Student Portals: Why It Works And How It Works

One way for educational institutions to reach their target enrollees is to go online. They usually hire web developers to create an eye-candy of a website representing their school. The more interesting it is, the more online users will know about them.

And because schools want to keep people engrossed, links to other school services have been added to each website. Links to resources as well as to the student's own personal educational information or the so-called student portals. Gateways, this is what portals are all about. Many tertiary level educational institutions have made it a point to create an online student portal mainly for convenience - for the students and the school as well.

Methodology: How It Works

Almost all these portals require the student to enter their username and then a password. It is just like accessing your own e-mail account except it leads you to the school database instead. Log in details can either be the student's own email address, student ID number or their complete name. All of these, including the password are unique to the student and only the individual should know about it. Schools have reserved the privilege of the utilization of student portals only to their enrolled students. With it, students can get resources from the library, learn how to enroll for a prerequisite subject and even inquire about why they got such grade. With student portals, all the concerns of the students are met and quickly answered.

The Importance Of Student Portals

It has tremendously decreased the need to make face-to-face appointments especially when a student only need to ask about how to get into a course and what to do about it. Not that it is creating a gap because of the diminished interaction but rather it is solidifying the dedication of the school to the needs of its students.

In this world when time is of the essence and when people are always almost online, student portals become the easiest way to get answers. Real time updates can keep students in the know whether they would be abroad or just at their dormitories. Educational institutions use student portals to allow their scholars' access to their own grades, curriculum, class schedule as well as other pertinent links dedicated to better their stay with the institution.

Other Advantages Of The These Portals That Benefits The School

One great thing about student portals is that it is able to direct the students to a single direction of information released by the school. Students, once logged in, are given only one specific kind of information which lessens the need o explain or even giving out the wrong information. Furthermore, schools need not always have to print out their brochures. It lessens expenditure on paper advertising. Student portals are not just windows that enable virtual access but rather a means for both students and schools to engage in more productive ways of communication.

Open Education - How to Think About Your Online Community Purpose

Useful metaphors for creating a vision of your online education portal:

1. An InstructorNet Mall of available resources for instructors to meet their needs.

2. A Google "Knowledge Map" of available content that's searchable, zoomable, and subscribeable through RSS so the network alerts you for items meeting your interests instead of waiting for you to craft a search every time you feel a conscious need.

3. The Amazon/eBay "smart network" that automates the search and recommend function based on stated interests AND by remembering searches and paths

4. Customer Service center for instructors seeking help

5. Tour guides/Marketing Aide to demonstrate "How to use these resources"

6. Magazine model of info mgt/distribution: a targeted demographic, whose readers shape the course of the magazine/tools (Dear Readers! We listened to you!) Lean 6 Sigma (LSS) techniques have a way of accomplishing this, and a partnership with an LSS project seems like a natural one

 

Other work to be done:

1. Considering how we encourage/reward professional writing like lesson notes, course content, blog/wiki work that contributes to the practice of knowledge, in the same way we have tied promotion and retention to academic writing.

2. A faculty Development Program that incorporates more ideas related to "Master Classes in graduate teaching" on a regular basis. Some ideas include: a. Group learning vs Team-Based learning. b. RSS in the classroom (and blogs and wikis and podcasts...oh my) c. Live dialogue mapping skills to frame group discussions better (Google "Compendium" for demonstrations) d. How about giving Voice to faculty to let them nominate classes they want to receive, or challenges they face, and target the top vote getters?

3. An instructorNet Mall should have a "store" that has searchable index of available, recorded Faculty Development Programs with quick summaries of what's available for the individual instructor looking to sharpen his practice.

I hope these ideas generate some quality ideas in your situation. Ken Long, Chief of Research, Tortoise Capital Management