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Comments (12)
Apr 01, 2008
Wytze Koopal says:
The use of video for this is very informative! Using (pre-defined) cou...The use of video for this is very informative! Using (pre-defined) course templates sounds very very good.
Thanks so much for the good work and for the sharing of it. But.... somewhere from 25 seconds until 1.10 minute in the video the sound is very very garbled and I really can't hear what you are saying (and I tried several times, Firefox 2 on WinXP, with Flash 9). I am on broadband here, in The Netherlands.
Apr 01, 2008
Nathan Pearson says:
Thanks Wytze. I'm not sure what the issue is with the file. It works fine for ...Thanks Wytze. I'm not sure what the issue is with the file. It works fine for me and I've tested on several browsers, systems, etc. I just uploaded another build of the file, so I hope that helps.
If not, I'll have to go back to using an older format that doesn't have the control bar at the bottom of the video.
Apr 07, 2008
Wytze Koopal says:
It's working fine now. Keep up the good work!It's working fine now. Keep up the good work!
Apr 01, 2008
Mathieu Plourde says:
Hi Nathan, Just some remarks on your demo. 1) at 0:58 - I think the "Use an Ex...Hi Nathan,
Just some remarks on your demo.
1) at 0:58 - I think the "Use an Existing template" and "Copy one of your Sites" options could be merged into one. A user might want to copy an entire site, or use the layout of one of is sites, without the content.
2) at 1:29 - The idea of creating a course site is neat, but non-course sites could be projects or OSP portfolios. I think we need a bit of clarification here, maybe just add an option.
3) at 3:19 - I really like the idea of a checklist. It acts as a wizard, and Sakai definitely needs one!
4) at 6:29 - The way you have set up the Profile page is fine by me. The user is warned that any change here will reflect everywhere else. Maybe there could be a field where a user could enter a course-specific profile inf, which would only be relevant to that specific course (a motivation to follow that course, or previous relevant experience, for instance).
5) at 7:46 - When adding a user to the site, you should be able to opt-out of sending an email invitation, but I really like to have the option there. So maybe there could be a Continue without sending invitation button or something.
6) at 8:39 - User tracking is a feature that should definitely be explored in Sakai. Information on login, page view, tool usage, etc. should be made available. And SCORM compliance might be another piece of that puzzle.
7) at 12:26 - Yes, site templates would be a great addition to Sakai. We were thinking of doing that at U of Delaware. For instance, offer a Content-Driven, Communication-Driven, Classroom Extension, Syllabus-Only, Distance Learning, Departmental, College template, etc.
Good job!
Matt
Apr 01, 2008
Nathan Pearson says:
#1 - I was thinking about that too. Only wrinkle I saw with that is the idea of...#1 - I was thinking about that too. Only wrinkle I saw with that is the idea of templates are a bit complex to many novice users – where as "copy" is fairly obvious. So keeping them separate, while less efficient maybe, is a bit easier for some less advanced users to wrap their minds around.
#2. What makes a project site different from let's say a team site, or a group site, or any non-SIS integrated site for that matter – other than its context of use. But really, why limit the type of site, why not let users define their site by the widgets they choose?
#3. Yep. And what's nice about this approach is that it doesn't lock the user into a traditional wizard mode – so it's more of a guide.
#4. Yeah, I was thinking about that too. Not sure why a user's site profile would be any different from their regular dashboard profile. I mean, it's almost pointless to have a dashboard profile if it's not used in sites. Though, that's not to say we can't lose the dashboard profile in favor of site specific profiles – but that forces a user to create a new profile for each site. Seems tiresome.
Another option would be a warehouse of profiles.. kind of like having more than one credit card on file in a shopping site. Each time you checkout, you can pick the one you want to use.
But this seems like it gets rather complex given the estimated value/use of the feature.
#5. Yeah, the invite message is optional. But I see your point – that maybe an instructor is not inviting users so the name of the button doesn't make sense. I guess I was thinking a non-course site in that case. I suppose for course sites, that screen might not be relevant anyway since most of the members will probably already be added with a script integration via the SIS? How do instructors on your campus handle it?
#6. Agreed!
#7. Yeah, I think the template idea + being able to share templates you create with others really pushes Sakai into new community/social ware directions!
