Open-Source Design to Help Enhance Student Collaboration with Peers
and Faculty, While Enabling Future Customization
CHARLES TOWN, W.Va., Oct 13, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
American
Public University System (APUS) today announced that it has
successfully completed the first phase of its planned migration to the
Sakai Learning Management System.
"The flexibility Sakai provides to frequently add system enhancements to
match our evolving organizational needs was an important criteria in our
selection process," said Dr. Frank McCluskey, APUS executive vice
president and provost. "It will help enable us to create a robust
learning environment that combines technology, content, and services to
meet these needs today, while supporting future growth."
The APUS milestone follows a successful pilot of 13 courses, during
which both students and faculty were consulted about the features and
navigation of the new system. The initial launch comprises nine graduate
programs, from business administration and humanities to intelligence
studies and public administration, encompassing 230 course sections and
4,000 registered students.
Sakai's open-source approach allows colleges and universities to deploy,
host, and modify the software in whatever manner best supports
institutional skills, needs and goals. Currently used by more than 200
leading educational institutions worldwide, it also enables local
enhancements to be incorporated into future versions of the software to
benefit the entire Sakai community.
"APUS prides itself on providing affordable, quality learning outcomes
to our students all over the world," said McCluskey. "Our goal in this
transition to Sakai is to help even further enhance the student
experience by facilitating more dynamic collaboration with peers and
interaction with faculty."
About American Public University System
American Public University System, winner of the Sloan Consortium's 2009
Ralph E. Gomory Award for Quality Online Education and two-time
recipient of Sloan's Effective Practices Award, offers 79 online degree
programs through its American Public University and American Military
University institutions. APUS's relevant curriculum, affordability and
flexibility help more than 70,000 working adults worldwide pursue
degrees in subjects ranging from homeland security to management and
liberal arts. For further information on APUS, please visit www.apus.edu.
About Sakai
Sakai is an online Collaboration and Learning Environment. Many users of
Sakai deploy it to support teaching and learning, ad hoc group
collaboration, support for portfolios and research collaboration. Sakai
is a free and open source product 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
non-profit Sakai
Foundation provides infrastructure and coordination support for the
Sakai community and is the point of contact for information about Sakai.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are
forward-looking statements based on current expectations, assumptions,
estimates and projections about us and our industry. These
forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual future events or results to differ materially from
such statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words
such as "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", "expect",
"intend", "may", "should", "will" and "would". These forward-looking
statements include, without limitation, statements regarding expected
growth and the benefits and success of the implementation of Sakai.
Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied
by these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. We
undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking
statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available or
other events occur in the future.
SOURCE: American Public University System
American Public University System
Brian Muys, 703-334-3225
bmuys@apus.edu