Kathy Cannon's List: Moodle Implementation at Brandeis

• Got Latte? Brandeis University's Enterprise Moodle Implementation 

   

   Dembowitz, Lori; Hill, Janet; Lambert, Jim

• User requests for help with LATTE (and many other Library & Technology services) are managed using RT. The calls and emails initiate tickets. The initial support is handled at the Help Desk by well-trained student workers. Issues are then escalated to full-time staff in various groups. LATTE is supported by the Research and Instruction Services group. This group includes a small team of LATTE specialists (Moodle application administrators) that used to the LATTE Product Development team. - Kathy Cannon on 2009-07-28

• If a feature is complex or the maintainer does not understand it, the price of accepting the contribution may be higher than not having the feature.
• the code is not for you, it’s for everyone.
• Fight for boring code.
• While we like to say there are many kinds of contribution and room for everyone, realize that documentation may be so incredibly boring that no one wants to do it. Step up and do it yourself, in that case, it’s important
• it’s also possible to get too many feature requests, and a lot of bug reports to the extent of “I want a pony” — when code contributions and pre-release testing aren’t coming in at the rates you expect
• Folks do not assume all communities are welcoming, or that there is room to join a team
• those that will actually get involved in pre-release testing is quite low… so ask for help often
• It’s important to make sure that questions asked get answered, in a decently timely manner, in order to build a userbase that CAN help other users.
• Bottom line: the userbase builds the contributor base, so don’t neglect the userbase.
• The community network multiplier effect may double or triple your power some day, but initially it may only feel like a 5% boost (and even when it’s running on full stream, some days, it’s a power drain).

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