MyUCDavis Awaits Graduation Day, Computing Councils Give the Green Light

On March 29, at a rare joint meeting of the Academic and Administrative Computing Coordinating Councils, over 30 campus administrators, faculty members, and staff representatives gave the MyUCDavis portal a resounding vote of approval. After 18 months of development work and a six-month pilot, MyUCDavis got one step closer to graduating magna cum laude into Tier 1 status. If the Information Technology Policy Board approves the Councils' recommendation at its May 17 meeting, the pilot project will be elevated into the realm of mission-critical computing systems, joining ranks with the well-established financial system (DaFIS) and student information system (Banner). To extend the portal to all faculty and students and to provide reliable, around-the-clock support for the system, the Councils also recommended the allocation of $187,000 in permanent annual funds. This budget does not cover any features or functionality beyond those already available. Instead the Councils proposed to use Instructional Technology Funds to implement two new features (an electronic grade book and a self-test module) that the AC4 Subcommittee on Course Management Systems reported faculty had requested. The Councils' recommendations stem in large part from the success of the pilot and the widely-embraced notion that portal technology can improve the campus' ability to serve students, staff, and faculty. Those who have used the MyUCDavis portal see great potential ahead: over 75 percent of survey respondents indicated that it had improved their productivity and believed it will help attract prospective students.