Basically, a portal is a web site that provides all the services its users might need in one convenient place. Since it is web-based, a portal's interface is familiar, easy to use, and available anytime, anywhere via the Internet. Stout’s portal is individualized with a student's schedule, program, e-mail, and Flexline/Baseline balance. In addition, the portal is capable of being configured. By the Fall 2003 semester, students will be able to select the items that appear on each tab in e-Scholar and change those selections as their needs change throughout their career at Stout. Given the fact that Stout serves a diverse community of users, the portal should also be diverse. Currently, Stout’s portal potential is increased by means of its integration with the Datatel Student Information System. Thus, the portal provides desired services AND has the capability to be tailored to and /or configured by each individual user. Finally, since the portal is incorporated into Stout's e-Scholar Laptop Initiative, Stout’s portal provides students with a customized, personalized, and adaptive desktop when they open their laptops or login via any other Internet-connected computer.

The e-Scholar ppt is the Microsoft Power Point presentation that we have been taking across campus. It walks you through the evolution and definition of the 'e-scholar' idea. It visually shows how this idea can fit well into our laptop initiative utilizing current resources.

View Presentation

On July 8th Mike Dolence returned to campus and we had a chance to sit down with him and review our e-Scholar implementation so far.

Review Discussion

Here you will find information regarding the e-Scholar project teams. As well as minutes from the project team meetings.

Two project teams have been established to implement e-Scholar: the Technical Team and the Implementation Team. The Technical Team meets weekly and is charged with actually making e-Scholar work. The Implementation Team is a larger team, meeting every 3-4 weeks. They are charged with disseminating information about e-Scholar out to the campus and gathering input from the constituent groups on campus. They make the content decisions regarding e-Scholar.

View e-Scholar Team

The e-Scholar plan is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet giving a detailed description of what has been completed and what needs to be completed before e-Scholar is ready for business! This implementation plan will evolve along with e-Scholar. Click here to view the implementation and marketing plans.

Part of the Phase 2 implementation includes enhancements to the Phase 1 Manage Links functionality for faculty, providing them with a more complete and flexible course delivery system. The new functionality is based on templates developed by Nicholle Stone of Learning Technology Services and provides an automated interface to provide course related materials using those templates. We worked with the Stout Web Site Usability Testing Center to usability test the new functionality. Click here to review their report.

We have established a prototype of what our vision is for a portal at Stout. This prototype is continually under development and refinement so check back often for the latest look and feel of Stout's e-Scholar.

View Prototype

This link goes to the University Portal FAQ site for University Web Developers. It has good information about portals presented in the form of a FAQ document.

Please use this project web site to give us your feedback. As e-Scholar evolves, so will this project web site. Here you will always find the latest version of the project plan and the current prototype. We need your input to help e-Scholar succeed. You can tell us what you need in e-Scholar, what you like, what you don't like, and give us your suggestions regarding look and feel and content by sending an e-mail to the project e-mail account, eScholar@uwstout.edu.