How is a portal different from a normal web site?
In a normal University web site, the information is out there, but it is up to the visitor to find it. They have to either use a search engine, or navigate the links on the University’s web page. Often people miss information they couldn’t find. With a portal, the visitor identifies himself. The portal then uses the detailed knowledge the University has about this person to gather together all the information relevant to that person and display it in one place. This information could be generic publicly accessible information, or it could be confidential information specific to that individual (like course grades or payroll information). The emphasis has shifted from a public web site showing on-line pamphlets to a user-oriented web site that provides tools, reports, and services specifically designed for that individual.
In a normal web site, the information is available, but it is up to the visitor to find it. Visitors either have to use a search engine or navigate through the links on the web pages. Often, people miss out on information because they can’t find it. In the portal, the visitor identifies himself to the system. The portal then uses the detailed knowledge the University has about the person to gather together all the information relevant to him or her and displays it in one place.
In a normal University web site, the information is out there, but it is up to the visitor to find it. They have to either use a search engine, or navigate the links on the University’s web page. Often people miss information they couldn’t find. In a “My University Portal”, the visitor identifies himself to the portal. The portal then uses the detailed knowledge the University has about this person to gather together all the information relevant to that person and display it in one place. This information could be generic publically accessible information, or it could be confidential information specific to that individual (like course grades or payroll information). The emphasis has shifted from a public web site showing on-line pamphlets to a user-oriented web site that provides tools, reports, and services specifically designed for that individual.
