Appendix B:
Student Written Comments
Part I: Your Needs and Current Use of the Portal
Describe what you
want or expect from the “My UW-Madison” portal
Fatima
-Course pages of the classes I am in currently
-Biology related opportunities, i.e. research opportunities,
internships
-In-depth course descriptions of classes I may want to take
in the future
Angie
-Contain all I need for bio-classes (course
material/syllabus/) course descriptions
-Set my own bookmarks
-Links to other UW pages (EASI, libraries)
Ken
-An easy access point to various components of the
UW-Madison website. This includes course
information and webpages. I also want to
see other features such as online web access to campus e-mail. Another feature I hope to see is a section
for internet bookmarks (import from computer)
Meridith
-Give class list but also give link to that homesite
-Way to access my records and get to EASI
-Individual calendar I can fill in
-More personal page than www.wisc.edu
but have similar info
-E-mail access
Sarah
-I had no expectations for “My UW-Madison.” I would want a place connecting the features
of other UW sites, but definitely incorporating new features.
Shanon
-place to connect to all websites instantly
-place for important phone numbers/mail contacts
-place to keep academic records (perhaps DARS access)
quickly
-place to do library research/web research with home page
Mike
-Easy access to the types of resources a biology major
student needs (direction in advising, course info, major requirements)
-Ability to personalize the website—to be able to highlight
things I need/use most
-A calendar of events/seminars that are related to my field
of study
-Easy to use/navigate and operate
Scott
-an overall resource to UW Madison website
-bring together all the aspects of the regular homepage, the
EASI system, also class and personal info along with personal interests and
browsing habits
-replace current e-mail system and make a web-based e-mail
-automatic login when launched
-integration of web based education needs, such as the
current WebCt and the free online courses offered through DoIT for students
Myrra
-I expect/want My UW-Madison to be up to date, work properly
when I use it. It would be great if it
had links to all my classes.
Jonathan
-help me find research opportunities on campus
-tell what’s going on in the biology major
-if people are coming to speak
-tell what professors are working on
Briefly describe how you currently use the “My
UW-Madison” portal. Also describe any
difficulties encountered so far.
Fatima
-To get to my chemistry course page
-To check the weather when I get up—It’s the only bookmark I
have that shows this.
Angie
-general searches
-course info
-union events
Ken
-Right now “My UW-Madison” serves as another link in my
bookmarks. Visited occasionally when I
need to look up something quickly.
Meridith
-There’s no easy way to get back to “home page” once go to
other links
-I have used it to look at biology courses—really nice how
it is all right there
Sarah
-I use the portal sporadically mostly for the weather and
the “My Record” section. The only problem so far has been forgetting my
password.
Shanon
-I really haven’t used it because don’t know enough about
it.
Mike
-I
have not used it much (couple of times)…I surfed around and noticed that it led
to a lot of dead ends (maybe that’s my fault, maybe I need to personalize it
more). I did enjoy the section that
allowed me to look up course in my field and get a description of them.
Scott
-My
usage has increased as links become working.
I currently use it as my home page and search engine through the info on
UW’s website.
Myrra
-I use
it as a directory, sometimes for weather, to check my record, to check the
academic calendar and also to find out more about the biology classes. A couple of times the weather function hasn’t
been working. No advisor.
Jonathan
-weather-slow to bring things up—too many graphics
-started to look for jobs with it
Part II: Evaluation of My UW-Madison Portal Features
My Front Page Tab
(Scores: 65,
75, 75, 70, 85, 90, 75, 75, 75, 70----Average: 75.5)
Fatima (+) (65)
-offers weather and bookmark saves
-search UW Madison web servers
-news headlines
Fatima (-)
-color scheme needs to be more attractive – maybe with Bucky
or campus pictures
-change order of panels
-more options (that change daily), not just UW Madison
-make add/delete module more
clear
Angie (+) (75)
-directory
-bookmarks
Angie (-)
-better search engine (choose which we prefer?)
