Students and instructors will notice a slightly new appearance and some welcome new features when they log into ReggieNet after the winter break. These enhancements come as ReggieNet moves to an off-campus hosting service and also receives some important upgrades.
December 17
Testers from Administrative Technologies and CTLT work on ReggieNet enhancements.
As recently announced, Administrative Technologies will be taking ReggieNet offline starting Thursday, December 17, to migrate the system to its new servers. ReggieNet is expected to return to service around December 23. During this period, technical staff will complete the transfer of all existing course data, including work instructors have done in preparation for the spring semester. In addition, they will apply the latest Sakai updates to the system (Sakai is the open-source software that powers ReggieNet). Staff from AT and the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology have been testing these updates for the last few weeks.
These changes will help to ensure that ReggieNet remains stable and available to faculty and students when classes resume in January. Users will still access ReggieNet in the same ways: through My.IllinoisState.edu, the Go.IllinoisState.edu portal, or directly at ReggieNet.IllinoisState.edu.
A new look
ReggieNet will get an updated look after winter break.
A comprehensive list of changes will be coming closer to the beginning of the semester. But it’s safe to say, the first thing users will notice after they log in is ReggieNet’s new look. It’s not a radical change—the interface is still very similar to the current version—but the menu options are easier to read and the screen has an overall cleaner appearance. Navigating between classes is also easier. Drop-down menus allow users to jump from a given tool in one course site to a specific tool in another. For example, a student can jump from the Gradebook in her Communication class directly to the Gradebook in her Business class with no extra clicking required.
New features and names
Instructors will find it easier to publish their courses in ReggieNet.
Faculty will discover several tweaks that improve how they build and publish course sites. For example, instructors will be able to customize the order of menu items on the left-hand side of the screen, allowing the most important or frequently used tools to be put at the top. By popular demand, it’s also easier for instructors to publish their course sites thanks to a new, prominent button on the main screen. Some menus, such as settings in the Tests & Quizzes tool, have been optimized so that they are easier and quicker to use.
All of the basic tools remain in ReggieNet (except those already scheduled to be retired at the end of this semester). However, users should be aware that a handful of tools will have different names in the upgraded system. A list of name changes will be available online after testing is complete.
More to come
Users can monitor Alerts.IllinoisState.edu for the latest on ReggieNet’s status over winter break.
Online handouts for students, and detailed guides and workshops for faculty, are all coming after winter break. In the meantime, users who experience technical issues after the ReggieNet upgrade should contact the Technology Support Center, as usual. Faculty needing instructional support should consult CTLT’s support site or email CTLT@IllinoisState.edu. Please keep in mind that, due to the administrative closure, responses may take a little longer.
