New Agora to hit computers

Monday will bring big changes in the Boston College online community. Agora, the 5-year-old Web interface used to access many University services, is getting a major overhaul. BC Information Technology Services (ITS) is preparing to launch a new version of Agora that promises to be a first step toward providing a one-stop shop of features found on major commercial Web sites like Google.

Dubbed Agora Portal, this new-age Agora will sport a fresh look and feel, easy access to important Web sites like BCInfo, hot buttons for common tasks, a personalized selection of academic and student calendars, and perhaps most compelling, a customizable window field where users can personalize their pages by adding a mix of internal BC services or external links to their favorite Web sites. Moreover, it will add these features while retaining all the original functions of the old Agora.

When a new users first log in, they will be presented with a default layout of windows - known as "portlets" in the IT world - that include several new features. One window, called "My Courses," lists all of the student's current courses and provides access to the course roster, course e-mail listserv, or WebCT page, if available, at the click of a button.

Another window is linked to a user's BC e-mail account, and it can be customized to display the subject line of the five most recent e-mails received. The user can simply click on the headline of the e-mail message to be taken to WebMail, where the message can be read. The window also has links to refresh the inbox or compose a new message, if desired.

On another default window is the local Chestnut Hill weather, but can be personalized by clicking a gear-shaped customize icon that allows the user to set any zip code for his or her desired weather reportage. The options also include the ability to view live local radar right on the Agora Portal page.

Indeed, it is the ability to personalize that is the biggest change from Agora to Agora Portal. Besides the default windows that can all be rearranged or removed on the user's whim, Agora Portal users can customize which additional windows appear by clicking "customize tab" found under the Student Home tab. Here they can add "services" on their page from a predefined list of supported internal and external Web sites.

For instance, a student can customize his or her page by adding a CNN RSS feed that displays the top stories in news, a BC Dining window that has a link to the dining menu, a "Quick Links" window that allows the user to add their favorite links to the window, or any combination of the above. If for some reason the user wants to return to the default window layout, a reset option is provided.

Should users fill all nine allotted spots for windows on their page, they can create additional customizable pages by adding "tabs" that can be accessed with a simple click of the mouse. Additionally, all the original functions of Agora, now better organized, can be similarly accessed by clicking the "My Services" tab.

Denis Walsh, one of the ITS gurus behind the project, is excited about Agora Portal. "We feel it will be a major improvement over our current Agora offering," Walsh said in an e-mail. "The current Web-based Agora environment is based on older technology and is not able to provide the level of functionality found in commercial portals ... Our goal is to provide a Portal framework of services and functionality that will provide an environment that our users will use as their primary resource."

Walsh is quick to point out that for the time being, the release of Agora Portal will be in beta, meaning that it will likely have minor changes and tweaks before its final release. "We wanted to be able to monitor the performance of the portal, the services within the portal, and receive feedback from users before producing a final product," he said.

During the beta period for Agora Portal, the old Agora will continue to be accessible to users and will operate normally. In fact, when accessing any of the original Agora services through Agora Portal, users will be taken from the Portal to Agora to grant their requests. Walsh said that as Agora Portal replaces Agora over time, the need for this will end.

The history of the portal project spans back nearly two years. The possibility for a portal was first investigated by the Web Support Group led by Scott Olivieri. This required gathering information about other Web portals. "Our first objective was to learn about the best practices in portal design by using other portals and reading research reports on usability," Olivieri said in an e-mail interview. This research guided the goal to build a portal that was "visually attractive, intuitive and customizable."

Users looking for a solution to the lack of 24/7 coverage for some original Agora services will have to wait. "The new portal environment will not change the access and availability to the services currently offered," Walsh said. The solution to this gripe made occasionally by BC users involves a major change to several key systems and supporting technologies, with some technology dating back to the 1970s, Walsh said.

Walsh, however, sees many exciting improvements down the road. For instance, one hope is to work with BC organizations to customize their own windows and include dynamic content that updates automatically. "One idea we had was on the ResLife window, have an events calendar that will show upcoming activities for students," Walsh said.

Undergraduate employees of ITS, known as ResNets, were given a version of Agora Portal some weeks ago to beta test and provide feedback to ITS on the end-user experience.

One ResNet tester, Alex Arnow, A&S '09, is impressed with the new Agora. "I love the new portal … before even logging in, the portal page has the calendar, BC Info and

other things that one would have to spend a lot of time searching for," he said.

Arnow also was pleased that ITS responded quickly to his feedback. "One problem I found and reported (the lack of a close button in the customize tab) is now fixed ... I think the portal is a great idea and has been a long time coming."