SmartSite Brochure

Copy for the Cover

• Header: Manage your courses with SmartSite
• Main Copy:UC Davis's New Web-based for teaching, learning and sharing information
• Image illustrating SmartSite and its tools connecting people or tasks
• Footer: smartsite.ucdavis.edu

Copy for page 2 & 3

• Header: How do you use SmartSite?
• Main Copy: SmartSite is the new UC Davis course management and collaboration system powered by Sakai, a software development effort, bringing together over one hundred educational institutions who have jointly created a sophisticated set of web tools for university instructors.
• 3-4 User Profiles with images stating Advice to new users
• Footer: smartsite.ucdavis.edu

Copy for pages 4-7

• Header: Where should I begin?
• Each of the four panels will be dedicated to uses for specific tools an instructor will want immediatel. (Resources, Gradebook, Wiki, Announcements?)
• High level Graphic illustrating the concept behind the use case for each tool
• Text Box dedicated to information about the Migration from MyUCDavis
• Footer: smartsite.ucdavis.edu

Copy for page 8

• Where do I get help?
• Info for IET Express
• Info about the Training Sessions/TRC
• Info about the Faculty Mentoring Faculty Program

Overview

During the 07-08 transition year, the SmartSite team needs a brochure to provide a first point of contact for new instructors and TA's who maintain course sites. It should touch on how the collaborative nature of the instructor/TA relationship can be extended, updated, made easier by using SmartSite.

Audience

Faculty and TA's who are not familiar with SmartSite.

Goal

Increase the number of course sites throughout 2007-08

Key Copy Points/Questions to Answer

• What does SmartSite do?
• Why is SmartSite unique/exciting?
• How will SmartSite help to save time/make life easier for teaching?
• How can TA's and instructor's use SmartSite to collaboratively manage courses?
• What will happen to the tools in MyUCDavis, particularly Gradebook?
• How do I get started/get help quickly?
• What are some of the more in depth training and peer support opportunities?
• What has worked for my peers?

What does SmartSite do?

SmartSite provides a online platform for faculty, students and staff to share information. When used for teaching, instructors and TA's can use SmartSite's tools to create an online home for their courses where:

• classroom discussions can continue via a chat room or forum
• materials are stored and posted for students at timed intervals
• assignments are turned in
• grades are managed and submitted to the registrar
• students can take quizzes to assess their progress in a course
• TA's and Faculty can share question pools and collectively grade student papers.

Why is SmartSite unique/exciting?

Like the Firefox web browser, the software powering SmartSite is an open source, community driven project. UC Davis is just one of over 100 institutions involved in the Sakai project, the non-profit consortium that jointly develops tools specifically for higher education. Faculty will increasingly find their peers at institutions like Cal, Michigan, MIT, Stanford and Indiana are using similar tools. SmartSite is unique because its software is developed based feedback from members of each universities user community. As with most technology, there is going to be issues. But, because of the wide network of developers, each institution can rely on a community effort to solve pressing, software related problems. We're not alone, if you're having a problem with a particular tool.

Proposed Project Plan