The Power of the Portal:
Developing the Campus Community
While Enhancing Self-Sufficiency
Sarah Courtney
Kathryn Jennings
Julie Skolds
University of Maine
StudentAffairs.com – Virtual Case Study 2005
What Is a Portal?

“ …an entrance or doorway…You could think of a
portal as a starting place for people to begin their
cyberjourney” (Dominick, Sherman, & Messere, 2000, p.
132).


“…a personalized collection of information,
content, and services” (Pickett & Hamre, 2002, p. 37).
“…an online service that provides a personalized,
single point of access (single sign-on) to
resources that support the end-user in one or
more tasks (resource discovery, learning,
research, etc.) The resources made available via a
portal are typically brought together form more
than one source”
(http://www.usask.ca/web_project/uwebd/portals_faq.html,
retrieved on February 16, 2005).
Vertical Enterprise Portals

For the purpose of a
higher education
institution, a vertical
portal should be used.
They are designed to
support:
Specific functions
 Processes
 Applications
All must be tailored to the
individual user.

(Collins, 2003, p.34)

Contains:
My Front Page
 Channels
 Navigation links
 Advanced search
capabilities
 Directories
 Graphics
 Alerts
“A VEP is a portal that
delivers organizationspecific information in a
user-centric way”

(Strauss,
2002, p.36 + 38).
The Impact on Student Affairs:



“We can use technology to communicate with
students, ‘customize’ our interactions with them
without being restricted by time or place.”
“Technology can enable us to make students more
knowledgeable about the many resources
available to them, and provide needed
information when they encounter a problem.”
“We can use technology to make our service,
programs, and facilities more efficient and userfriendly.”
(Upcraft & Goldsmith, 2000, pp.224)
Why a Customized Portal?




Will offer advanced search
technology that enables the
student to have immediate and
easy access to information
pertinent to their college
experience

To enhance the university’s
image

Maintain alumni network

Improve administration
efficiency

Integrate and streamline
information and services
Enables more efficient use of
an individual’s time
Allows customization to meet
each individual’s needs
Create and reinforce university
communities, enhancing the
experience of the individual,
resulting in stronger ties to the
campus community
(Katz, 2002)
(Pearce, 2003, p. 63)
Why a Customized Portal? (Cont.)

“Compelling reasons to develop a portal
are that an increasingly internet-savvy
student body expects it, and the horse is
already out of the barn” (Daigle & Cuocco, 2002,
p.112).

“Portals provide views of the institution
that reflects an individual relationship at
various stages of his or her life” (Daigle &
Cuocco, 2002, p.113).
Portals at Smaller Institutions:




Need to be smaller than those at large schools
 The community is smaller and so the portal should be smaller
Foster a more personal learning environment
 Small schools already have the luxury of small class rooms,
the ability to group work, and time and attention from faculty.
Portals can only increase this personalized education, by
allowing students to interact with classmates and teachers
outside classroom, through postings, updates, and interactive
chats
Empowers students to do things for themselves making them
active participants in their college career
Increase attendance at events, including sporting events, by
creating a buzz and getting students to discuss upcoming events
over the computer
Planning and Implementation Teams:
Member Recommendations
Current Members



Director of Residence
Life
Representative from
Office of
Communications
President of Faculty
Senate
New Members





A female and a male
student
Representative from
the Office of
Research,
Assessment, and
Planning
Classified Staff
Member
Representative from
Alumni Relations
Dean of Students
Phase One: Ellingsburg University
Goals for Intranet Portal




Improve access to college information through a
self-service user friendly, personalized
environment
Aid in the development of a personalized niche for
each student, by facilitating easier access to
information, events, and others with the same
interests
Promote constant communication, data sharing,
and support between university departments and
faculty
Create a continuous and inclusive connection
among alumni and the university
Google Search
EU Search
Recommended Channels
EU Sports
ME:
My Ellingsburg
EU Headlines
Directories
My Student
Organizations
Faculty/Staff/Dept./Students
EU Library
Local/National/
World Headlines
Academic Calendar
Today at EU
Dates to Know
My Playlist
Listings
Payroll
My Links
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Today’s Menu
Account Balance
Dinning Service
Personal Calendar
Student Records
Student Employment
Registration
Tuition Statement
Grades
DARS
Financial Aid Status
Change of Address
Hours
Ask a Librarian
Circulation Record
Library Search
Class Schedule
Title
Instructor
E-Reserves
Display Textbooks
Buy Textbooks
Channels Chosen Because:




