Skip to end of metadata
Go to start of metadata

You are viewing an old version of this page. View the current version.

Compare with Current View Page History

« Previous Version 10 Next »

It has now become clear that the Sakai out of the box (OOTB) help files are suffering from a lack of attention. This everlasting issue has been lingering for the longest while, with bursts of interest occurring here and there, as the following links demonstrate (this list is incomplete, please add yours):

It is now time to gather members of the Sakai community and Foundation to tackle this problem once and for all. Bad documentation leads to unnecessary local efforts that do not find their way back to the OOTB help files. Now that so many schools are looking at LMS alternatives, and that the Sakai community wants to promote the use of Sakai, this is a blocker to adoption for many.

Recent threads on the "Sakai User" list has generated interest in this process. It's now time to walk the talk.

Who's Interested?

Name

Email

Institution

Expected contribution

Mathieu Plourde

mathieu@udel.edu

University of Delaware

Ideas, workflows, leadership (Needs Assessment/Ideas, Standards, Editorial Board, Writing, Project Management)

Alan Regan

alan dot regan at pepperdine dot edu

Pepperdine University

Ideas, workflows, content (Needs Assessment/Ideas, Standards, Editorial Board, Writing)

Lorie Stolarchuk

lorie@uwindsor.ca

University of Windsor

Pain points of current situation, integration joys/woes of Brock's MediaWiki, ideas (time permitting (smile)
)

Robin Hill

hill@uwyo.edu

University of Wyoming

Content, editing... whatever I checked on Alan Regan's form (Standards, Editorial Board, Writing)

 

 

 

 

Some areas of contribution to consider: Project Management, Needs Assessment/Ideas, Accessibility, Standards, Editorial Board, Writing, Programming/Development, Workflows, Localization (Internationalization/Translation), Screenshots/Videos.

Key Questions

Before we start defining our process, please share your thoughts the following questions:

1. How do we define "end-user documentation" - purpose, audience, and content?

2. What do users need to accomplish their tasks in Sakai?

3. How do users find information when they hit the wall?

4. What works in the way our documentation is organized?

5. How should the help documentation be organized?

6. What is the current process used to revise and improve the OOTB documentation?

7. What are the difference between help files and other documentation?

8. How can we encourage the Sakai community to contribute their improvement back to the OOTB help files?

9. How should we vet the quality of the OOTB help files?

10. How should we address the branding and localization issues (different names, logos, style sheets, languages)?

NOTE: Improvements to the design of the learning environment (many of which are planned in S3) will also go a long way in improving the ease and usability of the service. Providing mouse-hover tool tips and other prompts will offer "just-in-time" support on the page. Of course, this will not eliminate the need for helpful built-in documentation and other support pages.

  • No labels