Automated Extensions on Moodle
Update from the DLE Team
Course rollover: the mappings you created for importing extensions will need to be recreated for your Moodle courses each academic year due to the change in module delivery details and student enrolment data.
After Course Rollover, you will see that the previous year’s override groups that were imported from Portico for students with RAA extensions will still be visible without student data. Please remove these groups as you will be able to import new extension data to the relevant activities for the current academic year.
Confused about extensions? See Which extension when guide!
- 1 Getting started
- 2 Creating a mapping and importing the extensions
- 2.1 Notes
- 3 Reasonable Academic Adjustments
- 4 DAPs and ECs
- 5 Frequently asked questions
- 5.1 What if there are changes after the extensions have been imported?
- 5.2 What will the student see?
- 5.3 Can you still use marks transfer?
- 5.4 What about combined extensions?
- 5.5 What if I have already set up my override groups and users on Moodle?
- 5.6 What should I do if there are students missing or incorrect data in the extension import?
- 6 What’s next?
Getting started
The Moodle-SITS extensions integration works with Moodle Assignment, Quiz, Lesson or Coursework. Extension types include Reasonable Academic Adjustments (RAAs), Extenuating Circumstances (ECs) and Delayed Assessment Permits (DAPs).
Firstly, you should check the assessment type is eligible for extensions in Portico. Please note oral presentations are not currently eligible for automated extensions due to departments having differing processes for assessing these on Moodle. In addition, automated adjustments are not provided for group assignments on Moodle at the moment due to the complexities in implementing individual adjustments to a collective assessment. However, panels may consider the impact of an individual extension on a group if needed so manual overrides would still be an option.
You can generate a report to show students on a module with approved RAAs, DAPs and EC mitigations. The report shows on screen and can also be exported to excel using the Export to Excel button. Once you feel confident with Moodle extension imports, this will no longer be necessary.
If the assessment type is eligible and there are students with approved extensions on the module, you will need to create a mapping with the “import extensions” checkbox ticked on the Moodle SITS Marks Transfer page. The extensions integration currently works with Moodle assignment, quiz, Lesson or Coursework.
Creating a mapping and importing the extensions
Step 1 – go to “SITS Marks Transfer”
Step 2 – choose “Select source” next to the relevant SITS assessment
Step 3 – select the relevant Moodle assignment, quiz, lesson or coursework plugin.
Step 4 – tick the checkbox “Import extensions” in the Map SITS assessment able then click the “Confirm” button.
Step 5 - Once the mapping has been confirmed, a link to view the generated extensions will appear for direct access to the relevant assessment overrides. Click this “View extensions” link.
Notes
We usually recommend assessment mappings are set up in SITS Marks Transfer when a Moodle assessment activity is added to a Moodle course at the start of the year, so if you have already set up a mapping to the SITS assessment and the Moodle activity is not yet marked, you will need to go into SITS Mark Transfer again, remove and then re-add the source, with the “import extensions” checkbox ticked, to import the extensions.
Automated extensions now also incorporate the option for a Moodle assignment “cut-off” date in addition to “due date”. If you have already added the assignment, you can re-sync it by going to the setting page of that moodle assignment then simply click “Save and return to course” or “Save and display” without changing any settings.
Reasonable Academic Adjustments
For Reasonable Academic Adjustments, once the mapping has been created, any extension data will appear within a few minutes in a group in the “Group overrides” page for the relevant assessment activity.
This will appear in the following format: RAA-Activity-<Activity-ID>-Extension-<number>day(s)<number>hr(s)<number>min(s)
To see which students have been given this group override, simply click the group name. RAA override groups are set to "Only see own membership".
DAPs and ECs
For DAPs and ECs, once the mapping has been created, any extension data will appear within a few minutes on the “User overrides page” for the relevant activity.
A table of student names with their override type and new assignment due date or new quiz closing time will appear.
Frequently asked questions
What if there are changes after the extensions have been imported?
A scheduled task will run to check for any updates on Portico. Any updates should be reflected in Moodle within 5 mins.
RAA extension details can be updated up to five minutes before the assignment due date and time, or quiz closing time. If a student has a RAA approved after the deadline or an administrator adds the details late, their extension will need to be set up manually.
ECs extension details can be updated after the assignment due date and time, or quiz closing time.
Please note that for ECs and DAPs, if the main assessment deadline is updated on Portico (not the extension details), the Moodle activity will not be updated with the new deadline +EC/DAP extension. It remains on the old deadline +EC/DAP extension.
What will the student see?
Once overrides have been generated, students will see their new submission date/time or quiz closing date/time.
Can you still use marks transfer?
Course administrators will be able to use marks transfer for these students in the same way as for standard submissions.
What about combined extensions?
Please be aware that if a RAA extension and a EC or DAP extension exists for the same student, the EC or DAP extension will take precedence.
What if I have already set up my override groups and users on Moodle?
If you wish to use automated extensions on a Moodle course, we recommend deleting any manual overrides you have created already since Portico should be the source of truth and is continually updated anyway.
However, if your existing manual overrides are overwritten by imported extensions and you realise you want to revert to them, you can simply remove the mapping in the marks transfer wizard and then re-map without choosing to import extensions. The automated extensions would be deleted and manual overrides would be restored.
What should I do if there are students missing or incorrect data in the extension import?
If you experience any issues, please check the details are correct on Portico in the first instance. If Portico data is as expected and imported data is inaccurate, please report this to Digital Education Support via My Services so we can investigate as a special case.
What’s next?
The DLE team are working on:
Extensions for multiple deadline groups, i.e. one Moodle exam with more than one sitting
Warning if due dates differ between Moodle and SITS
Reassessments
Formative assessments
The SITS team are looking into:
Better defining assessments in Portico