After more than a year of development and testing, the University of Colorado at Boulder's student Web portal project, CUConnect, is up and running and is set to make CU-Boulder students' lives easier.
Designed as a home base for students to conduct their university business, the portal is available to all CU-Boulder students currently enrolled in classes. They can log into CUConnect on the Web at .
"A Web portal is a single point of entry to an array of services, in this case academic services, presented to you based on who you are," said Dennis Maloney, executive director of CU-Boulder's Information Technology Services department, who had a key role in the portal's development. "For example, a senior in business will receive a different set of links and announcements than somebody in a different school or college."
Throughout the development and design process, CU-Boulder students were surveyed to find out what would be most helpful to them. Students said having "everything in one place" was most valuable to them, according to Maloney.
Representatives from the University of Colorado Student Union, or UCSU, had a large role in providing student input, and were a driving force in getting the project up and running. The majority of the funding for CUConnect comes from the student technology fee.
"With the current trend of technology progressing and accessibility to computers increasing, the portal is a more modern way for the university to keep in touch with students," said UCSU Tri-Executive Richard Murray, who was involved in the project. "Having a portal will be very useful for students in their everyday lives."
By signing into the portal from a Web browser with a secure password, students have access to nearly three dozen features from one location, with more to come.
Students can further customize their portal by adding, removing and moving features according to his or her preferences. From secure, customized pages they can access their class schedules, e-mail, online course tools, use a grade-point average calculator to keep track of their cumulative GPA, view the current academic calendar and student employment listings, and have access to many other features. They also will receive vital announcements targeted to them based on their individual profile.
Personal Look-up Services, or PLUS, will be located within the portal until its features become a permanent part of the portal. PLUS allows students to view their own academic information on the Web, including grades from past semesters, transcripts, financial records and other information.
"Students really need one place to do their university business that is secure and convenient for them," said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Ron Stump. "They can personalize their Web portal and have it serve as a connection to their world as well as a home base while at CU-Boulder."
Student portals are popping up on university Web sites across the country, according to Malinda Miller-Huey, director of Web Communications at CU-Boulder. A 2003 survey by Kenneth Green of The Campus Computing Project found that 28.4 percent of colleges and universities have Web-based campus portals, up from just over 21 percent in 2002.
"Portals are becoming more important and are a key to attracting and keeping students," Miller-Huey said. "These are the kinds of things students expect universities to offer."
Stump and Associate Vice Provost of Academic and Campus Technology Bobby Schnabel commissioned the portal project in 2002.
Representatives from the UCSU, Libraries, Bursar's Office, Housing Administration, Information Technology Services, Book Store, Web Communications, Student Affairs, Administration and Finance, Academic Advising, Enrollment Services and University Management Services are participating on the project teams.
Students who have trouble logging into CUConnect or experience other problems are asked to call the CU-Boulder IT Service Center at (303) 735-4357.