Portal System Proposal Ellingsburg University

Portal System ProposalEllingsburg University Designed by Rod Colas Bill Mattera Rachel Siditsky The Florida State University

Overview of Suggested System • The portal system that we are proposing to you today will serve as a multi faceted tool that will carry our students from their date of application to their graduation and beyond. • The portal will also allow for the creation of a University centered database capable of monitoring a number of functional areas throughout the institution.

Proposed Concept • The Portal System will provide a comprehensive resource tool for both the University administrator, faculty member, and student. The system will combine elements of the following areas: • Admissions • Housing • Enrollment Management • Course Registration • Electronic Advising • Classroom Management • Library Resources • Judicial • Student Organization Involvement • Student Financial Services • Career Services • Alumni Services/Development

Functional Flow Chart • One of the benefits of this system is that it would create a means for students to be guided through their college career from its beginning. Used in the order that the elements appear in this presentation, you will see the career of an average Ellingsburg student. EnrollmentManagement Admissions Housing Advising Registration Library Resources Alumni Services & Development Career Services Judicial Classroom Management Student Organizations Student Financial Services

Admissions Functions • Online Application Process • Many modern Universities are moving their application process online; by moving our process online, it creates an easier way for our potential students to track their place in our process, and to allow for an expedited process, with results and application being almost instant. • Assessment Opportunities • One of the complaints of many admissions offices, is the difficulty they have tracking their market, and and backgrounds of our prospective students. By automatically data basing these materials, it would allow for easy access to that information. • This option would also create an easy access demographic database that could identify important diversity issues. • Simplified Review Process • The online system would allow for more access, on a quicker level by Ellingsburg’s admission officers. This access would help to expedite the process, and get information to prospective students much more quickly. • The system would also be able to remove those candidates who do not meet our basic requirements, this would create a higher level of productivity for the admissions officers, who were not focused on ineligible students.

Housing Functions • Application Process • Similar to the admissions process, the system would allow an already admitted student to confirm their housing preferences and information into the computer. The dual admission process on the system, would eliminate the need to follow up with students, because the system would automatically direct them to this next step. Acceptance e-mails sent to newly admitted students would direct them back into the system to complete this application and preference piece. • Assignment Process • Once entered into the system, the housing assignment officer can utilize a function designed to automatically place those students into the buildings offered. • Additionally, this function would increase the ease with which returning students could renew their housing contracts, and select their living arrangements.

Housing Functions (Cont.) • Maintenance Concerns • Since the University is nearly 100% residential, the system could also contain a function to identify and track maintenance concerns in its residential facilities. • Building Management • At the beginning of each academic semester, the system would be able to identify and maintain building rosters for the full time Residence Life and Housing officials. This would allow for easy release of programming announcements, building concerns, and other materials that are specific to each of the living communities.

Enrollment Management • Course Schedules • The system would play host to each semesters course catalog. This would allow students to access this information online at anytime. • Course Size • By utilizing a counter for each registered course, we could keep track of how many seats are still available in a given course, and ensure that class sizes stay within adequate range for the academic mission of our university. • Space Allocation • The portal would be able to keep track of all available space on campus, and assist the professionals concerned with allocation to properly assign classrooms.

Electronic Advising • Checkpoint System • The Portal System would be able to track, based on both Major and University requirements, where a student is in terms of completed coursework. The system could help by automatically informing a student where deficiencies in their coursework still exist. • Advisor Help Desk • Utilizing an online messaging system, students could access trained advisors with their questions during extended hours beyond normal hours of operation. This would increase the amount of attention students can get, specifically during later hours where they may be seeking assistance. • Increased Personalization of Advising • Through Administrator access to the system, the academic advisors could access the total college experience of their students. This would be particularly useful to students who were undeclared, but involved on campus, and allow advisors to assist in their selection of a major.

