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Mahara Interface

1 Description

In the recent past we (the E-Learning Team of the University of Teacher Education Thurgau (PHTG) had to deal with the subject "E-Portfolio". We had discussed how a portfolio could be realised with the implemented features of ILIAS. The tagging function could be a (dissatisfying) compromise (problem: What can a learner do if tagged content is moved to an archive without reading permissions for the students?). We had further a look at several e-Portfolio software like Elgg and Mahara. We don't feel happy to run an other system in coexistence with ILIAS. Perhaps there is a possibility to create an interface to Mahara - similar to the integration of Mahara in Moodle?

Mahara could be the answer for our problem because

• all requested features could be managed with this software
• other departments will work with Mahara in the near future

Moodle/Mahara Integration

• Moodle Portfolio API
• Mahara Portfolio Plugin
• MNET Protocol used by Moodle/Mahara (all Moodle Docs MNET pages)
• Project independent MNET implementation provided by Mahara Team, use git clone http://git.catalyst.net.nz/mnet.git

2 Additional Information

• Idea / concept: Kunkel, Matthias [mkunkel]
• Interest in funding:
• Development: Feature is to be developed by tbd

3 Discussion

Alex, 21 Oct 2009: I have read the moodle docs on their portfolio api / interface (see links above). Up to now this looks like a quite complex interface to me for something that sends html/pdf from application a to application b. I am also a little bit worried about the whole workflow for the user:

• The user must click a button in moodle to trigger a transmission to mahara, he needs to select portfolio/format and provide metadata.
• In mahara the user must organize the artifact in various views. The whole information is copied, so may be it is outdated quite fast.

If a basic portfolio system would do the trick and be integrated within ILIAS, ILIAS could most of this automatically. Some kind of "default" portfolio that aggregates blog posts, forum posts and other artefacts in ILIAS. Basic structuring could be done per tagging. Next step would be to use views like in mahara. We need a functionality that would enable the user to make a "snapshot" (e.g. in HTML/PDF) and store this locally to tackle the "what happens if content is deleted by tutor/admins" problem.

Alex, 22 Oct 2009: If anybody finds a documentation of the Mahara interface for LMS, please add a link to this page. I currently find only information that make me think the integration is done by the same developers on both sides, without any interface detailed specification, but I must be wrong. In general Mahara has a sound architecture with lots of plugin interfaces. I found the interface "description" on the moodle side. But what we need this spec for the Mahara side otherwise it's unclear what we have to implement. :-) If it's "only" single-sign-on, efforts would be easier to estimate.

unknown, 22 Oct 2009: We are now using Mahara in two degree programmes. Our impression is: Mahara is a sound eportfolio-software which serves our purposes.
The students are collecting their reflexions (on theory, practice and the reflexion of both) in their own portfolios which they can show to their teachers and other students. This process is accompanying their whole studies at the PHTG. Further they are able to show parts of their work to interested future employers (they also can compose a CV with Mahara).
We are only in the pilotphase with Mahara, but everything is working fine hitherto, we do not have a lot of additional support for Mahara (but we naturally had to instruct Mahara seperately).

Our over-all-impression is:
- We prefer a dedicated eportfolio-system to an integration of eportfolio-functions in ILIAS.
- We are NOT of the opinion that ILIAS should contain every possible feature itself. (Mostly, sorry for that, the ILIAS features are a "poor copy" of the original-tool: they also should be, ILIAS can't be a full Mediawiki, a full ePortfolio-tool and and and. ILIAS is a Learning Management System with very extended functions, but somewhere we should put a stop -> particulary with regard to RBAC).
- We encourage our students to collect further portfolio-information in their eportfolio because they can "take their portfolio" with theirselves when they are leaving the PHTG. (ILIAS is not very widespread in Swiss schools; some schools are however using Mahara respectively some more schools are thinking about an integration of Mahara).
- Hitherto, the software has worked without problems. Students and teachers are using it without problems.
- We are certain that we keep at using Mahara as eportfolio-solution.

Therefore, we would like a Mahara-interface in ILIAS. We would like something similar as moodle is offering (Mahoodle), a single-sign-on-interface.
Further details we can discuss in Budapest.

Alex, 28 Oct 2009: We contacted the Mahara team and they are extremely helpful. There is not much documentation but they (Catalyst) provide an independent MNET implementation which we could try to intergrate. I think implementing a ILIAS/Mahara single-sign-on feature is possible with moderate effort.

Rugy, 29. Oct 2009: Very nice news. As a first step SSO would be sufficient. I did a 'mahoodle' installation for another department lately and it works reliable, though I didn't have much time to play with it. I'll try to get more information from the responsible person about user experience and acceptance.
If File Upload on Personal Desktop will come to ILIAS I could imagine a functionality where files that were uploaded to the PD could get synced or linked to as an artefact to Mahara. In that way they could be used in Mahara Views etc...

JF 22 Mar 2010: The implementation for 4.1 would only consist of the SSO feature. Stefan will make an estimation on the needed effort.

JF 19 Apr 2010: PH Thurgau decided to use the funding for another feature in ILIAS 4.1. The interface is postponed to ILIAS 4.2.

Removed from 4.2 feature list due to missing funding. New status is « not scheduled yet ».
Please set this feature on the agenda again when funding is available.

Gaertner, 22 Aug 2012: Possilble solution for single-sign-on: If you use the shibboleth plugin both on ILAIAS and Mahara (as well possible with Moodle), the user is able to switch between the plattforms using shibboleth IDP to sign-on. Consider this solution, if you already use shibboleth at your institution. We run this solution successfully.

Kunkel, Matthias [mkunkel], June 14, 2015: Since version 4.2 we have an integrated portfolio tool in ILIAS. I have asked the SIG ePortfolio if we keep this request open - or if it should be closed because there is no need for a Mahara interface any longer. Depending on answers to this question I will close this page (or not).

, June 22, 2015: I personally do  not see no need for a mahara interface. But as long as there is no connection to portfolio-export-standards like Leap2A (or are there mheanwhile better standards?) the interface might be still interesting to get connections between different portfolio-installations and softwares. Without the "dream" of a personal portfolio through lifetime may get even more far away than it is already.

4 Follow-up