Poliforma-T, the Sakai-based on-line campus for the UPV: history of a success.

Poliforma-T, the Sakai-based on-line campus for the UPV: history of a success.

Raúl E. Mengod LópezUniversidad Politécnica de Valencia (Spain)

Overview

Introduction: Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV)

Moving one step beyond: Perspectives for the new year.

The Project: Poliforma-T. A suitable solution.

Implementation Facts.

Questions & Discussions

Introduction

Universidad Politécnica Valencia (UPV) Public academic institution since 1971 A leader in Technical innovation Official and non-official studies Post – Graduate studies

The UPV in numbers 4 Campuses 15 Colleges 40 Official Degrees 20 post graduate studies 40.000 Students 2.600 Teachers

Initial status

3 Departments with similar e-learning functions Official Colleges

Microwebs. Repository support for presential education. Highly extended. Very popular.

Post Graduate School Distance and non deistance courses and masters. E- learning solutions only for distance education.

Open University Only distance education Many services in an out of date system

Initial status (II)

Multiple Systems Different home-grown system in each department.

High maintenance costs. Different tools available on each system.

Contents moving platform Redundant information

Non-homogeneous appearance. Non institution styles

Low integration Multiple logins for the same users.

80% of the users work on the minimum system (Microwebs)

Requirements (I)

Technical requirements Support for all the activities, subjects and courses in the

university. So the system should support a large number of users.

Compatibility with institution infrastructure Corporate servers Oracle DataBase UPV SSO System Other University Applications

Developing Language Java, PL/SQL

Mature Life Cycle Focus on Stable systems

Requirements (II)

Support in other organizations Evolution Capabilities Collaborations Possibilities Long term maintenance and support.

Standards Support IMS, SCORM Transfer information to other systems

Why is Sakai our alternative?

Positive Implemented campus wide to all the areas, courses and

users. It was able to fit in the university infrastructures (Java,

Oracle) Possibility to collaborate in future developments. Evolving in important organizations. Contents re-use in/from other systems.

Negative Non translated into Spanish Mono lingual. (Valencia is a bi-lingual region) All systems investigated required some modifications.

Implementing the solution

Integration with the server infrastructure (IAS/Tomcat)

Customization I18n Integration with UPV SSO Integration with UPV Enrollment System Integration with TELDE Tool Help guides Integration with Europe Programs Integration with UPV communications Other applications

Integration with UPV infrastructure

DataBase Infrastructure Database running on enterprise HP-UX System Oracle 10g Use the current Database Servers

Servers infrastructure Corporate Application Server is Oracle-IAS Non compatible with IAS in the actual version Deploy on Tomcat. (2-4 Servers)

Improvements Storage system enlargement 60.000 € Investment

Appearance Customization

Name-logos Institutional layout and colors CSS changes only

Internationalization

Initial Status Sakai 2.1 running on mono-lingual platforms Spanish version not available Universidad de Lleida started the job Some initiatives (Nagoya) for the multi-lingual version

Work done Translation of properties files Code search for texts not included in the bundles Translation and trick for database texts (Decide the language

of the contents) Melete Translation

Integration with UPV SSO

UPV SSO Developed in the UPV Highly extended

Integration with Sakai Container Login Capabilities Develop the access to the UPV-SSO

Integration with UPV Enrollment System

Providing Users, Subjects, Groups for all the courses and students.

Centralized repository Database Synchronization (all kind of information)

Future Timetable for subjects and students Examination dates

TELDE tool Integration

TELDE Tele Educación para el Desarrollo Collaboration project with Valencian and Latin-American Universities Quick video production system

Integration with sakai New tool to register TELDE resources Instructor customization. Synchronization with the Resources tools (URL Item) Based on external streaming servers

Future Better integration with sakai

Demonstration

Help Guides

Procedure Guides (instructors) Available in Different formats (HTML, Flash, VIDEO) Developed by Instructors How to use tools to create properly e-learning solutions Use cases examples

Use Guide Students Instructors

EHES

EHES European Higher Education Space (Bolonia Process) European studies information standard

Integration in sakai Complex tool required A non initiated project

External application Outsourcing Closer to the actual UPV procedures Summary information shown as a new page in sites Bibliography shown as Resources Syllabus and Melete Inherits Structure

Integration with UPV communications

Mail Webmail embeded in ‘mi Workspace’

News Develop RSS Feeds for the UPV News

SMS integration Plans for the future

Future Plans

Library repository Library resources integration. TwinPeaks / SakaiLibrary Ex libris Metalib integration

Thesis and PFC Management GradeTools is not suitable Institutional Requirements External tool or Sakai tool

Test Suites

Test Platforms 1 server Developers Integration Pilot Complete Test Pilot (4000 Sites) Jmeter Performance

Test Pilot 2 servers Courses covering all categories (10 courses) Real users 6 months Feedback

Formation, diffusion and promotion

Diffusion of information Main Web Site Presentations to the university community

Promotion among Instructors Flyers Banners

Training of Instructors Training Courses Feedback

Promotion abroad Sakai Community Spanish America Promotion

Evaluation Plan

Measure and Evaluation Surveys Number of Sites with Contents Number of Accesses

Exposition of results and experiences

Implementation Facts (I)

Appearance Customization Fully integrated with the sakai standards New UPV skin CSS chages only

Internationalization Multi lingual version not 100% finished Many problems with hardcoded options Things not solved yet

Database stored strings Data formats Gateway Site

Multi-lingual contents version????

Implementation Facts (II)

Single Sign On Use of UPV CAS Container Login capabilities ContainerLogin.java modification Xlogin available for external users

Data Providing to Sakai Centralized Repository XML for information exchange between departments Instructor setup of the sites before creating them in

sakai Non use of sakai providing facilities Direct synchronization Repository to Sakai More flexible. Provided on demand. Provide information to other tools (Resources, Sections,

Melete) Transparent contents migration

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Thank You