Portal to power
by Michèle Nardelli
Enter
the portal – it might sound a bit spacey but it is one of the most
important things new students can do to power through the administrative
challenges of uni life and become a more successful student.
The myUniSA portal, introduced at UniSA two years ago, was designed to make student life easier, allowing them to manage their own information from one simple location.
In the world of the portal, students can find all things – timetables, enrolment details, library loans, internet and print quotas and check their financial status.
In the past two years the student services and IT teams have been working to improve the portal, based on what students say they need.
Recent improvements include increased email capacity, online invoicing, improved online payment options, integration of individual class timetables with the Outlook calendar, and refreshed and easier to use entry pages for services and reminders.
UniSA coordinator for student information services, Graeme Poole, says part of the real success of myUniSA is that student feedback is highly valued.
“The whole notion of the portal is to make things easier for students and to put them in the driver’s seat at uni,” Poole said.
“When we get feedback from students we take it on board because they know better than anyone what works.”
Poole says all new students should explore the site thoroughly and check out the links to other services including those offered through key areas such as the library and Learning Connection. More improvements will be made to the portal in 2006 in line with feedback students have provided.
If you want to make some constructive suggestions about what could be better and what is working well, you can email studentportal@unisa.edu.au.