LSApp

Learning Support Administration Application

A "Meta-ELM" system for managing course and class session metadata. LSApp integrates Development, Delivery, and Operations with a central repository of metadata and communications for all aspects of course creation and delivery.

Overview

LSApp is not an LMS/ELM - it doesn't manage registration, course content delivery, or any learner interface. Instead, it contains all the data associated with courses and class sessions necessary to input that information into the LMS (ELM).

Features

• Course Management - Each course gets its own page listing all associated metadata, materials, checklists, and upcoming classes
• Class Management - Each class gets its own page listing everything about that class, including notes and change history
• Change Tracking - Changes are submitted and tracked on course/class pages with full context
• Venue Management - Basic venue management for in-person sessions
• ELM Integration - Weekly course stats import with status updates, enrollment numbers, and audit tools
• Dashboards
  • Upcoming classes
  • Incomplete change requests
  • Unclaimed service requests
  • Person-specific dashboards

Access Control

• Integrated with Single Sign-On (IDIR)
• Simple role-based ACL: super, admin, internal, external

Requirements

• PHP 5.4+ (runs with minimal modules)
• Web server with REMOTE_USER environment variable support
• Docker (optional, for containerized deployment)

Installation

Docker (Recommended)

git clone <repository-url>
cd lsapp
cp -r /path/to/data ./data
docker build -t lsapp .
docker run -d -p 8080:8080 --name lsapp-container lsapp

Manual

1. Clone the repository to your web server document root
2. Copy the data folder with CSV files (see CSV Schema for structure)
3. Configure your web server to serve PHP files
4. Ensure REMOTE_USER is populated by your authentication layer

Data Structure

LSApp uses CSV files as its flat-file database. See docs/CSV_SCHEMA.md for complete documentation of all data file structures and column mappings.

Technical History

LSApp evolved through several stages:

1. Excel Era - Started as 8+ Excel spreadsheets with VBScripts for validation
2. Access Era - Migrated to Access, merging spreadsheets into a single data model
3. PHP Era - Rebuilt in PHP to run on existing infrastructure with SSO support

The decision to use CSV files and simple procedural PHP was deliberate - it allowed deployment within existing constraints without requiring database servers or PHP upgrades. The application went live in 2019.

Evolution

Originally focused on in-person training with physical venues and material shipping. Since 2020, the focus has shifted to eLearning and webinars, which now account for the vast majority of the catalog.

Project Structure

lsapp/
├── data/           # CSV data files
├── docs/           # Documentation
├── course-change/  # Course change request handling
├── class-change/   # Class change request handling
├── includes/       # Shared PHP includes
└── ...

Contributing

This is an internal application. Contact the development team for contribution guidelines.

License

Internal use only.