peer progress indicator research Initialisation

astro.config.mjs

@@ -256,6 +256,16 @@ export default defineConfig({
             directory: '/security',
           },
         },
+        {
+          label: 'Peer Progress Indicator',
+          items: [
+            {
+              label:'Research Document',
+              link: '/peer-progress-indicator/ppi-research/'
+            }
+
+          ]
+        }
       ],
     }),
   ],

src/content/docs/peer-progress-indicator/ppi-research.md

@@ -0,0 +1,304 @@
+---
+title: Peer Progress Indicator Research
+---
+
+## Team Member Names
+
+  **Name:** David Nganga\
+  **Section worked on:** Existing Systems & Features
+
+  **Name:** Faith Wandabwa\
+  **Section worked on:** Existing Systems & Features
+
+  **Name:** Mudith Makawitage\
+  **Section worked on:** Functional & non-functional requirements
+
+  **Name:** Sanjana Bottu\
+  **Section worked on:** Brainstorm & draft initial user stories
+
+
+## 1. Research: Existing Systems & Features
+
+### 1.1. Overview
+
+  This report examines Learning Management Systems (LMS), student facing
+  analytics dashboards, and project management platforms to identify
+  progress tracking features, privacy models, and design patterns suitable
+  for the OnTrack Peer Indicator System.
+
+  Currently, OnTrack provides:
+
+  - Individual task and portfolio progress
+
+  - Tutor feedback
+
+  However, it lacks peer visibility features. The following systems were
+  reviewed:
+
+  - Canvas
+
+  - Moodle
+
+  - My Learning Analytics (MyLA)
+
+  - GitHub
+
+### 1.2. Systems and Features Reviewed
+
+#### 1.2.1. Canvas LMS
+
+  - Displays progress via status labels: Complete, In Progress, Locked
+
+  - Instructor-only analytics dashboard
+
+  - No peer visibility
+
+  Key Ideas for OnTrack
+
+  - Status labels can map directly to OnTrack tasks
+
+  - Aggregate cohort data can be anonymised for students
+
+  Reference: <https://community.instructure.com/en/kb/articles/660912>
+
+#### 1.2.2. Moodle
+
+  - Uses progress bars and circular indicators
+
+  - Students see only their own progress
+
+  - Teachers access detailed reports
+
+  Key Ideas for OnTrack
+
+  - Familiar progress bar UI
+
+  - Reinforces need for built-in privacy (not retrofitted)
+
+  Reference: <https://docs.moodle.org/en/Tracking_progress>
+
+####  1.2.3. My Learning Analytics (MyLA)
+
+  - Privacy-first student analytics dashboard
+
+  - Uses anonymised performance bands (e.g., 90--100%)
+
+  - Visualisations include:
+
+    - Timeline activity
+
+    - Grade distributions
+
+    - Content popularity
+
+  Key Ideas for OnTrack
+
+  - Performance bands (On Track / Behind / Ahead)
+
+  - Anonymised cohort percentages
+
+  - Opt-in sharing + tutor controls
+
+  Reference:
+  <https://sites.google.com/umich.edu/my-learning-analytics-help/home/about-myla>
+
+####  1.2.4. GitHub
+
+  - Activity-based visibility (not grades)
+
+  - Contribution heatmap
+
+  - Public/private control
+
+  Key Ideas for OnTrack
+
+  - Activity heatmap (engagement only)
+
+  - Opt-in visibility model
+
+  Reference: <https://github.com>
+
+### 1.3. Privacy Controls
+
+
+All reviewed systems share a privacy-first philosophy. The table below
+maps key principles observed across systems to their application in our
+design. 
