The Sakai Project

www.sakaiproject.org 1

The Sakai Project•University of Michigan•Indiana University•MIT•Stanford University

•JA-SIG (uPortal Consortium)•Open Knowledge Initiative

•The Sakai Educational Partners

Brad WheelerIU Assoc VP for Research & Academic Computing, Dean of IT

Suzanne ThorinIU Dean of Libraries


The Sakai Project

“The University of Michigan, Indiana University, MIT, Stanford, the uPortal Consortium, and the Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI) are joining forces to integrate and synchronize their considerable educational software into a pre-integrated collection of open source tools.”

“Sakai Project Receives US$2.4 Million Grant” – December 2003


Converging Trends…why now…?

Data StandardsIMS Global

Technical StandardsOKI, JSR-168

Institutional MobilizationEconomics, control of destiny

Foundation $$ Investments Open SourceApplicationsfor Education

InstitutionalPartnering


Sakai Project Deliverables1. Technology Portability Profile (TPP)

Specifications for writing portable software to achieve application ‘code mobility’ among institutions

2. Pooled intellectual property/experiences…best of JSR-168 portal (uPortal 3.x) Course management system

Quizzing and assessment tools, [ePortfolio from OSPI], etc Research collaboration system Workflow engine Modular tools, but also pre-integrated to inter-operate

3. Synchronized adoptions at Michigan, Indiana, MIT, Stanford4. Based on “open-open” licensing –

[no restriction on commercialization]


Sakai’s Technology Portability Profile

How to write for software code mobility:

• The Open Knowledge Initiative’s (OKI) Open Service Interface Definitions (OSIDs)

• The JSR-168 portlet specification implemented in uPortal 3.x

• Expanded uMichigan CHEF Framework for tool interoperability

• User interface abstraction for localization


Michigan•CHEF Framework•CourseTools•WorkTools

Indiana•Navigo Assessment•Eden Workflow•OneStart•Oncourse

MIT•Stellar

Stanford•CourseWork•Assessment

OKI•OSIDs

uPortal

SAKAI 2.0 Release•TPP•Framework•Services-based Portal

SAKAI Tools•Complete CMS•Assessment•Workflow•Research Tools•Authoring Tools

Primary SAKAI ActivityRefining SAKAI Framework,

Tuning and conforming additional toolsIntensive community building/training

Activity: Ongoing implementation work at local institution…

Jan 04 July 04 May 05 Dec 05

Activity: Maintenance &

Transition from aproject to

a communitySAKAI 1.0 Release•Technology Portability Profile•Framework•Services-based Portal•Refined OSIDs & implementations

SAKAI Tools•Complete CMS•Assessment

Primary SAKAI ActivityArchitecting for JSR-168 Portlets,

Re-factoring “best of” features for toolsConforming tools to Technology Portability Profile

Sakai Project Timeline


Sakai Project Core Universities

• Each Core University Commits– 5+ developers/architects, etc. under Sakai Board

project direction for 2 years– Public commitment to implement Sakai– Open/Open licensing

• Project– $4.4M in institutional staff (27 FTE)– $2.4M Mellon Foundation– Additional investment through partners


Sakai Community Support

• Developer and Adopter Support– Sakai Educational Partner’s Program (SEPP)

• Commercial Support– Open-open licensing – open source, open for

commercialization– For fee services from some vendors will likely

include…• Installation/integration, On-going support, Training


Sakai Educational Partner’s Program

Membership Fee: US$10K per year, 3 years• Access to SEPP staff

– Community development manager– SEPP developers, documentation writers

• Knowledgebase• Developer training for the TPP• Exchange for partner-developed tools• Strategy and implementation workshops• Early access to pre-release code


Connecting CMS & Libraries

• Technology Portability Profile provides a clear standard for code sharing

• Twin Peaks Project as a demonstrator


Twin Peaks Navigator

A Concept Proposal for Connecting Course Management

Systems and Library Content


Like Two Icebergs

Enormouscomplexity hidden below the surface

Faculty and studentsSee only the tip of the challenge --and rightly so!

CMSDL

Course Management Systems Digital Library (broadly defined)

•Subscriptions•Holdings•Images/audio•…

•Syllabus•Assignments•Homework•Discussions•…


Situation

• Faculty and students need access to digital library content while authoring learning or homework content in a CMS.

• DL objects/resources linked to CMS events need persistence across semesters…years?

• Storage of digital content in CMS needs to be rationalized to point to DL resources… otherwise, redundancy, expense, fair use…issues


Examples

• Faculty member is creating a learning event that points students to read an article from The Economist. The article is available in PDF format through a library subscription

• A student wants to reference an image in a homework submission. The image is in a photograph collection preserved by the library.


1: Authoring

Concept User Screen in a CMS

CMS Assignment Editor

Title: Monopsony and PriceLearning Objective(s):

•Understand why supplier power is detrimental to market effiieciny

Due Date: 15 March 2004 10:00aReference Readings:

Assignment: Write a < 1 pagePosition paper agreeing or disagreeingwith the author. What about Wal-Mart?

Save Cancel Library

User invokes library search in the context of authoring an assignment in the CMS


2: Searching




•Understand why supplier power is detrimental to market efficiency



Library Search Wizard

Catalog/Source: EBSCOSearch Terms: monopsony

Save Cancel Close Search

Search

Library search window pops up, selectors for source, fields for search terms


3: Select Result









Results:•Monopsony and the American Way•The case for FTC intervention in pricing..•Why monopsonies/oligosonies are ineff..•Ill-gotten gains: Monopsonies and seller..•<more>


Search

Click to select target DL reference


4: Drag-n-Drop









Results:•Monopsony and the American Way•The case for FTC intervention in pricing..•Why monopsonies/oligosonies are ineff..•Ill-gotten gains: Monopsonies and seller..•<more>


New Search

• “Why monopsonies/oligosonies are inefficient,” The Economist, (3) 2004.

•Why monopsonies/oligosonies are ineff


5: Resume Authoring






• “Why monopsonies/oligosonies are inefficient,” The Economist, (3) 2004.


Save Cancel Library


Project Objective

• Develop a functional prototype tool

• Limit scope to 1-3 well defined library resources

• Create drag/drop capability for searching and linking in CMS

• Demonstrate concept, applicable standards, OKI OSIDs, for Sakai Tools

• Begin March 04 for Summer/Fall 04


Open Source ApplicationsSustainable economics…

…serving the frontiers of innovation.

Sakai

FedoraDSpace

PKI

Chandler/Westwood

Open Source Portfolio

AAM/Navigo (Sakai)

LionShare

WebWork

OKI uPortal

Shibboleth

Scholar’s BoxTwin Peaks


Sakai Contacts• Joseph Hardin

– University of Michigan, [email protected]

• Brad Wheeler, Suzanne Thorin– Indiana University, [email protected], [email protected]

• Amitava ‘Babi’ Mitra– MIT, [email protected]

• Lois Brooks– Stanford University, [email protected]

• Carl Jacobson– uPortal/JA-SIG/U. of Delaware, [email protected]

• Jeff Merriman – O.K.I., [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]







Documents

The Sakai Project