Course Registration • Graduated Registration System • Through programming, the portal would allow for different windows of registration to open at different times. This would allow for preference to be given to students housed in an honors college or by number of credit hours. • Simplified System • Online registration is helpful to students by allowing for access to the system during their assigned window. This helps students to obtain the necessary courses to fit within their intended graduation plan.

Classroom Management • Basic Classroom Functions • The Classroom Management system would allow instructors to post course syllabi, assignments, grades, notes, and announcements in one centralized location that students can access 24 hours a day. The portal also has the ability to offer academic assessments on the web. • Increased Communication Opportunities • Through the use of class discussion boards, and the potential to launch class chats, this system would increase student interaction and create easier elements of contact between small groups within a course, or the professor. • Access to Additional Resources • With the ability to post materials on the portal, instructors can place reserve material and web resources in this system making them available to the students in their course. • Evaluation System • This would allow a paperless evaluation of all the courses for students to fill out. This would eliminate the potential awkwardness of distributing evaluations in a classroom. Then an email version of the review could be sent to faculty members.

Library Resources • Librarian On Call • Similar to the academic advising piece, this would give students access to librarians familiar with the University’s catalog system and resources. This service would also operate under extended hours. • Students would also be able to setup an appointment with a librarian who could help them to find resources, and gather information to assist with research projects or other classroom assignments. • Web Databases & Electronic Card Catalog • The University can continue its current subscription to numerous web databases and libraries, and allow access from a number of ports when inside the portal window. Additionally, it would be beneficial to allow students to look for resources and books held in the physical library structure.

Library Resources (Cont.) • Electronic Check Out Systems • This system would allow students to place books on hold before going to the library itself. It would also have a feature that would allow students to extend the time with which they have their materials checked out. • Interlibrary Loans • By linking with the state wide library systems, the portal would be able to look at the catalogs of other participating libraries, and through the already existing process, arrange for those items to be brought to our facility.

Judicial • Sanction Completion • Through development on campus, we could create a number of online modules that would serve as sanctions. Those modules could be accessed through the portal system, when access is given through administrative assignment. • Sanction Notifications • When scheduled, the system could serve as a calendar. When a student logs in, they could be reminded of their need to complete a sanction in the messages section of the screen. • Assessment Tool • This system could help in evaluation of the judicial programs on campus, help find areas of focused/increased attention, most common violations, and help compile data for necessary reports like the Clery Act. • Administrator Checks • Since an administrator would have access to all areas of the students information, this would allow easy tracking of completion and levied sanctions. Additionally, it would allow for administrators to look for patterns and potential problems that a student may have.

Student Organizations Involvement • Registration Process • To simplify the process for registered organizations, the University could place the entire system online, and allow for continued access to those files for updating and administrator follow up. • Roster Tracking • By requesting roster information from all organizations, the University can access that information for judicial, or recognition purposes. Additionally, it would allow for flagging of alumni members after graduation for reunions, fundraising, etc. • Event Promotion • Through access to all their members listed on the roster, and through places to post information on the messages screen. This would allow for information to be posted to a larger population. • Space Reservation • By utilizing a reservation form, organization leaders could access available rooms, and place requests for meeting and programming space.

Student Financial Services • Fees and Fines • The University can utilize this system to notify students when charges of any kind are applied to their account. These could include damages from a hall, parking fines, or other miscellaneous charges. • Payment Options • The portal could provide payment options for the students, through potential electronic checking or credit card options. • Bill Statements • Monthly statements could be automatically generated and provided to the students through links in the portals • Financial Aid • The University could create a system for financial aid application and notification. This could include FAFSA and other application forms into the portal so that students could complete those online.

Career Services • Career Portfolio • The Career Portfolio would serve as a place for students to archive their works, coursework, and other archived items to use during the job search process. • Online Job Postings • The Career Center would place a job posting process on the web for both current students, as well as alumni. • Student Employment Opportunities • The Career Center portal would also be able to list student employment, work study, and internship opportunities for students on campus.

