BoF Help Files & Documentation

12 members in attendence. (Rita Povolka (Indiana University) is also a contact who could not be at the conference.)

IU repository including data about docs resides on a server @ IU. The Sakai KB has been exported & formatted as static Help pages as we know it. KB@iu.edu. IU have a DB of their own. Context sensitive help menus can be developed.

The docs come as a weird combo of needs. We really need two types of docs: "how do I?" & "why do I?" Rutgers includes a "what's this" link for select new features.

There exists a need to have a template that is wiki-like that we can create a tool description that still allows for user & community contribution. Warnings, pedagogy, user feedback, analytics, collection & reporting (JIRA?) should be included. Consider the variety of medium. A review and update system to existing content.

Look into the End-User Confluence page & the BoF, too, for more information.

-- I apologize for typos or errors. This was sent from my mobile phone. --
Amber D. Evans

Strategy to Support Users: Custom Docs & Help

Mathieu Plourde
Univ of Del. Running Sakai & WebCT.

Workflow
Users call center. Ticket created in Remedy & sent to LMS team. Frequent requests sent to Tech Writer to create/update documentation.

Types of Content

• Help files
• Support Videos
• Pedagogy

Help files on another server so only it needs to be reset & not the whole Sakai instance. (Aside: Brilliant!) Areas for full docs, a tech writer on staff, and plethora of videos. Pedagogy area included, too. FAQ also created (VT has the KB at http://answers.vt.edu/).

Karen Campbell (Rutgers)
50,000 users. Very small staff. Users & docs are as self-reliant as possible. Although not pedagogy focused, they are in need of some teaching or tool use for teaching.

FAQ provides basic help. Tool groupings help them decide which communication tools to use. Within Help, there are giant buttons they cannot miss; there is a tools overview page. Additional instructional tips are provided alongside.

Updates are done throughout the year w/all fixes often, but an overhaul happens w/each upgrade. Docs Coordinator (her) proofs docs & manages check in/out. Long-term goals include more videos, examples, & pedagogical content. Example sites is a challenge but desired. It would be nice to have ways to track use and helpfulness (analytics); it really is necessary, but currently missing.

Finding the student resources for employment isn't too hard b/c every student can have a site of their own and they have same or similar knowledge of creation tasks.

Indiana University
Portal page of OnCourse shows a Getting Started, Training for Faculty & Students, Enhancement Process ... And Help.

The Help tool is a little different than normal Sakai help. The pages are in XML and can be collated in any order or collection, but for consistency it appears as any other static page. 500 pages are OnCourse related in the repository & undergoes updates easily & effectively.

-- I apologize for typos or errors. This was sent from my mobile phone. --
Amber D. Evans