Students looking to log into their my.american.edu portal will now be prompted to choose between that and the new myau.american.edu portal in a “parallel phase” where students can choose to use either the old or new portals.
The myau.american.edu portal will switch over completely on April 16. The new portal soft launched in December and about 50 to 60 students have offered feedback since, according to Project Manager Sheri Zimmerman.
The portal saw 2,800 unique hits in January alone, Zimmerman said.
Most comments were about “little things,” she said, adding that most students asked for easier accessibility for links like class registration.
The key difference between the two portal sites is that myau.american.edu has fewer “irrelevant links,” Zimmerman said.
“Once everything is fine tuned, people will be presented with information and announcements relevant to them in whatever role they play at the University,” Zimmerman said. “We’re not fully there, but that’s the goal over time.”
The new portal includes an option called “team sites” similar to Google Docs, although it offers more security because it is offered through the portal.
“It’s been a big hit,” Zimmerman said. “The staff and faculty see a lot of value in it. We haven’t marketed it heavily to the students.”
This “parallel phase” was supposed to occur in February, but was held up by delays and a desire to work around the academic calendar.
kfroehlich@theeagleonline.com
