Ellingsburg University Portal proposal

1
Ellingsburg University Portal proposal

• University of South Florida
• Michael Crump, Jennifer Gallagher, and Nicholas
  Rau

2
Our Vision

• To create the best portal design for Ellingsburg
  University. Our unrivalled approach to university
  portal design comes from our unique understanding
  of students and student development. By
  synthesizing our knowledge of portals and
  students, we can offer unprecedented control and
  choice of user service.

3
OUR Concept

• Our design begins with a secure, password
  protected login. From that login, users will be
  directed to their own personalized portal based
  on their status as students, parents, staff,
  faculty, or alumni. Our multi-tiered design
  allows each user the ability to access
  individualized, highly relevant information. We
  have eliminated the information overload to
  provide users the content they want on demand.

4
the Portal will

• Increase user performance
• Raise quality of customer service
• Lower information technology costs
• Provide unified look for easier use
• Help consolidate information
• Webmasters have as much influence, if not more,
  over prospective millennial student decisions
  than the admissions director (Wallace, 2000).

5
Our portal will

• Be available to all members of the university
  community
• Be personalized with user name and password
• Have multiple customizable channels
• Serve as the communication hub for the university
  community

6
your portal Will

• Access student information system
• Feature a customizable main page with links,
  announcements, and campus news
• Access an interactive personalized calendar
• Link to discussion boards
• Access university email

7
Theory in practice

• Person-environment congruence (Strange, 1996)
• In order to have an educationally purposeful
  experience and guarantee satisfaction,
  individuals need to feel comfortable in their
  environment.
• By creating a customized portal, the individual
  will create able to create a comfortable
  environment ensuring a positive working
  condition.
• Interactive capacities of computer-mediated
  communication lead to the formation of
  characteristic social aggregations. (Strange
  Banning, 2001)

8
Development Team

• The following were identified as stakeholders who
  serve as end users or content providers, or both
  
• Students
• Faculty
• Student Activities/Residence Life
• University Relations
• Enrollment Management

9
Development Process

• End user focus groups
• Reliability of service
• Ease of navigation
• Accuracy and timeliness of content
• Online/email questionnaire
• Satisfaction assessment
• Solicitation of user input
• Consultation of contributors
• Ease of information access

10
System SUPPORT NETWORKS

• User access and authentication
• Enrollment management databases
• Campus newspaper
• Calendar database
• Search engine
• Bookstore interface
• Human resources
• Alumni information

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Organization of the portal

• All user options will include
• Personalized greetings
• Interactive calendar
• University-wide announcements and news
• Weather updates
• Links to libraries, colleges, and academic
  support

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Organization of the portal

• Students
• Enrollment management database
• Organization Announcements
• Residence Life
• Work orders, RHA, room lotteries, tech support
• Bookstore (online ordering)
• Campus food service
• Blackboard/WebCT
• Single login for all functions

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Organization of the portal

• Prospective Students
• Virtual admission counseling
• Online applications
• Orientation information and updates
• Financial aid applications FAFSA
• Housing information and online applications
• Virtual tours
• Adult and transfer student resources

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Organization of the portal

• Faculty/Staff
• Access to grades and class rosters
• Professional development opportunities
• Promotion tenure information
• Research support and databases
• Academic technology links
• Budgets, accreditation, and master planning
• Human resources

15
Organization of the portal

• Parents/Alumni
• Homecoming Commencement
• Academic/Event calendars
• Parents Association
• Alumni Association
• Campus safety reports and resources
• Fundraising/Giving back
• Parents Weekend
• Overview of FERPA
• With parents of Millennials being increasingly
  involved in the education of their students,
  higher education institutions must involve
  parents in the aspects of the university
  experience (Sells, 2002).

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Design best practices

• Content edited for accuracy
• Easy to read fonts and spacing
• Simple, consistent color theme
• Fast-loading graphics
• Accessible to individuals with disabilities
• Uniform writing style and terminology
• Technical assistance readily available
• Active links regularly updated

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Selected examples

• University of California Los Angeles
• Xavier University
• Evergreen State College
• University of Minnesota
• Pennsylvania State University
• Our portal reflects many key traits of these
  institutions portals.

18
References

• Strange, C.C. (1996). Student services A
  handbook for the profession. San Francisco
  Jossey-Bass.
• Strange, C.C. (2001) Educating by design
  Creating campus learning environments that work.
  San Francisco Jossey-Bass.
• Wallace, H. (2000, Fall). Campus ecology theory
  and websites One example of applying traditional
  student affairs theory to technology. Student
  Affairs.com E-Journal. Retrieved September 28,
  2004, from http// www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal
  /Fall_2000/wallace.htm