This article highlights the features of Sakai 12, which was upgraded on August 5, 2019.

Audience

This article is intended for all Sakai users. 

Platform

Sakai 12

Accessibility Improvements

• User can set the text editor layout in Preferences to auto-detect device or force a basic/mobile mode or full desktop mode.

• Radio button contrast issues have been addressed for low-vision users.

Improved Responsive Design

• New skin that is more modern and functional. Site links were moved below top banner.
• More compact left navigation.
• Improved performance on mobile devices, including the text editor.

Site Maintainers and Instructors can now "Soft Delete" Sakai sites

• Go to Worksite Setup, select a site, and hit delete to "softly delete" your sites. They will be permanently deleted at the end of the semester.

Templates for new courses

• Speed up your set up time for new course sites by choosing the "Create site from template" option. We've included  Templates for Basic Course, Standard Course, Online Course and Course with Library tools. See How to: Create a New Sakai Course Using a Template.

• You can always add or remove tools later with Site Info > Manage Tools or import content from other sites using Site Info > Import from site.

Announcements

• Streamlined announcement editing by removing unused options.

Tests and Quizzes Enhancements

• Instructor can make exceptions to the time limit and due date of a quiz in order to make accommodations for individual or groups of students.  See Exceptions to Time Limit and Delivery Date in the settings.
• 
• If student abandons a quiz, autosubmit function will include partial submissions.   
• Grades are scaled when the point value of an item is changed.
• Hot spot (using images) question types now work on mobile devices.

Gradebook Enhancements

• Create Gradebook items faster by creating multiple Gradebook items on the same screen..
• Easier viewing by improved ability to change or arrange the view of Gradebook items with the "Item Order" button.

• Instructors can view and adjust final grade distribution for applying course curves. (see Gradebook > Settings > Grading Schema).
• Progressive rendering of student grades for large classes for improved viewing.
• The Gradebook item options to "Release Items to Students?" and "Include item in grade calculations?" can now be selected independently of each other.
• Students may now view maximum points possible for an item even if they don't have a grade for that item.

Assignment tool Enhancements

• Assignments are "softly" deleted so can be recovered with student work and grades with Removed Assignments List in case of accidental deletion.
• For attachment only assignments, student must upload a file. Links are not accepted to prevent students from submitting a URL to a mutable document (e.g. Google doc).
• Instructor comments from assignment are emailed to student when assignment has been graded and released to student.
• Assignments tool integrated with iRubric.
• Back end rewritten backend for better performance and  future enhancements.

Calendar

• Fix made to visibility of Assignments created on week view of Calendar.
• Can import other calendars with recurring events.

Chat Tool

• Chat Room tool has modern interface and includes user profile image.

iRubric

• iRubric is integrated with any Gradebook item and with Assignments.
• There is an optional self-assessment mode for students.
• Instructors can aggregate results by rubric across assignments and courses and align by standards.

Lessons Tool Enhancements

• Optional subpage left menu navigation feature.

• Forums widget allows forums to be embedded in the page instead of linking to the tool.

Roster

• Student pictures print in grid format from roster. 

• Instructor has more control over access to Roster information based on Site role.

Sign-Up tool

• Much improved documentation available from the Help menu for Sign-Up tool.

Zoom Plugin tool

• There is a new Zoom plugin tool so you can put Zoom meetings in your Sakai site. 

Other

• Audio comments can be recorded from any text editor in Sakai and can be played back in edit mode.