Campus tech advisory group schedules open forum on SmartSite changes

Important upgrades to SmartSite are coming, and to help spread the word the Campus Council for Information Technology is sponsoring a free open forum Nov. 17. All are welcome. Here is the text of the Nov. 2 CCFIT email message:

"Colleagues:

"On Nov. 17, the Campus Council for Information Technology will sponsor an open forum with the community to discuss the focused pilot and upcoming upgrade for SmartSite, the campus system for managing coursework and collaborating online. Professor Joe Kiskis, chair of CCFIT, will host the session. All members of the community, including faculty, are encouraged to attend and participate in the discussion. Feedback collected during the open forum will help inform the 'go/no go' decision to be made in December about the proposal to host the upgraded SmartSite in partnership with rSmart, a leading commercial affiliate of the Sakai community.

"The open forum is scheduled as follows:

"Date: Tuesday, Nov. 17
"Time: 3:30-5 p.m.
"Location: Plant and Environmental Sciences Building, room 3001

"The following topics will be covered:

  • The focused eight-week pilot program to evaluate changes for SmartSite which are conditionally scheduled to be implemented over three days beginning 5 p.m., Dec. 17, and released by Dec. 20, in time for winter quarter 2010;
  • A demo of the new features and tools included in the upgrade to version 2.6;
  • An overview of the partnership with rSmart, a leading commercial affiliate of Sakai, to host SmartSite;
  • Options for getting involved in the pilot and staying informed (e.g., hands-on 'discovery sessions' available on most Wednesdays through Dec. 9; FAQ at smartsite.ucdavis.edu; etc.); and
  • A Q&A with the SmartSite team and representatives from the CCFIT Educational Technologies Subcommittee that provides guidance and oversight for SmartSite.

"CCFIT sponsors open forums as a way to engage and collect substantive input from interested members of the community about current issues and initiatives related to campus information and educational technologies.

"Seating is limited. To secure a seat, please RSVP at trainers@smartsite.ucdavis.edu by Wednesday, Nov. 11."