User Requirements
The TELSTAR project has a range of deliverables, many of them are in the form of documentation or reports. As we approach the end of the project, I will be posting drafts of various deliverables to this blog for public comment. This is the first of these posts.
Although this document is aimed at the requirements for software developed for the Open University, I hope it will prove useful to others, and as such I’d like to make sure it is understandable and possibly applicable to other situations. With this in mind I’d like to invite comments on the document, whether there are any parts that don’t make sense to you (especially those outside the Open University) and also if there is anything missing from these requirements that you would have expected to see there.
Introduction
Purpose of this document
This document formally describes the functional user requirements for the TELSTAR project at the Open University. It is part of the Prototype Technical Documentation which is a key deliverable of the project.
The Telstar Project is looking at how to integrate references to resources into a VLE, making it as easy as possible for students to access the referenced resources, while encouraging students (and teachers?) to adopt good practice in referencing and citations – e.g. Using an appropriate reference/citation style).
Scope of this document
This document is specifically focussed on the requirements of the TELSTAR project which is in turn based on the needs of stakeholders at the Open University.
Definitions
| Course Website | A protected website accessible only to those taking the course. Course Websites at the Open University are created using the Moodle VLE software |
| DOI | “A DOI® (Digital Object Identifier) is a name (not a location) for an entity on digital networks. It provides a system for persistent and actionable identification and interoperable exchange of managed information on digital networks.” http://www.doi.org/overview/sys_overview_021601.html |
| ePortfolio | “A purposeful collection of information and digital artifacts that demonstrates development or evidences learning outcomes, skills or competencies “(http://www.eportfolios.ac.uk/?pid=174) |
| ISBN | International Standard Book Number – “a … number that uniquely identifies book and book-like products published internationally” http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/isbnqa.asp#Q1 |
| Structured Content (SC) | An XML schema used by the Open University to author course material for publication in both print and online formats. |
General Description
Stakeholders
The Stakeholders for these user requirements are:
- Course teams (authors, administrators and clerical staff)
- Editorial staff
- Librarians
- Students
Common tasks
Course teams:
- Add a new reference to a piece of structured content
- Add new references to a Resource page on the Course website
- Create an RSS feed of references and add this to a Resource page on the Course website
- Add a new reference to an existing RSS feed of references
- Request ‘persistent’ URLs for resources from the library
Editors:
- Manually adjust the display format of a reference in structured content
- Check links from References to online resources work
- Request ‘persistent’ URLs for resources from the library
- Correct incorrect links from References to online resources
Librarians:
- Add a new reference to a Resource page on the Course website
- Create an RSS feed of references and add this to a Resource page on the Course website
- Add a new reference to an existing RSS feed of references
- Check links from References to online resources work
- Correct incorrect links from References to online resources
- Supply ‘persistent’ URLs for resources to Course teams and Editors
Students:
- Follow a link from a reference on the Course Website to a resource
- Add reference to their personal environment, from the Course Website and other sources
- Orgainse references by a variety of criteria
- Bookmark useful resources found online (via the Course Website or through other routes)
- Add references or citations to assessed pieces of work
- Create a bibliography for assessed pieces of work
Methodology
The requirements listed here were compiled through a number of routes:
- Interviews with individual stakeholders
- Focus groups with stakeholders, specifically library staff and students
- Usage statistics from existing systems that provide relevant functionality
- Anecdotal feedback provided to the library over time
Functional Requirements
1. References within Structured Content
|
Number |
Requirement |
Mandatory (M)/Desirable (D)/Future Enhancement (E) |
|
1.1 |
It should be possible to enter new reference details via a simple form |
M |
|
1.2 |
It should be possible to capture new reference details by supplying minimal metadata such as a DOI or ISBN |
D |
|
1.3 |
It should be possible to format the references within SC (Structured Content) to follow the OU Style Guide specification for references |
M |
|
1.4 |
It should be possible to format the references within SC (Structured Content) in a variety of other citation/referencing styles |
D |
|
1.5 |
It should be possible to manually adjust the reference text as displayed (i.e. the style) while maintaining the link to structured reference data |
M |
|
1.6 |
