Did you know that Panorama, is open-sourced and free to use?
Back in 2020, when we found that Insights didn’t cover most aspects of our customer’s data requirements and it was in process of deprecation, we started developing Panorama as a complete, modular and extensible analytics solution for Open edX and more.
The core of Panorama is it’s ELT agent, which can be seamless installed in any Open edX instance using the tutor-contrib-panorama plugin. Contributions are welcome!
In the many years that Panorama has been out, we have collected quite a number of questions from Open edX operators. Here we summarize the most FAQ that we receive from Open edX site administrators regarding Open edX analytics:
Q: How can I use Panorama for free?
A: Just install the tutor-contrib-panorama plugin and follow the instructions in the README file to setup your AWS data lake. Then connect your favorite BI system and you’re all set.
Q: Can it be even easier?
A: Of course, we offer you two more options: a SaaS version where we solve all the data lake and visualization out of the box and take care of everything, or we can assist you in building your own data infrastructure. We can also help you make the best decision, considering your business needs and budget.
Q: Is it cloud-agnostic?
A: Thanks to its modular design, Panorama can connect to any data lake, data warehouse or database technology, self-hosted or in any cloud. Let us know your requirements and we can build a connector for your use case.
Q: Can I see how it works?
A: Just register for free in Panorama. This is the actual production system (with anonymized data)! So you will have the real experience that users of our SaaS offering get. But it is not all! Contact us at PANORAMA™: Open edX Analytics - Aulasneo to get a personalized demo and see all the advanced features that we can offer.
Q: Can I try Panorama SaaS for free with my real data?
A: Yes, contact us and we will provide you credentials and instructions to try Panorama SaaS for free.
Q: How long has Panorama been available? Is maintenance assured?
A: We first announced the launch of Panorama in September 2020 in an Open edX meetup. Since then, we’ve run a long road of learning, improvement and growth. We have presented Panorama in the IEEE LwMOOCs conference in 2023. Visit our blog page to know about data applications and success stories using Panorama. Since then, we are fully committed to operate and maintain the project up-to-date, as it is a core component of our business.
Q: So what’s the benefit of being an Aulasneo customer?
A: Our Open edX customers get the full Panorama SaaS as part of their plan, or at discounted rates, and we take care of everything, including infrastructure costs. Additionally, our Data Engineering team helps them build specific data pipelines and dashboards to suit your particular information needs.
Q: Does it support any kind of AI feature?
A: Wow… the answer is YES! AI enabled users can make natural language questions to get immediate answers and create their own dashboards using generative AI. Call us to get a demo!
Q: I am very concerned about data privacy and ownership. How do you manage that?
A: As AWS consulting service provider, we follow the best practices to protect customer data as part of our SaaS service. However if you want to have full control and ownership of your data, you can connect Panorama to your own data lake and apply your own security policies. If you need help, contact us and we will be happy to support you building the data infrastructure that best suits your needs.
Q: Can I see statistics like enrollments, gradings, video views out of the box?
A: Our SaaS offering brings all the most requested reports out of the box, from basic reports (enrollments, certificates, grades, attendance, etc.) to detailed user activity (video views, forum activity, time spent in each unit, etc.). If you install Panorama on your own, you can still build your own dashboards with the data available.
Q: Can I create my own dashboards?
A: Yes you can! You can choose to create your own dashboards, or we can help you do that. Data analytics is quite a complex discipline, and it’s sometimes tricky to get the expected outcomes. Don’t let it disappoint you! Our Data Engineering team can help you shape data to get the most valuable insights and allow you to make informed decisions.
Q: Our Open edX instance is provided or managed by another company. Do I have to move to Aulasneo Open edX to get Panorama?
A: Not at all! Panorama integrates seamlessly with any Open edX installation, no matter the service provider. It works even in self-hosted Open edX installations. Contact us to know all the benefits of becoming an Aulasneo customer.
Q: I already have another analytics system in my Open edX. Can I still use Panorama?
Definitely. Panorama will not interfere with other analytics system. Try Panorama and then make your choice. If you need any help, just contact us and we will be happy to support you.
Q: Our version of Open edX is quite outdated. Can I still have Panorma?
A: Of course! The tutor-contrib-panorama plugin is available starting with Lilac. If you have an even older version or do not use Tutor, contact us to adapt it.
Q: We do not use Tutor to manage Open edX. Can we still have Panorama?
A: Absolutely! You can use the ELT agent directly. Contact us to know more about specific options.
Q: Can I have multiple users and control what can each user view?
A: Of course. One option is to assign specific dashboards to a user or group of users. Another approach is to share the same dashboards to multiple users, but control which data can each one access. For example, you can have a generic enrollment dashboard but allow the teachers to view only the courses for which they are assigned.
Q: Can I connect data from other sources, like my CRM or an external survey tool?
A: Yes! That’s one of the strong points of Panorama. It can connect to multiple datasources and cross join data with your LMS. This way you can get deeper insights considering external sources of information, as demographics, specific profile attributes, level of satisfaction, etc. together with grading, certificates, time spent on content, engagement and so on.
Q: I manage a large institution with multiple Open edX instances. Can I have a consolidated view of all the information?
A: Yes again! The Panorama data pipeline is designed to host an unlimited number of LMS, and then you can choose to have a consolidated view or filter by LMS.
Q: We are a B2B service company that offers Open edX to our customers. Can we increase the value of our service by including analytics like this?
A: Absolutely. Contact us, we are open to create partnerships that enhance the total value offered to the community. To create win-win, long-term relationships is part of our core principles.
Q: Sorry for the question… but besides my Open edX I also have a Moodle instance. Can I integrate it to Panorama?
A: Wait, wait, wait… this is the Open edX forum, the best open source LMS in the market. But… how can I say no? Contact us if you want know more and keep up with the news!
Here some screenshots of what you can get:
Select your dashboard
Apply filters
Watch overall statistics
Ask questions in natural language and let AI build the report for you
Get time-bond trends, drill down or up and focus on values
Localized analyses
Detailed listings with export feature
Engagement reports
Engagement heat map
Get video usage insights