+
+|Privacy Principle | Observed In| Application to Peer Indicator System |
+|-----------------|-----------|-----------------------------------------|
+|Default opt-out / private | Canvas, Moodle, MyLA | All peer visibility is off by default. Students must explicitly opt in.|
+| Anonymised aggregates only | MyLA, Canvas (instructor view) | Group-level statistics shown (e.g., '72% of your tutorial completed Task 3'). No individual names or scores exposed.|
+| Performance band grouping | MyLA | Students grouped into broad bands (On Track / Slightly Behind / Ahead) to reduce direct comparison.|
+| Tutor enable / disable | MyLA, Moodle plugins | Tutors can turn the peer panel on or off per unit. Students cannot override this.|
+| Minimal data exposure | All systems reviewed | Only task status is shared no marks, feedback content, or submission scores.|
+| Right to withdraw | MyLA | Students can opt out at any time with immediate effect and no residual data retained in peer views. |
+
+
+### 1.4. Key Insights
+
+  What Works Well
+
+  - Anonymised Cohort Comparisons: Aggregate group-level data (e.g.,
+    \'your tutorial is 72% complete on average\') motivates students and
+    supports self-regulated learning without triggering direct
+    competition. This is the most well-supported finding across the
+    literature. (MyLA, General LADs)
+
+  - Visual, Glanceable Indicators: Progress bars, colour-coded status
+    icons, and activity heatmaps allow students to absorb progress
+    information instantly. Text-heavy reports are consistently less
+    effective for motivation. (Canvas, Moodle, GitHub)
+
+  - Seamless Dashboard Integration: MyLA succeeds because it embeds within
+    the existing student dashboard rather than requiring navigation to a
+    separate system. Our peer indicator should live within OnTrack\'s
+    existing student view.
+
+  - Tutor Oversight: Allowing tutors to enable or disable the peer panel
+    per unit prevents inappropriate use and gives staff control over
+    social dynamics in their cohort.
+
+  - Status Labels Over Scores: Simple labels (In Progress / Needs Help /
+    Complete) carry enough information for peer support without exposing
+    grades. OnTrack already has these statuses, making implementation
+    straightforward.
+
+  Potential Risks
+
+  - Social Comparison Anxiety: Visible peer data can increase anxiety in
+    students who see themselves as behind. Risk is highest when individual
+    names are shown. Mitigation: anonymised aggregates by default; named
+    data only with mutual opt-in.
+
+  - Gaming the System: Students may mark tasks complete prematurely if
+    progress is visible. Mitigation: maintain OnTrack\'s existing model
+    where only tutors can confirm final task completion.
+
+  - Privacy Legislation: Sharing student records without explicit,
+    revocable consent may breach the Australian Privacy Act and Deakin
+    University\'s data governance policies. Mitigation: opt-in model with
+    clear consent and right to withdraw.
+
+  - Leaderboard Backlash: Research consistently shows that ranking or
+    ordering students is negatively perceived. Avoid any ranking; use only
+    bands or aggregates.
+
+  ### 1.5. Recommended Features for OnTrack
+
+| Priority    | Feature                   | Description                                                                                                                       | Inspired By     |
+| ----------- | ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- |
+| Quick Win   | Cohort Progress Bar       | Anonymised bar showing percentage of the class that has completed each task. No names, low privacy risk, high motivational value. | MyLA, Canvas    |
+| Core        | Tutorial Group Peer Panel | Opt-in sidebar showing task status of peers in the same tutorial group. Visible only when both parties have opted in.             | MyLA, GitHub    |
+| Enhancement | Performance Band Summary  | Students grouped into On Track / Slightly Behind / Ahead rather than raw percentages to reduce comparison anxiety.                | MyLA            |
+| Enhancement | Activity Heatmap          | Weekly activity chart showing days a student engaged with tasks. Opt-in only; no grade or score data.                             | GitHub          |
+| Future      | 'Who Needs Help' Signal   | Aggregated count of students who flagged a task as 'Need Help', enabling peer or tutor support without naming individuals.        | Moodle, OnTrack |
+
+
+### 1.6. Comparison Summary
+
+ | System             | Category           | Peer Visibility     | Privacy Controls        | Key OnTrack Fit                           |
+| ------------------ | ------------------ | ------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
+| OnTrack (current)  | Academic LMS       | None                | Tutor-only              | Baseline add peer layer on top            |
+| Canvas             | Academic LMS       | None (students)     | Instructor-only         | Status label model                        |
+| Moodle             | Academic LMS       | Nonnative           | Instructor-only         | Progress bar UI pattern                   |
+| MyLA (U. Michigan) | Student Analytics  | Yes anonymised      | Consent-based, opt-in   | Strongest privacy model performance bands |
+| GitHub             | Project Management | Full (public repos) | Public / private toggle | Opt-in activity heatmap                   |
+
+
+## 2. User Stories
+
+Format: *As a \[user\], I want \[goal\] so that \[reason\]*
+
+**User Story 1**:
+
+As a student, I want to view the anonymised average progress of my
+tutorial group so that I can benchmark my own performance without seeing
+individual names.
