From Crisis to Innovation: Japanese Universities Pioneer Sustainable Online Learning Using Open

NAGOYA, Japan - Dec. 12, 2024 - PRLog -- Key Drivers:

• "20 years of vendor turn-over" (acquisitions/product releases cycles) put demands on campuses
• Commercial providers lack investment in the Japanese market due to smaller market size, lower institutional adoption rates, and lower utilization.
• Freedom to customize for local language, pedagogical, legal and cultural needs
• Data governance, protecting student data, "on-prem" (data savings) vs. cloud (cost savings)
• Increased licensing costs as courses moved online through COVID

THERS: A Unified Vision for Education
The Tokai National Higher Education and Research System (THERS), Japan's first national multi-university consortium, is at the heart of this transformation. Through THERS, Nagoya and Gifu Universities united their efforts to develop a shared learning management system (LMS) called TACT, based on the open source Sakai LMS platform. This cooperative model allowed the institutions to pool resources, expertise, and infrastructure to address the unique challenges of Japan's educational landscape.

Key achievements:

• Technical Advancements: Migration from a legacy Canvas system to a robust AWS-based Sakai infrastructure streamlined operations, allowing seamless course delivery for over 16,000 combined courses. The unification process also involved the adoption of Microsoft 365 as a standard authentication system across both campuses. The TACT team uses Microsoft Teams for communication and Zendesk to manage the user help desk.
• Open Standards: Tools like "KamiRepo" for digitizing handwritten assignments and shared governance mechanisms ensured adaptability and continuous improvement. Adding these and other Japanese education-specific features was made possible through open integration and interoperability standards inherent to Sakai's architecture.
• Collaborative Learning Opportunities: A standout initiative within TACT is the introduction of "collaborative courses." These unique courses allow Gifu University and Nagoya University students to learn together on a shared platform, fostering inter-university collaboration. By 2024, these courses have expanded to 42, promoting broad inter-university engagement.

Lessons from Sakai: The Open Source Advantage
Sakai, a globally recognized open source LMS supported by the Apereo Foundation, has been pivotal in this initiative. Originating from collaborations among leading U.S. universities, Sakai offers flexibility, cost-efficiency, and a community-driven approach that aligns well with higher education's institutional values of sustainability and autonomy.

For Nagoya University, Sakai became a cornerstone for technical innovation after migrating from WebCT in 2007. Continuous updates, integration with curriculum management systems, and the ability to adapt to crises—such as the COVID-19 pandemic—highlight its resilience. During the pandemic, Nagoya's Sakai-based NUCT system supported an 80% utilization rate, accommodating up to 4,500 users simultaneously.

Read more: https://www.apereo.org/news/2024/crisis-innovation-how-ja...