The technical side of Portals and ePortfolios Bonnie Ferguson Michael Wilcox

Introductions Michael Wilcox Web Development Unit Manager Canterbury Christ Church University Bonnie Ferguson Computing Officer University of Kent Audience…

Plan Overview mins Making the portal work mins Questions and discussion 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 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 individuals, focus groups and interviews

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 GroupuPortal resources Guest with no loginlinks 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 GroupuPortal resourcesMethod Guest with no login links to relevant educational resourcesiFrames Access to HE (South Kent College) File storage accessible off-campusBriefcase portlet or PETAL Communicate with tutor electronicallyProgress or PETAL Library linksiFrames with search PDP ( Personal Development Planning )PETAL or Progress ePortfolioPETAL Announcements from tutorsAnnouncements 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 Server Sun Solaris Java 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 database System 3 User database System 4 (uses uPortal database) System 2 (uses uPortal database) System 5 User database AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include?Lessons

2. Local LDAP Authentication AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include?Lessons uPortal LDAP User database System 4System 2System 1System 3System 5

3. Local LDAP with SSO uPortal LDAP User database System 4System 2System 1System 3System 5 AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include?Lessons Single sign-on (LDAP)

4. Distributed users databases with SSO AuthenticationTechnicalInstallationWhat to include?Lessons uPortal System 4System 2System 1System 3System 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

Number of users Cost Simpler options 1-2 More complex options 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.

Any questions?