In February, the university will be launching a new website and a new portal system as well.
Chief Information Officer Michael Dye is aiding implementing the new portal system. Dye said the total projected cost of the log-in system is estimated around $200,000.
“No more multiple user names and passwords to remember,” he said. “It will improve communications between all individuals. It will give students a place to create communities and collaborate with each other. It’s both a social tool and a method to get information out to the population quickly.”
The project started in July. Dye said the time schedule to complete the new portal system is aggressive to accomplish the goals of the project.
The new system students will be using is called my.mwsu.edu. It allows students to access grades, a messaging system, Desire2Learn, registration and financial aid.
Technology analyst Robert Steflik said the most important thing for students is a single sign-on. They will have access to grades, classes and financial aid. You won’t have to log in to six different places to get something done. “It’s like a one-stop shop kind of thing.”
The interface of the website will vary depending on the student’s year and what they are studying. The website will also have a student directory to locate and contact other students on campus. Steflik said the messaging portion of the site can also let students know if a class has been cancelled.
“There will be the ability to send a message from student to student or to a professor,” Steflik said.
The website will have a communities portion that allows students to join different groups and send a message from student to student or to a professor,” Steflik said.
The website will have a communities portion that allows students to join different groups and organizations they are involved with on campus.
Steflik said this allows the administrator to send out messages to the group and communicate to students in a specific targeted audience.
The portal system will have a sidebar that allows students to incorporate social media into the portal.
“You can actually go in and get to incorporate Facebook into the portal. It does have integrations with Facebook and Twitter,” Steflik said.
With this new program, old links will become unavailable and are being replaced.
The only element that cannot be accessed in this point in time is registration.
“The only thing you can’t do on it right now is register for classes. A lot of those other places where you put in ‘M’ numbers are going away. A lot of links you used to use are going away,” Steflik said.
There will be a smart phone application available for download next semester.
The application is free for both iPhone and Android users.
Along with the phone application, there will be a mobile site available.
SGA president Anthony Gallina, said the new portal system excited him.
Gallina said the simplicity and ability to access multiple websites from one single log-in will be more beneficial for students.
“From the demonstration I’ve seen so far, everything that we do daily can and should be made much simpler once the portal is up and running,” Gallina said. “This program will benefit students in the fact that once you do the initial login, you will not have to login any time after that. Everything from Facebook, to D2L to email will be made more readily available on the home screen after the initial login to the portal.”
Gallina said he has not heard many responses from students, but he said he believes there will be an overall positive response from the student body.
“I imagine at first there will be a little bit of skepticism because student will have to get used to another program,” he said. “Over time, I believe there will be an overall positive response.”
Associate vice president of student affairs, Matthew Park, said he believes it is important for technology students interact with to be user friendly and up-to-date.
Due to the heavy reliance on technology, Park said it is important to remain at the fore-front of technology to sustain the activities of the student body, faculty and staff.
“We live in a digitally integrated, ever-changing and fast-paced world where we rely on technology for our interaction and to access information, records, services and resources,” he said. “Our ability to offer a quality and transformative education experience while remaining globally competitive in the twenty-first century necessitates the existence of a reliable and functional technological infrastructure to support the activities of the students, faculty and staff,” Park said.
Making daily tasks quicker, more efficient and easier for students is one element Dye said is an important component of the new system.
“If Midwestern State University can do this for the student population, it helps everyone involved,” Dye said. “It makes the student experience more enjoyable and events like registration easier to manage.”