[New Analytics] Remove Obstacle: Decouple Manage LTI Permission for Online Attendance Reporting

[Maeve_McCooey]

Problem statement:

Currently, within the New Analytics for Online Attendance reporting, the ability for instructors to modify criteria at the course level is tied to the "Manage LTI" permission. This presents a challenge for institutions where, due to data security and governance policies, only account admins are granted this permission. As a result, course-level staff, such as instructors and teaching assistants, who require the flexibility to customize Online Attendance Criteria are unable to do so.

Use Case Example:

An instructor wants to track student engagement in their online course by monitoring attendance in live sessions and completion of online quizzes. However, the default Online Attendance Criteria in New Analytics only considers participation in discussions. The instructor needs to modify these criteria to include live session attendance and quiz completion but is unable to do so because they lack the "Manage LTI" permission. This limitation hinders the instructor's ability to effectively monitor and support student engagement in their course.

In essence, the problem lies in the coupling of Online Attendance Criteria modification with a high-level permission that is typically reserved for system administrators. This creates a usability barrier for course-level staff who need the flexibility to adapt attendance tracking to their specific course needs while adhering to institutional data management policies.

Proposed solution:

Decouple the ability to modify Online Attendance Criteria in New Analytics from the "Manage LTI" permission. Introduce a new, more granular permission or setting specifically for managing Online Attendance Criteria at the course level. This would allow institutions to grant this permission to course-level staff, such as instructors and teaching assistants, without unnecessarily elevating their overall access privileges.

Why this solution: -

• Enhanced Usability: This solution directly addresses the usability issue by enabling course-level staff to customize attendance tracking according to their specific course needs and pedagogical approaches.
• Alignment with Institutional Policies: It respects the data security and governance concerns of institutions by allowing them to maintain control over who can modify sensitive LTI settings while still providing the necessary flexibility for course-level staff.
• Improved Adoption: By making New Analytics more user-friendly and adaptable to diverse instructional contexts, this solution is likely to increase its adoption and effectiveness in supporting student engagement and success.
• Empowerment of Educators: It empowers educators to take ownership of their course data and tailor attendance tracking to their unique teaching styles and student needs, fostering a more personalized and effective learning environment.

In summary, this solution strikes a balance between providing the necessary flexibility for course-level staff to manage Online Attendance Criteria and upholding institutional data security and governance protocols. It enhances the usability and overall value of New Analytics, promoting its wider adoption and contributing to improved student learning outcomes.

User role(s):

admin