FAQ Sakai Pilot Project

 What is OLP?

What is the Open Learning Partnership Ohio (OLP Ohio)?
Open Learning Partnership Ohio (OLP Ohio) is a joint project of the eTech Ohio Commission and the Ohio Learning Network (OLN). OLP Ohio is working to provide Ohio’s PK-20 education community with access to collaboration and learning environment and ePortfolio hosting and support services. By using open and community source solutions, OLP Ohio has the opportunity to customize these learning environments to meet the specific needs of Ohio educators.
How can I learn more about OLP Ohio?
You can learn more about OLP Ohio by viewing the FAQs on our website at www.OLPOhio.org

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 General Information

What is Sakai?
Sakai is an open source Collaboration and Learning Environment that is built and maintained by the Sakai community. Sakai's development model is called "Community Source" because many of the developers creating Sakai are drawn from the "community" of organizations that have adopted and are using Sakai.

The Sakai system is a potential alternative to commercial course management software, though it has somewhat broader goals. In addition to facilitating online courses, it is also intended to support collaboration in research, groups, and electronic portfolios. More information about this project is available at the Sakai Project Site.
What is a Collaboration and Learning Environment (CLE)?
"CLE" is substituted for the more commonly used CMS, LMS, or VLE to emphasize the importance of collaboration and sharing in learning. A CLE is a suite of online tools used in the support of teaching and learning. Whether used to deliver a full online course or as a value added feature in traditional classroom offerings, CLEs enables increased interaction between instructors and students. Additionally, these tools can be accessed anytime day or night, allowing students to participate in the activities when it is most appropriate for their schedule.
How might I use Sakai?
Sakai is a space to host your online or hybrid courses, projects, and/or electronic portfolios. Sakai is similar to other course management systems including Blackboard / WebCT, Moodle, Angel, and Desire2Learn.

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 Sakai Pilot Project

What is the Sakai Pilot Project?
Through the Sakai Pilot Project, OLP Ohio is offering enterprise level Sakai hosting, support and professional development services to participating educational entities. Through this Pilot Project, OLP Ohio is examining the efficacy of Sakai as an open source CLE solution for Ohio’s PK-20 educational community. You can learn more about the Sakai Pilot Project by by viewing the FAQs on our website at www.OLPOhio.org.
Why pilot Sakai with OLP Ohio?
OLP Ohio is hosting Sakai to build upon the successes that OLN has achieved through their Open Source Pilot. Since 2004, OLN has been supporting a small scale deployment of Sakai for 62 higher education institutions and one K-12 district. As OLN planned for the expansion of this Open Source Pilot, they needed access to additional technical resources.

Through the OLP Ohio, eTech Ohio brings a robust technical and telecommunications infrastructure and technical expertise to the table. Additionally, eTech Ohio’s focus on the PK-12 educational community also brings an expanded base of potential Sakai Pilot Project participants.


What does my institution need to do to join the Sakai Pilot Project?
The first step is to contact OLP Ohio to begin discussing what participation in OLP Ohio will mean for you. You should also review the Sakai Pilot Project Service Level Agreement (SLA). This SLA will provide additional information on what you will have to do as a participant in the Pilot Project.
What will I get from participating in the Sakai Pilot Project?
OLP Ohio is offering enterprise level Sakai hosting services, technical support, and a range of professional development products and services . You can read more about these services by reviewing the Sakai Pilot Project Service Level Agreement (SLA). The SLA is available online

Higher education partners will also receive support through OLN to set up a Sakai learning community following the OLN learning community model.

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If I participate in the Pilot, can I customize Sakai to meets the needs of my school?
OLP Ohio provides the following services to customize Sakai for your school:
  • Installation & Branding: OLP Ohio will install and configure your instance of Sakai, and work with your institution to brand (colors, logos, URL, etc.) Sakai. For K-12 participants, installation and branding will be done in cooperation with your ITC.
  • Content Migration: OLP Ohio will provide institutions with tools and advice on how to migrate courses and content from your existing CMS to Sakai.
  • Integration Services: OLP Ohio will work with your institution to provide integration with your authentication system, as well as integrate Sakai with your student information system.

As a participant in the Sakai Pilot Project, you will be represented on OLP Ohio’s Sakai Council. This Council will actively participate in the Pilot Project and will provide guidance to OLP Ohio on future Sakai functionality and Sakai support services. Through your participation in the Council, you will be able to make feature, user interface, and/or integration recommendations, though OLP Ohio cannot guarantee requested customizations will be implemented.
Will there be costs associated with participating in the Sakai Pilot Project?
  • Due to the resources available to support the Sakai Pilot Project, the pilot has a different fee structure for higher education and PK-12 participants:
    • Higher education customers will be responsible for a one-time set up fee, a modest annual hosting fee, and for costs associated with 24/7 help desk services. These costs are fully outlined in the SLA which is available online. For a detailed quote, please contact info@olpohio.org
    • PK-12 customers will not be responsible for any costs associated with their participation in the Pilot Project.
Will technical support be provided to pilot participants?
Yes. OLP Ohio will provide access to Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 technical support. You can learn more about the available technical support by reviewing the SLA which is available online at www.OLPOhio.org.

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 OLP Ohio Sakai Council

What is the Sakai Council?
OLP Ohio is creating a Sakai Council that will provide guidance and feedback from pilot participants. OLP Ohio’s Sakai Council will work to support the Sakai CLE and to ensure the system meets the needs of Ohio educators. The Council will consist of representatives (teacher, technical, administrative, and help desk) from each entity participating in OLP Ohio’s Sakai Pilot Project. The Council will meet online monthly to solve issues, share best practices, coordinate upgrades, discuss how to improve hosting and support services, test new Sakai modules, and plan for future needs. Institutional representatives will chair the Council. While the Council provides guidance on the Sakai hosting environment, final decisions regarding the Sakai service will be up to the OLP Ohio. Additional information about OLP Ohio’s Sakai Council can be found in the SLA which is available online.
When and how does the Sakai Council meet?
The Council will meet online monthly with additional meetings scheduled as needed. The Council will meet in person once a year. Any Council representative may suggest agenda items.
How will participants provide feedback on the Sakai Pilot Project?
Through this Council, participants will be able to provide input on the administration and development of Sakai services. The Council will meet regularly to discuss relevant issues and to guide the development and deployment of new tools and functionality within the system.

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