Changes to the Office of Student Affairs Web page will be made over the next five years in an effort to make it easier for UCSD students to access information and make campus-related transactions online.
The project, called Plan 724, is scheduled for completion in 2007. Its overall goal is to make online operations more convenient for students, allowing them to access the site 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“”It should be an intelligent, more efficient system,”” said Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Joseph Watson, who emphasized that increased student convenience is the main objective of the plan.
According to Watson, there are several reasons for the changes being made.
“”The campus population has increased from 20,000 to 30,000,”” he said. “”We must plan to accommodate changes in the student body and in the environment.””
Many students function at hours other than the normal eight to five, so having 24-hour online service would be timelier for them.
Students will be able to perform tasks via the computer, eliminating the need to stand in long lines, go through bureaucratic forms or wait indefinitely for answers to their questions.
“”Our students are more technologically savvy now,”” said Darlene Willis, executive administrative officer for new initiatives and community relations, “”and we’re trying to catch up with them. I’d rather do things online than have to go out and do them, but the Internet here doesn’t work a lot,”” said Jenny Rhymer, a Thurgood Marshall College freshman.
According to Watson, there will be four “”generations”” to Plan 724. After generation one, all departments of Student Affairs will have working Web pages to provide basic information. Many departments currently have no technical support at all, making it impossible to produce viable Web pages.
After generation two, students will be able to make basic transactions online, such as paying bills and getting instant feedback on simple questions. Generation three will allow students to conduct more personal business online.
Upon completion of generation four, students will be able to receive advice on more complicated questions; they will be able to pose a question to the online system and get related information immediately. Responses that require real human interaction would take about two days to complete.
Although the long-term goal of Plan 724 is to have all departments reach generation four, a short-term committee has been established to ensure that they all reach at least generation one or two. The committee, headed by Darlene Willis, executive administrative officer of student affairs, also serves to foresee any potential challenges that the plan might face later.
Many students feel that Plan 724 would make services more convenient for them.
“”That would be really helpful, to have everything in one place. It would be too good to believe,”” said Jenni Ko, a Thurgood Marshall College junior. “”The problem is because of how shaky our network is; it might be just moot,”” said Earl Warren College freshman Jeff Sing. “”If you can’t even access the site, it’s pointless. A lot of times, you can’t even get on StudentLink.””
Another benefit of the plan is that Student Affairs will be able to better serve students without increasing staff numbers or changing the current work schedule. Once routine tasks can be completed online, the staff will have more time and energy to devote to aspects that actually require human interaction and personal attention.
“”I think StudentLink is already pretty useful, and any improvements in automation would be great,”” said Adam Qwan, a sophomore at Eleanor Roosevelt College. “”But I think that getting rid of all face-to-face communication would be a bad idea. It’s not good to have everything automated.””
Under the new system, students would be able to pose questions on the site and receive related information. Their answers, therefor, would not be limited to a specific department.
“”These sites would not be based on the structure of the department. As we evolve, Web pages might disappear so that the page reflects the concerns and perceptions of current students, potential students and even parents. The perspective changes from the department to the inquirer,”” Watson said.
The Office of Student Affairs had been developing a strategic plan for improved services since 1998. Although there is a fixed goal, the outlines of Plan 724 are relatively broad and flexible.
“”We’ll have to learn how to consolidate and centralize technical support,”” Watson said.
Both Watson and Willis believe that improvements in student services will aid education.
“”A better set of student services will lead to higher graduation and retention rates,”” Watson said.
Beginning sometime this week, the Office of Student Affairs homepage will feature a “”VCSA Feedback”” link to allow visitors to make comments and suggestions.