It should be possible to indicate if reading/viewing a resource is required or optional |
D |
|
1.7 |
Links to online versions of printed references should be created automatically where possible |
M |
|
1.8 |
It should be possible to manually insert a link into a reference and use this in preference to the automatically created link |
M |
|
1.9 |
It should be possible to suppress the display of a link from a reference to an online resource |
D |
|
1.10 |
Any links to online versions of resources should be persistent over time |
M |
|
1.11 |
Any links to online versions of resources should be accompanied by a full reference to the resource (in the style agreed for the course) |
M |
|
1.12 |
Students should be able to export all references, or a subset of references, to their ePortfolio |
M |
|
1.13 |
Students should be able to export all references, or a subset of references, to other formats of their choice |
D |
| 1.14 | It should be possible to check all links to online resources from structured content are valid, preferably by some automated process | M |
2. References to Resources on Course Websites (excluding structured content)
|
Number |
Requirement |
Mandatory/Desirable |
|
2.1 |
It should be possible to enter new reference details via a simple form |
M |
|
2.2 |
It should be possible to capture new reference details by supplying minimal metadata such as a DOI or ISBN |
D |
|
2.3 |
Links to online versions of printed references should be created automatically where possible |
M |
|
2.4 |
It should be possible to manually insert a link into a reference and use this in preference to the automatically created link |
M |
|
2.5 |
It should be possible to suppress the display of a link from a reference to an online resource |
D |
|
2.6 |
Any links to online versions of resources should be persistent over time |
M |
|
2.7 |
Any links to online versions of resources should be accompanied by a full reference to the resource (in the style agreed for the course) |
M |
|
2.8 |
It should be possible to link references to the relevant courses |
M |
|
2.9 |
It should be possible to display all the references linked to a specific course, within the relevant course context |
M |
|
2.10 |
It should be possible set the order in which references appear when displayed within a course context |
M |
|
2.11 |
It should be possible to group references under different headings when displayed within a course context |
M |
|
2.12 |
It should be possible for a student to export a subset of, or all, references to their ePortfolio |
M |
|
2.13 |
Students should be able to export all references, or a subset of references, to their ePortfolio |
M |
|
2.14 |
Students should be able to export all references, or a subset of references, to other formats of their choice |
D |
|
2.15 |
It should be possible to manually adjust the reference text as displayed (i.e. the style) while maintaining the link to structured reference data |
M |
| 2.16 | It should be possible to check all links to online resources from resource pages are valid, preferably by some automated process | M |
3. References in ePortfolios
|
Number |
Requirement |
Mandatory/Desirable |
|
3.1 |
It should be possible to enter new reference details via a simple form |
M |
|
3.2 |
It should be possible to capture new reference details by supplying minimal metadata such as a DOI or ISBN |
D |
|
3.3 |
It should be possible to capture reference details from Resource pages on Course Websites |
M |
|
3.4 |
It should be possible to capture reference details from Structured Content on Course Websites |
M |
|
3.5 |
It should be possible to edit references previously added to the ePortfolio |
M |
|
3.6 |
It should be possible to organize references into groups (e.g. by tagging or organization into folders) |
M |
|
3.7 |
It should be possible to add references to existing organizational groups |
M |
|
3.8 |
It should be possible to remove references from existing organizational groups |
M |
|
3.9 |
Where a link is automatically generated to an online versions of the resources that is not available to the student, they should be directed to a page explaining the problem and offering further support. |
D |
|
3.10 |
It should be possible to create a list of references from the ePortfolio in a variety of citation/referencing styles |
M |
|
3.11 |
It should be possible to export a set of references from an ePortfolio to an appropriately styled bibliography in a Word compatible file format |
D |
|
3.12 |
It should be possible to export a set of references from an ePortfolio to a file that could be imported into other bibliographic management systems |
M |
|
3.13 |
It should be possible add comments to a reference within an ePortfolio |
M |
|
3.14 |
It should be possible to share a reference from an ePortfolio with other students |
M |
|
3.15 |
It should be possible to add comments to shared references |
D |
|
3.16 |
It should be possible to automatically import references relevant to the student’s current course registrations |
E |
|
3.17 |
It should be possible to add files as attachments (e.g. PDFs) to references |
E |
| 3.18 | It should be possible to see local library service options for references that are not available online. E.g. Option to see if a local public or University library has a copy of the resource | E |
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