The China Association of Higher Education's Information Technology branch sponsored a seminar on the 2016 edition of 'Sakai Software' at Sias International University. The seminar was held so that teachers and students could learn the development and application of the software. The Deputy Director of the Information Office of Fudan University, Mi Yong, was present for the seminar, as were the Chairman of the Board of Sias, Dr. Shawn Chen, and the Sias President, Dr. Chen Sikun. Leaders of over 40 colleges and universities in China, as well as experts from the Information Technology sector, administrative officials, and educational research and development personnel were present. The seminar was chaired by Data Center Director, Wang Weiwu.

Dr. Shawn Chen welcomed the guests and spoke of Sias' international features, foreign cooperation in its functioning, and its East-meets-West ethos. He spoke of the continual growth of IT on campus, and the continued exploration and use of the Sakai Software at Sias. He said that he hoped that this meeting would strengthen the technical exchange of knowledge between member colleges and universities, and would aid in the development of open-source software in the field of education in China.

Sias President, Dr. Chen Sikun, also delivered a speech. He spoke of Sias history, development, educational philosophy, campus culture, inter-cultural activities, faculty, and internationalized curriculum. He said that Sias was gradually expanding its scale in internationalization and quality while improving its networking and IT. He hoped that experts at the seminar would exchange ideas and learn from each other.

The Deputy Director of the Information Office of Fudan University, Mi Yong, and Sakai Community Coordinator of the Apereo Foundation, Neal Caidin, also delivered speeches. Neal Caidin spoke about the development and application of open-source software in universities aided by Sakai Software, as well as regional colleges and universities collaborating for development because of Sakai Software.

There were also speeches on Sakai Software by representatives of Fudan University, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT), Dalian Maritime University, and Beihang University. They spoke on a variety of related topics like Fudan University's large-scale surveys that implemented Sakai, Fudan University's nursing schools teaching through Sakai, 'How to Build Localized Sakai in China', 'Sakai-based learning space design and practice', 'Beihang University course construction and practice', 'Sakai LTI tools and development practices', the application of Sakai learning and management platforms, and the Sakai performance optimization practice with regard to the content of special reports.

This seminar will further promote the development of Sakai software and application and will contribute to a higher quality experience of open source software and application, strengthening the technical exchange of information.

Sakai is a free, community source educational software platform designed to support teaching, research, and collaboration. Systems of this type are also known as Course Management Systems (CMS), Learning Management Systems (LMS), or Virtual Learning Environments (VLE). Sakai is developed by a community of academic institutions, commercial organizations, and individuals.

For more information on Sakai, click here.