-news headlines (national)
-catchy items (today in history, birthdays…)
Ken (+) 75
-weather, news, and search engines (campus phonebook and
UW-Madison) are excellent
Ken (-)
-more features such as personalized calendar, reminders,
events (national, world wide, in history), horoscope (fun and interesting
items)
Meridith (+) 70
-search engine right there
-campus phone book
-very straight forward
Meridith (-)
-news option outside of Madison
-e-mail
-maybe even something fun like a quote of the day, horoscope, joke
Sarah (+) 85
-weather and phonebook
Sarah (-)
-more cities—Menasha, WI
-national news
-athletics headlines and then
link (like UW headlines)
Shannon (+) (90)
-love the connections to other websites
-like “contact” idea of front page—where do you want to go,
what do you need…
-attractive site with red
Shannon (-)
Mike (+) 75
-presented well in an organized fashion
-the “search” area is really good-this allows the student to
go directly to what they need
-weather is good, but…..(see comments below)
-phonebook is useful as well
Mike (-)
-I think that it should be suggested to go immediately to
HELP once logged on—this would give the student a better idea of what the
site/portal is all about
-Weather seems a bit out of place and random…might want to
add more things of that nature
-add more to the first page!
Scott (+) 75
-the search engine over all of the wisc.edu system
-ease of access to information
Scott (-)
-colors
-appearance
Myrra (+) 75
-weather is good
-directory convenient
Myrra (-)
-spice up the page a bit, maybe
new colors or pictures
Jonathan (+) 70
-has potential to let me customize it however I want
Jonathan (-)
-more modules, not
just things around campus but the ability to put on like stock quotes or things
to that nature
Academic Tab
(Scores: 85, 100, 90, 85, 75, 80, 85, 75, 80,
90---Average: 84.5)
Fatima (+) (85)
-schedule available
-many academic resources available
Fatima (-)
-make add/delete modules more clear—there’s more for this
tab
-CALS and L&S homepage links
-provide more course pages
-place where professors can list availabilities for research
Angie (+) (100)
-class list (links to bio courses)
-course info
-undergrad info
Angie (-)
Ken (+) 90
-research opportunities is very nice
-Easy to access to course list is very helpful
Ken (-)
-more personable feel to some of
the modules such as career information, etc., ..customized to one’s profile—add course web page links.
Meridith (+) 85
-really like how all pages concerning my major are right
there
-reminds who my advisor is
-timetable there
Meridith (-)
-missing biology home page
Sarah (+) 75
-link to course pages (when
they work)
Sarah (-)
-link to advisor e-mail and other info (address)
-add biology homepage
-timetable/catalogue link?
Shannon (+) 80
-like the bio section cut out but you have the option to
view all
Shannon (-)
-advisor should be linked. I do
have one and she is not listed.
Would be very convenient say for appointments and scheduling.
Mike (+) 85
-I like the timetable
-LOVE the quick links to the course info (expand this, add
links to where one can find their major requirements)
-Advising tool kit is solid and a good idea, but needs to
have….(see comments below)
Mike (-)
-I would not have any use for my current class schedule…I am
confused as to how to personalize it and why one would
-advising area should have some
quick tips as well as the phone numbers to all of the major advising
services/areas
Scott (+) 75
-class list with links to course homepages
-current advisor info
-ability to browse research opportunities
Scott (-)
-would like the advisor box to link to an e-mail address
-update links to course homepages
-update link of biology page to
the new biology major’s page (through CALS)
Myrra (+) 80
-good that major course information is there
Myrra (-)
Jonathan (+) 90
-points me right to the place I want to go
Jonathan (-)
-modules could have a description in add/delete section
Calendar
(Scores: 70, 85, 65, 70, 50, 70, 60, 70, 65 40—Average: 64.5)
Fatima (+) 70
-current academic year look into future years
-registrar calendar
Fatima (-)
-more news
-why all the previous
years?
-personal calendar section
Angie (+) 85
-academic calendar for future years
Angie (-)
-have my own personal calendar
available
Ken (+) 65
-academic calendars are very easily accessible and helpful
Ken (-)
-office of registrar calendar of events displays HTML code
-some modules are very long, a
good idea would be to shorten the length.
Fit all content to screen (no horizontal scrolling), a day-by-day event
guide would be nice.
Meridith (+) 70
-gives you academic calendar and news that applys to me
Meridith (-)
-personal calendar
-listed in a calendar way
Sarah (+) 50
-bio news is helpful/interesting
Sarah (-)
-why do we need calendars from 1988?
