Spring classes are starting! Below you will find a quick 5-step checklist to get your Sakai course sites ready. If you prefer in-person assistance, we are offering a 1-hour crash course on teaching in Sakai, which will be especially beneficial to new instructors. We’ll also have a Sakai drop-in help session at the end of the week to quickly assist you with any of your questions.
Remember we just upgraded to Sakai 12 last week. You will likely need to clear your browser cache to pick up the Sakai 12 style sheet. Simply hold down SHIFT + refresh your browser.
Sakai Help Sessions
Be sure to register for any help session you wish to attend! We also offer personal consultations if you prefer one-on-one help.
Intro to Teaching in Sakai [Registration]
Thursday, January 10
11am – Noon
UL 034
Thinking of teaching in Sakai for the first time or need a refresher? Join us at this crash course on teaching in Sakai!
Drop in for Sakai Help [Registration]
Friday, January 11
9am – 10:30am
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Have last-minute Sakai questions for the start of term? Drop in any time to get quick help from a Sakai expert!
Start of Semester Checklist
Here is the 5-step checklist to get your Sakai course sites ready!
1. Create Course Site
Instructors can select to reuse old course material in new sites during the course creation process (or after the site has been created). At the bottom of the Course Site Tools page, select “Yes, from these sites:” to Re-use Material from Other Sites You Own and select the courses from which you want to reuse material. Continue onto the next step to select which tools you want duplicated.
NOTE: This process creates only one course site at a time. Checking multiple rosters will place all checked rosters on the course site you are currently creating. See Rosters FAQ.
2. Check Rosters
You can easily add/remove rosters in your course sites through Site Info > Edit Class Roster(s). Keep in mind that enrollments occur three times a day, which means that it may take up to 24 hours for enrollments to update in Sakai.
NOTE: If you accidentally attached an extra roster to the wrong course site, you must first remove the extra roster from the original site to create a new course site for that roster. Each roster can only be attached to one site at a time.
3. Publish Site
To give students access, publish your site.
4. Upload Syllabus
You can upload your course syllabus in the Syllabus tool or in Resources. If using the Syllabus tool and you wish to upload your syllabus as an attachment, you must first add the Syllabus Item in order to see the Add Attachments link. Don’t forget that students won’t see the syllabus item unless it is published (light bulb is lit)!
5. Give Your TAs Access
Do you have Teaching Assistants? Make sure they have the proper access! We recommend TAs be added to the official course roster through ConnectCarolina by your departmental scheduler, but you can also manually give them access. If they are manually added, they do not automatically inherit grading permissions. Instructors must give TAs grading permissions through the Section Info tool.
Please contact the ITS Service Desk at help.unc.edu if you have any questions. They are available 24/7. Since the first week of classes is always very busy, the quickest way to get help is most likely through their Live Chat option.
Good luck with classes this semester!