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Slow and Steady Wins the Race:Moving from Commercial to Open Source
Ryan Allen, Senior E-Learning SpecialistUniversity of Dayton
Session OutlineRolling Out Sakai
– Where We Came From– Analyzing Our Options– Sakai Roll-out– Training
Sustaining and Future Growth– Data Collection– Development Process– Overcoming Issues – Tips
University of Dayton
• Private University founded in 1850• Founded by the Society of Mary (Marianist)• ≈7,000 Undergrad / 4,000 Grad Students• Top 10 Catholic University in the nation• Faculty are not shy about asking for help• No real Instructional Designers• Advanced to second round of NCAA
Basketball Tournament last year
Where We Came From• UD adopted WebCT Campus Edition 4.1 as its LMS in 2003• About 1800-2000 courses on WebCT each year• Primarily used for:
• Submitting Assignments · Online Assessments• Accessing Readings · Discussion Forums• Posting/Reviewing Grades
• E-Learning’s primary customers are campus faculty• Provide training, support, and instructional design assistance
LMS Usage2003-present
The E Learning ‐Lab prepares
approximately 300 faculty to deliver
500-700 web‐assisted and
distance learning courses each
semester.Fall Winter Summer
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
5 5 1
161
213
94
175
263
120
432417
131
536
506
179
635
682
225
2003-2004
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
“WebCT has been a reliable product but as our needs expand and instructional technology develops, a new LMS that better fits the needs and identity of the UD Community must be sought out.”
THE CROSSROADS
Analyzing Our Options
WebCT Satisfaction Survey Results
Despite the overall positive results and the fact that over 90% of the responders said they would recommend WebCT to a colleague…
…a large majority of faculty noted that:
1. WebCT was not user-friendly2. Among others, the Mail and Gradebook tools were
consistently mentioned as weak points3. Many tools such as the Quiz and Assignment tools had steep
learning curves4. The product was becoming outdated and didn’t embrace
newer technologies 5. More support and training materials were necessary
The Hunt• LMS Evaluation Process: 2006-
2007• LMS Advisory Panel Assembled• The panel reviewed resources
compiled by the E-Learning Lab:– WebCT Usage Reports– WebCT Satisfaction Survey Results– ePortfolio Experience with Sakai
• 3 migration paths• Sakai unanimously chosen
http://learn.udayton.edu/isidore
Sakai 1.0 - ePortfolios
• OSP Tools piloted during 2007-2008 school year• Course level portfolios• Some other Sakai tools in sites
Ultimately, lots of work down the tubes
Sakai 1.0 - ePortfolios
Sakai 1.0 - ePortfolios
Sakai 1.0 - ePortfolios
Sakai 1.0 - ePortfolios
The Big Questions
1. What’s the real cost of Open Source?2. Do we have the current staff to support an
Open Source LMS?3. Is there commercial support available?4. Can we meet the high expectations of the
faculty and students?5. Are we up to the task?
Getting Things Rolling….
Answering Questions #1 & #2
1. What’s the real cost of Open Source? Hardware Time / Lots of Effort Ultimately, it depends on what we want
2. Do we have the current staff to support an Open Source LMS? No. We needed another developer for starters.
From Sakai to Isidore
St. Isidore of Seville
Patron saint of students and schoolchildren and recently recommended for patronage of computers and the Internet
Isidore TimelineJanuary Sakai/Isidore Approved as Replacement
February– April System / Tool Evaluations Completed
May Pioneer Faculty Identified
May – July Development / Roll-out Preparation Work for Isidore 2.0 Begins
July Isidore 2.0 Completed
July 18 Pioneer Faculty Trained over 2 Day Period
August First 22 Courses in Isidore Begin
September Development / Roll-out Prep Work for Isidore 2.1 Begins
October Faculty User Group Meeting Held
November Isidore Student Survey Administered
December Isidore 2.1 Completed
December Isidore Open to all Faculty … let the games begin!
2008
Answering Question #3
3. Is there commercial support available? Did we need it? Could we have success without it?
• All core tools reviewed• Slow roll-out with limited
number of tools – manage expectations and
maintain better support.• 11 of 15 core chosen tools
for the initial Fall release• 3 additional tools for the
Winter release• The Form
Tool Review Process
How We Keep Track of Progress and Needs?