Apr 02, 2008
Mathieu Plourde says:
1) I think you are right on this one. And it's not like the user will be present...1) I think you are right on this one. And it's not like the user will be presented with more than 7 options here, which would not make sense regarding the working memory theories. 4 buttons is fine by me.
2) Project sites are all the same, I agree. You mentioned the Chess Club site as an example of a different kind of site than a project site, so I got confused. But would portfolios become a widget in a site? Portfolios go beyond one course, they might be associated with MyWorkspace instead. But what about group portfolios, where more than one person would contribute?
4) I was thinking of ONE field that could be specific to a site, not the whole profile. But that was mostly a half-baked idea... There are probably other places where that kind of info could be displayed, like the forum for instance.
5) The SIS info will be pushed to every course. The process you are describing would be used to adjust the student list if there is some kind of delay with the SIS, or to invite external contributors and guests. But sometimes, you might be sitting next to someone when you are adding it to your site, or you know that the person expects to have access to your site, so you don't need to have an email sent automatically from the system.
Apr 03, 2008
Per Wising says:
These video previews certainly stir the imagination – very nice. A small ...These video previews certainly stir the imagination – very nice.
A small comment on merging the boxes for e-mail addresses and user names in the Add members view:
this might not work in cases where a domain needs to be appended to a user name, e. g. wisin@su.se, in scenarios where federated authentication such as Shibboleth is used.
Apr 03, 2008
Nathan Pearson says:
So in the case when a domain is appended to a username, is the result different ...So in the case when a domain is appended to a username, is the result different from the campus email address given to the user?
If no, then the resulting input can generate an invite via the email route.
If yes, then perhaps there needs to be an extra script that checks across an ldap directory (for example) to first make sure it isn't a username.
Apr 04, 2008
Mark Notess says:
These videos are a great way to communicate design ideas. Thanks! One comment o...These videos are a great way to communicate design ideas. Thanks!
One comment on the wizard: I think graying the light bulb and crossing out the item may be confusing. What about using a checkmark to indicate that an item has received some attention? Crossing out the text seems to imply that this item is somehow no longer valid. I don't think the shopping list metaphor transfers well to a task list. Crossing it out also makes the text harder to read ("What did I just do?"). You might just gray it. But if I can go back to the step, then graying doesn't make sense either. Possibly having it look like a visited link would be most consistent with a browser-based application.
Apr 07, 2008
Nathan Pearson says:
Yeah, I was wondering about that too. I figured a check mark implies more of a ...Yeah, I was wondering about that too. I figured a check mark implies more of a required task, where as a light bulb connotes a reminder. But I think maybe I'm being a bit too literal with the metaphor and using the check mark might be a better way to go.
Maybe the thing to do with the strike through issue is to have some other fairly obvious but small UI doohickey that lets the user revert from a checked state.
Apr 04, 2008
Sean Michael DeMonner says:
Nice conceptual work. Several (hopefully constructive) comments: General though...Nice conceptual work. Several (hopefully constructive) comments:
General thoughts:
Specific items:
Nov 11, 2008
Gonzalo Silverio says:
Hi - looks great, Probably going to reiterate some things already mentioned. I...Hi - looks great,
Probably going to reiterate some things already mentioned.
I do think that the wizard approach has had its day. I like how you have reduced the course site to its essentials - info and course management. But the later seems to address only one of the course management models. I guess it is a stand-in for "whatever course management model is in use"?
On Tweaks/Name, Color, Other - a note: any given institution will want to disable/enable/control the range of options on any or all of these possibilities.
In addition - I was never happy with how "publish site" and "access" was addressed in the old model, given the high stakes nature of publishing/unpublishing a site as well as regulating access to it. But it did have the virtue of putting it front and center during the wizard stage and later also had a first tier presence in the Site info menu. Given that it is an integral piece and an occasional source of pain, embarrassment and confusion I think it needs more prominence than the place it holds in this design. Not sure exactly how and where.
On Import/Export - Use case number one is bringing into this site the contents of other sites straight from those sites without the need to export those sites first. Use case number two (a very very distant number two) is exporting the site's data to some variable format for some variable reason. Use case number three (even farther away) is bringing into this site the contents of some previous export. I would even argue that the last two, at least in Michigan, are never used. Maybe the interface can reflect this if it is indeed the case more generally.