Moodle

Allow Admin to flag fields in user profiles as required and sortable

Details

  • Type: Improvement Improvement
  • Status: Open Open
  • Priority: Major Major
  • Resolution: Unresolved
  • Affects Version/s: 1.6
  • Fix Version/s: None
  • Component/s: Administration, Enrolments
  • Labels:
    None
  • Environment:
    Moodle 1.8
  • Affected Branches:
    MOODLE_16_STABLE

Description

Currently, students are required to input user ID, password, last name, first name, e-mail, city, and a message. All but the last appear on the user account list, and most appear on the gradebook. However, at most colleges/universities, students are administered by a student ID number. This is the one piece of information that needs to be available for searching, gradebook sorting, and accurate user account administration.
Non-English speaking students (I use Moodle for TESL in Japan) frequently put their surnames in the "first name" field. When they write their name in the local script, the sorting algorithm sorts the names wrong. Student IDs would solve this.
I am aware that there is a similar field buried deep in the user profile. To see it we have to open each single user profile, and we cannot see it, nor can we sort by it in the gradebook or course participant list.
Those admins/teachers who like the status quo can simply refrain from setting student ID as a required/sortable field.

Issue Links

Activity

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Peter Tischer added a comment - - edited

I completely agree with implementing these options, especially the "required"-flag for fields which Moodle does not need in order to function properly. I would just look at it from another angle and advocate the possibilty of reducing the number of required fields to a strict minimum. At our institution, for example, the place of residence is often unknown and usually irrelevant, forcing us to enter false and/or useless information.

I would, however, add that those fields which which a moodle user absolutely needs to use the platform (user ID, password, and e-mail) will probably have to remain mandatory. This may not only be of importance for the learner, but also necessary to allow Moodle to function properly.

But I guess that the whole issue should be viewed in connection with issue http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-778 anyway and may be treated in this connection.

Show
Peter Tischer added a comment - - edited I completely agree with implementing these options, especially the "required"-flag for fields which Moodle does not need in order to function properly. I would just look at it from another angle and advocate the possibilty of reducing the number of required fields to a strict minimum. At our institution, for example, the place of residence is often unknown and usually irrelevant, forcing us to enter false and/or useless information. I would, however, add that those fields which which a moodle user absolutely needs to use the platform (user ID, password, and e-mail) will probably have to remain mandatory. This may not only be of importance for the learner, but also necessary to allow Moodle to function properly. But I guess that the whole issue should be viewed in connection with issue http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-778 anyway and may be treated in this connection.
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Teresa Gibbison added a comment -

I would also like to see 'username' and 'idnumber' fields searchable, e.g. when the teacher is adding participants and/or working with group membership.

Also, can this issue be updated to reflect Moodle 1.9?

Show
Teresa Gibbison added a comment - I would also like to see 'username' and 'idnumber' fields searchable, e.g. when the teacher is adding participants and/or working with group membership. Also, can this issue be updated to reflect Moodle 1.9?
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Mark Berthelemy added a comment -

Hi,

I missed this earlier when I did a tracker search. So there's a duplicate report in MDL-16270 - but the new one relates to 1.9 as well.

Mark

Show
Mark Berthelemy added a comment - Hi, I missed this earlier when I did a tracker search. So there's a duplicate report in MDL-16270 - but the new one relates to 1.9 as well. Mark
Hide
Teresa Gibbison added a comment -

Can we revisit this issue of Admins allowing some fields to be optional? Perhaps up the version to 1.9? I see Moodle 2.0 allows the username & idnumber to be included in the search criteria now.
Cheers
Teresa

Show
Teresa Gibbison added a comment - Can we revisit this issue of Admins allowing some fields to be optional? Perhaps up the version to 1.9? I see Moodle 2.0 allows the username & idnumber to be included in the search criteria now. Cheers Teresa
Hide
Wen Hao Chuang added a comment -

yeah it would be nice if someone can backport this feature from 2.1.x back to 1.9.x....

Show
Wen Hao Chuang added a comment - yeah it would be nice if someone can backport this feature from 2.1.x back to 1.9.x....
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Nicholas Koeppen added a comment -

Is there any progress on this issue? Do we need people working on this? I would rather spend my time fixing this than writing the custom code we need: my time will go much further.

Please let me know if there is any effort underway and how I can help get this implemented going forward at least into Moodle 2.x.

Show
Nicholas Koeppen added a comment - Is there any progress on this issue? Do we need people working on this? I would rather spend my time fixing this than writing the custom code we need: my time will go much further. Please let me know if there is any effort underway and how I can help get this implemented going forward at least into Moodle 2.x.

Dates

  • Created:
    Updated: