UF Adopts Sakai to be New E-Learning System
After an 8-month evaluation process, the University of Florida has selected the open source Sakai course management system to be the new course management system. By choosing an open source system, UF joins a growing trend among colleges and universities.
Changing the campus course management system was brought upon UF by the decision of the current vendor, Blackboard, to discontinue support for our current software. As a result, Dr. Fedro Zazueta, Director of Academic Technology, convened a committee last summer to review the existing course management system market and to recommend the best system for UF. In April 2009, that committee, made up of representatives from 11 colleges and 7 support units, unanimously recommended Sakai.
Two key characteristics distinguished Sakai from other software. First, Sakai is open source, meaning the University will be able to edit the actual source code of the software, if needed, to create new features and modify existing features. Second, there is a formal Sakai community that includes many of UF’s peer institutions, to prioritize problem-fixing and assure quality control. New tools not currently available at UF including wikis, blogs and e-portfolio system e-portfolio system also attracted the selection committee.
The committee carefully considered this decision for eight months. They researched the software market, surveyed students and faculty, and engaged the faculty in hands-on focus groups to determine what characteristics were most important for the UF community. They scrutinized vendor offerings, ran trials, and consulted with other colleges and universities using different systems. Ultimately, they decided that the power and flexibility of Sakai, coupled with the advantages of the open source model and the Sakai community, best met the needs of UF as envisioned in our strategic academic and IT plans.
The University plans to pilot and test Sakai over the coming year and launch it as a production service for Fall 2010.
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Tags: Academic Technology, E-Learning Course Management
Posted on Friday, July 10th, 2009.