The rSmart Sakai CLE is an rSmart branded and
packaged distribution of the Sakai Collaboration and Learning
Environment. The CLE is comprised of the latest core Sakai release as
well as a select group of tools classified as provisional within the
Sakai code base. Provisional tools are included to complement and
enhance the user experience and to provide better support for teaching
and learning, research, group collaboration and electronic portfolio
activities.
While the code base remains
essentially the same as the community Sakai release, the rSmart Sakai
CLE includes a significant number of enhancements that we believe add
value to the out-of-the-box Sakai experience. Some of these
enhancements include:
- Improved UI/Portal Redesign
rSmart has worked with a professional designer to redesign the Sakai portal and develop a more polished user interface.
- Enhanced Functional Configuration
rSmart has hand-chosen a group of tools that we feel most effectively
supports collaboration and learning activities in an academic setting
and configured them in a way that provides maximum flexibility for
different teaching and learning modalities.
- New Tools
The CLE contains several tools not in the core Sakai release.
- Easier Install Process
We have engineered the CLE to be easier to install, and it comes with complete installation instructions.
- Easier Upgrade Process
We’ve made it easier to upgrade from one version of the CLE to the next
by providing upgrade scripts and routines that ensure a smooth
transition from one release to the next.
- Easier Integration Methods
We’ve built out alternative methods of integrating the CLE with
enterprise student data on campuses. The CLE can process simple file
extracts that include student, instructor, course, and enrollment data
from an external system. This processing can be setup on a recurring basis to keep your CLE implementation in sync with your enterprise data.
- Enhanced Flexibility with Regard to Functional Configuration
The CLE offers an unprecedented level of configuration flexibility that
allows institutions to decide how to set-up and maintain their
environment. Choose from our pre-designed group sites, roles, and
default selection of over 50 tools or define your own. The CLE also
comes with a Customizer tool, which allows institutions to easily
change the default configurations when they deploy the software.
- More Supported Platforms
The CLE supports all Sakai out-of-the-box platforms. In addition,
rSmart offers support for IBM’s Webphere/DB2 platform and Microsoft’s
MSSQL Server 2005.
- Sample Portfolio Data Structures
The CLE includes a sample set of data structures necessary to get started in building electronic portfolios.
- Additional Formal QA Process
rSmart works with the the Sakai community to test the community code
base. For more information on the Sakai QA process, see the Sakai QA Workgroup page.
In addition, we have our own QA team that re-tests our distribution to
ensure that the platforms, configurations, migrations, integrations,
tools and other capabilities that we support do in fact function as
promised.
