Logging On to Sakai@UD
The educational technology courses use an instructional management system called Sakai@UD. The Sakai software that powers Sakai@UD comes from SakaiProject.org, of which UD is an integral member.
How to Log On to Sakai@UD
To log on to your educational technology course, you go to https://sakai.udel.edu/portal. When the Sakai@UD screen appears, there will be a login form in the upper-right corner of the banner. The login form prompts you for your UdelNet ID and password. Enter these credentials and click the Login button. Note: If you are a new student who does not yet have a UdelNet ID and password, you can get one by following the instructions on the UD network page at www.udel.edu/network.
Where to Find Your Course in Sakai@UD
After you log on to Sakai@UD, there will be a tabbed menu bar onscreen. In that menu bar, click your course identifier. If you are enrolled in Spring 2009, for example, the course to click is 09S:EDUC885. If you do not see your course on the menu bar, inspect the right end of the menu bar to see if your course is in a dropdown menu that appears if you happen to be enrolled in more courses than will fit along the horizontal menu bar. If you cannot find your course, send e-mail to your course instructor fth@udel.edu explaining that you are not yet on the course roster. In your message, state the specific course number and section in which you enrolled, and provide your UdelNet ID (but not your password) so your instructor can help you resolve the problem.
How to Use the Course Tools in Sakai@UD
As you might expect, the educational technology courses use many of the tools available in Sakai. After you enter your course in Sakai@UD, you will see these tools listed in the left sidebar that is always onscreen in Sakai. To use a tool, simply click it and follow the onscreen instructions. If you have trouble, try clicking the Help button to see if the answer to your question is in the help file. If something simply will not work as advertised, send e-mail to your course instructor fth@udel.edu explaining what the problem is.
The specific Sakai tools you will use in your educational technology courses are listed as follows:
- Home. Use the home tool whenever you want Sakai to display the framework for the course in which you enrolled.
- Assignments. You will use the assignments tool to review or submit your course assignments.
- Blogger. Three times (or more) during the course, you will use the blogger to submit your project logs, in which you reflect on the progress you are making and describe any dilemmas you may have encountered.
- Chat Room. There is no specific assignment related to the chat room, but it promises to become a popular place to network with fellow students who happen to be online at the same time as you. Please be aware that your chat room conversations are kept in an archive that other classmates can see. These are not "private" chats.
- Forums. Everyone is required to participate in the course discussion forums. You will learn a lot from interacting with your classmates here.
- Gradebook. In the gradebook are your scores on all the course assignments.
- Help. Use the help tool when you have questions about Sakai. The help tool is keyword searchable.
- Podcasts. Your professor uses the podcast tool to make audio announcements as the course progresses.
- Resources. Here are file folders and Web links used in the course.
- Roster. The roster tool displays a list of your fellow classmates who are taking the course with you.
- Schedule. Use the schedule tool to see when things are due.
- Search. Use the search tool to find things in your online course. The search includes the chat room archives.
- Site Info. Use the site info tool when you want to see official information about the course, including your professor's e-mail address.
- Wiki. Some of the courses use the Wiki, in which you share with your fellow classmates cool tools or best practices you discover during the course.
