Open letter to the Web Committee Task Force
Thomas Jeffrey, iLevel Web Developer
May 08 2002
To the Web Committee Task Force,
My name is Thomas Jeffrey and I am the iLevel Web Developer on the Title III grant. I have been asked by both Marcel and Dina to offer a developer's perspective on eCollege as portal solution as well as to offer some (hopefully) unbiased suggestions.
It is my understanding that as far as this committee is concerned, the very definition of a portal, both in what it is and how it relates to the University, has yet to be defined.
In lieu of that definition, and for the sake of this proposal, I'll use the following:
Portal: a collection of related services and resources, usually delivered via a web browser.
Web Service: An application or service that is accessed remotely or delivered on demand, usually via a web browser.
Now, taking these two definitions and applying them to the idea of a UDM student portal, the next step would be to identify which web services that our students would want, need, or desire.
To start, I would suggest holding an informal meeting with interested students to try to determine the answer to these very questions. What they would want in a portal? What web services would make their student life easier? Would they use or do they even want a portal?
In my experience, a large percentage of our students do not even use any of our currently available University web services. This includes email. And as far as portals go, most use them for their sense of community with a few examples being Blackplanet.com, Yahoo.com, etc.
(It is important to note here that this is not the fault of anyone at the University. For example, we have a world class email system in terms of reliability and uptime, but students usually continue to use the AOL or Hotmail email account they set up prior to arriving at the University. The simple reason: why change your email address if all your friends know it already?)
Next, without knowing the needs of your intended audience, it wastes time and money providing a solution to only a perceived problem. To paraphrase a great movie line: "Even if you build it, they still may not come."
With that being said, I think the idea of student portal is a great and I think that it could serve many important functions including:
-reinforcing the University brand with the student population
-encouraging the use and instilling pride in University services
-providing a centralized location for the dissemination of information to the student body
-creating a student community
It is with these important points in mind that I would like to offer for consideration as a possible portal solution, an in-house package that has been developed by both myself and the development team at Academic Computing.
The IT website at https://it.udmercy.edu/start/ was created as a way to provide centralized IT information, software, and services to the University community. It incorporates several of the most popular features of a portal including:
-database backend
-customization
-extensible architecture
-feature rich design
The content of the site is managed via a built in content management system (CMS) that provides the maintainer of the site with infinite control over both the physical appearance and the delivery of information. There is a subscription option that allows for email delivery of newly published stories, has a built-in email login, and includes a wealth of resources.
While its physical appearance is modest, the site was designed for speed and ease of use. It is not graphically top-heavy. It incorporates the UDM approved web site color scheme and font class. In addition, it is currently being deployed in the student labs as the default home page for web browsers. But more importantly, it is already built, is currently available, and has no cost attached to it.
A valid argument could be made that while the IT site is nice, it does not include some of the more sought after portal features that eCollege does. That is a fair argument but I can say with confidence that upon my review of the eCollege portal solution, there are no features in that product that could not be built by the Academic Computing development team.
While time for development is a consideration, the staff of the University of Detroit Mercy has incredible talent that continues to remain untapped. Instead of outsourcing important branding opportunities and services to corporations, I urge you to consider using the services of committed UDM employees that have an inherent interest in the University community, its mission, and its students.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas Jeffrey
iLevel Web Developer
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