The Gateway to Ellingsburg
University:
A portal project proposal
Jaime L. Clougher
Andrew G. Hill
Kyle D. McCool
Katherine M. Wehner
Purpose:
To discuss a portal project for the
Ellingsburg University community
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Overview of Presentation
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Identify reasons to implement a portal and not enhance the
website
Review general portal research
Provide examples of best practices
Discuss how a portal will improve EU
Discuss the structure and content of the “perfect” EU portal
Explain the organization, implementation, and assessment of
an EU portal
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What is a Portal
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“A portal is a gate, a door, or entrance.”
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Daigle & Cuocco, 2002, p. 109
“Portals gather a variety of useful information resources into
a single, one-stop webpage that allows users to customize
their information resources by selecting and viewing
information they find personally useful.”
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Student as cited in Jackson, 2002, p. 37
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Why a Portal at EU
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Website v. Portal
Website
 Static information
 Passive
 Does not change for
different users
 Cannot be modified by users
 A portal does not replace a
homepage
Portal
 Can be customized toward
user preference
 Select roles within portal
 Consistency
 Single log in for multiple
services
Jafari, 2003, p. 9
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User Benefits
Benefit
Prospective
Students
Students
Faculty
Staff
Alumni/
Community
Convenience
Discover Courses
before enrolling
Check status of
application on-line
Access course
materials, calendars,
library materials, and
financial information
Access to course
rosters and
enrollment numbers
Review and update
information vital to
campus operation
including enrollment
numbers, revenues
and expenditures
Keep up with
University athletic
teams, access the
University calendar,
customize to your
interests
Cooperation
Share enrollment
experiences with
staff and other
prospective students
Collaborate with
other students
through online
communities
Build relationships
with peers by
creating resources
for students
Support the teaching
and learning process
Get involved in
alumni activities
Communication
Live interaction
though real-time
chats
Stay connected with
classmates and
faculty
Keep in touch with
students about
enrollment, grades,
and assignments
Stay abreast of
changes in events,
schedules, and
policies
Keep in contact with
fellow alum
Capacity
Streamline
application process
through improved
services
Post assignments,
review grades,
change major or
home address
Increase productivity
by improving and
recycling course
materials
Update information
quickly and easily
Learn about career
fairs, counseling,
workshops, and job
listings
Table taken from Frazee, Frazee, & Sharpe, 2003, p. 137
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Literature supporting student needs and benefits
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When student academic and social interactions are
intertwined, student satisfaction is increased
Students expect both personal and online interactions and
opportunities
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Student involvement = student satisfaction
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Enhances out of class learning experiences
Astin, 1993; Creighton and Buchanan, 2001; Tinto, 1993
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Structure and Content
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Characteristics of a portal:
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Security
 Access to a wide range of information by a single sign-on
 Protection of individual’s privacy by granting access to information
Content
 Standardized information of which some can be modified or customized for the user
type
Interaction
 Increased interaction with university affiliates through means, such as, online
discussion forums
Knowledge Management
 Integration of information from various campus sources
 Course management tools
 Access to campus resources, such as, online forms and research tools
Harr, 2002
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Structure and Content of a portal
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How to set up a portal
 Single Log In
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Role Selection
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Access to email, personal information, class schedule, registration, online
learning environments, etc…
Some users may have multiple roles. Role selection allows portal to know who
the user is and the access they need
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A staff member may also be a student – at work they may need access to
certain aspects of the portal, but when in the student role, those aspects are
not necessary.
