This chapter discusses the challenges and great advantages of Sakai as a community source project at the Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA, http://www.uva.nl). Like all universities, this is not a standard institution with standard requirements.
The competitiveness of modern universities is measured by the value of their online services. Online courses offered 24/7 are the norm and not the exception. The current Learning Management System (LMS) at UvA is designated mission-critical. If the LMS fails, the daily lives of the students and of the authors of this chapter are significantly affected.
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LMS, CMS, VLE, VRE, and CLE
When you read the international journals, you can see some nearly interchangeable terms: Learning Management System (LMS), Course Management System (CMS), Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), and if you are a researcher, Virtual Research Environment (VRE). Sakai is a Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE), which is an LMS with extra features that support...