The document summarizes UNC-Chapel Hill's successful migration to the Sakai learning management system. Some key lessons learned included embracing the failure paradox, recognizing that change to software systems does not need to be as difficult as open heart surgery, carefully considering timing of announcements and rollouts, using data and reporting to show progress, and finding ways to delight users through small surprises. The migration was achieved through an emphasis on autonomy, humanity in interactions, evidence-based communication, flexibility, and making the change process enjoyable.

1. Make Your Migration to Sakai
Magically
Delicious
UNC-Chapel Hill’s Story

2. “Magically delicious” comes from the
Lucky Charms cereal advertisement.

3. Courtesy of GaTech, it is defined as...
No riots.
(Fun, energizing, renewing...)

4. Today
• Lessons learned
• Techniques stolen
• Your ideas

5. Change

6. Understandably, introducing any
new change can create immediate,
negative & visceral reactions from
those who will be affected.

7. Change doesn’t have to be painful.
Look up, look around! It could even
be something pleasant...

8. Change is the underlying principle of
the universe. To learn is to change.
Our default state as humans is to
continually learn.

9. ity
y
m
an
no
um
to
Au
H
Upon reflecting on our experience, 2 themes
emerged. Where we honored autonomy (agency)
and humanity (in our interactions with others), we
were most successful.

10. Background
(approximations)
30,000 students
3,000 instructors
35% lms adoption

11. Formal Migration
(announced February 2011)
80%
66%
40%
Fall 2011 Spring 2012 Fall 2012

12. Our team
Development Functional
Other

13. Our extended team
ITS
Schools

14. w e
W h at
ed ...
l ea rn

15. Change
can be
positive

16. #1
Embrace the Failure Paradox

17. You are wrong. If something
breaks technically, it’s your fault.

18. If a slightly related system that
interacts with Sakai breaks, it’s
your fault.

19. If someone uses tools in ways
never intended & has a bad
experience, it’s your fault.
Embrace it.

20. You are wrong, but it’s ok...

21. #2
It’s not open heart surgery

22. We don’t wear this to work.

23. We wear this.

24. Empathize & share stories
youtube.com/TLInteractiveUNC

25. Keep it in perspective.

26. #3
Timing is everything

27. You just announced a
change that will occur
months, perhaps years in
the future...

28. I don’t have time...

29. The cruel irony is that our response to announcements
of change is immediate yet the time to cope with
change is often very reasonable and doable.

30. We surveyed faculty to ask
when they wanted to move.
Ask for & honor choices

31. Build what you need as you go
(There is a lot already “out there”)

32. Rapid, reusable tutorial framework

33. We use the same tool to
maintain our gateway, too.

34. Timing is staying 1 step ahead

35. #4
Do the math

37. We worked with our support colleagues in
other schools to create a support plan that
was reasonable to all.

38. We determined that it was
mathematically possible to
provide every faculty member
with a personal consultation if
they wanted one - at times
that were mutually agreeable.

39. We post consults and
faculty sign up for those
that are convenient.

40. Reporting dashboards
More numbers...

41. 1. Courses & projects
2. Sites with rosters
3. Instructors by school
4. Media files
5. Tools used
We adapted this courtesy of Yale.

42. Dashboard demo

43. Using the dashboard numbers,
we can create reports that
communicate the migration
status at a glance.

44. Evidence-based reporting
(is really, really helpful)

45. #5
Delight people

46. What can you do to surprise
someone? We’re only on this
planet a short while. Why not
make it pleasant for yourself &
others?

47. We upgraded to 2.8 &
launched a newer, cleaner
look.

48. We offered additional new skins like this one: “Simplicity”

49. We made hoopla about
a summer “SakaiFest!”

51. From a professor (who has taught
for more than 30 years) after winning
a $5 Starbuck’s gift card raffle:
“I’ve never won anything!”

52. It was fun!

53. Relax. postcard in development.
Let ITS manage your migration to Sakai.
This is our current Let ITS
We use simple Avery printing materials.
We give people cards or cookies for
reporting bugs. It’s easy to do & worth it!
Relax.
Postcards, magnets, cookies, thank you cards...
Let ITS manage your migration to Sakai. Let ITS

54. Celebrate trying!

55. Make change
colorful,
tasty
& fun!
The alternative is what people expect, so surprise them!
And, leverage the wonderful people in the Sakai community!

56. kim eke
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kimeke
Twitter: kimeke
Slideshare: kimeke
kim_eke@unc.edu
thank you

57. cc-licensed images
1 www.flickr.com/photos/nduran/4349485962/sizes/l/in/photostream/
2 www.flickr.com/photos/like_the_grand_canyon/4589418910/sizes/z/in/photostream/
7 www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/4070581709/sizes/l/in/photostream/
17-19 www.flickr.com/photos/morjazzy/1800551523/sizes/l/in/photostream/
22 www.flickr.com/photos/ale_era/3681831618/sizes/z/in/photostream/
23 www.flickr.com/photos/mathplourde/7362733900/sizes/l/in/photostream/
29 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persistence_of_Memory