Tab Feature
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Decreases information overload by spreading out information to various pages
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Structure and Content of a portal
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Multiple users
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Channels and features can be standardized, customized, and
personalized
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Customized
 Based on user type
 e.g. A faculty member would have different access to channels than
a student
Personalized
 Allow user to modify portal based on preference
 e.g. A student affairs graduate student can add a channel to access
StudentAffairs.com
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Structure and Content of a portal
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Portal may function as follows:
Course
Management
Tools
Intranet
Student
Record
System
Human
Resource
System
Library
Access
Identification
Personalization
Security
Financial
Record
System
Campus
Information
Public
Information
Collaboration
User Tools
Electronic Mail
Figure taken from Eisler, 2003, p. 70
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Structure and Content of a portal
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Common collegiate portal channels
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Calendars and to do lists
Announcements and alerts
Job openings and career
opportunities
Reports and documents
Personal human resource
information
Search feature
Email and address book
Library access
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Residence hall menus
Course schedules, grades,
GPA, transcripts, degree audit
News- campus, local, nation,
world
Weather
Maps and images
Campus events
Directory
Instant messenger, such as,
AOL, Yahoo, and MSN
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Best Practices
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Indiana University
Denison University
onestart.iu.edu
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Roanoke College
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myrc.roanoke.edu
See example on following
slides
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mydenison.edu
See example on following
slides
Rutgers University
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My.rutgers.edu/portal/tour
A great tour option
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Why a Portal at EU
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Easier for every stakeholder to carry out her or his role in the
institution
Communication and cooperation are a priority at liberal arts
institutions
Today’s liberal arts undergraduates have come to expect this
type of technology
Current website does not offer these capabilities, even after
overhaul
Millichap, 2003, p. 56
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How a Portal Will Improve EU
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Fosters community building
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There are many similarities between a virtual community and a
traditional community; “inclusivity, commitment, and consensus;
realism; contemplation; a safe place; a laboratory for personal
disarmament”
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Michalski as cited in Strange and Banning, 2001, p. 196
“…virtual time and virtual place extend opportunities for all members
of a community to participate, an essential feature of any productive
system”

Por as cited in Strange and Banning, 2001, p. 194
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Organization of the EU Portal
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Tabs - all users
My Tab
Campus
E-mail
Library
- My bookmarks
- My favorites
- My calendar
- My e-mail
- Search
- Other channels
- Campus homepage
- Campus events
- Calendar
- News (campus,
local, national)
- Weather
- Maps
- Search feature
- Announcements and
alerts
- Athletics
- Technology
- Web mail
- Outlook
- Pop account
- User can
change options
- Library homepage
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Organization of the EU Portal
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Tabs - current students
Student Self Service
Student Tools
Residence Hall
- Registration information
- Bursar
- Financial aid
- Update personal information
- Unofficial transcripts
- Degree audits
- To do list
- Required text books
- Student directory
- Instant messenger
- Legal music downloads
- Residence hall events
- Announcements
- Dining menus
- Emergency procedures
- RA contact
- Renewal forms
(e.g. i–Tunes)
- Movie times
- Intramurals
- Dictionary
- On campus jobs
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Organization of the EU Portal
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Tabs - prospective students
Admissions
Other
- Track application process
- Missing documents
- Alerts
- News
- Housing
- Campus alerts, such as
registration deadlines
- Credit transfer
- Course schedule
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Organization of the EU Portal
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Tabs - faculty and staff
Staff Tools
Faculty Administrative Human Resource
Management
Staff
Administrative
- My finances
- Direct deposit
- Tax forms
- Calendar
- Dictionary
- Retirement
information
- Class rosters
- Grade turn in
- Enrollment
- Credit transfer
- Placement tests
- High school transcripts
- Student major
- Department specific
- Admission
- Placement tests
- Credit transfer
- Loan history
- Bill amount
- Transcripts
- Additional student
information
- Office specific
- Profile forms
- Insurance information
- Timekeeping
- To do list
- Professional
development
- Job opportunities
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Implementation
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Cross divisional institutional team
Current Team
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Director of Residence Life
Representative from the
Communication Office
President of Faculty Senate
Technology Liaison
Additional Recommended Members
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Chief Academic Officer
Academic Support Professional
Librarian
Representative from Student Services
Student Government President
Alumni
Dean of Students
Bursar
Registrar
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Implementation of the EU Portal
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Additional considerations for the implementation team
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Develop a pilot portal providing basic services
 Span of one semester
 Gather qualitative and quantitative data using surveys, focus groups, interviews
 Start with skeletal portal and add features, tabs, channels, options
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The data will help determine problem areas and issues prior to the go-live
date
Start small with very few channels
 Indicate which type of users will be implemented first
 Select students
Utilize focus groups
 Allow students to being utilizing portal
 Weekly feedback and meetings
Incorporate additional channels
Appoint a planning and implementation team dedicated to the goals of the project
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Implementation of the EU Portal
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Additional considerations
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Initial cost
 Will portal be developed internally or contracted by an outside source?
