In
a continuing effort to provide faculty with tools to ease their workload,
ITS and the Registrar have launched Web Based Term Grade Submission (WebGrade).
From any computer with Internet capability, faculty can access a secure
website to submit grades onto an electronic roster. Until final submission,
these grades can be reviewed and edited whenever necessary.
In Spring 2000, after an orientation by ITS, the Computer & Information Science, Classics and History Departments began faculty testing of the new system. Response in all departments was one of enthusiastic approval. Out of 260 courses offered in the three departments, 172 used WebGrade. In the History Department 53 of 63 courses offered were graded with WebGrade
Dr. Philip F. Gallagher, History Department Chair, has been encouraging his faculty to use e-mail and other electronic resources for the past five years. On-line grading seemed like the next logical step. When asked about the History Department's high percentage of WebGrade users, Dr. Gallagher replied, "Telling them they would no longer have to come to the college 'just to deliver the final grades' was perhaps a big selling point."
Aside from benefiting faculty, WebGrade will virtually eliminate processing errors while allowing students quicker access to their grades.
Today's students may not remember the process of standing in line for registration. Five years ago Brooklyn College introduced IVR, or Interactive Voice Registration, which moved student registration from waiting in lines to telephone lines. Now, thanks to a total overhaul of the system, IVR is faster, easier, and provides more services.
The new system boasts fifty percent more access lines which handle traffic more efficiently and provide greater accessibility for all students. Steve Austreich of ITS, the main architect of the original IVR system, reports that the new system will also allow students to:
- Obtain grades
- Inquire about financial aid
- Find open sections of a course
- Check tuition balances
- Change Personal ID Number
- Register for multiple semesters in one call
In the near future, students will have access to their grades and transcripts via IVR
Steve Austreich, Joan Antonicelli, Registrar, and staff member Randy Balogh have created a reliable, convenient, and productive system for the Brooklyn College community.