Shannon (+) 70
-the commencement section all set up (from general info to
ordering attire)—everything covered
Shannon (-)
Mike (+) 60
-both sections are useful to students
-has a lot of promise though
Mike (-)
-don’t use most of the calendars (past ones)
-should have an expanded “upcoming events” section. Would love to see an actual calendar with a
list of seminars/speakers of each day that relate to my field
-should include a calendar that
the student can personalize—a pocket calendar of sorts and it should include
overall important dates of the university or of their major or clubs they are
in
Scott (+) 70
-none
Scott (-)
-academic calendars
do not need to be listed back to 1989—makes modules too big.
-would like to be able to export
my calendar from office 2000 (or if others use differently) and have it
available online—“personalizing it.”
Myrra (+) 65
-easily accessible info
Myrra (-)
-have current semester calendar already opened as well as
links to other calendars
-in current format does it
deserve its own tab?
Jonathan (+) 40
-has news and upcoming events
Jonathan (-)
-new and events should be on front first page
Library Tab
(Scores: 70,
80, 90, 60, 75, 90, 75, 85, 85, 95—Average: 80.5)
Fatima (+) 70
-writing center link
-MadCat availability
Fatima (-)
-Science’s next wave---what is it?
-list of libraries on campus
with times open
Angie (+) 80
-MadCat/journal search link
Angie (-)
-different Research databases
(more)
Ken (+) 90
-the MadCat access has been very helpful. This would be one of the main features I
would use it for.
Ken (-)
-A module with checked out
books, holds, etc. would be a great feature.
Also, if possible, be able to track status of books (checks out, in?
etc.)
Meridth (+) 60
-most things I’d need from library are there
-I like the Scientist
Meridtih (-)
-Science’s Nextwave doesn’t’ work
Sarah (+) 75
-MadCat convenient
-link to library hours
Sarah (-)
Shannon (+) 90
-search station excellent
-many venues covered—takes job of going to library to
research
Shannon (-)
Mike (+) 75
-this is a nice link to a site that is highly used by science
students
-I like the bio resources guide—I was unaware of this and
looking forward to using it
-like the course information section
Mike (-)
-the jobs and funding section of
the resource guide seems a bit out of place
Scott (+) 85
-direct portal to MadCat
-the databases and e-journals available
Scott (-)
-Science’s Next Wave module still not working
-overall loading of page is slow
Myrra (+) 85
-thorough
-nice to have biology specific library links
Myrra (-)
-page is somewhat cluttered
Jonathan (+) 95
-very easy to find library materials in UW Madison library
Jonathan (-)
-none
Campus Life
(Scores:80, 90,
50, 50, 70, 70, 75, 85, 50, 85—Average: 70.5)
Fatima (+) 80
-? Organizations
-TITU
-housing listings
Fatima (-)
Angie (+) 90
-off campus housing
-union events
Angie (-)
-include map (doesn’t
work)—campus buildings, Madison area
Ken (+) 50
-none
Ken (-)
-not very helpful module.
To me just a tab with links.
-would like to see actual
events, etc., on campus pertaining to the current day. A module with clubs/organization info would
be great
Meridth (+) 50
-TITU is very helpful
-computing guide nice
Meridith (-)
-local events happening in month
-links to renting sites (where can actually look for
house/apt.)
-as well as relevant or
frequently asked about laws/regulations regarding housing (off campus)
Sarah (+) 70
-TITU link
-RSO directory
Sarah (-)
-in this or calendar—list of
non-union events with links
Shannon (+) 70
-like the TITU section very convenient
-like the help section—DoIT, etc.
Shannon (-)
Mike (+) 75
-like the TITU link and the student organizations link
Mike (-)
-needs to have more…campus events, etc.
-all the computer stuff is
somewhat useless to me, and doesn’t all seem to fit under “campus life.”
