OERu/Planning/Community source

Now is the time for partner institutions (and others in the Open Source community) to help build the tools to make the OERu successful and scalable.

There have been years of discussion on the WikiEducator Tech mailing list around ways WikiEducator could be augmented and resources stored in WikiEducator could be easily reused. We have also published a list of smaller projects that provide incremental improvements.

Additional ideas include:

1. WikiEducator has been updated to Mediawiki 1.23.3, but there is infrastructure that needs improving
   • update extensions, including:
     • migrating existing uses of mp3 and OggHandler extensions to Timed Media Handler (see Multimedia)
     • lower priority extensions
       • HTML5video (decommission in favor of some new solution?)
       • update or decommission SAMLAuth (update in progress -- Jim)
       • WEtheme (This extension has recently be restored. It could use enhancements, including the ability to pull CSS/Javascript from a namespace in addition to the filesystem. --Jim Tittsler (talk) 12:49, 6 July 2015 (UTC))
     • Peer review
   • find a replacement video solution for Kaltura
   • update system Javascript (both wikibits and MediaWiki:Common.js)
   • update system CSS (both skins and especially MediaWiki:Common.css)
   • update WikiEducator tutorials
2. a scalable, robust discussion forum
   • or (adapt and) reuse Flow
3. (partially) automating importing content from other formats
   • open text books
   • LMS backups
   • Markdown
   • document Microsoft Word extension
   • enhance OpenOffice extension
4. additional ways of snapshotting open resources for use on the web, CMS or LMS
5. improve pedagogical templates (started, see Template:IDevice -- Jim)
   • consistent CSS (MediaWiki:Common.css updates)
   • consistent layout and classes
6. (HTML5) video upload and storage in a robust, cost-effective manner
7. federating systems
   • within WikiEducator infrastructure
   • across partner institutions
   • allow use of Widgets across instances
8. building robust versions of the prototype Widgets that have been used in early courses
   • build versions that work in snapshot deployments
9. building additional assessment options
10. additional data collection and plotting tools
11. make offline (PDF and ePub) options more robust
12. integrate badges or digital certifications for course completion
13. improve WikiEducator authoring tutorials
14. implement OAuth logins
    Skills: Working on Mediawiki requires an understanding of PHP and a cursory understanding of databases (MySQL)
    Google has deprecated acting as an OpenID provider. We need to become an OAuth consumer to better fit modern practice at Google, Facebook, Twitter, Github, etc.
    
15. implement IFrame skin
    Skills: Working on Mediawiki requires an understanding of PHP and a cursory understanding of databases (MySQL)
    The current Javascript solution for embedding an IFrame of WikiEducator content leads to the dreaded flash of unstyled content. A proper Mediawiki skin would eliminate this (and reduce the transfer overhead).
    
16. build a robust method of mailing all participants in a course, with one-click unsubscribe and automated bounce handling
17. course progress tracking
    • allow a student to automatically resume
      • server side solution for logged in students (which works cross device)
      • cookie based solution
    • allow facilitator to get a sense of progress of cohort through material