While students have been off interning or studying abroad this summer, Student Information Services and Systems has logged countless hours redesigned ACES.
The registration hub - which was unavailable to staff and students from Thursday, June 12, until Friday, June 20 - underwent a complete renovation that added many new features and an entirely new face.
The biggest change was a system upgrade from a client server to a totally web-based platform.
"We decided to do the rewrite in Java, which will provide us with a lot more flexibility - much quicker access - and we've already been able to incorporate a lot more requests from students and faculty," said Kathy Pfeiffer, director of SISS
The rewrite will allow more students to access the site at the same time, which will prove extremely useful during class registration and the first few days of classes. It also includes a plethora of new features such as the option to search for multiple Curriculum 2000 requirements at once.
Administrators expect the transition to the new system to go smoothly despite some initial problems.
"In the first week we ran into a few problems with student identifications - a few bumps in registration - which is normal for an implementation of this size," Pfeiffer said. The Registrar's office is aiding with the shift.
"We are still experiencing some wrinkles and we are helping students," said Assistant Registrar Peggy Lankford. "Because it is summer and there are fewer students, we are able to help those who have a problem." She added that SISS and the Office of Information Technology have responded quickly to any problems.
Students have found the new interfaces easy to use.
"I don't mind it," said Tara Morcone, a chemistry graduate student. "I thought it was fairly user-friendly."
SISS is offering courses for faculty and staff to learn the new system, said Pfeiffer. "The look and feel and navigation takes a little while to get used to." However, she expressed optimism that the new system is better.
In creating the new features and redesigning the system, SISS administrators drew upon their own experiences as advisors and from student feedback over the years.
Faculty can now see the same screens as students. In the past, the students and advisors had difficulty communicating over the phone because they saw different interfaces, Pfeiffer said.
In addition, faculty can now view their advisee list as they continue to work.
"I definitely believe the navigation is simpler and more robust," said Pfeiffer. "Once people get over the initial shock of it being different, they will really like it."
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