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218 Central Ave
Suite #5100
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: (973) 596-5490
Fax: (973) 596-5499

Preconference Workshops:
Designing a Course in Sakai: A New Collaborative Learning Tool

Sakai is a higher education community project to develop and support a new collaboration and learning environment. It is intended to facilitate collaboration in research, administration, and service, as well as in courses, and, as such, Sakai is a potential alternative to course management software. Rutgers is piloting Sakai during Fall 2005, with about 50 courses and collaborations. Early in 2006, we will evaluate the results of the pilot, as well as experience with commercial course management systems. This presentation will showcase the philosophy of Sakai, integrating other tools with Sakai, and some pedagogical challenges we are facing.

This hands-on session will allow participants to set up Sakai course/project sites for use in non-active courses at their institutions. We will discuss the philosophy of Sakai, integrating other tools with Sakai, and some pedagogical challenges we are facing. We will demonstrate how to set up a course in Sakai, and provide temporary accounts for workshop attendees to use when they leave the workshop. Description: Sakai is a higher education community project to develop and support a new collaboration and learning environment. It is intended to facilitate collaboration in research, administration, and service, as well as in courses, and, as such, Sakai is a potential alternative to course management software. Rutgers is piloting Sakai during Fall 2005, with about 50 courses and collaborations. Early in 2006, we will evaluate the results of the pilot, as well as experience with commercial course management systems. Outcome: To understand the Sakai project, Sakai features, current and near future technology developments, pedagogical implications, and collaborative research opportunities using Sakai. Relevance: Institutions that are considering a Sakai implementation will get an idea of what it will take to set up Sakai and train faculty and staff to use it. Workshops attendees will get hands-on time with Sakai.

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Mini-Biography: William Crosbie

William Crosbie, MA, is an instructional application developer at Rutgers University's Office of Instructional and Research Technology (OIRT) where he is lead developer on the integration of the Sakai open source learning management system. Prior to joining OIRT, Crosbie served as an instructor for the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies at Rutgers University in the information technology and informatics department where he teaches information technology and learning, networking and Internet technology, and database technologies. He also has produced data-driven educational systems, dynamic instructional media, and consulted with educational and commercial institutions on instructional design. Crosbie is also a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University where he is researching the use of game based learning and play in understanding complex systems.

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Mini-Biography: Charles Hedrick

Charles Hedrick is University Director for Instructional and Research Technologies, and Chief Technology Officer, for Rutgers University. He has a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence from Carnegie-Mellon University, and spent the first few years of his career as a faculty member. In his current position he is responsible for helping the University use Information Technology (IT) to improve teaching and research. His unit acts as a focal point for information and planning about academic IT. It also operates services such as course management systems.

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Mini-Biography: Mary Jo Watts

Mary Jo Watts is an Instructional Designer for Rutgers OIRT where she enjoys assisting faculty in using technology to suit their research and instructional needs. Watts is a Ph.D. candidate in the Rutgers Program in Comparative Literature and is writing her dissertation about literary and artistic uses of the interactive multimedia CD-ROM. She has several years of experience teaching at the undergraduate level at Rutgers.