The old e-Learning is out at UF, and Sakai is in.
Sakai, an open-source course management system, is run by a community of universities, including the University of Michigan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cambridge University.
It was chosen to replace UF's previous system, WebCT Vista 8, because Blackboard, which runs WebCT, said it would stop supporting the program by October 2012.
Already, there were plenty of problems with WebCT, according to Doug Johnson, the manager for UF's e-Learning Support Services, such as issues with discussion boards and e-mails.
UF has used WebCT for about 12 years, Johnson said, and the university has used the same version since 2004.
UF's contract with WebCT is expected to end in May.
Sakai is easy to learn how to use, according to Joe Burley, the manager of electronic learning for the College of Nursing.
He said Sakai is the best online course structure he's seen in his 13 years of working with online education systems.
When a committee was formed to find WebCT's replacement, Sakai was accepted unanimously, according to the Course Management System Committee Report released on April 27, 2009.
Fedro Zazueta, who created the committee, said in a July interview that while there were cheaper systems, the committee wanted a broad and versatile system that meets UF's needs.
Because Sakai is open source and can be easily adapted, UF's programming has duplicated almost all features that WebCT offered, some by adding plug-ins and others by using new features.
The main new features in Sakai are blogs, RSS feeds and wikis, Zazueta said.
While students might be confused because they have classes in both WebCT and Sakai for the fall, it's a necessary step in switching systems, Johnson said.
He also added that professors say Sakai is easier to use, but it has a bit of a learning curve.
"Most faculty say it takes about two to four hours to putz around with the system then they get it," he said. "A faculty member said, ‘You have to learn how to think like Sakai, then it makes sense.'"
Johnson also added that his support team has yet to meet a problem in Sakai that it can't fix.
Zazueta added that professors will use Sakai differently.
"Some people will use Sakai at a very basic level, uploading a few files and syllabus and this type of thing," he said. "Other people will make use of the full set of features of this system. As time goes by, people who feel more comfortable with the system will use more of the new features."
