To prepare for a new semester, Instructors can modify course sites using included or added tools available in each site. The following are some tool-use suggestions to help Instructors develop their sites.
The Announcements, Tests & Quizzes and Lessons tools can be added to sites by going to ‘Site Info’ and clicking the gray ‘Manage Tools’ button the top of the resulting page.
The sections below contain various tasks for which a faculty member may need assistance, along with short descriptions, and a link to additional help pages. For individual assistance email sakai@bradley.edu.
Course Site Management |
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Task | Basic instructions | Sakai Help reference |
Find a Sakai course site | Course sites are created automatically 3 times daily once a student registers for a course. The instructor of record is given "Instructor" access to the Sakai course site. | Search for Sakai sites |
Import information from a previous Sakai site | Use the 'Import from Site' function in the Site Info tool. |
Site Info > Import from Site |
Give registered students access to a course site | By clicking the 'Publish Now' button in the top part of any Sakai site page, instructors can publish the site, granting student access to it. |
Site Info > Publish |
Give TA's site access | To add a TA, instructors must add a student using the 'Add Participants' function of the Site Info tool, and, when prompted, assign the student the role of Teaching Assistant. TA's need to be aware that they are responsible for protecting students' privacy. |
Site Info > Add a Participant |
Give other BU users access to a course site | Instructors can manually add BU users (faculty or staff) to their course sites using the 'Add Participant' function of the Site Info tool. |
Site Info > Add a Participant |
Remove old courses from site buttons | Users may hide old course sites using the ‘Sites’ icon and the 'Preferences' button, accessed from any Sakai page. |
My Workspace > Showing, hiding and ordering course sites |
Republish a course after a term ends | Most old course sites are automatically unpublished a few weeks into a new term. Instructors may republish course sites at their discretion. |
Site Info > Publish |
Content Delivery |
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Task | Basic instructions | Sakai Help reference |
Upload files | In the Resources tool of a project/course site, select an option from the “Actions” drop-down box. |
Resources > Working with files in Resources |
Upload multiple files |
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Resources > Uploading files to Resources using WebDAV |
Embed links to web sites | Users may embed links to Internet web pages in the Resources tool, by selecting “Add Web Links (URLs)” from the “Actions” drop-down menu. |
Resources >Working with web links in Resources |
Add your Syllabus | In the Syllabus tool, the "Add Item" and “Add attachments” functions allow instructors to type in a syllabus to a Sakai page, upload a syllabus file, or link to an online syllabus, e.g. one located on an external server or a file stored in the site’s own Resources tool. | Syllabus |
Add web sites to your Sakai site | Web Content can be added from the "Manage Tools" function in Site Info. This function places web site materials as buttons in the left-hand side tool menu in the Sakai site. | Web Content |
Create content directly in Sakai pages | Instructors can create course materials on Sakai pages reserved for that purpose. In the Resources tool, select "Create HTML Page" or "Create Text Document" from the "Actions" drop-down menu. |
Resources >Create an HTML file >Create a text file |
Organize files in Resources tool | Instructors may organize course materials within the Resource tool. For example, instructors may add folders, reorder resources, rename folders/files, and set role permissions in the tool for site participants. |
Resources >Creating folders >Changing the permissions for a folder in Resources |
Assessment |
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Task | Basic instructions | Sakai Help reference |
Provide secure access for students to view their individual grades | Instructors can provide current grade information to students by using Sakai’s Gradebook tool. | Gradebook |
Allow TAs to post grades | Enroll a student in your course site and assign the student the Teaching Assistant role. |
Section Info > Adding, editing, or removing participants |
Provide feedback for students | Instructors can provide feedback to students in the Gradebook tool by adding comments to graded items. |
Gradebook > Edit Comments |
Create online assignments. | Adding the Assignments tool allows instructors to create, distribute, collect, and grade online assignments. The tool can be added by using the "Manage Tools" function in Site Info. | Assignments |
Administer tests or quizzes online | The Tests & Quizzes tool allows an instructor to create online assessments (i.e., tests and quizzes) and make them available to students or groups for completion. The tool can be added from the "Manage Tools" function in Site Info. | Tests and Quizzes |
Provide students means to reflect on their learning and receive feedback | The Forums tool can facilitate student reflection and collaboration. It can be added by using the "Manage Tools" function in Site Info. | Forums |
Communication |
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Task | Basic instructions | Sakai Help reference |
Maintain a calendar with important dates | Instructors can use the Calendar tool to create, organize and display events and activities on a daily, weekly or monthly basis during a course term. | Calendar |
Make an announcement to an entire class | By using the "Add" function in the Announcements tool, instructors can inform students about current items of interest. Announcements can be posted to a site’s Overview page and e-mailed to students. | Announcements |
