How to transition your How to transition your CMS to SakaiCMS to Sakai

Lessons Learned and Pitfalls to Avoid

Dede HouricanSupport Specialist

Marist CollegePoughkeepsie, NY

Presentation OverviewPresentation OverviewWho is Marist College?Overview of prior CMSWhy change CMSs?Four Pronged Attack Plan

◦Communication Strategy◦Data Transfer Process◦Course Migration Guide◦Training Program

About us…..About us…..

MARIST COLLEGE5,000 on Main Campus750 adult continuing education students

854 full and part-time graduate students

200 Full-time Faculty450 Part-Time Faculty

.

About us…..About us…..

MARIST COLLEGE

Academic Technology & eLearning

Supports technology-enabled learningWe assist in the design, production, and

evaluation of web-based instructional materials.

We provide training for developers and faculty on digitization, web authoring, and distance learning.

IntroductionIntroduction

Before Sakai

Used a less well known application

made by Ucompass’ called

Educator It is written in a unique languageMarist has used it for over 8 years Wasn’t scaling to our needs

If you want to make enemies, try to change something.

- Woodrow Wilson

An evil plan hatched by

administration to create more

work for everyone…

Why changeWhy change

Why changeWhy changeIncrease in institutional

requirements and strengthA strategic assessment of our

future technology needs showed that we needed a new solution

IT has had an “open-source” strategy for last decade.

We want to change on our timeline, not someone else's…

Sakai at MaristSakai at Marist• Sakai = ilearn• Piloted over an year in IDCP• Gap Analysis showed all critical

capabilities of Educator are available

• Richer functionality, supports more uses

• Supports ad hoc collaboration• Scalability and sustainability

Resources & LimitationsResources & LimitationsEducator has a unique languageNo readily available interface

between iLearn & EducatorAT&E Resources

◦5 full-time graduate student workers◦2 full-time AT&E staff◦1 full-time training consultant

Four Prong Attack Four Prong Attack StrategyStrategyCommunication StrategyData Transfer ProcessCourse Migration GuideTraining Program

Communication StrategyCommunication StrategyCollege leadership briefings by the

Director started in Fall 2006◦Deans Council, President’s Cabinet

Faculty communication◦Faculty “Sakai Luncheons” were held Fall

‘07◦Vice President of Academic Affairs

announced transition to all faculty in Spring ‘08

◦Director attended faculty school meetings◦Regular faculty updates via e-mail

Data Transfer ProcessData Transfer ProcessExport from EducatorTools

Bitkinex is an SFTP and WebDAV client for Windows

E2i Test transfer toolBenefits

◦Reduced data transfer time (hours > minutes)Pitfalls

◦Graduate Student Staff log in as an administrator

Bitkinex Bitkinex

ImprovementImprovement

Logged in as themselves

Only into the course that they are currently working on

Course Migration GuideCourse Migration GuideGeneral Export and Import Tips

Announcement Syllabus Assignments Starting a Forum

◦Starting a TopicPackets Examinations/Quizzes

TrainingTraining Offered 13 Summer Institutes over

the summer training 200+ faculty

Best attended were two part, half-day sessions

Offered a Graduate Student worker for assistance

Offered incentives (gift bags and an “iTeach” T-shirt, mousepads, etc)

Course Management Course Management Usage TrendsUsage Trends

Initial target set for Fall 08 was 150 courses in iLearn (20%)

As of October 8th, of all course using CMS:◦67% are running

iLearn◦33% in Educator

Success StoriesSuccess Stories

Questions?Questions?