Phil Leonard, Head of Student Administration, is the new Project Lead for the Student Portal Project. Part of the Student Data Systems Programme (SDSP), this Project was set up to develop a single mobile-friendly portal, through which students can easily access all relevant University systems and personalised information, both on and off campus.
Enhancing the student experience
Currently students have to navigate a complex landscape, including Liverpool Life, the student intranet site, My Liverpool, Canvas, MS Teams, Zoom, and the Timetable App, to find the information, systems and support they need to succeed at the University.
Developing the new portal will simplify the University landscape, making it easier for students to find and understand of the range of services available and how to access them.
As the new Lead, Phil is keen to ensure the student voice informs every stage the Project. “Students have and will continue to be consulted at every stage of the process,” he says. “From requirements gathering, to focus groups, testing and user interface feedback, we are committed to ensuring students have their voice heard when it comes to shaping the portal.”
Phil continues: “Our first priority is to evaluate the current student registration process. This is the very beginning of the student’s journey at the University, so it is important we get it right. The current registration process is not particularly easy for students to navigate and there are often issues with functionality not performing as it should, so we want to streamline this process and make it more accessible and effective for students.”
“As we draw closer to the build of the portal, we will be keen to take student feedback on the look and feel of the portal as a whole, and how this aligns with their student journey,” he adds. “We know that the user interface needs to be both functional and appealing to students, and this is something we will be working with them very closely on.”
Aligning changes
The Student Portal Project is one of four inter-related SDSP initiatives established, with the others being the CRM, Student Attendance and Learning Analytics Projects.
“As Project Lead, it is exciting to be involved with the alignment of these workstreams under the SDSP umbrella”, says Phil. “Learning analytics, for example, is looking at how we can use the various data we have available to us to inform the development of ‘learning dashboards’. In the first instance, staff will be able to use this data to monitor student engagement and offer tailored advice and support even more effectively than they do now.”
Phil adds: “Further down the line, we want to provide students with access to this information via the Student Portal so that they can more actively support their own learning. We want students to see at a glance how they are performing and engaging with their studies – and how this may compare with their peers – so they are better equipped to reflect and make more informed decisions about their approach to their studies.”
Visit the SDSP intranet site for more information about the Student Portal Project and associated initiatives.