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The technical side of Portals and ePortfolios
Bonnie Ferguson
Michael Wilcox
Introductions
Michael Wilcox
Web Development Unit ManagerCanterbury Christ Church University
Bonnie Ferguson
Computing OfficerUniversity of Kent
Audience…
Plan
Overview ........................... 10 mins
Making the portal work.......... 30 mins
Questions and discussion........ 10 mins
Password Overload Syndrome
What is a Portal?
Portal definitions
General:
“ a gateway to news, information and external links usually on a single topic or subject, but they can be broad in nature.”
Personal:
“ Web portals are sites that typically provide personalized capabilities to their visitors.”
What is an ePortfolio?
ePortfolio definition
“ a portfolio based on electronic media and services. It consists of a personal digital record containing information such as a collection of artifacts or evidence demonstrating what one knows and can do.”
Student’s first day
Register with institution, ID card
Computer account
Email account
Library account
Athens account
VLE account
Making the portal work
Bonnie Ferguson
Five topics:
What should be included in a portal?
Installation
Technical considerations
Authentication
Lessons Learned
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
What should be included in a portal?
JISC funded research at Hull University
What do other Universities include?
Brainstormed ideas
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
What do users want?
Searches
Library services
Teaching materials/VLEs
Update personal details
Library and internet alerts
Handbooks
Deadline alerts
Reading lists
Campus news
Review your marks
Career information
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
University of Hull survey April 2003557 individuals, focus groups and interviewswww.fair-portal.hull.ac.uk/downloads/stakereq.pdf
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
Brainstormed ideas
Communicate with tutors
Store information
PDP (Personal Development Planning)
Announcements
Library functions
Blackboard
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
List for each group
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
User Group uPortal resources
Guest with no login links to relevant educational resources
Access to HE (South Kent College)
File storage accessible off-campus
Communicate with tutor electronically
Library links
PDP (Personal Development Planning)
ePortfolio
Announcements from tutors
Foundation Degree (Canterbury College)
All above plus:Athens systems like BIDS
PGCE Module (CCCU) All above plus:Blackboard or other VLE
Integration options
Simple
Complex
Web Services
Portlet
XML/XSLT
WebProxy
iFrame
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
How to implement
User Group uPortal resources Method
Guest with no login
links to relevant educational resources
iFrames
Access to HE (South Kent College)
File storage accessible off-campus Briefcase portlet or PETAL
Communicate with tutor electronically
Progress or PETAL
Library links iFrames with search
PDP (Personal Development Planning) PETAL or Progress
ePortfolio PETAL
Announcements from tutors Announcements portlet
Foundation Degree
All above plus:Athens systems like BIDS
iFrame
PGCE Module CCCU
All above plus:Blackboard or other VLE
iFrame
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
Installation
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
ServerSun SolarisJava 1.5
MySQL
uPortal
Apache HTTP server
Browser
Apache Tomcat
Installation Problems
Version conflicts between JDK, Tomcat and uPortal and Petal
Briefcase was not compatible with the current version of uPortal
Progress platform conflicts
User database ‘permission leakage’
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
PETAL
Installation problems
Problems with changing hierarchy
Publishing bug
Accessibility and usability issues
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
Authentication
Wanted Single Sign-on
Looked at 5 options
Balance between complex setup and easier maintenance
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
1. Default Authentication
uPortal
System 1
User databas
e
User database
System 3
User databas
e
System 4
(uses uPortal database)
System 2
(uses uPortal database)
System 5
User databas
e
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
2. Local LDAP Authentication
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
uPortal
LDAP User database
System 4System 2System 1 System 3 System 5
3. Local LDAP with SSO
uPortal
LDAP User database
System 4System 2System 1 System 3 System 5
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
Single sign-on (LDAP)
4. Distributed users databases with SSO
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
uPortal
System 4
System 2
System 1
System 3
System 5
Single sign-on (LDAP)
Existing Medway configuration
Greenwich subdomain
Novel user database
Medway Resource Domain
Active Directory
CCCU subdomain
Active Directory
Kent subdomain
Active Directory
Novell Client
One way trust relationships with 3 subdomains
5. Shibboleth
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
Image from www.switch.ch/aai
Number of users
Cost
Simpler options 1-2
More complex options 4 - 5
Cost of authentication options
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
Lessons Learned
Single Sign-on
Avoid iFrames with authenticated systems
Test on student systems (800x600 display)
Test systems thoroughly before adoption
Open Source software
AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include? Lessons
Future developments
JISC will move SSO funding from Athens to Shibboleth after July 2008
KUSP project
New Sun Portlet specification JSR-286
Portlet Bridges for PHP, Servlets, Perl, etc.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/shibboleth.html
http://www.kent.ac.uk/is/kusp