Learning Management System | Sakai

Sakai provides a tool set that is very similar to other learning management systems. The table below provides a list of Sakai tools and a brief summary for each. Sakai is truly different in three respects.

The Vision

The next major version, Sakai OAE, transcends current learning management systems.

Sakai OAE is currently being used as a prototype in conjunction with the LMS at several institutions. Broad production deployments are planned for 2011.

The Collaboration Capability

Every LMS is based on a set of assumptions about how learning occurs. Sakai allows collaboration and the open sharing of knowledge to fuel learning.

New collaboration tools, such as blogs and wikis, are developed in Sakai before they are offered in other LMS’s
The collaboration capabilities of Sakai stretch across courses, projects, and groups.
Sakai tools support learning interactions outside of the institution through channels like iTunes U, Google Docs, and social networking sites.

The Engaged Academic Community

The Sakai community is an active, collaborative community of practice centered on improved teaching, learning, and research through technology. Academic practitioners lead every aspect of the Sakai community.

Faculty members drive product development and priorities.
Academic technology organizations share best practices that support faculty in the effective use of technology.
Individual faculty members share and are recognized for excellence in teaching with technology.

More detailed technical information about the rSmart Sakai CLE 2.8 release is availabe in our formal release notes.

New Tools/Features in CLE 2.8 release	Communication Tools	Course Tools	Site Management Tools
IMS LIS 2.0 In partnership with SunGard Higher Education, the new Learning Information Services (LIS) 2.0 from IMS offers a standard pathway to synchronize data via both batch and real-time processes between Sakai and other essential platforms like student information systems. Institutions will now be able to increase concurrency and fault-tolerance as well as reduce bottlenecks and errors when synchronizing courses, rosters, grades and other data. View Whitepaper Google Docs Allows site maintainer to include Google content within the sites resources in a read-only fashion and view the document as if it were stored local to the CLE instance In 2.8, rSmart added more enhancements. Secure synchronization between Sakai and Google has been improved to support use of either institutional or personal Google identities. Learn more BigBlueButton For the 2.8 release, rSmart is offering optional, fully supported and hosted fee-based integration with BigBlueButton, an open source web conferencing platform. Users will access this platform via the Meeting tool. BBB development continues, with an integrated whiteboard and upcoming session recording capabilities. SCORM Cloud In partnership with Rustici Software, rSmart is offering fee-based option of fully supported and hosted integration with Rustici Scorm Cloud for the 2.8 release. Utilizing Rustici's state-of-the-art SCORM engine, this platform provides users in Sakai with robust SCORM package delivery, outcomes integration via the Assignments tool, and rich learning analytics. Respondus The 2.8 release includes integration with Respondus assessment creation and management software, allowing instructors to connect Respondus directly in the CLE Tests and Quizzes tool. Basic LTI This portlet implements the IMS Basic Learning Tools Interoperability standard. BasicLTI allows the launching and sharing of information with an externally hosted tool using standard protocols, signed securely using the Oauth (www.oauth.net) security mechanism. Provides an end point for an externally hosted tool or content and makes it appear if the externally hosted tool is running within Sakai. In the Sakai 2.8 release, the Sakai community has continued in the development of this tool. Clog Tool An alternative blog tool, Clog offers a clean and simple interface for site members to post, view and comment on blog entries. Clog is integrated with the CLE's latest Profile tool, so users mayt see each other's profile information and also request connections. When the tool is added to My Workspace site, users have the option to make their blog posts public, so posts can be accessed from an institution's gateway page. Signup Tool Lets instructors schedule - and students sign up for - a variety of events, from office hour visits to review sessions and study groups. Instructors may also assign specific times to students. A rich text editor lets instructors provide meeting descriptions, while students can include messages with signups. Internationalization rSmart added further enhancements to allow the easy management of Sakai user interface text and localization text packages. Updated language packages from the community include the following: Chinese, Dutch, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, and Vietnamese. New Rich Text Editor The 2.8 release includes the CKEditor, the next-generation successor to the FCKEditor. Like that editor, the CKEditor is an open source, what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) rich text editor. It provides many important improvements, including compliance with both WSC WCAG and Section 508 accessibility standards.	Announcements Distribute information and send out notification about activities or events relevant to your site. image #2 BlogWow Allows viewing of blog entries and RSS feeds using external URLs. Entries can be private, shared with a site/group, or public. image #2 Calendar Post information about activities and events of interest to your site participants. image #2 View Screencast Chat Room Engage in real-time, unstructured conversations with your site members. image #2 Discussion Forums Create, moderate and manage discussion topics and groups within a course and send private messages to site participants. View Screencast Forums Post discussion topics or respond to discussion threads. image #2 Mailtool Send email messages to site participants, groups, individuals and external users. image #2 Messages Post private messages to site participants. image #2 Email Archive See a list of messages that have been sent to your site. image #2 Polls Take a quick poll of users on your site. image #2 RSS Feeds Profile Use Profile to manage information others see about you in the system. Optionally hide your personal information. Search and view other users' profiles. Profile2 Profile2 is a complete re-design and re-development of the existing Profile tool in Sakai. It gives you more of a Facebook style interface for editing your profile. In addition, you have a comprehensive set of Privacy controls. With Profile2, you can post updates (integrated with Twitter), search for people with common interests, view their profile, view their connections, add them as a connection, send private messages, upload and share pictures, and more. View Screencast Membership Use Membership to manage your participation in sites. Search for sites of interest and join them. Preferences Use Preferences to customize your own notification and display options. Resources Upload, store and edit files & folders online. Optionally share these files with others.	Assignments Create and submit text-based assignments. Drop Box Exchange documents with an instructor in a private, individualized folder. Evaluation System Give formative evaluations to students in their courses and review the results. View Screencast Gradebook2 Offers a flexible layout, menu access, multiple student/item grading, single student grading, grading options, export options, and statistics View Screencast Gradebook Calculate, store and distribute grade information to students. Lessons Develop, publish, and manage online instructional sequences for your site. News Display a dynamic news source to site participants. Podcasts Share RSS feeds with your site participants. Resources Post, store and organize material of use to site participants. Syllabus Create a unit-based outline of your course. Tests & Quizzes Create, edit and manage online assessments and set up automatic feedback and grading options. Wiki Create a website that allows site participants to add and edit content collaboratively. Web Content Display a web site outside the system to your site participants. iTunesU Allows site participants easy access to iTunes U	Message Bundle Feature in the Customizer tool that will make it easy for a system administrator to modify text in the CLE. Admins will be able to create and manage "bundles" that the CLE displays on particular pages Roster View a list of participants in your site. Site Editor Edit and manage your site. Sections Create and manage sections in your course. Site Statistics View statistics on your site by user, event or resource. Skin Selector Select skin for your site from template created for you by administrator. Search Look for content within or across sites in which you're a member. image #2 Help Provide contextual help documentation to site participants. View Screencast Customizer Tool Allows administrators to make changes to tool names, categorization, and permissions out to all existing sites of a certain type. View Screencast Email Template Allows administrators to customize the verbage of email messages the system sends. View Screencast Search Look for content within or across sites in which you're a member. View Screencast Course Template Tool Using a "template" option allows you to quickly add a new course site (your system admin must provide templates). View Screencast

Learning Management System | Sakai

The Vision

The Collaboration Capability

The Engaged Academic Community

Customizer Tool