Alumni Services & Development • Alumni Information Database & Tracking System • This portal would allow alumni to update their information, as well as search for other former alumni and access their contact information. • Provide a place to host alumni e-mail addresses that will allow alumni to have appropriate and easy to access e-mails. These e-mail addresses would look like jdoe@alumni.ellingsburg.edu. • Donation Portal • A link could be created to allow alumni to donate money online, and track their contributions to the University.

Benefits of the Portal System • Technology Focus • As referenced in the article by Engstrom, there needs to be an emphasis on the importance of providing a technology focused experience for students. Because today’s student is so technologically savvy, it is important that we gear our practices and procedures to this incoming generation. Not only will we be offering them the ability to study with this technology, we will also be able to market ourselves on the cutting edge. • Collaboration • In the article reference by Olsen, she refers in great detail to the importance and necessity of collaboration in today’s collegiate environment. By linking all these systems together, we will be providing instant collaborative education because of the ease of gaining information. • Cost Cutting • These processes being streamlined creates a number of financial benefits for the institution. One main one, as referenced in the article by Olsen, is copying costs which would be greatly reduced by the elimination of the paper process.

Benefits (Cont.) • One Stop Shopping • In the article on student learning written by Treuer and Belote, they talk about the need to increase student satisfaction. By creating a system that is a four year shopping center of resources for these students, we are raising the level of satisfaction, as well as centering our initiatives and development in a method students can clearly understand and utilize. • Assessment Opportunities • In his article Hanson looks in depth at the power of electronic assessment. One of the major benefits of this system is the potential for assessment. This system would give us access to our students at a much higher level then currently exists. These tools would allow us to continually evaluate not only the portal, but also other programs and services offered at the University.

Potential Challenges for the System • Privacy Protection • As mentioned in the article written by Petersen and Hodges, the system creates some concerns about privacy for students. It would become important for us to create some sort of disclaimer screen when you log in, which would help to alert students of these risks. The University should be aware of the potential risks of law enforcement seizure of information, as well as the threat of hackers or some form of infiltration to the system. It would also be important to make sure that the system maintain concerns regarding FERPA and other federal protection legislation. • Electronic Resources • In the Carlson article, they raise a big concern about bandwidth needed to run these applications. While the article does not refer to this problem directly, it did bring to mind some challenges we may face. The University at its size will certainly need to look into acquiring larger bandwidth to accommodate the number of students we will see online on a daily basis. Additionally, if not properly backed up and supported, the potential of a crash of resources because of overuse could be a major concern.

Challenges (Cont.) • Layout Concerns • It is important in the initial design of this portal that we focus on usability and making this system a site that is not frustrating to students or staff. Many people could be easily frustrated with a poorly designed and hard to utilize system. The University may want to consider outsourcing this project to help prevent this issue. • Transition Issues • Being that the University is a very historic institution, one concern that will need to be addressed is training and helping long standing faculty and staff to prepare for the jump to this system. Additionally, it will require upgrades on office equipment to be able to properly utilize these systems. It may also become an issue for students who need assistance to access these items, we will be looking at upgrades in campus labs and offices.

Challenges (Cont.) • Combining Resources • Currently many of the University services already utilize electronic resources. One of our largest challenges is going to be initiating the change, and switching to the new system. This will require in depth technological knowledge, as well as many levels of training across the University. Another major component of this is making sure that the system can meet all of the needs of these departments. That being said, we intend to involve many campus departments in the implementation process.

Implementation • Timeline • First Six Months • Implementation teams meet and outline needs • Needs communicated to software designer • Training program begins in various campus areas and continues through the end of year one. • Year One • Implement System Cross Campus, Beginning with Admissions, and following through the flow chart within 18 month timeframe. • Year Two • Year long observation and adjustment period • Year Three • Formalized campus wide focus groups and assessment to determine successes and challenges of the system. • Institute an update training program which will address corrected areas, new features, etc. utilizing Computer Based Training modules within the portal.

