Thanks for the response Digby.
WebPA 2 was one of the deliverables from the original JISC-funded ceLTIc
project which added support for the IMS LTI specification. This means
that WebPA can easily be integrated with all major VLEs, including Moodle.
LTI support was introduced into the core of Moodle in version 2.2, but
to get the most benefit WebPA also uses the unofficial Memberships
extension to allow it to obtain a list of enrolments from the VLE. To
use this extension in Moodle requires the BasicLTI4Moodle plugin
(http://code.google.com/p/basiclti4moodle/) which is available for
Moodle 1.9+ (a slightly modified version is required for Moodle 2.2+
which the ceLTIc:developers project can provide if required). It is
also planned to adapt this module to include the group memberships
enhancement which has been implemented for Blackboard Learn 9 (as
mentioned in my previous email).
So, the short answer to your question is that WebPA 2 can be integrated
with any VLE by using the LTI connector, but without VLE support for the
Memberships extension this is restricted to just launching WebPA and
creating modules and user accounts on-the-fly - so users only appear
after they have followed the link from within the VLE.
To see the LTI integration working take a look at the screencast
attached to the following blog post:
http://www.celtic-project.org/Project_blog/2011/11/An_instructors_view_of_LTI
It uses Learn 9 as the VLE but does nothing that cannot also be done
using Moodle 1.9+.
Further details about the LTI connector for WebPA can be found at:
http://www.spvsoftwareproducts.com/php/webpa-lti/
I believe that the LTI functionality will be included in the WebPA 2
user documentation being made available to the community by the WebPA
project team based at Loughborough.
Is anyone using the LTI connector for WebPA with Moodle?
Stephen
(Note that Digby's reply did not make it onto the mailing list but is
being reproduced here with his permission.)
On 19/01/2013 14:36, Digby Tantam wrote:
> Hi Stephen
> Not sure how to answer your question, but we were very interested in
> using WebPA, presumably version 1, with Moodle for our joint taught
> doctorate with Middlesex University (i.e. not via Sheffield) but could
> not make it work. We have adapted Google survey instead, which seems
> to work just as well. I would be interested to know if WebPA 2 has a
> Moodle plug in and whether it would be worth us looking into adopting
> it.
> Best wishes
> Digby
> Professor Digby Tantam
>
> On 18 January 2013 23:20, Stephen P Vickers
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> As you may already be aware, the JISC-funded ceLTIc:sharing project
>> (www.celtic-project.org) is using WebPA 2 to deliver a shared service to 8
>> different UK institutions and hosted by ULCC. This is using the IMS LTI
>> (Learning Tools Interoperability) integration to make WebPA available
>> through each partner's VLE. An enhancement to this integration is currently
>> being tested which allows it to also synchronise group memberships from the
>> VLE.
>>
>> As part of the project, I would be keen to know if anyone else is using
>> WebPA 2 for a production service, or have plans to do so this year? If so,
>> are you using the LTI integration? If not, are there any particular reasons
>> for choosing not to move to version 2?
>>
>> Thanks in advance for sharing,
>>
>> Stephen
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