ARTICLE 4

Sakai and Graduate Education Students, Phase I
Daulton, M. (2006).

Summary of central themes

Walsh University, North Canton, Ohio, made the commitment to add an on- line support structure for educational purposes and invited faculty to participate. Walsh selected the Sakai application framework, provided training during the summer 2005 for faculty who elected to try the new system, and gave faculty the opportunity to use in any course they taught in academic year 2005-2006. The University supported the use of Sakai as a teaching tool to supplement or support the professor in teaching, but did not encourage total on- line delivery of courses.

Intended audience

This article is aimed at academics who are interested in the use of Sakai as a LMS interface this may include educators from sectors such as university, secondary or even primary school teachers.

Methodology and results

To obtain information regarding graduate education student s perceptions of the integration of the Sakai delivery and management into the traditional classroom, three different strategies were developed: a survey questionnaire, emailed questions requesting student input, and following telephone/video conferences. The questionnaire was administered during the last class of each of the two graduate classes. Extended responses to selected questions were obtained via email and follow-up phone calls were made to clarify responses following the email. The researcher plans to refine the data collection process and continue to add to this initial data base as she adjusts her and the graduate students use of the Sakai system, and if possible collaborate with others researching in similar areas.

Data analysis was not completed on the first set of data collected. However it shows the students’ perceptions of participation in the “Sakai experiment” this year, comfort levels with submission of papers, discussion, and tests. The data will also generate suggestions for making the delivery more effective and user friendly, how to communicate directions more clearly to students, and the impact on their willingness to use more computer technology in their classrooms.

How does this article relate to the topic?

It identifies the perceptions of a group of students using the Sakai interface. Although incomplete the study provides a basis to make an informed judgement on the quality of the Sakai interface.


CONCLUSION

While each article explores a different LMS to support and maintain, the tools that they offer are very similar. The thing that is different in each instance is the campus culture in which they are being introduced. Some of the key questions to consider in choosing an LMS for your campus are the following:

Open Source vs. Commercial – Can your campus community handle the dynamic nature of an open source solution or does it need the stability offered by the backing of a company? While the price of open source solution is right, sometimes the services offered by a commercial solution are worth the price.

What are the key tools desired by your faculty? While it is important to consider the whole package, make sure that the tools your faculty use the most are strong in the package that you choose.

Finally, make sure that it is a decision that your faculty support. Since they will be the main constituency using this tool, if they find it awkward or cumbersome to use, they won’t.