect not only needs the gradeset ID, but also the grades and equivalent values of that gradeset. Which is silly!

 

Although SIMs exports all that information when exporting aspects, that is only so that if those aspects were to be transferred to a new system, it would know which grades the gradeset was made up of, I can't really see another way it could work.

 

However, when creating new aspects for your own system using existing gradesets, you only need to specify the gradeset ID, which can be found quite easily by running a report to extract the external ID's (you'll need "Third Party Reporting" permissions on your login).

 

This workbook could quite easily be adapted to add a list of available gradesets in a dropdown on each row... when I have time I'll knock something together and upload it

[tben2505]

Although SIMs exports all that information when exporting aspects, that is only so that if those aspects were to be transferred to a new system, it would know which grades the gradeset was made up of, I can't really see another way it could work.

 

However, when creating new aspects for your own system using existing gradesets, you only need to specify the gradeset ID, which can be found quite easily by running a report to extract the external ID's (you'll need "Third Party Reporting" permissions on your login).

 

This workbook could quite easily be adapted to add a list of available gradesets in a dropdown on each row... when I have time I'll knock something together and upload it

 

Ah of course that makes complete sense!!

 

So the only additional thing it would need, then, is if your new aspect doesn't require a gradeset (eg it's a comment, mark integer - etc) there would have to be a way of entering those parameters too, right?

 

In the very firs instance, though, I imagine the most wanted would be to add gradesets and marks (decimal/integer)!

 

So LosOjos, it sounds like you dfo lots in Assessment - what kind of things do you do? Are you in the IT dept or data manager of some sort?

[LosOjos]

So the only additional thing it would need, then, is if your new aspect doesn't require a gradeset (eg it's a comment, mark integer - etc) there would have to be a way of entering those parameters too, right?

 

Indeed, there are ways you can specify this, I suspect for ease of use the easiest way from a "throwing something together in Excel" point of view would be to have separate sheets depending on what type you're creating, so that they could be kept as simple as possible (i.e. the grades type would have a gradeset drop down, marks-decimal type would have min & max etc.)

 

So LosOjos, it sounds like you dfo lots in Assessment - what kind of things do you do? Are you in the IT dept or data manager of some sort?

 

Indeed I do do a lot in assessment - I'm the data manager for a large secondary. I had the "good fortune" [read: "absolute nightmare of a task"] of setting up a SIMs install's assessment module from scratch this year when we merged with another local school, so time saving things like this have become absolutely essential to me! If you search hard enough, there is almost always a way of exploiting something in SIMs to speed things up a bit; I keep intending to start a blog detailing all these little tips & tricks I find, but finding time for that amongst everything else is proving futile!

[tben2505]

Ah OK - sounds like a big job. I've been a data manager for 7 years (there wasn't many of us around when I first started) and become increasingly more involved in the strategic side of things, teaching staff to interpret the data, use it properly for raising achievement and gaining outstanding ofsteds - unfortunately just started in a new school which is about where my old school was when I started 7 years ago in terms of data use etc.

 

So i'm starting all over again!!

[haldarulon]

Thought I would get the shovel out and dig up an old thread...

A little stuck here I have to produce a ridiculously large number of aspects and this could possibly save me HOURS/DAYS of work!

the issue I have is the xml appears to be repeating the original aspect details any reason why it is doing this (in repeating I mean instead of replacing with updated content)

also... is it possible to add the description? I notice there is the col name and Col heading but no description

 

 

TIA

 

 

Daniel