[Using Sakai] Resources management & Import from Site

[Algaze, Louis Contractor, eDataTech]

Laura,

Sakai is working as intended.  Each file in Resources has a real file name and a display name.  Each semester she is changing the display name and not the real file name, hence the reason students are downloading the file and it uses the real file name.  From what I understand, the reason this is done is so if an instructor has a link to a file, from an html page for example, if the instructor changes the display name, the link will not break.

I agree with your suggestion of making the real file names generic and, if desired, changing the display name each quarter.  Alternatively she can change the file using WebDav (upload/download multiple resources) as that changes the real name of the file as well as the display name.

I don’t feel there is a problem with having all of the files stored on her desktop, duplicated for each semester yet stored in separate folders.  A suggestion around this is; once a semester is done and she has duplicated the files on her desktop for the new semester, zip up the previous semester’s files.  Not only will this prevent duplicate file names, but it will compress the files to save space.

Good Luck,

Louis Algaze

From: Laura Gekeler <lgekeler at nd.edu<mailto:lgekeler at nd.edu>>
Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at 8:25 AM
To: Sakai Server <sakai-user at collab.sakaiproject.org<mailto:sakai-user at collab.sakaiproject.org>>
Subject: [Using Sakai] Resources management & Import from Site

I have a question for the group -

Yesterday I had a conversation with an instructor who received negative feedback on her course instructor feedback because, after several semesters of importing previous semester files into her new site, uploading new edited versions (syllabus, lecture slides) - she discovered that although she regularly used "Edit Details" to give the Resources display a new file name, when her students download, they see a file name of -

Spring 2011 Syllabus.pdf (for example)

Students believe she never updates her course materials because of this.

We argued for awhile because I advocated for uploading a file named syllabus.pdf and changing its display name to Spring 2015 Syllabus (if she is intent upon putting the term in the file name). I do not want to enter an enhancement request for her because I believe the feature to work as designed.

She advocates for keeping her course materials on her desktop organized by including the term in the file name and doesn't want to keep a separately named file just for Sakai.

When I teach, I have a folder with the term name and all my relevant files in that folder - making bulk uploads to Sakai a dream. She points out that desktop management gurus would tell her to not have multiple files on her desktop named the same thing even in separate folders.

Your thoughts?

Laura

Laura Gekeler
LMS Professional //Concurrent Instructor
University of Notre Dame
P:574-631-2402

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