Scott (+) 85
-computing guide
-escape calendar
-Digital Cardinal
Scott (-)
-would like to see a link to
student radio station, they broadcast on the web
Myrra (+) 50
-direct links to info
Myrra (-)
-have the days union/campus events open upon entering page
-computing guide need not take up so much room
-add link to newspapers/articles
Jonathan (+) 85
-nice quick links to Union activities
Jonathan (-)
-more campus activities—like what’s going on at humanities
or stuff like that—plays, concerts, etc, sports
Financial Tab
(Scores:60, 85,
85, 95, 50, 75, 70, 20, 70, 75—Average: 68.5)
Fatima (+) 60
-office of financial aid
-lots of links
Fatima (-)
-kind of unnecessary—don’t think many students would be interested in
Angie (+) 85
-job search
-scholarship opportunities
Angie (-)
-?find out tuition bills
-info on tuition rates/housing rates
Ken (+) 85
-the search function for the student job center is great!
Ken (-)
-the only suggestion I have is
the option to view one’s financial aid profile
Meridith (+) 95
-like everything on it
Meridith (-)
Sarah (+) 50
-none
Sarah (-)
-back from financial services doesn’t work
Shannon (+) 75
-great section that covers many venues from getting jobs to
paying for tuition to student awards
Shannon (-)
-can you balance my
checkbook?
-future costs-additional costs
Mike (+) 70
-think the scholarship links are really useful…expand that
as much as possible
Mike (-)
-could use estimated future tuition costs or costs of
various programs in the school
-so much in the other
modules—needs to be brought to attention that that is an option
Scott (+) 20
-none
Scott (-)
-find this tab about useless,
could be integrated into another tab
Myrra (+) 70
-cool that job center is there
-good to have links to scholarship opportunities
Myrra (-)
-could add links to specific job listings
-job center search not that
convenient
Jonathan (+) 75
-easy place to start looking for jobs, scholarships
Jonathan (-)
-include research opp in jobs
My Record Tab
(Scores:90, 100,
95, 75, 90, 80, 60, 70, 90, 15—Average: 76.5)
Fatima (+) 90
-course grades
Fatima (-)
-change course grades to course
listing or another
Angie (+) 100
-shows course listing and EASI info
-printer friendly view—good to print records
Angie (-)
Ken (+) 95
-course grades is a nice accessible feature. It is preferable over EASI.
Ken (-)
-Javascript error when
trying to return to the layout page after trying to delete an “unremovable”
module. Why are some modules
unremovable? Registration date would be
a recommended module. Incorporate more
features of EASI.
Meridith (+) 75
-good info and good way to check address info (sometimes
hard to do on EASI)
Meridith (-)
-course grades a bit hard to read
-access to other EASI things like
registration dates
Sarah (+) 90
-great to have to of this in one place
Sarah (-)
Shannon (+) 80
-none
Shannon (-)
-would like DARS report listed for convenience
-would be nice to be able to
access EASI directly from this page
Mike (+) 60
-nice to have it all there and it is convenient
Mike (-)
-basically, it is only a reproduction of EASI
Scott (+70)
-quick look to see record
-quick look to see the info that EASI has recorded for you
Scott (-)
-ability to change info on EASI,
making it aweb based tool
Myrra (+) 90
-course grade lists very convenient (much clearer than
earlier in the semester)
-postal addresses clear and convenient to use
-print link for course grades great
Myrra (-)
Jonathan (+) 15
-looks
like EASI
Jonathan (-)
-don’t use really
-it’s just EASI split up
-not necessary
Other Features
Fatima (+)
-login/logout 75—easy, good
-add/delete 50
-help 50 –good FAQs
-personalize 50
choice for color scheme
-feedback –fine
Fatima (-)
-add/delete—needs to be more clear
-help—more technical support/advice
-personalize—more graphics, etc.
Angie (+)
-login/logout—100—easy, appears on page clearly
-add/delete—75—easy to use
-help-75—commonly asked questions
-personalize—50—can change password
-feedback-50-direct link to e-mail address
Angie (-)
-add/delete—more options?
-help—link to DoIT site
-personalize—more color schemas/layout options, import own
links
-feedback—show other comments?
What is being worked on?
Ken (+)
-add/delete—75—very easy and simple
-help—90—e-mail listing
-personalize—65
feedback—100
Ken (-)
-login/logout—it would be nice to not have to login
everytime on the same computer
-add/delete—to indicate which modules are
“unremovable.” Weather database is quite
large and the list
format is undesirable. A search
type format would be much better.
-help—a more extensive FAQ section—a message board where
questions can be posted and answered
-personalize—more color schemes.
