The Aspects Plugin for Tutor is an analytics system that integrates several open-source tools to provide powerful insights into learner engagement and course performance on the Open edX platform. It simplifies the installation, configuration, and deployment of key analytics tools, allowing educators and administrators to make data-driven decisions.

Why Use the Aspects Plugin for Tutor?

With this plugin, you can:

• Enable real-time and historical analytics for Open edX courses.
• Use ClickHouse, a fast and scalable analytics database.
• Visualize data with Apache Superset dashboards, embedded directly in the Learning Management System (LMS).
• Store and validate xAPI learning records using OpenFUN Ralph.
• Convert Open edX tracking logs into xAPI using Event-Routing-Backends.
• Forward logs and xAPI data using Vector.
• Manage and automate SQL-based data pipelines with dbt.

How Does the Aspects Plugin for Tutor Work?

Compatibility

• Requires Tutor v15.0.0 or later
• Supports Open edX Nutmeg and later

Installation

Aspects is implemented as a Tutor plugin. To install it, follow these steps:

1. Install Tutor following the Tutor Installation Guide
2. Create an Admin User (Refer to the Tutor Setup Guide)
3. Install and Enable the Plugin:

            
pip install tutor-contrib-aspects
            
tutor plugins enable aspects
            
tutor config save
        

4. Rebuild Docker Images:

            
tutor images build openedx --no-cache
            
tutor images build aspects aspects-superset
        

5. Initialize the Environment:

            
tutor local do init
        

Data Population Options

To visualize data, choose one of the following options:

• Generate test data:

            
tutor local do load-xapi-test-data
        

• Import a demo course and create real data: 

Follow the official steps for Open edX demo courses.

• Interact with the course to generate data: 

Enroll in courses, complete quizzes, and watch videos to generate real learning data.

• Sync data from an existing Tutor installation:

            
tutor local do dump-data-to-clickhouse --options “--object course_overviews”
            
tutor local do transform-tracking-logs --source_provider LOCAL -–source_config ‘{“key”: “/openedx/data”, “container”: “logs”, “prefix”: “tracking.log”}’ -–transformer_type xapi
        

Superset and Autoscaling

Superset Assets

Aspects maintains Superset dashboards, charts, and datasets in the repository. Local modifications will be overwritten during updates unless saved separately.

To rebuild and re-import Superset assets:

            
tutor images build aspects-superset --no-cache
            
tutor local do import-assets
        

Autoscaling

Aspects supports Kubernetes autoscaling for Ralph, Superset, and Superset Worker via the Pod Autoscaling plugin. Modify autoscaling settings as needed.

Contributing Charts and Dashboards

To contribute Superset dashboards:

1. Fork the repository and set up a local Tutor instance with Aspects installed.
2. Work on the non-localized versions of the dashboards.
3. Export the dashboard using Superset’s Export feature.

Use the command:

            
tutor aspects import_superset_zip ~/Downloads/your_file.zip
        

1. Update database connection strings to use template variables.

Validate and rebuild:

            
tutor images build aspects-superset --no-cache
            
tutor aspects check_superset_assets
            
tutor local do import-assets
        

1. Submit a pull request with screenshots and details of your contributions.

Key Features

• Quick installation and Tutor compatibility
• Seamless integration with Open edX tracking logs
• Scalable and customizable analytics architecture
• Prebuilt Superset dashboards for data visualization
• Automated reports and alerts for learner engagement

Configuration Variables

The plugin supports the following environment variables:

• ASPECTS_VERSION: The plugin version
• ASPECTS_DOCKER_IMAGE: The Docker image used for Aspects
• ASPECTS_SUPERSET_IMAGE: The Docker image for Superset analytics
• CLICKHOUSE_HOST: The hostname for ClickHouse database
• RALPH_HOST: The hostname for OpenFUN Ralph Learning Record Store

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues, refer to:

• Tutor Documentation
• Open edX Community Forum

License

This software is open-source and licensed under AGPLv3, encouraging collaboration and innovation in the Open edX community.