New Features For Old Tools in Sakai Raúl E. Mengod López Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (Spain) New Features For Old Tools in Sakai Raúl E. Mengod López Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (Spain)

2 Overview Introduction About UPV Samigo Melete Sections Wiki Site Setup FCK Editor

3 Valencia, a place to visit

4 Main Campus (Vera)

5 About UPV Universidad Politécnica Valencia (UPV) –Public academic institution since 1971 –Official and non-official studies –Graduate and Post–Graduate studies The UPV in numbers –4 Campuses – 15 Colleges –40 Research centers – 40 Official Degrees –20 post graduate studies – Students – Teachers –1.400 Staff

6 Sakai in the UPV Full production System in 2006/2007 –5 servers –Oracle Database v 9.2 –Integrated with SSO –Integrated with enrollment system –4.000 sites per year – students Running 2.4.x version –Customized to university requirements –A split branch from sakai 2.4.x maintenance branch –Many changes to the code, i18n, etc…

7 Sakai in the UPV

8 Why modifying Sakai Spanish universities are different?? Some of the use cases in sakai are not suitable for us. (ex: site creation) Integration with other local applications Lots of users means lots of different use cases More experience using the platform means more request or new ideas Many features requested by users Some mandatory features (multi-language) => MANY LOCAL CHANGES

9 Samigo: Discount Question Multiple Choice Questions are widely used Instructors try to avoid random answer from students Subtract points if student fails question Negative grade in question Allow student to leave question empty

10 Samigo: Discount Question Authoring Assessment: new discount box

11 Samigo: Discount Question Authoring Assessment called DiscountQuestion –Create 2 questions with 2 possible answers. –3 Points for each question

12 Samigo: Discount Question Taking the Assessment. –1 correct answer –1 wrong answer

13 Samigo: Discount Question Grading the Assessment. –The score for that Assessment (DiscountQuestion) is 2 points –3 point for the first (right) question –-1 point for the second (wrong) question –The score will never be bellow 0..

14 Samigo: Discount Question

15 Samigo: Discount Question Now students can always clear the answer New link to do so

16 Samigo: Discount Question This feature is also updated when the assessment is created from a pool.

17 Samigo: Discount Question Status –Tested in Production –Developed in java –Embeded in sakai code –Available to be merged –Waiting for stanford

18 Samigo: Submit Warning Students some times go too fast Don’t pay attention to the last question in an assessment. Sometimes after submitting the assessment they want to modify something

19 Samigo: Submit Warning Warning when the assessment starts

20 Samigo: Submit Warning Warning before submitting –If they click ‘Return’ they will return to the previous page.

21 Samigo: Submit Warning Confirmation page of the submission

22 Samigo: Submit Warning Status –Tested in Production –Developed in java –Embeded in sakai code –Available to be merged –Minor change –Waiting for stanford

23 Samigo: Share Question pools Question Pools belong to Instructors Assessments belongs to Sites Only the owner of the pool is able to modify an assessment created with a pool Is common for the Instructors in the same subject work together to make the question pools Sometimes pools are created by a TA

24 Samigo: Share Question pools The Big Question –Who should access shared pools? –Instructors in the same Site? –Instructor in the same Subject? –Instructors in the same Department

25 Samigo: Share Question pools Our Approach –Let the Instructor decide with who wants to share their pools –Select which pools to share –Grant access individually to other Instructors in the Site

26 Samigo: Share Question pools Add Share Action to Pools Page

27 Samigo: Share Question pools You can add or revoke access selecting the check boxes. You are not allowed to revoke access to yourself. Only the owner can share their pools.

28 Samigo: Share Question pools The new Battery appears with the rest of the personal batteries

29 Samigo: Share Question pools The questions pool can not be deleted by the granted teacher.

30 Samigo: Share Question pools Status –Tested in Production –Samigo has already the structure to store this –Pool selection page is inside sakai –Pool share page is out of sakai –It could be included easily but needs some coding

31 Melete: Printable Version Many students prefer to have a hardcopy of the material to study. Use of browser print action is uncomfortable It is needed a way to print all the sections in one module at the same time.

