What Is Sakai?
There is a tension between Sakai as an open platform for the development of communication and collaboration tools versus Sakai as a courseware product. We're in favor of an open platform, with well-documented standards and interfaces. We do not want to see Sakai become a standard set of courseware applications, as our interests are broader than just faculty who are teaching courses. If Sakai is to become a collaborative learning environment, student and staff usage along with usage outside the context of courses must be considered and incorporated into the design and development process.
Governance Issues
We need an approach that quickly gets out something concrete and usable, in terms of both tools and architecture underlying those tools, and iterating on it with the SEPP with an eye towards community-oriented iterations and refinements, again in terms of both tools and architecture. We're this to happen, we would have a process that moves from a product development process - and it has to be said that this is a product for the core institutions - to a community development process.
A simple request-for-comment process on key architecture components and/or major pieces of the framework is essential. This could lead to expert groups with review/vote privileges over specific well-defined areas, and/or community code development, with an underlying meritocracy to dole out access rights (similar to Mozilla, Apache, etc.).
Membership in expert groups not only would provide code quality control vis-a-vis architecture and framework but could provide basis for a new funding model, perhaps with a lower institutional entry barrier (5k?).
While the architecture and framework requires feeding and watering, with tools the approach should be anything goes. One or a few standard distribution bundles with tools that have passed through a review/vote process would be a good goal, but SEPP members and outsiders who have not paid in should be encouraged to develop and share tools which would be made available through a Sakai Web presence.
One difficult issue is how to represent interests of folks who are working independently of expressed interests of their institutions. Maybe they have some voice but not the same weight?
Core Sakai staff would be keepers of the repository, maintain integrity of architecture and framework (which would require a core development staff), run meetings, and mind a Web site. Evangelization is not needed; if the product and process are satisfactory, people will join in and use the product.
One question: how is the SEPP budget spent and allocated now?