Evolution of Sakai: Collaborative Learning Infrastructure Development

1. Sakai Update Suzanne Thorin Dean of University Libraries, Indiana University James L. Hilton Associate Provost, University of Michigan

2. Around the middle of 2003… • Indiana, Stanford, MIT and U Michigan had all developed learning management systems, which were approaching EOL, and were talking internally about NG systems • The Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI) at MIT was developing APIs for learning management systems - involving many universities (UMichigan, IndianaU, Stanford, and MIT were all strong participants) • Java Community Process (JCP) produced JSR-168 - The “unified” portal standard API • Oasis developed the Web Services for Remote Portals (WSRP) standard • The open-source uPortal portal project had quietly moved into the #1 open source portal (#4 including commercial vendors) position

3. Why we went down the Sakai path • Legacy system with no positive trajectory forward • Saw market consolidation in CMS • Saw the potential of tapping core competence and starting a virtuous cycle of development/teaching/research • Strategic desire to blur the distinction between the laboratory/classroom between knowledge creation/digestion • NRC report and the need for collaboration • A moment in time opportunity (Mellon and synchronization) • Leverage links between open source, open access and culture of the academy/wider world

4. The Sakai Project The University of Michigan, MIT, Stanford, Indiana University, and now over 45 other universities have joined in an international effort to develop the next generation of software infrastructure and tools to support research and teaching. • Complete Course Management System • Research Support Collaboration System, • Enterprise Services-based Portal,

5. Student Student Student Staff 1 Staff 2 Staff 3 Portal Middle East News Feed Discussion Forum Discussion Forum Resource Management Collaborative Project Portlet ASUC Middle East Discussion Portlet What is SAKAI? • Sakai ≠Course Management System • Sakai = Collaboration & Learning Environment Use for teaching/learning/research and many other online group activities.

6. Supporting the Class

7. Supporting the Lab

8. Bringing the lab to the classroom

9. Sakai Project Core Universities • Each of the 4 Core Universities Commits • 5+ developers/architects, etc. under Sakai Board project direction for 2 years • Public commitment to implement Sakai • Open/Open licensing – “Community Source” • So, overall project levels • $4.4M in institutional staff (27 FTE) • $2.4M Mellon, $300K Hewlett • Additional investment through partners

10. July 04 May 05 Dec 05 Jan 04 170 attend Partner’s Conf Activity: Maintenance & Transition from aproject to a community • Michigan • CHEF Framework • CourseTools • WorkTools • Indiana • Navigo Assessment • Eden Workflow • OneStart • Oncourse • MIT • Stellar • Stanford • CourseWork • Assessment • OKI • OSIDs • uPortal • Sakai 1.0 Release • Tool Portability Profile • Framework • Services-based Portal • Refined OSIDs & implementations • Sakai Tools • Complete CMS • Assessment • Sakai 2.0 Release • TPP • Framework • Services-based Portal • Sakai Tools • Complete CMS • Assessment • Workflow • Research Tools • Authoring Tools "Best of" Refactoring Activity: Ongoing implementation work at local institution… Primary Sakai Activity Architecting for JSR-168 Portlets and Web Services for Remote Portals (WSRP) standard Re-factoring “best of” features for tools Conforming tools to Technology Portability Profile Primary Sakai Activity Refining Sakai Framework,Tuning and conforming additional tools Intensive community building/training Sakai Project Timeline

11. Sakai Project Deliverables Working Code – CMS/CLE- Collaboration and Learning Environment – Sakai 1.0 • Course management system – core tools plus • Quizzing and assessment tools, [ePortfolio from OSPI], etc • Research collaboration system • Portal (uPortal 2.3, 3.x) Modular tools - also pre-integrated to work out of the box Tool Portability Profile • Specifications for writing portable software to achieve application ‘code mobility’ among institutions – modular tools and services Synchronized development, adoptions at Michigan, Indiana, MIT, Stanford – Sakai 1.0 is the next generation for CourseWork, CHEF, Oncourse, Stellar

12. In production use With >22,000 users at U Michigan Limited Pilot at IU now…Full Pilot in January

13. Integration of Contentand Services:Still More than One Click Away Suzanne E. Thorin University Dean of Libraries and Associate Vice President for Digital Library Development Indiana University December 7, 2004