32 Melete: Printable Version Show the complete module in one click..

33 Melete: Printable Version

34 Melete: Printable Version Status –Tested in production –New feature available in melete 2.5. –Available in July

35 Melete: Import from Syllabus UPV is using a different Syllabus External application More complex than syllabus Built to fit the requirements of the Bologna process

36 Melete: Import from Syllabus

37 Melete: Import from Syllabus

38 Melete: Import from Syllabus New Option in manage page to import Structure Creates the structure Modules and Sections Doesn’t create any content

39 Melete: Import from Syllabus The same structure is created in melete

40 Melete: Import from Syllabus Status –Tested in production –Feature only useful for our syllabus application –Import Structure is not standard –Could be extended to import from other applications implementing or using a standard interface (Syllabus or Opensyllabus)

41 Sections: Open date for Sign Up Different categories of sections (Free Categories) Sites with many sections (>40) Sites with many students (>800) Lecture sections provided from SIS Lab sections not always provided from SIS –Instructors organize groups after enrollment –Before sakai it was a nightmare practicas.flv

42 Sections: Open date for Sign Up Initial Use Case: Allow Student Auto Enrollment in Lab sections –Instructor uncheck section options –Instructor creates/modify Lab sections –New Announcement to Student On DATE D at Time T lab enrollment will be open –Instructor will have to check section options at Open Date

43 Sections: Open date for Sign Up Initial Use Case: Allow Student Sign Up in Lab sections –10 min before open time students start to access –Overview page takes about 3 sec –Tool has already uncheck the sign up option and students can’r doo anything –Student refresh page –The system starts to overload –The load is too high that the Instructor cannot access to change the section options –Students go on trying after Open time –The system collapses

44 Sections: Open date for Sign Up SAK Overview page generates too many queries leading to performance issues. –BUG Is close for 2.5 –Patch available for 2.4 –New feature added in UPV Control system load before process request Add new Open Date/Time in section options

45 Sections: Open date for Sign Up New Use Case: Allow Student Sign Up in Lab sections –Instructor sets Open Date for Sign Up –Instructor creates/modifies lab sections –Students cannot access the tool until the open date Response time very fast

46 Sections: Open date for Sign Up Status –Tested in production –Useful feature for Instructors –Only used at the beginning of the Term –SAK fixes the performance problems –New feature not implemented in sakai

47 Site Info: Fake Student Feature requested: View site as Student –Some tools already have this feature –It is not possible to see the complete site as student Create a User for Test –New user created in site (fake student) –Instructor can access the site using the userid and password given on creation.

48 Site Info: Fake Student Feature included in Site Setup Tool (Edit Site Information) Instructor can activate it themselves

49 Site Info: Fake Student Status –Tested in production –Highly used –Need to be a different tool (Site Info is not the right place for this feature) –Waiting for community feedback

50 Wiki: Shared rwiki Sites are associated with subjects Subjects are grouped in Knowledge Areas Need to have the same wiki for all the sites in the same Area Sakai Hierarchy is necessary…

51 Wiki: Shared rwiki New Shared Wiki Tool –Same code as Wiki tool –Shown as a different tool in site –The real wiki is in other site Changes in Wiki Tool –sharedwiki parameter in site to control the real location of wiki –Change the permission control of the shared wiki

52 Wiki: Shared rwiki Status –Piloting –Good It is not a spin-off tool from wiki –Bad It is necessary to create a master wiki

53 FCK Editor: Change to Advance Editor Melete tool is enable in our university Sferyx Editor has been purchased and deployed Sferyx has a good Equation Editor Technical University Need to have formulas in all sakai text areas

54 FCK Editor: Change to Advance Editor Sferyx vs FckEditor –Sferyx More powerful Equation Editor included Heavy (Java applet) Only available in Melete –FCK Editor Less powerful No equation editor Light (JavaScript) Available in all edit areas of sakai

55 FCK Editor: Change to Advance Editor Open FCK and create Text New button in Sferyx

56 FCK Editor: Change to Advance Editor Sferyx editor appear with the text Create a new Equation.

57 FCK Editor: Change to Advance Editor Save to FCK –Images are uploaded to /private/sferyx

58 FCK Editor: Change to Advance Editor Status –Piloting –Only for expert users –Includes changes in FCK code and many parts of sakai. –New /private/sferyx branch in resources

59 New Features For Old Tools in Sakai Questions?

60 Spain: Euro 2008 UEFA Champion Thank You!!!!!