Re: User roles and UI

[sergey@total-knowledge.com]

> OK. I finally got around to this :-)
>
> Roles are not something user plays within whole application.
> i.e. user is not just a "Student", or just a "Teacher". Instead
> user is "Student of course A", "Author of course B", "Author of
> topic C", "Teacher of course D", etc.
>
> In order to become a student of object X (i.e. get "study" permission
> in corresponding ACL table), user has to sign up for a course that
> contains
> said object.

Ok, I have this functionality in my mock-ups:
When browsing "Course Catalog" page
http://gateway.total-knowledge.com/~sergey/UU/CatalogStudent.html
and when browsing Repository(link "STUDY" on the very bottom of the page
http://gateway.total-knowledge.com/~sergey/UU/CourseViewRepository.html
If the UMO in previous example is not a Course, potential student will be
redirected to "Sign-up for Course" page anyway.



>
> In order to become an author of object X user has to either create
> the object, or be given "modify" access to the object by one of other
> authors of said object.
>
> In order to become "Translator" of object X user has to be granted
> "translate" right by one of object authors.
>
> How does one become teacher of an object isn't 100% clear to me.
> I guess one of course authors has to grant this right.
>

Here is how this type of functionality may look on UI
http://gateway.total-knowledge.com/~sergey/UU/CourseViewRepository.html

Example provided for Guest user (logged-in users won't see email address
field). After clicking on the UMO link from the Repository, user will have
options to Study/Modify/Translate/Teach the UMO. Clicking on
Modify/Translate/Teach links will submit the request to all this UMO
authors. Authors will get a notification by email and also will have an
option to check all "outstanding requests" related to all UMOs they owe at
"My Account" page.
Authors may or may not grant a permission to the user, he will get a
notification by email, may check "Status" link that will be provided by UU
on the confirmation page or may see it on his "My Account" page(for
already existing users).
If permission by Authors is granted, guest user will be forsed to create
an account with UU in order to use the UMO that he selected from the
Repository.


> See more comments below..
>
> sergey@total-knowledge.com wrote:
>> Another question is about "not logged in" users. Per docs they can't
>> browse a Repository:
>> http://www.total-knowledge.com/wiki/index.php/UU_Page_Flow#Not_Logged_in
>> but can see "Lists of top-level course, through problems and text
>> dialogues categories" on the home page:
>> http://www.total-knowledge.com/wiki/index.php/UU_Page_Flow#Content_5
>>
>> What's the criteria for choosing "lists" that should be displayed for
>> not
>> logged in users on the Home page?
>>
> Guests need to see things that they can sign up for.

Guests will see shortened versions of Catalog "loops" on the Home page
with "View More" options for each Catalog category.

>> Why can't they browse/search a Repository? Maybe they should see partial
>> non-editable versions of the UMOs there?
>>
> I don't know (or don't remember) why we decided to make generic object
> repository inaccessible to guests. Perhaps simply because average guest
> does not need to see separate objects? OTOH, if person is coming to our
> site in order to become a course author, access to repository as guest is
> important. I guess I'll say, let's make it generally accessible, unless
> someone
> can remember why it was decided to do otherwise.
>>> I forgot to add a Translator. He potentially can be
>>> Student/Author/Teacher
>>> too and other way around.
>>> Per "Database structure requirements" when new user tries to access an
>>> UMO:
>>> "If the required ACL entry doesn't exist it is created."
>>> So what entry will be created? Can it be based on user's choice on
>>> registration? If yes, should we have those values saved somewhere in DB
>>> or
>>> they will be stored in UUServlet object?
>>>
> I guess what I have said above should answer this question. If you need
> more
> clarification, let me know.
>>>> Also how do you become, for example, an Author or a Teacher if you are
>>>> just a Student? Change your role on "My Account" page or something
>>>> like
>>>> that?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> It's not much about this in the specs and I'd like to hear your
>>>>> opinion
>>>>> on
>>>>> how different kinds of users will change their roles in UI.
>>>>> Let's say during a registration user chooses his role from the
>>>>> dropdown:
>>>>> 1. Student
>>>>> 2. Author
>>>>> 3. Teacher.
>>>>>
>>>>> Top and left navigation bars will look exactly the same for all kind
>>>>> of
>>>>> users. If Student, for example, clicks on "Create New Course" link,
>>>>> he
>>>>> will get user-friendly version of "Permission denied" message.
>>>>>
> Of course not. See above.
>>>>> 1. Let's say an Author wants to check how his Course looks in
>>>>> Student's
>>>>> eyes. I guess he should either change his role to Student or have an
>>>>> access to his own Course as a Student. It has to be done within one
>>>>> session.
>>>>>
> Authors shall have "student view" of their objects, but "passing" their
> objects
> will not be reflected on their overall scores (whatever those will be)

There are 2 ways to deal with this on UI:
1. Stored procedure will grant any Author "Student permission" to the UMO
he created. When clicking on "STUDY" link on view object page
http://gateway.total-knowledge.com/~sergey/UU/CourseViewRepository.html
an Author will see the "Student view" of the UMO right away and will be
able to "study" it without buying if the Course is not free.
2. When clicking on "STUDY" link on view object page
http://gateway.total-knowledge.com/~sergey/UU/CourseViewRepository.html
an Author gets "Study request" from himself by email and approves it in
order to check his Course from Student POW.


>>>>> 2. Let's say Bill, an Author of Course "A", is a Student for Course
>>>>> "B"
>>>>> and Teacher for Course "C". He should be able to enter each Course
>>>>> with
>>>>> appropriate role within one session.
>>>>>
>>>>> 3. Let's say Bill browses Repository. As an Author he should see
>>>>> editable
>>>>> versions of UMOs and be able to add them to his Course. As a Student
>>>>> and
>>>>> Teacher, he should see "view only" versions of UMO.
>>>>>
> Not quite. Nowhere in the spec it says that author can edit all objects.
>
> --
> Ilya A. Volynets-Evenbakh
> Total Knowledge. CTO
> http://www.total-knowledge.com
>
>