14. 2003 Campus Computing Project • 94% of colleges and universities were using one or more commercial courseware systems • 40% of the courses being taught were using courseware tools • Current developments: • Open access online learning environment • E-portfolios • Portals • Content management systems • Student information systems

15. Academic Technology Environment • “Why IT Has Not Paid Off As We Had Hoped (Yet)” Authors: • Edward L. Ayers • Charles M. Grisham http://www.itc.virginia.edu/virginia.edu/spring04/hope.htm

16. Academic Technology Environment • “American higher education has created a doughnut IT infrastructure: all periphery and no center.” (Ayers/Grisham)

17. Sakai Project Founders Indiana University JA-SIG MIT OKI Stanford University University of Michigan ARL SEPP Members: Arizona State University Brown University Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth Georgetown University Harvard University Johns Hopkins University New York University Northwestern University Ohio State University Princeton University State University of New York University of Arizona University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Santa Barbara University of Colorado at Boulder University of Delaware University of Hawaii University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign University of Oklahoma University of Texas, Austin University of Virginia University of Washington University of Wisconsin, Madison Yale University Sakai Partners andSEPP Members

18. Partners and Cultures • Why should we do this and why do it together?

20. Digital Journals and Books University of Michigan Humanities Text Initiative

21. Digital Text University of Iowa and University of Nebraska Walt Whitman Archive University of Virginia Thomas Jefferson Digital Archive

22. Digital Images Duke University Papyrus Archive Indiana University Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection

24. Sheet Music Indiana University Sheet Music Collection

25. Music Scores Indiana University Cook Music Library

26. Geographical & Numerical Data Modified crime index (crime index and arson) Absolute number

27. Environment Complexities • “Digital Library Content and Course Management Systems:Issues of Interoperation,” Report of a study group Co-Chairs: • Dale Flecker, Associate Director for Planning & Systems, Harvard University Library • Neil McLean, Director, IMS Australia http://www.diglib.org/pubs/cmsdl0407/

28. Current Efforts • IMS Learning Global Consortium http://www.imsglobal.org/

29. http://www.diglib.org/aquifer/index.htm

30. Creating Content • “At various points, they write, leading professional, corporate, and philanthropic organizations have stepped up to the partner with teachers and students. . . But there is still a disappointing lack of support for digital materials for teaching and scholarship. In general, reference materials, textbook ancillary. . . Teaching modules are being produced in a sort of desktop-publishing model. . . Individual faculty, but no group is working with faculty and academic leaders to create content that faculty will respect as real aids in teaching and scholarship. . . The massive investment in networks and computers will not pay off until we fill in the hole, until we work together to create content.” (Ayers/Grisham)

31. --Dale Flecker and Neil McLean, “Digital Library Content and Course Management Systems: Issues of Interoperation”

32. Bibliography • Ayers, Edward L. and Charles M. Grisham. “Why IT Has Not Paid Off As We Had Hoped (Yet),” virginia.edu, (Spring 2004), http://www.itc.virginia.edu/virgnia.edu/spring04/hope.htm. • Bell, Stephen J. and John D. Shank. “Linking the Library to Courseware: A Strategic Alliance to Improve Learning Outcomes,” Library Issues, 25:2 (November 2004): 1-4. • Duncan, Jim. “Convergence of Libraries, Digital Repositories, and Web Content Management,” Educause Review, 39:6 (November/December 2004), http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/DEC0401.pdf. • Flecker, Dale and Neil McLean. “Digital Library Content and Course Management Systems: Issues of Interoperation” Report of a Study Group. Digital Library Federation (July 2004), http://www.diglib.org/pubs/cmsdl0407/. • McLean, Neil and Clifford Lynch. “Interoperability between Information and Learning Environments—Bridging the Gaps.” A Joint White Paper on behalf of the IMS Global Learning Consortium and the Coalition for Networked Information, (June 2003), http://www.imsglobal.org/DLims_white_paper_publicdraft_1.pdf. • Persons, Jerry C. Unpublished Digital Library Federation Aquifer report.

33. Demo Sites • Sakai - Collab.sakaiproject.org – running Sakai 1.0 system; open • Sakaiproject.org – open info site; gateway to DGs and public forums • Ctools – can get login if you want to evaluate and see production system; very similar to collab.sakaiproject.org