MyECC as students know it will soon be fully revamped into a one-stop Web page for all of their academic needs.
Currently in the beta stage, the new portal will bring with it a wealth of new features that will make it a more appealing service for both students and faculty, with an optimistic release date pointing towards the upcoming fall semester. John Wagstaff, director of information technology services, said he hopes it will be “the place you log on to every time you think of El Camino.”
Though many students are happy with the current services, some believe that there are still many improvements which could be made.
“I’d like to see the portal be faster, more reliable, and more aesthetically interesting. A new portal would make things better if it maintained the same level of user friendliness the current portal possesses while at the same time including the changes I mentioned,” Coreen Vining, 20, evolutionary anthropology major, said.
The new MyECC will increase both the reliability and the security of the portal, in addition to bringing new features, Wagstaff said.
The general speed at which the portal operates will also be increased, as the technology department is using new technology, Microsoft SharePoint, in order to create the new portal, Wagstaff said.
“The new technology allows the portal to access any relevant databases on the fly, creating a much more streamlined and user friendly experience that won’t require users to leave the homepage,” he said.
Most striking about the new portal, though, are all of the things users will be able to see and do directly from their homepage.
“Students will be able to see their class schedule, register for classes, get e-mail notifications, see a to do list, access library databases, see the weather around EC, in addition to adding their own links and personalization to the portal, giving MyECC a unique feeling for each student,” Wagstaff said.
Some students think so highly of the current MyECC that they don’t see the need for a new one.
“I use the portal because it’s easy and convenient to use. I use it to sign up for classes, pay fees online, buy parking permits, and even buy books from the online bookstore-all without having to wait in long lines. The current portal works fine and I haven’t had any problems so far. A new portal would be unnecessary; I would rather see the money being spent on other things that need to be fixed,” Suresh Jayakar, 20, biology major, said.
This general level of happiness with the current portal may be attributed to students not knowing about the potential features of the new portal, Wagstaff said.
In addition to the laundry list of features noted above, the new portal has the potential to drastically alter the way students and teachers interact, Wagstaff said
Students will be able to directly turn in assignments online, if their teacher allows it, without having to use an e-mail program, he said.
“Similar to online courses, forums and discussions, as well as documents and videos could be put on the service for each different class, adding new ways for teachers to interact with their students,” Wagstaff said.
A powerful search tool, similar to Google, will be implemented with the service to make navigation and finding documents that much easier, he said.
“The portal could also be adapted to usage for the various campus clubs, to announce important events, or even to post the minutes of a meeting,” Wagstaff said.
All of these changes, and the positive effects they will bring, are why Harold Tyler, director of student development, is helping to promote it.
“The portal is going to inform students of what’s happening on campus, and tell them about deadlines, and other important information and we want to push students to use it,” Tyler said.
