Session Abstract

Project OZ simplifies creation of multi-application coursework tool suites with a web-based group management tool. OZ allows users to manage both centrally provisioned groups (enrolled students) and ad-hoc instructor-defined groups (visitors and class auditors). Groups are defined once in OZ, then applied to a variety of applications to control access and rights. Rather than a one-size-fits all approach, custom tool suites are selected ala carte by the instructor, and include Jabber/XMPP chatrooms, shared webfiles space, wiki sites, mailing lists, SMS notifications, and access to VCL (virtual computer lab) - a VMware computing environment reservation system. Leveraging Internet2 middleware including Grouper and Shibboleth, OZ makes it as easy to manage access to best-of-breed applications and move beyond monolithic course management systems. In this presentation we discuss the OZ design goals, user interface, application plugin architecture, initial experiences during the OZ pilot at Duke University, and how OZ might be extended to support collaborative research group tool suites.