Development of a Eurpean Sakai community

Slide 1: A European Sakai Community Three tasks to address Jon Lanestedt and Susanne Koch Lübeck, September 7 2006

Slide 2: The University of Oslo Some key figures • Founded 1811 and the largest University in Norway • 30 000+ students • 4 570 faculty and staff • 8 Faculties • 44 Departments • 25 Interdiciplinary Research Centers • 2 Museums • University Library

Slide 3: The Educational Technology Group • Permanent unit within the central university IT-center. • M ission: To actively contribute to processes of pedagogical innovation by providing technological solutions integrated in teaching and learning. • Coordination of central IT efforts in the area of ICT- supported teaching and learning.

Slide 4: Sakai at the University of Oslo • We have just started • S akai members since A pril 2006 • A ttended the S akai conference in V ancouver • Planning a pilot for next semester • Interested in European perspective on LM S and S akai

Slide 5: Why a European Sakai Community? Exactly why do we need a European sub-community of this US initiative?

Slide 6: First, why not • The winning point of the Sakai initiative is not that it is open source. Open source is a means, not a goal. • Also, we don’t want to be cheerleaders for yet another LMS. We need to relate to educational realities, to solve real problems, deal with real challenges.

Slide 7: European factors • We have some European perspectives and positions which American academia doesn’t automatically share, due to history, culture, politics and more. – Particular European educational challenges – European worldview and mind set • These are related to the very activities which we may potentially support with Sakai (learning, teaching, collaboration, higher education as a common good, etc.).

Slide 8: A European network • We can promote our unique European perspectives and address the European challenges by: – Coordinating European Sakai endeavours within a regional network. – Coordinating the development and exchange of Sakai tools relevant to European concerns.

Slide 9: Task 1 • A cornerstone of a European Sakai community should be a common set of European challenges and ideas about pedagogy and education, as opposed to (or with a different focus than) an American one. • We need to identify what these challenges are.

Slide 10: European Challenges • The Bologna Process and EU’s Lisbon Process – These processes have serious pedagogical implications. – They both involve educational practices and technology at the local, institutional level (where LMS such as Sakai live). – They also affect the regional level, where inter- institutional collaboration and resource sharing take place (like a European Sakai Community).

Slide 11: Task 2 We must ask ourselves: Does the Sakai framework currently or potentially help us better than, say, Blackboard, and why?

Slide 12: How well does Sakai… • support life-long learning… • support our students in collaborative activities in accordance with constructivist views… • support the development and management of knowledge bases and collective memories for work groups… • orchestrate various forms of formative evaluation (and thereby develop reflective citizens)… • provide powerful collections of interoperative leaning tools and services to our students on and off campus…

Slide 13: Task 3 If we have convincingly dealt with tasks one and two, how do we format, maintain and cultivate the network?  Do we need any formal apparatus or agreements?  Do we need any secretariat or coordinating body?  Do we need any events, journals, etc., to develop community values? (Like this excellent conference!)  Should we collectively apply for EU funding to do some major project?

Slide 14: Thank you for your attention! skoch@usit.uio.no