Meridith (+)
-login/logout--100
-add/delete—100—very easy to understand
-help-100—does what need to
-personalize--50
-feedback 100-fine
Meridith (-)
-login/logout—may be bigger logo or different color so you
remember to do at end of session
-personalize—doesn’t really allow
you to personalize too many superficial details
Sarah (+)
-login—75—info is secure
-help-answers to all major questions—link to get more help
-personalize—75
Sarah (-)
-login—a way to get forgotten passwords/auto-login
-personalize—more features—more
colors?
Shannon (+)
-login—easy
-add/delete—great for customizing, personalizing for index
Shannon (-)
-login—perhaps
-personalize—not impressed with ability
to alter colors
Scott (+)
-none
Scott (-)
-login-85
-add/delete—85
-help-100
-personalize--70—needs more choices—too drab and antiquated
look
Myrra (+)
-login-75-simple to use
-add/delete—easy to use
-help—good to have e-mail assistance
Myrra (-)
-login-not visually stimulating
-help-need link back to tabs
Jonathan (+)
-login-50-like any other login
-add/delete-65-easy to use
Jonathan (-)
-add/delete—more options/hides many things—doesn’t catch eye
Overall
(Scores:75, 80, 77.5, 67.5, 75, 80, 75, 85, 75, 70—Average: 76)
Fatima 75
-design—needs to be more attractive—graphics
-navigation—speed is excellent
-content—thourough, lots of
stuff
Angie (80)
-design—layout easy to navigate and tabs very good, color
attractive—school colors, homepage link change at top of screen “My
UW-Madison.”
-navigation—quick response
-content-tabs make main information topics clearly visible
-pluses—calendars—Union events, link to EASI info, course
info
Merdith (65-70)
-design—
-the
info is easy to change but it would be nice to change the color (use Bucky or
red & white rather than burgundy
-tabs are
nice
-like how
everything I’d usually need in one place
-like how
if I zip something it stays that way even if I move to a different section
-navigation
-pretty
slow response time for making changes
-need a “home” button to return to My
Madison page!
-Content
-other then
my course grade a bit hard to read,
everything else seemed fine
-really
need access to e-mail
-Pluses
-biology
course info and job listings
-time table
-puts many
things I’d use right together
-Problems
-really need a way to get back to
pages, even when go to things like feedback or help there’s no button to click
to get to homepage right away. Very
annoying!
Sarah (75)
-design—tabs work well, more options for colors?
-pluses—my record, front page
Shannon 80
-design—very catchy design—like the boldness, the red
-navigation-easy to navigate but so much information to get
through which is great once it is learned
-problems—would love a calendar
that I can create and add to/how about a place under financial tab to keep
track of finances/don’t need useless
calendars 1988-1996
Mike (75—a lot of promise)
-design
-very attrractive and well laid out..not too
flashy, to the point
-tabs
are useful, they should be highlighted better—they are what is EASIest about
the portal
-navigation
-speed is
excellent and compared to many other websites I use
-easy
to navigate with the tabs…a bit confusing at times, but once used more, it is
easy
-content
-the HELP feature should be utilized
immediately and have directions as to how it works and the overall “offerings”
of the portal
-pluses
-weather
-easy
links to directories, course info, library system, TITU, etc.—has a lot to
offer
-a lot
there that is important to me--- NICE
TO HAVE IT ALL IN ONE AREA
-problems
-needs a more personalized calendar w/ upcoming and
weekly events…I would use something like this a lot!
-drop the
old calendars of semesters—somewhat useless
-some links are useless—really focus
each tab more
*have add/delete module more
obvious—that is a huge tool that is not obvious to the user
Scott 85
-overall—needs to be flashier/more of a new look
and not a copy of wisc.edu’s page design
-design-
-easy to
use, drab to look at
-layout is
nice
-readability
good
-colors,
graphics need to change
-a random picture
do go along with tab or info under tab would be nice
-navigation
-only a few
broken links
-support
has been great
-would like
an auto login with a cookie stored on user’s system
-content—
-necessary
info easy to get to and use
-problems-
-drop
financial tab or integrate it into another tab leaving room for a new
Myrra 75
-design-
-could
use some campus pictures, maroon/red color good, gold/yellow color kind of bad
-navigation-
-navigation
is easy/speedy
-content
-some topics given a lot of room and links though they aren’t that
useful or frequently used
-pluses
-My Record is great
-I don’t use the library function
that often so perhaps less effort could be devoted to it although do not
eliminate it front page is getting there.