+
+**User Story 2**:
+
+As a student, I want to see peers grouped into performance bands (On
+Track / Slightly Behind / Ahead) so that I can understand where I stand
+relative to the group.
+
+**User Story 3**:
+
+As a student, I want to opt-in (or opt-out at any time) to share my
+task-status data with my tutorial group so that I control my own
+privacy.
+
+**User Story 4**:
+
+As a tutor, I want to see an aggregated count of students who have
+flagged a specific task as difficult so that I can prioritise which
+tasks to address in my next tutorial session without singling out any
+individual student.
+
+**User Story 5**:
+
+As a tutor, I want to enable or disable the Peer Indicator panel for my
+entire unit so that I maintain oversight of social dynamics.
+
+**User Story 6**:
+
+As a tutor, I want to send a targeted in-app nudge to all students who
+have not yet started a task by a set date so that I can prompt action
+without revealing which specific students are behind. 
+
+## 3. Functional Requirements
+
+What the system must do.
+
+| ID  | Requirement                      | Description                                                                                                                                                                                      |
+| --- | -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
+| FR1 | View Peer Progress               | The system must allow students to view the progress of peers enrolled in the same unit or tutorial group using task completion data (e.g., percentage, completed tasks, or progress indicators). |
+| FR2 | Privacy Control (Opt-in/Opt-out) | The system must allow students to opt in or opt out of sharing their progress. Only students who opt in will have their progress included in peer views.                                         |
+| FR3 | Anonymised Display               | The system must display peer progress in an anonymised way (e.g., "Student A", averages, or ranges) unless explicit consent and policy allow identification.                                     |
+| FR4 | Tutor Configuration              | The system must allow tutors or unit staff to enable or disable the peer progress feature at unit or task level, ensuring appropriate use.                                                       |
+
+
+## 4. Non-Functional Requirements
+
+System quality requirements.
+
+| ID   | Category           | Requirement                                                                                                                                                                                    |
+| ---- | ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| NFR1 | Performance        | The system should display peer progress data quickly (within a few seconds) and support near real-time or cached updates without noticeable delay to users.                                    |
+| NFR2 | Security / Privacy | The system must protect student data by using existing OnTrack authentication and role-based access control. It must not expose identifiable progress data without user consent.               |
+| NFR3 | Accessibility      | The system must comply with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG), ensuring the interface is readable, usable with keyboard navigation, and does not rely only on colour to convey information. |
+| NFR4 | Scalability        | The system should support large numbers of students across multiple units without performance degradation and should scale as more users adopt the feature.                                    |
+
+## 5. Constraints (OnTrack Integration)
+
+- Must integrate with the existing task/portfolio model and task
+  statuses.
+
+- Must use current authentication system and user roles (student,
+  tutor).
+
+- Must respect the current Angular 17 migration state (components added
+  to migrated views only).
+
+- No new backend tables required -- reuse existing task-completion and
+  tutorial-group data.
+
+## 6. References
+
+
+1. Canvas Module Progress Guide:
+    <https://community.instructure.com/en/kb/articles/660912>
+
+2. Moodle Tracking Progress Documentation:
+    <https://docs.moodle.org/en/Tracking_progress>
+
+3. MyLA Dashboard Overview (University of Michigan):
+     <https://sites.google.com/umich.edu/my-learning-analytics-help/home/about-myla>
+
+4. Peer-Comparison Dashboards Research (ScienceDirect):
+    <https://www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/article/pii/S2050700319001141>
+
+5. Learning Analytics Dashboards Review (PMC):
+    <https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8853217/>
+
+6. GitHub: <https://github.com>