my.MHCC.edu gets a fresh new look

Student and teacher complaints about the old designs and hard-to-navigate links and pages have finally paid off: Mt. Hood upgraded its MyMHCC website last Thursday, responding to the issues that critics raised.

The idea behind the reforms was simple: “Take the existing pieces and functionality, put them in places that logically make more sense, and are (then) easier for everyone to understand where to go, and navigate easier,” said Christi Hart, director of financial aid and veteran services, one of the individuals who worked on the MHCC committee that planned the upgrades.

The redesigned site allows students to better take advantage of what they can do and meet their own specific needs.

After logging in, Mt. Hood students now see a list of the classes they are taking in the middle of the web page. This details each course name, description, class number, and the student’s grade in that class.

In turn, teachers see a list of courses they are teaching that term. From the log-in page, they have the option to go immediately to a specific class list, rather than going through four or five mouse clicks. Although the new links are easier, “all of the old ways are still available” to teachers, Hart emphasized.

Any information put into a MyMHCC info box by students is easily accessible to teachers when they view their class lists. Teachers now have easier access to everything from a student’s major and advisers, to their personal email and that goofy pic they forgot their friends uploaded.

One feature Mt. Hood reading instructor Grace Richardson found to be “helpful” on the new MyMHCC was the drop-down link to student attendance and participation.

Another thing students and teachers see on the homepage is the “My Alerts” chart in the top-right corner. This is keyed to each individual student and offers more accurate data on schedules and financial aid requirements, said Hart.

In the “My Alerts” chart, instructors will see if they need to turn in any Human Resources documents, Hart said.

Another new homepage feature is the Frequently Used links list that allows students to traverse the website more quickly and easily.

Just below that list is the “Calendars” drop-off tab, with a complete set of all MHCC-related calendars. Hart said the committee wanted “a place where students and teachers can go to see what’s going on.”

The last notable, new feature is the “Plan and Register” tab near the top of the web page, between “Admissions” and “Student Services.” This takes students to a new page that helps them plan and register for courses, breaking the process down into steps.

Four yellow tabs on this page – “Plan Ahead,” “Register for Classes,” “Manage Academic Records,” and “Graduate” – have various links to documents and resources that help students accomplish all those objectives.

Main MHCC web page visitors should expect additional upgrades soon.

“We currently use the DARS degree audit system, but are in the process of switching to the Jenzabar degree audit system,” said Hart. This is causing slight delays in the teacher’s “grade entry” section as technicians are still working, she said.

These updates should arrive by the end of the spring term. Students who would like help navigating the new website features should visit the Orientation Center.

Regarding the upgrades as a whole, Hart said, “Hopefully people will see this and say ‘This is such a great improvement; I want to use this new way, I really like this new way.’ ”