New Improved WebLearn Service

1. New Improved WebLearn Service Adam Marshall, Learning Technologies Group, OUCS, Oxford University.

2. Topics Covered • Current situation • Factors for change • The new WebLearn service • What’s new for • Teachers (& students) • Researchers • Administration users • Summary of new features • Data migration • Pilot service

3. Introduced 2003

4. WebLearn Usage

5. Bodington - Solid & Functional

6. What problems are looming?

7. Users!

8. Seriously: • Any service must constantly improve • Lots of requests for enhancements • Time-consuming to address • Small community – just us! We looked into how to satisfy requests.

9. Enhanced Bodington

10. Solution Any solution must retain best aspects: • Toolset • Devolved admin • Access control • Flexibility • Structure • MyWebLearn So change the framework

11. The answer is Sakai!

12. Why Sakai? • Satisfies original requirements tinyurl.com/yvf3mj • LOTS of new tools - later • Enterprise scalable • Open source • Good community • Worldwide • Europe • UK

14. Stakeholders

15. Who Are The Stakeholders? • Teachers • Researchers • Administrators

16. Top 10 Stakeholder Requests • Better interface • Improve usability • More effective search • Mailing lists • More comprehensive tracking • Calendar • Announcements • Better management of documents • Simpler access control • Better discussion forum

17. Teachers

18. 5 Features for Teachers • Better ‘uploaded files’ • Site members* (class-list) • Discussion forum • Announcement • Tracking * Bodington ‘Room’ = Sakai ‘Site’

19. Resources (Uploaded files) • Short movie demonstrating fileupload

20. Site Members

21. Discussion Forum

23. Public / Private Announcement

24. Tracking • movie

25. Facebook (& iGoogle)

26. Researchers

27. 5 Features for Researchers • Collaborative wiki • Calendar • Mail list • Research diary • Public access (google search)

29. Calendar

30. Mail Lists / Mail Archive

31. Research Diary

32. Research Diary - Entry

33. Administrators

34. 5 Features for Administrators • Search really works (Word, PDF, PPT) • Much simpler access control • Upload easier – webDAV - can organise documents in folders and edit ‘in-place’ • Email archive (‘mail list’) • Can easily customise toolset to match purpose

35. Search • Short movie demonstrating search

36. Easier Access Control

37. Groups (Basic)

38. Resources

40. Customisable Toolset

41. Other Tools

42. Other Tools • Web Links • News (RSS) • Syllabus • Chat • Questionnaire / Quiz – more question types • Evaluation • Poll • Tutorial sign-up (coming!)

43. Tool Comparison

44. Tool Comparison • Bodington tools are bettered • No Buildings / Floors! • We are writing • Hierarchy / devolved admin • Translate to UK English • SSO login (‘Webauth’) • Groups Service interface • Bring tools in line with Bodington, new EasyWriter • Content migration code

45. Moving Rooms? • Users want us to do it • We want users to do it!

46. We will provide tools

47. An opportunity to tidy up!

48. Other Initiatives • Groups Service (sysdev) • Accessibility study (ACDT) • “Better than WebLearn” • Training (ITLP & VLE team) • Courses • Videos • Documents (with Cambridge & Hull)

49. Timeline – Key dates

50. Timeline – Key dates • Now: Mini-pilots • Jun 2008: Pilot year (Sakai v2.5) • Data migration • Try out some training • Sep 2008 Production hardware starts • Jun 2009 Production service (Sakai v2.6?) • Dual service, single login • Read / write Groups Service • Training starts week 8 • Data migration • Sep 2011 Bodington becomes read only.