Why Sakai? Why the collaborative model in higher ed?

Indiana University is one of the founding institutions of Sakai. Brad Wheeler, Vice President for Information Technology & CIO, and Professor of Information Systems at the IU Kelley Business School talks about the vision for Sakai.

When Indiana University began to evaluate whether to evolve their homegrown LMS or to purchase a commercial product, a vision for Sakai emerged:  “The driver was we knew we could not innovate fast enough. The best in teaching and learning was going to continue to evolve in disciplines.” (More info on Sakai 3 development)

The ability to accommodate change and innovation is key. Phil Edwards, Assistant Professor in UNC’s School of Information and Library Science discusses Sakai’s ability to support the kinds of learning and engagement we want to have on our campus in addition to the potential to grow Sakai in directions that we determine.

What are the opportunity costs of failing to innovate, grow, and change to meet our community’s evolving needs?

From a strategic perspective, consider the rapid, short-term technological changes and innovations that occur daily as well as institutional requirements for a longer-term evolution of sustainable learning systems. Sakai is “both/and” rather than “either-or.” The collaborative model and flexibility of Sakai are perhaps its greatest strengths.