University of Florida chooses Sakai over Blackboard/WebCT

rSmart would like to welcome the University of Florida, a recent rSmart client, to the Sakai community. The oldest and largest university in the state, with 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes, UF serves over 51,000 students.

According to Doug Johnson, Assistant Director of Learning Support Services and Academic Technology at UF, the school reached a crossroads when Blackboard announced the end of support for WebCT, the school’s existing system, and there was really no upgrade path for other Blackboard systems. Johnson and others were impressed with the Sakai community—and encouraged by the recent move to Sakai by the University of Delaware. But they also recognized the migration challenges they faced, so they relied on rSmart to help them get started.

The support provided by rSmart has proven to be an important—and lasting—resource. As Johnson recalls, “We had a big room for training, and Kara [Stiles, rSmart Senior Education Consultant] suggested we fill the room.” Key staff were already in attendance, but Johnson then invited a variety of stakeholders as well. “Many of these stakeholders are part of our Sakai governance committee,” he explains. “Because of the training they received, they’ll be in a much better position to make decisions about how we use Sakai in the future.” He’s also confident in UF’s ability to support Sakai, with the aid of rSmart and the Sakai community.

Johnson has gotten many inquiries from other schools about Sakai, and he’s quick to point out the benefits of a commercial affiliate like rSmart. “I tell people that the community model is an alternative to a vended solution, but so is rSmart. You won’t find the same level of support for a proprietary system.”

In May, the school will begin a pilot of Sakai with a variety of courses. Johnson reports that there’s been a lot of excitement on campus. “I’ve had to turn away volunteers for the pilot,” he says.

At first, Johnson and his staff will focus on using Sakai for course management. Eventually, however, they hope to tap into Sakai’s collaborative features, such as portfolios and project sites. We look forward to learning more about what this dynamic institution will accomplish with Sakai!