Recently The University of Alabama has developed a new design for MyBama, which has sparked conversation around campus between students and faculty of whether it is as sleek and modern as the designers initially thought.
The University’s Perspective
The University of Alabama describes the new design as being “user-friendly,” but most people would disagree due to having to relearn the essential components of the application. While students and faculty might be having a hard time navigating to the specific function they want, the creators did install a search feature that can significantly aid in this issue. The new portal allows students to pin links such as Blackboard or Week at a Glance to make a customizable homepage for the individual user. In the past, MyBama was not always mobile-friendly, but now with the new look, it was made more accessible by your phones and has the same functions as if you were accessing it through a computer. This feature will help students with on-the-go assignments and easy access to all things MyBama.
Many students and faculty have questioned the change. “Why fix what isn’t broken?” – Well it actually kind of was broken. The old myBama was built on a platform, Luminus, which is no longer supported. It’s a really old technology that was past due in being replaced. The new site was built in-house which is saving UA a considerable amount of money, always a plus. Another major perk is the speed of the new myBama.
Student’s Opinions
Despite efforts to incorporate student opinions during the redesign through Student IT Forums, many students still dislike the new updates and refer to it as saying, “the freshman next year will never understand the original MyBama.” While the new MyBama has many unique features in its redesigned look, some students have said it looks like “MyBama for dummies” because of its simplistic appearance. Other students have said, “I hate the new MyBama, and I go straight to BlackBoard to avoid it. Even if I do need to find something on MyBama, I eventually give up because it’s impossible to find.”
On the other hand, there are many students who say, “I love the new update, it’s so easy and accessible.” One new feature in particular that students enjoy is the search bar. “I like being able to search for anything I need.”
The Google to Microsoft Office 365 Migration
Another vast transition coming to the students and faculty at The University of Alabama is switching from Google Accounts to Microsoft Office 365. Google Accounts will no longer be accessible to students and faculty after the Spring semester. This means that people who regularly use these services and keep items stored in them, such as essential documents, are responsible for transferring themselves.
How to move your documents from Google to O365
This can occur in 3 ways: Mover, which is designed for exporting and importing content into a Microsoft 365 account, or Google Takeout, which can export all content and documents. Lastly, you can migrate content in Google Drive and upload items through a OneDrive or another cloud platform. The reason for this drastic change is due to Google ending its unlimited storage for academic community users. This forced the OTI team at UA to find an alternative solution for all students and faculty. During this transition, people are suggested to store their content on a OneDrive or to personal storage. Even if students are using their Crimson Google account along with third-party applications, you will be expected to change your sign-in information.
Many students are unaware of this change that will occur, saying, “I don’t even know what that means. Didn’t the email move to Outlook?” If students are not aware of the new transition that is about to occur, many people could lose precious documents with no way of retrieving them. As one student mentioned, Alabama will no longer be using Gmail but instead Outlook, and for the future, Google Contacts, Google Calendar, and Google docs will now all be used through Outlook.