Jonathan 70
- Use calendar, record, weather
-front page is getting there
-design-be able to change color would be nice, personalize
color, more than 2
-navigation-weather slow—too many graphics—links to graphics
better—more updates for current temp-time-temp taken
-problems-put in a tutorial of the basic options
Answers to questions:
How valuable is the
biology specific content included in the My UW Madison portal?
Do you think students
in general will want to use the My UW Madison portal as it now stands? Why or why not?
Angie—
-biology specific content—good for gathering course
information
-student use—yes, puts much academic info in one place, also
include calendars
Meridith—
-biology specific content—very, I like it a lot
-use—If you allow personalization
more I think more people will want to use it because it has all info
pertinent to you right there.
Sarah—
-biology content—there is a lot of information I didn’t know
how to get otherwise. Please add biology major webpage.
-use—as it stands now, not
much new information is presented.
With future plans enacted, this will be very helpful.
Shannon—
-biology specific content—valuable definitely! Good for scheduling, opportunities in major
possible career opportunities, research, etc., biology resource section great
-use-yes, because it has many great links and definitely
looks good for the future
Mike
-biology content—bio resource guide is excellent! Haven’t quite seen all the specific stuff out
there—looking forward to finding it
-use-Yes, it has a lot of useful info and links right in one
site—has a lot of potential
Scott
-biology content—very –I enjoy looking through information
relevant to my major that spans across many different aspects of it
-use-yes, ability to customize and deliver content they want
would be really well received
Myrra
-biology content—very valuable
-use-no, but the
changes mentioned would make it very useful
Background
Fatima
-experienced internet user
-very rarely uses
portal
-doesn’t use portal to start up
-uses Netscape
-sophomore, female
----
Angie
-experienced
-occasional user
-doesn’t use portal
to start up
-PC
-Netscape comm. 4.7
-senior, female
--
Ken
-power user
-sporadically
-doesn’t use as start
page
-uses PC and MAC
-Netscape and explorer
-junior, male
--
Meridith
-novice
-sporadically
-doesn’t use as start
page
-MAC
-Netscape
-senior, female
--
Sarah
-experienced
-sporadically
-Doesn’t use as start
page
-PC
-explorer
-sophomore, female
--
Shannon
-experienced
-very rarely
-doesn’t use to start
-PC
-Netscape
-senior, female
--
Mike
-experienced
-sporadically
-doesn’t use to start
-PC
-Netscape
-junior, male
--
Scott
-power user
-frequently
-DOES use it as start page
-PC
-Internet Explorer 5.5
-senior, male
--
Myrra
-experienced
-occasionally
-doesn’t use it as
start page
-PC
-Netscape
-senior, female
--
Jonathan
-experienced
-occasionally
-doesn’t use it as
start page
-PC
-internet explorer
-sophomore, male
Appendix C:
Student Group
Discussion
Part I: Your Needs and Current Use of the Portal
Describe what you
want or expect from the “My UW-Madison” portal
Fatima
-course web pages
-job opportunities on campus for biology students
-personal calendar
Angie
-course web pages
-set own bookmarks
-more links to other websites like library
Ken
-course web pages
-import bookmarks from computer
-access to campus e-mail
-linking back to My UW from external sources
Meridith
-more access to EASI
-course webpage
-easy access to e-mail
-calendar—how about a calendar for yourself--personal
Sara
-weather forecast and address and course info
Shanon
-will see—only uses computer for e-mail now
Mike
-surf and look at course descriptions (academic)
Scott
-not so much duplication of current UW website (but tabs are
easier to use in the portal)
-combine EASI with this
-e-mail
-automatic login
Myrra
-directory
-weather function
-how record is looking
Jonathan
-weather
-jobs and research opps around campus
-quick link to Union activities
(this is all quicker than through UW webpage)
Briefly describe how you currently use the “My
UW-Madison” portal. Also describe any
difficulties encountered so far.
