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
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons Five topics: • What should be included in a portal? • Installation • Technical considerations • Authentication • Lessons Learned
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons What should be included in a portal? • JISC funded research at Hull University • What do other Universities include? • Brainstormed ideas
Searches Library services Teaching materials/VLEs Update personal details Library and internet alerts Email Handbooks Deadline alerts Reading lists Campus news Review your marks Career information What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons What do users want? University of Hull survey April 2003557 individuals, focus groups and interviewswww.fair-portal.hull.ac.uk/downloads/stakereq.pdf
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons Brainstormed ideas • Communicate with tutors • Store information • PDP (Personal Development Planning) • Announcements • Library functions • Blackboard
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons List for each group
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons Integration options Portlet Web Services Complex XML/XSLT WebProxy iFrame Simple
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons How to implement
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons MySQL Installation Browser Server Sun Solaris Java 1.5 Apache HTTP server Apache Tomcat uPortal
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons 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’
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons PETAL • Installation problems • Problems with changing hierarchy • Publishing bug • Accessibility and usability issues
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons Authentication • Wanted Single Sign-on • Looked at 5 options • Balance between complex setup and easier maintenance
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons User database User database User database User database System 1 System 3 1. Default Authentication uPortal System 2 (uses uPortal database) System 4 (uses uPortal database) System 5
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons LDAP User database 2. Local LDAP Authentication uPortal System 1 System 2 System 3 System 4 System 5
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons LDAP User database 3. Local LDAP with SSO Single sign-on (LDAP) uPortal System 1 System 2 System 3 System 4 System 5
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons Active Directory Active Directory Active Directory Novel user database 4. Distributed users databases with SSO Greenwich subdomain CCCU subdomain Kent subdomain Novell Client One way trust relationships with 3 subdomains Medway Resource Domain Existing Medway configuration Single sign-on (LDAP) uPortal System 1 System 2 System 3 System 4 System 5
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons 5. Shibboleth Image from www.switch.ch/aai
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication Lessons Cost of authentication options Simpler options 1-2 More complex options 4 - 5 Cost Number of users
What to include? Installation Technical Authentication 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
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
Any questions? • www.kent.ac.uk/is/plpp • b.ferguson@kent.ac.uk • m.d.wilcox@canterbury.ac.uk