Conduct an online discussion with students outside of class time | Forums is a communications tool that instructors can use to create and moderate online discussions on course topics. | Forums |
Conduct a real-time chat with students | Instructors can use the Chat tool for real-time, less-structured conversations with students logged-on to a course site at the same time as the Instructor. | Chat |
Contact an individual student | In the Email tool, an Instructor can choose to send a message to an individual students, a group(s) or other participants in a Sakai site. | |
Have students keep a journal for only the instructor to see | Create Groups (one per student) in Site Info and its Manage Groups function. Then, use Forums and set Topic permissions to allow only the instructor and an individual group (student) to post to and read a Topic. |
Forums > Set Forums access and Permissions |
Collaboration |
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Task | Basic instructions | Sakai Help reference |
Enable students to share digital material (documents, images, etc.) with classmates | • Resources: Set up a folder in which students can add materials. Change its Edit Folder Permissions settings. • Forums: Set up a Forum and Topic. Students can add attachments to their posts. |
• Resources • Forums |
Enable students to do collaborative writing | Instructors can add the Wiki tool, with "Manage Tools" in Site Info, to facilitate student collaboration within a shared web page or pages. | Wiki |
Presentation and Usability |
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Task | Basic instructions | Sakai Help reference |
Design a home page for your course site |
• Provide general or contact info. • Give students learning prompts or highlight important or timely aspects of the course. • Guide students to other areas of your course site such as Resources or Assignments. • Place course materials in your site and put a link to them on the site Overview page in Site Information Display. |
Overview > Add content to a site Overview page |
Add a Syllabus | Add a syllabus by uploading a file or using the built-in text editor. | Syllabus |
Add photos | Sakai users can add photos or images to their Profile tool on the Home button which can be viewed by others. Edit “My profile." |
Home > Profile |
Rearrange site buttons in the site navigation bar | Instructors may reorder site buttons displayed in the site navigation bar (which appears at the top of each Sakai page) by using the “Sites” icon and related functions. |
Sites icon > Site arrangement |
Importing Content |
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Task | Basic instructions | Sakai Help reference |
Import tests or quizzes from a plain text file | Tests and quizzes created in a text editor (such as Microsoft Word) can be saved as plain text files and imported into Sakai by using the "Create using markup text" function in the Tests & Quizzes tool. File questions must be formatted according to the "Instructions & Examples" shown. | Tests & Quizzes > Markup text |
Project Site Management |
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Task | Basic instructions | Sakai Help reference |
Create a Sakai project site | Request a Sakai project site by completing an online request form. | Request a Sakai site |
Enroll Bradley users in a project site | Users with the “Maintain” role can manually enroll persons with Bradley accounts in a project site by using the “Add Participants” function in Site Info. |
Site Info > Add Participants |
Request access to a joinable project site | Sakai users may search for, and request access to, joinable sites from the Home tab and the Membership tool. To do a search, click the "Joinable Sites" tab in the Membership tool. | Joining project sites |
Remove old project sites from site navigation buttons | As with course sites, users can hide old project site buttons using the “Sites” tool, accessed at top right of any Sakai page. | > Showing, hiding and ordering project sites |
The following table lists various teaching tasks common to online, hybrid, and face-to-face courses and maps those to the appropriate Sakai tool.
Teaching Task | Related Sakai Tool and Action |
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Add a syllabus | Use the Syllabus tool |
Create a course introduction or orientation | Use the Home page or the Lessons tool |
Communicate instructions to students about new assignments or course materials | Use the Announcement and Email tools |
Create and deliver online assignments | Use the Assignments tool |
Create and deliver online exams or quizzes | Use the Test & Quizzes tool |
Have students peer-review other students’ work | Use Peer Assessment within the Assignments tool |
Have students complete group projects | Use Group Submission within the Assignments tool |
Share files, web links, and other course materials with students | Use the Resources tool |
Grade items and allow students to see their scores | Use the Gradebook tool |
Hold an asynchronous, online class discussion | Use the Forums tool |
Hold a synchronous class discussion | Use the Chat tool or a video-conferencing tool that integrates with Sakai |
Have students sign-up online for an office hours or other meeting appointment | Use the Sign-up tool |
Embed videos, links to Resources files or items, links to assignments, assessments and other content | Use the Lessons tool |
Deliver sequenced content | Use the Lessons tool |
Check student work for plagiarism | Use Turnitin within the Assignments tool |
Keep a calendar of class events | Use the Calendar tool |
Have students create a journal or blog | Use the Forums or Blogs tool |
Track student activity within a course | Use the Statistics tool |
Use publisher or external content | Sakai supports integration with other systems |
Assign students to groups to work on course tasks | Use the Site Info tool to create and manage groups. Use other tools to create tasks. |
Deliver end-of-term course evaluations online to students | Use Evaluation System |