by Leslie Mertz
For Wayne State faculty and students alike, WSU Pipeline is becoming their entry into a new era of electronic communication at the university. Pipeline is the multidimensional Web platform that is giving students and faculty unprecedented online capabilities, due in part to the seamless integration between Pipeline, WSU E-mail, and the new Banner System.
For students, these new online capabilities include the ability to register and pay for their courses on the Web, to check tuition balances and holds, and to take online courses or tap into course materials through the increasingly popular Blackboard Learning System. For faculty members, they range from obtaining student class lists and posting grades electronically to enhancing the educational content of their courses using Blackboard or other course tools.
"In terms of my own teaching, it has been very helpful," said Alice Young, PhD, psychology professor and associate dean for Research and Graduate Programs in the College of Science. She uses WSU Pipeline as the gateway into Blackboard, and into such new administrative systems as Banner and E-Reports. With these systems, Dr. Young has found an easy way to download class lists and compile spreadsheets; to post classwork, projects and links to course resources; and to perform many other administrative and academic tasks.
"For example, I'm teaching an undergraduate course that requires early-assessment grades," she said. "It was much simpler to just upload the grades onto a secure site instead of having to worry about whether I dropped off the envelope in the correct mailbox and in time. And entering final grades was even easier. I got e-mails right away from students, so I think they were checking the system frequently."
Terrence Crimes, who works with Dr. Young as the college's senior grant/contract administrator and is a liberal arts student at Wayne State, also thinks WSU Pipeline is a valuable tool for students. "Pipeline is great for finding out information as it relates to registration, holds, balances, class schedules, grades, and things of that nature. It's really convenient. I feel like we're in the 21st century now!"
Crimes also finds Blackboard to be an excellent way for students to access educational materials, but feels it is underutilized by the faculty here. "I'm in my senior year, and I've had four teachers utilizing Blackboard during my time at WSU. I wish more of them used it."
While Young said she is quite pleased with WSU Pipeline, she admitted being a Banner novice. "I'm having to find the time to learn a brand new set of skills, and I was unprepared for how much time that was going to take, particularly as it relates to accounting systems and grant reports." Fortunately, she said, the university has been providing intensive training in all the Banner Systems (FMS, HRMS, and Student) to the appropriate staff. In addition, she said, "The graduate officers have been asking for up-to-date, coordinated information about registration, the status of students in the program, and other Banner services, and the Graduate School has taken the initiative to make that training available. I think that's a good move."
Young's secretary, Kelly Hicks, provides assistance to the associate dean by inputting data or accessing information on the Banner System. "When I first found out that I was going to (do some tasks) on a new system, I almost flipped out," Hicks recalled, but found she was able to learn how to do it on her own. "Banner is very user friendly and very simple, that is, if you're comfortable with using Web-based products. I've found that both Blackboard and Pipeline overall are really very good."
For his needs as grants officer, however, Crimes pointed out some areas where Finance E-Reports could be made more user friendly -- especially for WSU employees who don't have accounting experience. Nonetheless, he still sees the integrated Banner Systems as a step in the right direction. "Banner as a whole is 10 times better than the old Financial Accounting System (FAS)."
Perhaps the most unexpected obstacle Dr. Young faced with WSU Pipeline came from her students and the reluctance many harbored toward online computer usage. "That surprised me," she said, noting that a considerable number of the returning students and traditional freshmen in her 2000-level course had problems adapting.
"Some of the returning students, especially those who don't have children at home, have had to figure out ways to learn about using the Web fairly quickly. Several of them have said, 'You're pulling me kicking and screaming into this,' she said with a laugh. "Especially for the older returning students who may have been registered on and off at Wayne State for five or six years. Even the notion that they've got an AccessID and password is brand new to them."
Fortunately, Young said, Blackboard is simple, straightforward, and an excellent entry point for computer-challenged students. "It took a while, but I finally got all of them in the class to get onto Blackboard and onto WSU Pipeline at least once."
The Drop-in Computer Workshops in the David Adamany Undergraduate Library have become an excellent student resource, she added. "I think that library has been terrific in helping students access the Internet. This includes both the freshman who is just overwhelmed by how big the university is and the returning student who is struggling to learn new computer skills.
Of Pipeline overall, she commented, "My sense is that it's been a very big change done quite quickly." Although it hasn't been easy for all of them, even the most disinclined students are glad they finally took the plunge into Pipeline, she said, and believes that their appreciation for its capabilities will only increase once they realize just how helpful it can be.
Editor's Note: Faculty have a number of resources available for learning how to use the new course tools and E-Services at Wayne State. Visit the inFORM Website (at http://inform.wayne.edu) to download the Quick Start Guide for Faculty and to obtain other helpful information. Faculty, staff, and students can get help when in WSU Pipeline by clicking the Roadmap icon to the right of the tabs in any window. In addition to the drop-in computer workshops at WSU's Undergraduate Library (UGL), basic help on using computers is right on the Web. For more informaton, visit http://www.lib.wayne.edu/services/instruction_tutorials/index.php on the Library's Website.
Published by Wayne State University Computing & Information Technology
in the INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY @ wayne.edu Newsletter, Winter Term 2003
© 2004 copyright