Operating cost
 How will EU maintain the portal with the advancements in technology?
Upkeep and maintenance
 What staff will be assigned to the portal?
Assessment
 How will the portal be assessed and utilize the information for improvement?
Interfacing with university mainframe
 How will the image of EU be maintained and communicated through the portal?
Accessibility
 Is the portal user friendly?
Implementation time
 Identify resources, prepare budget, design a timeline, implement, evaluate and assess.
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Assessment
Plan
Implement
Improve
Assess
Figure taken from Banta, 2004
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Assessment
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By utilizing Banta’s model, EU will continually assess the
portal to determine necessary improvements and strategically
plan for the short and long term.
Various forms of assessment will be used including:
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Feedback from pilot project
Random log off questionnaire
Benchmarking with similar institutions
User comment and feedback option
User help line
Tracking
EU’s portal project upholds Chickering and Gamson’s Seven
Principles of Good Practice in undergraduate education by:
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1.
2.
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4.
5.
6.
7.
encouraging student-faculty contact through ease of communication
encouraging cooperation among students as a result of creating a virtual
community
encouraging active learning by utilizing the portal frequently
giving prompt feedback through access to student records
emphasizing time on task by simplifying ways of obtaining information
communicating high expectations through expected use
respecting diverse talents and ways of learning by providing personalization
and customization
Chickering & Gamson, 1991
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Overall Recommendation
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The development team sees the portal as a logical step to
meet the technological needs of the university. Students
expect to have such resources at their fingertips. It would
allow staff and faculty to interact in a new way without
abandoning the old. It would ultimately be a benefit for all
users and stakeholders of the university. Our group
recommends that the executive staff proceed with the portal
project.
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Works Cited
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Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college: Four critical years revisited (1st Ed). San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Banta, T.W. (2004, October). Outcomes assessment and evaluation in higher education. Paper
presented in class, Education C565: Introduction into Higher Education Administration.
Chickering, A.W., & Gamson, Z.F. (Eds.) (1991). Applying the seven principles for good practice in
undergraduate education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Creighton, J.V., & Buchanan, P. (2001, March/April). Toward the e-campus: Using the internet to
strengthen, rather than replace, the campus experience. EDUCAUSE Review, pp. 12-13.
Daigle, S.L., & Cuocco, P.M. (2002). Portal technology opportunities, obstacles, and options: A view
from the California State University [Electronic Version]. In R.N. Katz & Associates (Eds.) Web
portals and higher education: Technologies make it personal (pp. 109-121). San Francisco: JosseyBass.
Eisler, D.L. (2003). Campus portal strategies. In A. Jafari, & M. Sheehan (Eds.), Designing portals:
Opportunities and challenges (pp.68-88). Hershey, PA: IRM Press.
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Frazee, J.P., Frazee, R. V., & Sharpe, D. (2003). Begin with the end (user) in mind: Planning for the
San Diego State University campus portal. In A. Jafari, & M. Sheehan (Eds.), Designing portals:
Opportunities and challenges (pp.127-161). Hershey, PA: IRM Press.
Harr, G.L. (2002). A comprehensive student portal concept paper and proposal. (Report No.
IR021970) Jacksonville, FL: Florida Community College of Jacksonville. (ERIC Document
Reproduction Service No. ED474411).
Jackson, M.E. (2002, Sept 15). The Advent of portals. Library Journal.
Jafari, A. (2003). The ABC’s of designing campus portals. In A. Jafari, & M. Sheehan (Eds.),
Designing portals: Opportunities and challenges (pp.7-27). Hershey, PA: IRM Press.
Millichap, N. (2003). Building collaborative programs for institutional technology [Electronic Version].
Educause quarterly, 3, 56-59.
Strange, C.C., & Banning, J.H. (2001). Educating by design: Creating campus learning
environments that work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd Ed.).
Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.