Sakai LMS

Built by educators for the education community

Pros

The self hosted option is free, allowing me to deploy Sakai locally for faster access times, it also integrates easily with an API, which makes integration smooth. I feel great that it's deeply influenced by educators.

Cons

The Sakai Wiki and community are growing, which means more information is becoming available but I feel there should be more video resources.

Sakai is for managing virtual learning

Pros

I find it has a user-friendly space for both students and teachers and the interface makes it easy to manage.

Cons

Customizing the home screen overview is tricky, it takes some time to get it right.

Sakai simplifies college learning

Pros

My experience with this software has been great, it's been such an easy tool to use in college! Keeping track of my classes is a breeze. I can always see my courses and check my progress in them and taking quizzes and tests is also super easy, which is crucial for college.

Cons

The discussion boards can be a bit confusing at times and it's hard to tell which ones I've already posted on.

Functional, but not the most efficient system

Pros

Overall Sakai works really well for basic needs, it's functional and gets the job done! I do think it could use some updates and modernizations since schools are moving toward online programs more but I loved how easy it was to find assignments and the syllabus and how it works with Blackboard.

Cons

One thing I didn't like as much is that there isn't a dedicated place for weekly modules and submitting assignments.

A good platform for bachelor's courses

Pros

As I mentioned, It lets me access course grades from anywhere whether on my iPad, smartphone or computer. It even has email notifications with encrypted links. Once I got the hang of the features, it was very easy to apply them to new courses.

Cons

Sakai does experience occasional site outages, which can make signing up for new courses a bit of a nightmare but once everything's working, it's smooth sailing.

Not as good as Canvas

Pros

Sakai's layout is basic and simple, without cluttering the screen with unnecessary information.

Cons

Compared to Canvas, I found Sakai to be so complex, it's difficult to look at especially for those with dyslexia who struggle with tabled information and it takes a long time to update information (sometimes up to an hour).

A solid LMS with potential for improvement

Pros

Managing course membership is simple and with the restrictions set by each course, I could only access materials relevant to me, like when a professor scheduled an assignment to be available only after a certain time. Tracking assignment progress also gave me a clear picture of my progress in the course.

Cons

As a TA, I realized that grading is more time-consuming in Sakai compared to Canvas�it opens a grading sheet for each assignment and student, requiring us to go back to select the next student to grade. A simple "Next" button would save so much time.

Strong and dependable LMS platform

Pros

Sakai offers a solid range of tools, like grade entry, file storage, assignment and exam management and setting due dates and exam lengths, giving me great control over the course.

Cons

The UI feels outdated especially when compared to current industry competitors, it can feel slow at times and it's difficult to use on mobile.

Extensive use of Sakai in doctoral courses

Pros

The simple, minimalist design of this tool makes it easy for me to navigate. Plus the auto-save feature for drafts is really a nice touch.

Cons

Sometimes the software loads pages with errors when it times out and it's not always clear that I need to log back in to restore the connection.

I believe Sakai is a better platform for course management

Pros

All of Sakai's key features are easy to find. I managed two courses with over 100 students each without any trouble. It even lets me upload MS Excel files, which it automatically fills into the system. Student communication is straightforward and effective, too.

Cons

I'm not sure how much Sakai costs, since I'm just an end user, but it might be pricey. Our university recently moved to Canvas and finance could have been a reason for that change.