Since it was initiated in the fall semester, the MyPack Portal Web site has become a source of frustration and irritation for many students throughout the University. Complications in the Web site’s design and server capabilities cause many students to pine for the efficiency and easy accessibility of PackTracks.
Although the effort to consolidate employee and student information from different campus departments is certainly a viable initiative, the implementation of this portal was both ill-timed and not well explained. Many students, especially those not employed by the University, found themselves questioning the need for any kind of change.
Web site administrative developers initially explained that the portal’s primary advantage is that it eliminates the need for individuals to log in to University servers at multiple locations. This has not been the case for accessing services such as Webmail, Course Reserves and WebAssign, which all still require the user to reenter their Unity information.
In addition developers never provided a written or interactive resource detailing the Web site’s full capabilities. Much of the initial confusion could have been avoided had users been clear on how to use the resources made available to them.
According to officials in the Office of Registration and Records, the problems students experienced this past semester when trying to retrieve their grades were due to problems on the back end of the server and had nothing to do with MyPack Portal.
It is imperative the Web site administrators take all possible precautions to prevent these kinds of problems in the future. As this online system continues to grow, designers need to ensure students will have continued access to crucial information.
While server crashes cannot always be predicted or prevented, it is the responsibility of the Web site administrators to communicate with the student body so problems can be resolved as quickly and as openly as possible.
MyPack Portal, as it is now, is clearly more beneficial for employees of the University than for the average student user. As changes are made in the future, administrators should be sure to first fulfill the needs of the students whose tuition payments fund these new developments.
The interdepartmental committee that is overseeing expansion to the Web site should be held accountable for maintaining an open line of communication with the student body and student committee representatives should step back and assess the desires of all their student constituents.