• 240 Bug Fixes and Improvements Already Made
• 70 more planned for fall 2009 release
VI. Migrating from WebCT
• Create Automated Migration Utility• Start Fresh or E-Learning Lab Migration
– Began late Spring 2009– Utilized Georgia Tech Migration Tools– Online Migration Request Form Created– Faculty were emailed the courses for
which they were instructors in as a reminder
Communicating with CampusBlanket (Non-Threatening) Marketing
Where is Isidore now?
Fall 200818 ‘Pioneer’ Instructors teaching 22 courses
– User Group Meetings– Student Surveys
Spring 2009
110 Instructors teaching 300 sections- ‘Tuesdays with Isidore’ sessions
Summer 2009
≈ 50 Instructors teaching 140 section
Fall Winter Summer0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
5 5 1
161
213
94
175
263
120
432417
131
536
506
179
635
682
225
2003-2004
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
LMS Usage2003-present
64% Isidore
3% Isidore
The E Learning ‐Lab has trained
nearly 200 faculty members in
hands-on Isidore sessions since last
August.
41% Isidore
Training
2 Hour ‘Mastering Isidore’ Sessions 2 Trainers Per Session
Specific Tool Training Departmental Planning Customized Training Material
& Isidore Help File Isidore ‘Tip’ Emails
Students/Instructors
Student & Faculty ‘Tips’
… Get Butts In the Seats
Incentives…
Answering Question #4
4. Can we meet the high expectations of the students and faculty?
The Student Perspective
What the Students
are Saying
I Love It Baby!
Academic Standing Average Rating
First Year 4.6
Second Year 4.3
Third Year 4.0
Fourth Year 4.2
Student Preferences
WebCT Isidore
Which system is easiest to learn? 49.00% 51.00%
Which system is easiest to use? 44.80% 55.20%
Which system is better at supporting learning? 36.20% 63.80%
Which system do you prefer to use? 42.70% 57.30%
The Faculty Perspective
Faculty Preferences
WebCT Isidore
Which system is easiest to learn? 10.7% 89.3%
Which system is easiest to use? 0.0% 100.0%
Which system is better at supporting learning? 3.6% 96.4%
Which system do you prefer to use? 3.6% 96.4%
Development
How do we decide what to ‘develop’?1. E-Learning Lab Guided
Trainer Feedback Developer Suggestions
2. Faculty Feedback/Requests Phone Calls Emails
Still working towards firm solution
Disagreements are Good
What does it mean to develop in Sakai?
Data Access10%*
Business Logic60%*
User Interface30%*
HTML, JSP/JSF, JavaScript
Java
Reads/Writes via Java (Hibernate)
* - % of time spent by developers
SSL
DEVELOPING ISIDORE
Proposed annual development cycle
Coding
Beta Release
Public Release
Summer
FallSpring
Work in Progress
Work in Progress
• Continuous Improvements and Tool Additions• Speed Issues
‘Data Heavy’ tools (Forums/Gradebook/T&Q)
• WebCT Course Migration
• Open Source = More Man Hours (and sometimes more headaches)
• Changing the campus mentality
Tips for Success
• Deal with Comparisons Head On• Remind users ‘Why’• ‘Hold Hands’• Dealing with the ‘Squeaking
Wheels’– Believe the symptom, not the
explanation– Be ‘Unapologetically Helpful’
• Get everyone ‘in on the act’
Answering The Big Question
5. Are We Up to the Task? Yes. Stay Focused!
We’ll be parting ways with WebCT
onDecember 18th, 2009
Isidore Team
Training and Support Ryan Allen – Senior E-Learning Specialist ([email protected])
Leah Bergman – E-Learning Specialist ([email protected])
Jerry Timbrook – E-Learning GA ([email protected] )
Development Paul Dagnall – Web Developer ([email protected])
Matt Mize – Systems Administrator ([email protected])
Isidore Help and ResourcesIsidore Server – http://isidore.udayton.edu E-Learning Website – http://learn.udayton.edu/isidore
– Training Movies– Downloadable documentation and tool FAQs– Quick Start Guides and Introduction Video for Users– Training Calendar– WebCT Course Migration Request Form
Thank You