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Arnold K. Pizer - The classlist file and databse

Arnold K. Pizer - The classlist file and databse

by Arnold Pizer -
Number of replies: 0
inactiveTopicThe classlist file and databse topic started 8/22/2001; 11:24:24 AM
last post 8/22/2001; 11:28:04 AM
userArnold K. Pizer - The classlist file and databse  blueArrow
8/22/2001; 11:24:24 AM (reads: 1519, responses: 6)
Here is a running dialog which may help users who are confused with the concept of locking and unlocking the classlist database and the differences between the classlist file and the classlist database.

Hi Steve,

The way we handle classlists has changed since you last used WeBWorK (versions 1.4 and earlier). One thing is that classlists now have both sections and recitations. The main change is that you now do all classlist operations from the web. When you get a classlist from the registrar, go to the prof page, then the classlist page, and look at (near the bottom of the classlist page) importing claslists. You can either use Excel to get the registrar's classlist into the required format or use our readUR_classlist.pl (which you may have to modify to fit your registrar's format). The add students option on the prof page is for adding a few students by hand.

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userArnold K. Pizer - Re: The classlist file and databse  blueArrow
8/22/2001; 11:25:05 AM (reads: 1769, responses: 0)
Can you give me some more details (perhaps even an example where to look) of how the new class list works. What is a section as compard to a recitation? When you go to look at student scores, do you sort by recitation or section?

In physics, we just need one subdivision of the course, not two. Would it work best to call these "sections" or "recitations". What fields in class.lst do the section and recitation names go into? I want to update my recitation signup stuff so that it will but the right info into the right field.

Thanks, Steve

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userArnold K. Pizer - Re: The classlist file and databse  blueArrow
8/22/2001; 11:25:52 AM (reads: 1749, responses: 0)
Hi Steve,

The structure of the classlist file is given at:
http://webwork.math.rochester.edu/docs/docs/courseadmin/classlistformat.html

It's the same as before except that there is a new field for "recitations" immediately after the field for "sections".

The conceptual idea is that a large course is broken up into "sections" (e.g. taught by different profs) and independently into "recitations" taught by TA's. In reality they are two ways of partitioning students and are equal in every respect (e.g. you can sort by section or recitation, you can exclude certain sections or recitations from statistics, etc). In math we use the section field and don't yet use the recitation field --- you might want to do the opposite but it doesn't really matter. On the prof page the first item gives statistics by section and the second item gives statistics by recitation.

The major change is that WeBWorK uses the classlist database (as opposed to the classlist file) for almost everything. The classlist file is only a convenient way for getting data into (or out of) the classlist database. Assuming you can log into your course, to add student initially create a classlist and then go to the classlist page (not the add student page) and import the classlist file into the classlist database (being careful to select the options you want --- e.g. what to do about students who are in the current database but not in classlist file, what to do about email addresses for students who are in both the classlist database and the classlist file, etc, etc). After that if you are adding only a few new students, it's probably easier to add them directly from the add student page but if you want you can add them to a classlist file and then update the classlist database from the classlist file. Look at http://webhost.math.rochester.edu/webworkdocs/discuss/msgReader$283 for a useful hint on adding new students.

If you want to update the classlist from a classlist file, we suggest that you:

1. Lock the database (which means it can not be updated over the web) from the classlist page
2. Export the database to a classlist file (so that you have the current version)
3. Add who ever you want to the classlist file.
4. Import the database from the classlist file (this modifies the classlist database according to the options you choose - two backup are kept.)
5. You are finished at this point. Even though it breaks the symmetry, the database will be in an unlocked stage and thus ready web updating after an import.

Step 2 is not necessary, but it's not a bad idea to start with a current version of the database. That way if you make a mistake selecting options when you import, it probably won't matter since at worst you will be replacing info with identical info.

This is really not as confusing as it sounds. Select help at the bottom of the classlist page for more details.

Arnie

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userArnold K. Pizer - Re: The classlist file and databse  blueArrow
8/22/2001; 11:26:45 AM (reads: 1730, responses: 0)
Hi Arnie,

My real interest is in the following:

I want the prof to be able to start the class off on a problem set, using a class list that is uploaded from the registrar, as usual. For this first set, recitations have probably not yet been assigned.

Then the students sign up for recitations using my separate signup package runing under Frontier. I now want to have Frontier read the webwork class list and insert the recitations the student has signed up for into the proper field. Then I want to upload this revised class list, with recitations added, back to webwork and have the database suitably updated.

From what you wrote, I gather I want to follow the proceedure at the end of your message?

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userArnold K. Pizer - Re: The classlist file and databse  blueArrow
8/22/2001; 11:27:17 AM (reads: 1745, responses: 0)
That's correct. Look at the classlist page and you will see the options you have when importing a classlist file.

Arnie

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userArnold K. Pizer - Re: The classlist file and databse  blueArrow
8/22/2001; 11:27:41 AM (reads: 1764, responses: 0)
Hi Arnie,

I have tried to update the class list and database via the class list page. It seemed to work, following your instructions.

But I was not clear about what is the meaning of locking and unlocking the database. When do I want to lock it and when do I want to unlock it?

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userArnold K. Pizer - Re: The classlist file and databse  blueArrow
8/22/2001; 11:28:04 AM (reads: 1763, responses: 0)
Hi Steve,

Locking is meant to insure that no one changes the database while you are in the process of changing it via importing a classlist --- e.g. you do not want a student to change their email address or another Professor to change a student's name and then have you overwrite the change.

The normal mode for the database is unlocked --- this means it can updated over the web (e.g. students can change their email addresses, Prof's can add new students, etc). What can not be done when the database is unlocked is to either export it to or import it from a classlist file. If you lock the database, then export it to a classlist file, you are assured that the classlist database and the classlist file are identical.

So keep the classlist database unlocked except when you want to either export the classlist database to a classlist file or you want to import the classlist database from a classlist file. Importing automatically changes to mode to unlocked after the import since unlocked is the normal mode.

Arnie

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