SAKAI Project (Synchronized Architecting of Knowledge Acquisition Infrastructure)

• Sakai is intended to deliver open source CMS and research collaboration modules that are completely portable and interchangeable in web and non-web Java environments

Deliverables:– Enterprise Services-based Portal – a complete Course Management System with assessment tools– Research Support Collaboration System – Tool Portability Profile Tool (i.e., clear standard for writing future tools that can

extend this core set of educational applications) – Community (i.e., development, implementation and support)

• U Michigan, Indiana U, MIT, Stanford, uPortal, OKI• Mellon Foundation supporting development effort• Seeking funding from Hewlett Foundation for Sakai Educational Partners Program

(so far, 15@10kx3years--goal 200)

Goal – interchangeable tools, components built at different places all work together and implemented at different institutions

Jan 04 July 04 May 05

Michigan•CHEF Framework•CourseTools•WorkTools

Indiana•Navigo Assessment•Eden Workflow•Oncourse

MIT•Stellar

Stanford•CourseWork•Assessment

OKI•OSIDs

uPortal

SAKAI 1.0 Release•Tool Portability Profile•Framework•Services-based Portal•Refined OSIDs & implementations

SAKAI Tools•Complete CMS•Assessment

SAKAI 2.0 Release•Tool Portability Profile•Framework•Services-based Portal

SAKAI Tools•Complete CMS•Assessment•Workflow•Research Tools•Authoring Tools

Dec 05

Activity: Maintenance &

Transition from aproject to

a community

SAKAI Overview

Sakai Project Core Universities

• Commitments– 5+ developers/architects, etc. under project leadership – no local

responsibility for 2 years– Public commitment to implement Sakai– Open/Open licensing

• Project– $4.4M in institutional staff (27 FTE)– $2.4M Mellon Foundation– Additional investment through partners

Sakai Educational Partner’s ProgramFee: $10k per year, 3 years• Access to SEPP staff

– Community development manager– SEPP developers, documentation writers

• Knowledgebase• Developer training for the TPP• Exchange for partner-developed tools• Strategy and implementation workshops• Early access to pre-release code

SEPP Objectives• actively develop a large, self-sustaining community of institutions that share the

Sakai Project’s open source vision • carry on a discussion of strategic directions for the Sakai Project as it emerges and

evolves, • provide a Sakai Project roadmap describing the timing and features for Sakai

software releases,• provide in depth developer and adopter training,• develop a leveraged support infrastructure of a common (or locally implemented)

knowledgebase, and helpdesk• mobilize distributed resources for development and support of Sakai tools,• provide a marketplace for the sharing and exchange of Sakai-based

tools/components,• facilitate purposeful interaction with the Sakai Core development team,• coordinate activities with other organizations, such as, IMS or country-level

agencies,• facilitate Sakai community sharing of best practices in development,

implementation, and support.

Concluding thoughtsIn some ways, the real innovation is the organization. Development

partners have agreed to abide by a central authority during development (Sakai Board) for resource allocation of internal as well as grant resources and have committed to implement pieces built on campuses other than their own.

Significant effort by development partners

Significant but manageable bet

– Gamble on development team

– Gamble on open source – is it a central component of the future?

– Gamble on support structure (partners program)

– Gamble on the Academy – the “business plan” is to share development costs and shift investment from licensing to development/support