Accurate representation of what the students will need
and want to have the option of having on their
personalized web page
Want the functions to fit the institution and give the
university community easy access to important
information through self-service
Encourage community building by allowing community
members to personalize content, therefore taking
ownership of their identity and level of commitment to
the university
Keep Ellingsburg University building at a competitive
pace with larger and more elite institutions
Gathering Feedback:

Design a web based survey using Survey Monkey to get
an idea of what is wanted in the portal

Administer survey through campus e-mail incentive

Anonymous suggestion box in dining hall and student
union

Focus Groups when a mock up of proposed portal is
finished to get feedback on further changes; dinner will be
provided to those who attend:



Student focus groups will be run by the students on the
committee
Faculty focus groups will be run by the faculty senate
member on the committee
Staff focus groups run by staff member
Technology Based Systems
Ellingsburg Should Use:

Single-sign on portal system

WebCT for courseware development and
delivery

First Class Higher Education for student web
access, messaging and calendar services

Oracle Portal for Intranet development

Oracle Database and Applications for electronic
forms and workflow
Security Issues





“Colleges and universities must strive to achieve what
technologists refer to reverentially as ‘single sign-on’.”
“These systems need to be secure and to handily recognize an
individuals authorizations, based on roles and other personal
attributes.”
“In essence, the information system must be able to know “up
front” that John Doe is really John Doe and that Dr. Doe is a
tenured faculty member.”
(Katz, 2002, p.11).
Portals are doorways to a wealth of information, therefore they
are susceptible to the threat of hackers.
When different application systems (FirstClass, Oracle, and
WebCT) are integrated, the task is to remember to also integrate
security amongst the programs in order to protect the entire
portal.
(Sullivan, 2004, p.56+168)
ME
My Ellingsburg
ME Log In:
Enter Id:
Enter Password:
Register if this is your
first time to the online
community.
For help with ME, call IT Help
Desk at 555-5555 or e-mail
ithelpdesk@ellingsburg.edu
ME My Ellingsburg
Search
Hello, Student
WWW
Friday, February 18, 2005
EU Headlines
EU Sports
Local/National/World
Headlines
Breakfast
My Playlist
Daily University Update
Lunch
My Links
First Class
Dinner
Account
Balance
Moose Card
Academic Calendar
Today at EU
Dates to Know
Add Drop
Registration
Financial Aid
Student Records:
As Of
1204.67
Personalize Content
www.Ellingsburg.edu
The Moose
Menu
Weather Powered by the Weather Channel
Help | EU Homepage | Log Out
02/20/05
Registration
Grades
Tuition Statement
DARS
Financial Aid
Change of Address
My Activities:
EU LIVE WEB CAM:
Directories:
Library:
Circulation
Record
Library search
Departments
Faculty / Staff
Library
Information
Students
Student Employment:
Ask a Librarian?
Job Opportunities
Payroll
My Class Schedule:
CRN
Course #
Title
Days
Times
Location
Instructor
1012
101
Intro. to
Biology
M, W, F
10:10 –
11:00
BLD
Susan
Peabody
Student Health
Services:
Insurance
Relay Health
E- Reserves
Link to Buy Textbooks
Office Information
ME My Ellingsburg
• Student’s
• Link to academic
• Local Weather
name
calendar
Search
| EU Homepage | Log Out
• EU
• The daysHelp
campus
Hello,
Student
Newspaper
events
WWW
www.Ellingsburg.edu
headlines
• Important datesPersonalize
to
Content
Friday, February 18, 2005
• Show daily
•Sports Scores
remember such as
menus
• Personalized
those shown
Playlist linked
Academic Calendar
Weather Powered by the Weather Channel
The Moose
to ITunes
• Interactive
Menu
• Favorite
EU Headlines
Local/National/World
Today at EU
calendar linked
Bookmarked
to First Class
Breakfast
EU Sports
Headlines
Dates to Know
websites
Lunch
• Headlines
My Playlist
Daily University Update
Add Drop
from their