Fatima
-calendar
-EASI—checking credits, it is better than EASI
Angie
-journals and
searches
-listing of events in union
Ken (power user)
-don’t use it that
much—have been using Yahoo for about a year now (for some of its features like
calendar, e-mail, news)
Difficulties----weather (loading time)—using internet
explorer---
Meridith
-biology job openings
-course listings
Difficulties—getting back to My UW Madison from a more
direct way than having to use back key
Sarah
-using it more but
not frequently (off and on)—no reason to
use it
Shanon
-haven’t really used it—no computer at home
Mike
-not
frequently at first but now frequently
Difficulties: leads
to a lot of dead ends---incomplete?
Scott (power user—only
one using it as a start page)
-not frequently at the beginning but now
fairly frequently
Difficulties: links
not functioning in the beginning but now resolved
Myrra
-sporadic use—when worried about classes
Difficulties: weather
function off, her record is slightly off, advisor’s name missing
Jonathan
-every now and then
Difficulties: at
beginning of semester, some links not working (e.g. weather)
Parts II and III: Evaluation of My UW-Madison Portal Features
-appearance is too formal—make it more fun—have the
horoscope, for example
-there are some confusing modules (Java script errors)
-personalize more—
-settings are not what thought to
would be
-more color schemes and graphics
and Wisconsin background
-more flashy
-highlight add/delete key more
-missing some information for some people
-doesn’t give you something you need on a daily basis
-some trouble finding information—knowing how to use it
-store passwords like other portals
-make logout button more visible
-has potential and promise
-personalize UW site more
-calendar—export to website--interactive
-advisor link
-not first place she would look for info
-needs tutorial (HELP function not very encompassing)
-Add/delete key not very visible
-have desk top calendar look
Strengths:
Features/Content
-Search engine is helpful
-Campus phone directory
-Weather
-Job center right there
-School directory
-Schedule—biology course information
-Academic calendar right there—looking into the future and
back
-Madcat right there—search links
-Wisconsin Job Center
-Benchmarks—open up to a separate screen
-Links to undergrad info and class list
-Academic calendar and future
-Job search
-Course listings and printer option
-Class information right there
-Biology news and upcoming events
-Links appear to be fixed now
-Lots of options for My Front Page
-Course informaton/online course catalog
-Resource guide
-Search engine, phone book
-All things in one place in My Front Page
-Biology resources
-Computing Guide
-Library covers everything
-Academic—quick links/tool kit—helpful links
-Bio resource guide
-Global gateway
-Library is thorough/biology links
-Scholarship information useful
-Everything in one place
-Print link good in My Record
Areas of
Improvement:
Appearance
-Logout button more visible
-Make student resource links more interesting—better
appearance
Features/Content
-Store password like other portals
-Daily weather forecast
-Calendar—daily/weekly/more personalized calendar (box
drawing)
-Have due dates for books
-Personalization options---for financial aid profile/job
listings
-more news
-Undergrad research opps on campus
-Course grids
-Map of city with events
-My tuition bill—personalize more/tuition rates
-Financial tab is useless
-My front tab—web-based e-mail
-Weather out of place---
-News events of the day
-Utilize the My Front page more
-Advisor e-mail
-Ability to change things (ex: My Record)
-Have advisor linked to e-mail and homepage
-Have campus calendar of events
-Current academic calendar---does it deserve its own tab?
-Have more direct links to newspapers and articles
-Nothing in financial to use---would like to see tuition
costs—scholarship info helpful
-Duplication of EASI system in My Record---can go to EASI
instead
-List DARS report
-Access EASI
-Eliminate extraneous information (too much historical
calendars)
-Updating course homepage
-Calendar—commencement is important
-Balancing checking is important in financial
-Include more stuff in campus life tab
-Expand academic a bit—add links—requirements for major—DARS
report—quick links to phone numbers—my academic advisor
-Have directions to tutorial---learning HOW to personalize
-News and events should be on My Front Page
-My Record tab is obsolete
-My Front page—can’t add things from outside sources—would
like to have more options—fonts blend together too much
Trouble with Links or Missing Links
-Missing links to some courses
-Cals & L&S & biology homepage
-Links to other databases
-Some trouble with links (Science’s New Wave)
-Off campus links to housing
-Can’t check back EASIly to first page
-Links not working in Academic Tab—no link to biology home
page
-Links needed in financial
