Harvard to Launch Internet Portal Project

With new "portal pages" designed around the needs of individual students, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) is aiming next fall to give undergraduates their own private entrance to the Information Superhighway.

The Portal Project, a new initiative in the works by FAS' Information Technology committee will give students access to a customized Web site with constantly updated links to Harvard information.

Depending on how quickly developers can perfect a final version, student portal pages might be available as early as the fall semester, committee members said.

The goal of the project, according to David B. Alpert '00, one of the two undergraduate representatives to the committee, is to create "a single Web page customized for each student where students can go access all sorts of information."

The portal pages will be very similar to personalized pages available through Yahoo, Excite or Netscape. Most of the information available will be relevant to Harvard, but students can add their own links as well.

Referring to Yahoo's personalized sites--called My Yahoo--Alpert said the proposed portal system "is like My Harvard."

"It's a way of organizing Harvard and personal data," said Gray Professor of Systematic Botany Donald H. Pfister, a member of the committee and also Kirkland House Master.

According to committee members, students will log into the site with their Harvard identification numbers and a special personal identification number.

Links to classes in which students are enrolled would be available on the portal pages, as well as each student's concentration page and House newsletter.

Information from the College calendar could be accessed through the portals, but it could be set either by category or by organization.

Rather than going through the Registrar Office's Web site, students will also be able to directly access grades and other registration information.

"We are trying to get as much data that students use onto the page," said Director of FAS Computer Services Franklin M. Steen.

Steen stressed that students will still have the discretion to shape their portals.

"Very little will be required," Steen said."There may be some mandatory announcements but therest can be added or removed and their placementon page can be determined by the student."

Students can already bookmark their favoritelinks on their own computers as well as makepersonalized Web pages, but portal pages willautomatically make a site for students that theycan access from anywhere, said Professor of Pureand Applied Physics Paul C. Martin, who chairs thecommittee.

Another advantage of portal pages is that theywill motivate already existing sites to keepinformation current, Steen said.

"We expect that the presence of the portalswill encourage Houses and departments to keeptheir pages up-to-date," Steen said.

But Martin noted that the portal pages were notdeveloped to force Web sites to maintain theircontent.

"We're not in the business of telling people toupdate their Web pages," he said. "The importantthing is to enable people to get the informationthat is there."

The benefits of portal pages will not belimited to students, Martin said.

The system will make it possible for courseheads to access updated versions of class lists,assisting them at the beginning of the semesterwhen students frequently add and drop courses.

Alpert said systems much like the proposedportal pages are already in use elsewhere.

A similar system is already in use at theUniversity of California Los Angeles (UCLA.) AtHarvard Business School (HBS) a "Course Platform"on the Intranet makes all course assignments andother information available to students throughtheir computers.

Head of Technology Development at HBS James A.Farley said their system has worked well.

"We've received very positive feedback on theIntranet in general, and the Course Platformspecifically," he said. "The Intranet hasabsolutely increased student usage of the web forday-to-day information gathering andcommunication."

In planning the specifications for the portalpages, the committee consulted focus groupscomposed of people with differentperspectives--members of the Harvard ComputerSociety as well as less technologically savvystudents.

Developers have already finished a model forthe portal pages, but it currently runs slowerthan ultimately desired, Martin said.

Steen said a beta version of the new systemshould go on the Internet sometime this summer

"Very little will be required," Steen said."There may be some mandatory announcements but therest can be added or removed and their placementon page can be determined by the student."

Students can already bookmark their favoritelinks on their own computers as well as makepersonalized Web pages, but portal pages willautomatically make a site for students that theycan access from anywhere, said Professor of Pureand Applied Physics Paul C. Martin, who chairs thecommittee.

Another advantage of portal pages is that theywill motivate already existing sites to keepinformation current, Steen said.

"We expect that the presence of the portalswill encourage Houses and departments to keeptheir pages up-to-date," Steen said.

But Martin noted that the portal pages were notdeveloped to force Web sites to maintain theircontent.

"We're not in the business of telling people toupdate their Web pages," he said. "The importantthing is to enable people to get the informationthat is there."

The benefits of portal pages will not belimited to students, Martin said.

The system will make it possible for courseheads to access updated versions of class lists,assisting them at the beginning of the semesterwhen students frequently add and drop courses.

Alpert said systems much like the proposedportal pages are already in use elsewhere.

A similar system is already in use at theUniversity of California Los Angeles (UCLA.) AtHarvard Business School (HBS) a "Course Platform"on the Intranet makes all course assignments andother information available to students throughtheir computers.

Head of Technology Development at HBS James A.Farley said their system has worked well.

"We've received very positive feedback on theIntranet in general, and the Course Platformspecifically," he said. "The Intranet hasabsolutely increased student usage of the web forday-to-day information gathering andcommunication."

In planning the specifications for the portalpages, the committee consulted focus groupscomposed of people with differentperspectives--members of the Harvard ComputerSociety as well as less technologically savvystudents.

Developers have already finished a model forthe portal pages, but it currently runs slowerthan ultimately desired, Martin said.

Steen said a beta version of the new systemshould go on the Internet sometime this summer