Implementation Team • The Implementation Team will be the main group of 6 key constituents responsible for this project. • These 6 members will each be responsible for overseeing smaller Core Committees which will work to develop and fine tune individual areas of each program. The members of the Implementation Team will be: • Director of Technology • Director of Residential Life • Associate Vice President for Business Services • President of the Faculty Senate • Dean of the College of Communications • Dean of Students

Core Committee Explanations • The Core Committees will be responsible for developing individual pieces of the larger portal picture. • The individuals on each committee will contain representatives from faculty and student constituencies. The administrative staff are assigned to committees not looking at their areas. This was done to help create a larger sense of buy in to the process, as well as bring in a different perspective to all the areas. • Each Core committee will consult with the areas which it is working with to help make sure the portals are functional and useful to their daily tasks.

Director of Technology Student Representative Faculty Representative Asst. Director of Career Services Director of Greek Life Academic Advisor Responsible for implementation, selection of software, and basic design/layout. Associate Vice President for Business Services Student Representative Faculty Representative Alumni Relations Officer Asst. Director of Accounting Director of Orientation Responsible for creating the Housing, Student Organizations, and Judicial areas of the portal. Core Committees

Director of Residential Life Student Representative Faculty Representative Judicial Officer Director of Food Services Deputy Registrar Responsible for creating the Enrollment Management, Electronic Advising, and Career Services areas of the portal. Dean of the College of Communications Student Representative Faculty Representative Director of Financial Services Head Librarian Asst. Director of Facilities Responsible for creating the Course Registration, Admissions, and Alumni Services areas of the portal. Core Committees

Dean of Students Student Representative Faculty Representative Asst. Director of Student Activities Director of Admissions Assessment Director Responsible for creating the training program for the campus agencies President of the Faculty Senate Student Representative Faculty Representative Academic Advisor Purchasing Agent Director of Development Responsible for creating the Library, Classroom Management, and Admissions areas of the portal. Core Committees

Good Practices • Career Portfolio – The Florida State University • http://www.career.fsu.edu/portfolio/ • Roommate Preference Forms – Webroomz • http://www.webroomz.com/ • Classroom Management Resources – The Florida State University • http://campus.fsu.edu • Universal Portal System – University of Maryland • http://www.testudo.umd.edu/ • Reservation System – University of Pennsylvania • http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/perelmanquad/reserve.html • Student Organization Search System – Massachusetts Institute of Technology • http://mit.edu/activities/ • Peoplesoft – Oracle Software • http://www.peoplesoft.com/corp/en/public_index.jsp

Conclusion It is our belief that this web portal will be a strong tool for this University. Through careful planning, collaborative decisions, and paced implementation this program could help bring our institution to the forefront of educational technology. We appreciate your consideration of our proposal for this system and look forward to future updates on its progress.

Works Cited Belote, L. & Treuer, P. (1997). Current and emerging applications of technology to promote student involvement and learning. New Directions for Student Services, 78, 17 – 30. Carlson. S. (2004). Managing Bandwidth: Packet shapers control the flow. The Chronicle Review Information Technology, L (21), B 7-8. Engstrom, C. M. (1997). Integrating information technology into student affairs graduate programs. New Directions for Student Services, 78, 59-69. Hanson, G. (1997). Using technology in assessment and evaluation. New Directions for Student Services, 78, 31-44. .

Works Cited Olsen. F. (2004). Collaboration: Seeking tools that are easy to use. The Chronicle Review Information Technology, L (21), B 6-7. PeopleSoft, Inc. (2000). PeopleSoft for Higher Education. Retrieved February 14, 2004, from http://www.peoplesoft.com/media/en/pdf/PWSSVIHCPGC_MDA.pdf Seabreeze, J. (1997). Student affairs world wide web sites. New Directions for Student Services, 78, 97-103.

Portal System Proposal Ellingsburg University