Registration
Dinner
First Class
My Links
favorite
news
• Real Time
Financial Aid
sites
Update of
• University
left on
• All links to
Account
Balance
As money
Of
Student Records:
Notices
University Card
important
Registration
• Link to First
documents
Grades
Moose Card
1204.67
02/20/05
Class
• Links to
Tuition Statement
DARS
organizations
Financial Aid
Change of Address
EU LIVE WEB CAM:
student is
My Activities:
• On screen
involved with
library hours andDirectories:
• Live web
notifications
cam
Library:
Faculty / Staff
Departments
• Link E-mail
updating
Circulation
Library librarian with
pictures
Students
• Search engines
Record
Informationquestions
from
for directories
campus
Student Employment:
Library search
Ask a Librarian?
available on
• Real time update of
regularly
page
books borrowed by
Job Opportunities
Payroll
students with due
dates
My Class
Schedule:
• Library
search
• Listing of job
• Link to
CRN capability
Course
from #
Title
Days
opportunities
Times
on Location
Instructor
• Link to
syllabus
students page
their front page
instructors
• List the
Student Health insurance
and show payroll
web page
dates, and pay
student has
Services:
• Link to
stubs
• Log in to
• Link to
1012
Intro. to
M, W, F
10:10 –
BLD
Susan
articles on 101
Relay Health
Bookstore
Insurance
Biology
11:00
Peabody
syllabus
service
to buy
Relay Health
• Office
textbooks
hours and
Office Information
E- Reserves
Link to Buy Textbooks
notifications
Phase Two: Faculty, Staff, Alumni
Portals
The committee proposes beginning
the project with the student portal,
but in order to complete the goals
stated earlier encourages the
creation of faculty, staff, and alumni
portals to soon follow.
Recommended Channels
Faculty/Staff
Messages from
Various
University
Offices
ME:
ME
My Ellingsburg
EU Headlines
Directories
Google Search
EU Search
Human Resources
Employment
Opportunities
Training
HR News and Events
Faculty/Staff/Dept./Students
EU Library
Local/National/
World Headlines
Academic Calendar
Today at EU
Dates to Know
Office of the President
Office of the Provost
My Links
Student
Employment
Personal Calendar
Employee Records
Listings
Payroll Information
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Dinning Service
Today’s Menu
Change of Address
Pay Stubs
Tax Forms
Insurance Plans
Retirement Plans
Hours
Ask a Librarian
Circulation Record
Library Search
Class Schedule
Benefit Forms
Compensation Forms
Tuition Exemption
Family Services
Title
Student Rosters with contact
information
and direct e-mail link
E-Reserves
Order Textbooks
EU Sports
Alumni news
EU Headlines
Recommended Channels
Alumni
Google Search
EU Search
ME:
ME
My Ellingsburg
EU Library
Department received
degree in
Hours
Ask a Librarian
Circulation Record
Library Search
Directories
EU Bookstore
Faculty/Staff/Dept.
Career Services
Order Merchandise
Events
Services
Volunteer Opportunities
Transcript Order Forms
Medical Center
Order medical file
Best Practices:
Presentation:

Usable Format

Personalization:

Raises Efficiency and Comfort
Level
Interactive Layouts


Consistent Look and Feel
Framework:

Effective On-line and Off-line
Tools, While Encouraging
Action Based on Each
Person’s Role

Platforms and Programs that
Evolve with the Needs of the
Institution
Creates personalized
community
Integration:

Use of Various Databases

Lowers Operating Costs
(Duffner, 2001, p. 2)
My UW: An Exemplar Educational
Portal
The following slide is the front page to the
MyUW student portal at the University of
Washington. After reviewing several
portal cites from institutions of higher
education, we found that MyUW’s cite was
the one we consistently returned to. We
liked its organization, channel content,
and aesthetic look. It was not too
crowded and not too bare. Even though
UW is a large university, we found that we
were able to utilize their cite for
inspiration for our small liberal arts
school.
Portals at Smaller Institutions
Challenges:

In order for a portal to serve the
community as intended, universities need
to make investments and changes in:


Information Technology
Institutional policies
 Portals complicate who has access to what
info and why, which may lead to questions as
to who is a member of the community. Policies
will need to be created to address outside
advertising.
(Katz, 2002, p.12)
Portals at Smaller Institutions
Challenges (Cont.):




How will student information be used to populate alumni
profiles?
(Katz, 2002,p.12)
Difficulty getting everyone on campus to accept a
campus-wide technology initiative
(Grant & Anderson, 2002, p. 23-32)
Universities must make extra efforts to ensure that the
portal stresses community building to help build and not
break down loyalty
(Katz, 2002,p.12)
Technology on campus also brings its own set of legal
concerns, computers create:
 New privacy concerns
 Potential copyright disputes
 Free speech concerns
(Kaplin & Lee, 1995, p.9)
Portals at Smaller Institutions
Challenges (Cont.):

“Small campuses may not have the staff to provide
sophisticated applications and a dynamic web presence”
(Barratt, 2003, p.381).


“Automation, paperless transactions, and one-stop selfservice shifts greater responsibility and participation in
administrative services to the customer, and this changes the
need for labor as well as the division of labor within the
organization” (Kvavik, 2002, p.66).
Staff, Faculty, and Administration

Small schools tend to have more staff, faculty, and administration
who wear multiple hats. Attention to updates to the portal and
requests from the portal may tax an already overwhelmed staff.
Staff, faculty, and administration charged with these tasks will
need good training and a large and supportive IT department.
ME:
The committee concludes that Ellingsburg
University will benefit greatly from the
implementation of a portal that is sized to
the institution, configured to the needs of
the university’s population, and fosters
the Ellingsburg commitment to
community. This project will bring
Ellingsburg up-to-date with the
technological advances in higher
education, assist in the retention of
students, and create a more
knowledgeable and collaborative
community.
References:
Barratt, W. (2003). Information technology in student affairs. In S.R. Komives, Woodard, D. Jr. &
Associates (Eds.), Student services: A handbook for the profession (pp. 379-396). San
Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Collins, H. (2003). Enterprise knowledge portals. New York: AMACOM.
Daigle, S.L. & Cuocco, P.M. (2002). Portal technology opportunities, obstacles, and options: A view
from the California State University. In R. Katz (Ed.), Web portals & higher education (pp.109123). San Franscico: Jossey Bass.
Dominick, J.R., Sherman, B.L. & Messere, F. (Eds.). (2000). Broadcasting, cable, the internet, and
beyond: An introduction to modern electronic media. Boston: McGraw Hill.
Duffner, R. (2001). Portals unlock the knowledge that drives business value. Retrieved February 20,
2005. http://www.kmworld.com/publications/whitepapers/portals/duffner.htm.
Grant, G.B. & Anderson, G. (2002). Customer relationship management: A vision for higher
education. In R. Katz (Ed.), Web portals & higher education (pp.23-32). San Franscico: Jossey
Bass.
Kaplin, W. A. & Lee, B.L. (1995). The law of higher education. San Franscico: Jossey Bass.
Katz, R. N. (2002). Web portals & higher education. San Franscico: Jossey Bass.
Kavavik, R. B. (2002). E-business in higher education. In R. Katz (Ed.), Web portals & higher
education (pp.41-67). San Franscico: Jossey Bass.
Pickett, R. & Hamre, W. (2002). Building portals for higher education. New directions for institutional
research. (113), 37-55.
Pearce, L. (2003). Institutional portals: A review of outputs. The new review of education and library
research 2003, 61-84.
Strauss, H. (2002). All about web portals: A home page does not a portal make. In R. Katz (Ed.),
Web portals & higher education (pp.33-40). San Franscico: Jossey Bass.
Sullivan, D. (2004). Proven portals: Best practices for planning, designing, and developing
enterprise portals. Boston: Addison-Wesley.
Upcraft, M.L. & Goldsmith, H. (2000). Technological changed in student affairs administration. In
Barr, M.J. & Desler, M. & Associates (Eds.), The handbook of student affairs administration (pp.
216-228). San Franscico: Jossey Bass.
UWEBD. What is portal? Retrieved on February 16, 2005.
http://www.usask.ca/web_project/uwebd/portals_faq.html