UniSA’s
UniSA
s approach to the Student Portal –
myUniSA - 2006
AAIR Conference – Nov 2006 - Graeme Poole
Overview
What I will cover
About UniSA
Background to the Student Portal project
What is a portal and why we need one
How we organised it and what our aims were
How we found out if we were succeeding
Where we are at now
Where we would like to go
Overview
Who am I ?
About me
Graeme Poole – Manager : Student Administration
Student and Academic Services Unit
•student portal
•student data reporting, information systems and processes
•DEST reporting
•student service centres
•graduations
d ti
About UniSA
Some contextual data - 1
4 metropolitan
p
campuses
p
2 regional campuses
Offshore programs offered through commercial and university partners
in Hong Kong, Singapore, PR China, Malaysia, Thailand, Switzerland,
Taiwan, Vietnam
Onshore partnerships – SAIBT,
SAIBT CELUSA,
CELUSA OUA
About UniSA
Some contextual data - 2
4 Divisions ((faculties))
•Business
•Health Sciences
•Education, Arts and Social Sciences
•Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment
About UniSA
Some contextual data - 3
Student Data
Total Students
Persons
32362
EFTSL/FTE
20660.63
Total Staff (permanent)
2287
2161.52
Casual estimate (2005)
2818
347.91
International
Offshore
Onshore
9343
4884
4459
5377.49
2340.96
3036.54
Postgraduate
Research Only
8306
999
3893.97
706.75
myUniSA
Pre - Portal
Students accessed information from a wide range
g of independent
p
services
Located and linked in different areas of our corporate web
Each requiring a separate login
Sometimes requiring a different login
No consistency between interfaces
Some services were duplicated across the systems
Some systems pointed to source data, others to data stores that were up to 24 hours
old
myUniSA
What is a Portal ?
What is a student p
portal ?
Web Service integration
Combines different information into one location
•web sites - databases - applications
Single point of access
•web browser - search technology
Tailored for users
•needs – preferences - according to access
myUniSA
What is a Portal ?
What is a student p
portal ?
“A portal combines the different information from the web, corporate databases and
applications into a single point of access using web browsers and search technology.
This data can be structured, like application or database data, or unstructured, like web
sites, discussion groups and email messages. The portal can be tailored to present
personalised information based on the needs of a group of users or individual users via
user preferences and password controlled access.” (Development of a Student Web
Portal for the University of South Australia – Web Portal Working Group, 2001)
myUniSA
Why a Student Portal ?
Why
y did we want one ?
UniSA outlined its strategies in “Towards an Outline Strategy 2005-2015” (2004)
Consistency and accuracy of information required these services to be integrated with a
single log on
Portal software (MS Sharepoint Portal)
myUniSA
How we organised it
Student p
portal team
Business case ; received funding for a feasibility study ; 2004
A team was formed with representation from the following areas of the University :
•Student and Academic Services
•Information Strategy and Technology Services
•Flexible Learning Centre
•Marketing and Development Unit
•Research Services
•Library
myUniSA
What we aimed for
Major
j requirements
q
of the project
p j
A portal that integrated services and information with a single sign on
Student records
Result notices
Student finance
Enrolment confirmation notices
Student email
Commonwealth assistance notices
Library resources
Enrolment summary
Teaching and Learning resources
Unofficial transcripts
Enrol online
Invoice notices
Graduation online
Online payment facilities
Alumni links
any other services that we could think of !
myUniSA
What we aimed for
Major
j requirements
q
of the project
p j
A portal that targeted specific student cohort groups
1st release
3rd release
Domestic
separated into undergrad / postgrad
International
separated into undergrad / postgrad
Transnational
separated into undergrad / postgrad
Transnational Research
Research
First year experience
myUniSA
How we got feedback
Student feedback (p
(pre-release))
Small cohort of transnational students with an online survey
On campus testing in student pools
Outcomes
Positive reaction to
Negative reaction to
the ‘one stop shop’ concept
need to log out of all browsers
single sign on
speed across dial up access
customisation (using student name greeting)
myUniSA
How we got feedback
Student feedback p
pre-release ((cont))
Further suggestions (from very first focus groups):
•Display information differently to make it more accessible
•Provide
Provide additional features and services
•Provide more campus news and reminders eg census dates, assignment due dates
•Requests for personal document storage space
•Many requests for school and program specific resources and messages that would require more
specific audience targeting.
myUniSA
How we got feedback
Student feedback p
post-release ((cont))
From questionnaire (1300 responses) :
•Most using it once or more per day
•Majority
Majority overwhelmingly pleased with the portal
•Most visited pages are ‘myStudies’, ‘Welcome (announcements)’ and ‘myEmail’
•Most find it easy to navigate and it provides useful information
•Main issues : inadequate search engine; difficult to access course specific info ; slow access using dial
up
•Access after graduation to include library, post grad course info, announcements about jobs and
seminars
myUniSA
How we got feedback
Student feedback
For all our releases – so far we have had 3 major release stages:
•Prior to each release we get a group of students together to test our prototypes
•They
They also get involved in the UAT of the final design
•We have a feedback link on all pages of the portal
•We talk account of the calls we get through our IT helpdesk – highlighting problems
•We will occasionally survey students,
students either direct through the portal or indirectly through other survey
instruments with one or two questions about the portal
myUniSA
Some statistics
Usage stats
The troughs represent
weekends, with the
largest peak
associated with the
students returning from
their holidays.
9,445,967 page hits in July 2005
myUniSA
Some statistics
Usage stats
The sharp spikes
represent when the
search content is
updated (1:00am), and
the audiences are
populated from Active
Directory (6:00am).
.
myUniSA
Where are we now ?
Where are we now ?
Stage 1 – January 2005
Stage 2 – December 2005
Stage 3 – December 2nd 2006
Now leaving the ‘project’ stage of portal development, governance is moving from a project model
with steering committee, project teams, reference groups etc to a normal governance with University
wide representation, but led by a sponsor (Student and Academic Services Unit). Future upgrades
and enhancements will become part of the overall system competing for IT and money resources.
D
Demonstration
t ti www.unisa.edu.au
i
d
myUniSA
Where are we going ?
Where are we g
going
g?
Future enhancements already identified :
•Change of technology platform
•Better
Better use of announcements
•Further integration with other services (eg Careers services, Alumni)
•Further research into using calendar for upcoming events and important dates
•myResearch pillar and possible other identification of cohort groups
•Incorporation of more payment facilities for services other than just tuition fees
•Site map for each audience group (currently only a generic one for all)
•Specific
Specific information about timetable changes (maybe)
myUniSA
Questions
Any
y Questions ?
myUniSA
Further contact information
Contact me
Graeme Poole
• Email graeme.poole@unisa.edu.au
• Phone : 08 8302 2742
• Mobile : 0423 024 499
Thank You