Marketing Sakai – Partie Deux Developing and Sharing Case Studies Mike Zackrison – rSmart Lois Brooks – Stanford University July 3, 2008

Introductions Mike Zackrison –VP of Marketing and Strategy, rSmart Background: –Lots of experience commercializing open source for Higher Campus Pipeline, uPortal, Luminis, SunGard HE –Open source turned into a proprietary product Unicon –Open source as a consulting project rSmart –Open source as an open, packaged product model (my personal favorite!)

Introductions Lois Brooks – Director, Academic Computing,Stanford University – Founding partner of the Sakai project,and board member, Sakai Foundation

Agenda The marketing imperative Recap of market research findings Story telling through case studies Example case studies available today Developing a case study – the Stanford story Case study “how to” Call to action Q & A

Return on Investment Adoption & Membership Contribution Vibrant Community User Satisfaction GoalsStorytelling Renewal and new members Inspiration & Sharing Engagement Knowledge & Understanding Results

Market Research Recap Research conducted by rSmart Sept. ‘07 –How great is the propensity to change CMS? –Why are institutions selecting Sakai and/or participating in the community? –What are the experiences with and perceptions of Sakai? –How can rSmart best support institutions in their use of open source solutions?

Market Research Key Findings Almost 90% of research participants are considering some level of LMS change Sakai is very successful in the RU/VH Carnegie classification of institutions – awareness outside this classification is much lower

Why Institutions Don’t Adopt Currently satisfied with what they have Any change would disrupt faculty experience Too risk adverse Preconceived notions about what it involves They don’t know about Sakai Don’t know how to ‘buy’ Sakai –Getting into the community can be difficult –We talk open source they want to talk solutions

How to Increase Adoption Improve Product –“...these institutions require a clear differentiation in the user experience that would drive support among faculty to make the change.” –Make Sakai easier to install and try out

How to Increase Adoption Marketing and Education “They also wish to see proof points for institutions that are successfully implementing, configuring and using Sakai without a major in-house development staff.”

Why so successful among RU/VH? They compare notes and follow leaders Viral nature of higher education marketing Story telling is an important way for decision makers to get their information in HE

Marketing is story telling… Which leads to conversations… Which leads to inspiration… Which leads to a vibrant and growing community.

Case Studies Today – Marist College

Case Studies – KCC ePortfolio

Case Studies – University of Michigan NEW!

Case Studies – Stanford University NEW!

Case Studies – University of Cambridge Coming Soon!

Developing the Stanford Case Study – a closer look

Stanford and Sakai Active in the community Value great teaching Built pedagogy into our design and requirements Photo: Julie Mai

Goals for the case study Share our stories: inspire at home and in the community Take the temperature locally (and remember why we got into this) Learn what matters, what to do next, what our faculty want

Language learning

Program in Writing and Rhetoric

Library engagement: A customized entry into classes Well chosen resources Access to librarians

Feedback Instructors want More ideas for how to use the tools More input on the tools More customizability and user delight Prompts from us about the course cycle Collaboration with colleagues from other universities

Tips for Developing your own Case Studies

A Guide for Developing a Case Study Project aim Define format Determine theme Define key messages Develop content Identify key contributors Other considerations

Key Tips Case studies are more powerful when they focus on a key theme. Avoid making one case study all things to all people. It is powerful to have the stories highlight use in different constituent groups. It is powerful to have one of the stories focus on a future need the institution anticipates and how the solution is expected to fill that need.

A Case Study Template Introduction: School background and situation relative to eLearning –What is the institution’s size, type, strengths (including related achievements or awards) –What existing or previous eLearning solutions / platforms were in use –What key drivers lead to evaluating and/or embracing Sakai –What quotations from key leaders can be captured related to the importance of Sakai and it’s alignment with institution’s vision

A Case Study Template Case Study Body: Identify 2-3 stories of how Sakai is being used. For each story answer: –What were the drivers behind using Sakai? –What key goals are being targeted or achieved by using Sakai? –What results have been achieved? –What unique uses or benefits of Sakai have been realized that were not originally anticipated?

A Case Study Template Closing: Looking forward –Summary or Sakai benefits and impact to the institution –Lessons learned –Next steps with Sakai on campus –Vision of Sakai moving forward

Topic Ideas Successes using Sakai for: –Courses –Group collaboration –Research –Administration Process for deciding on Sakai Pilot program examples Resource requirements / profiles Many others

Call to Action We have great stories to tell It’s up to us to share them Contact us for ideas on how to get started

Q & A and Contact Mike Zackrison – Lois Brooks –

References “Open Source Learning Management Systems Market Research,” Thanos Partners, September 2007, commissioned by The rSmart Group. –For a copy of this report please contact Mike Zackrison: