MHCC Portal to open spring term

By James McEchron

As The MHCC website Portal (or MyMHCC), a new technology that attempts to give users a sense of community, is close to being available to students and faculty.
“The MyMHCC portal will be live for the MHCC community beginning spring term 2006”, said Student Development and Services Executive Dean Rob Nielson.

At MHCC, information begins with the people most involved, then trickles through Resident Technology Experts (RTE) in the different departments.

Celia Carlson, an English instructor and RTE, has been educating the English Department on what exactly the Portal is.

“It’s basically a series of ‘web programs’ that facilitate communication between the staff, faculty and students at MHCC,” Carlson said. “Each member of the MHCC community will be able to have their own ‘MyPortal’ intro page with information catered to them. For students, this would be a list of classes and clubs they’re interested [in]; for faculty, a list of classes and other organizations they belong to at MHCC, et cetera.”
Funded by a Title III grant to support faculty and student success, the technology allows an easy way for students to check on their class times, attendance and receive information from their teachers.

“The level of online commitment is up to [the faculty].  They could put their personal information on the Portal, or could place syllabus or office hours. They can add learning modules, a calendar, even a place for students to keep track of their grades.”

The Portal also allows you to add pictures and send other students messages through an online MHCC directory.

“The college wants to improve our experience,” said Steven Smith, Title III instructional systems designer.  “We got a big grant to do this and we’re working hard to make it accessable.  If students can use MySpace, they can use MyMHCC.”
Some concerns that have been raised by the school include whether Spyware/Adware can be blocked.  Another possible issue is what can be done to prevent harassing messages from students you don’t want contact from.
“My job,” said Smith, “is to break it and poke it in the eye.”  Smith also said that these concerns were being addressed.

“MyMHCC will launch spring 2006 and be fully operational in the fall,” said Smith. “MyMHCC will be the virtual gathering place and one-stop resource center for students of MHCC.”