UNIVERSITY PORTAL, myODU, DEBUTS
Old Dominion University's new portal, "myODU," goes live today, Tuesday, Jan. 27. The portal, whose Web address is my.odu.edu, can be accessed from the university's home page.
A unique Web site, the portal offers a single point of entry whereby faculty, staff and students can access a variety of information and services. It personalizes tools and information to the specific needs and characteristics of the person visiting the site, using university databases and other sources. For example, an instructor will have access to his or her class roster and students will have access to their transcripts.
It is designed to be a "one-stop shop," so that users can reduce the amount of time they spend searching for the information and services they need.
Among the modules, or "portlets," currently offered on myODU are: MapQuest, News@Old Dominion, e-mail, Blackboard, myWeather, faculty/staff announcements, events calendar, calculator, notepad and a to-do list. Also included is a search function for both the ODU Web site and the Internet, as well as a bookmarks portlet. A suggestion box allows users to comment on the portal and a poll portlet will periodically take the pulse of the campus community on various issues.
The portal also includes library, academic, financial, and news and entertainment links. Users can personalize, organize and customize their portal page to include resources from on- and off-campus sites. MyODU offers a single sign-on for easy access to Lotus Notes, Banner, Blackboard and Leo Online. Faculty, staff and students who have not already done so are encouraged to create their MIDAS ID and password as soon as possible. MIDAS (Monarch IDentification and Authorization System) is the first step in progressing toward single sign-on, which will allow an individual to have the same user ID and password for most of the university's networked systems.
"After the yearlong process of getting the portal to this point, we are excited that we can now offer this to the university community," said Ann Tatman, acting director of administrative services in the Office of Finance, who heads the Portal Leadership Team. "Now we want faculty, staff and students to use the portal, get accustomed to it and let us know what
they think. "MyODU is designed to be a work in progress. Additional information and services will be rolled out on a regular basis to keep it fresh and evolving."
Tatman also expressed her gratitude to the hard work of the leadership team, which devoted countless hours over the past year to creating the portal. "This was a worthwhile process because the end-product is something that will serve the entire university community," she said.