PRESENTER: LOCATION: ODU CAMPUS 23 SEPTEMBER 2009 ODU Class Cancelation Notification System

Outline 9/18/ Problem description Problem solution Solution Implementation Marketing Issues

What is the problem? 9/18/ ODU has no way of notifying its students ahead of time when a class has been canceled Current implementation: paper signs  Is this the best we can do..?

Why is this a problem? 9/18/ Inefficient use of student resources  Time is being wasted commuting to canceled classes  Money is being wasted in unnecessary fuel costs  Time and money is being wasted from lost wages  Parking gets more congested

Commuters at ODU 9/18/2009 Sources: [1] ODU Office of Student Housing [2] ODU Office of Institutional Research students in housing [1] = 23% residents 19,105 campus students [2] 77% of campus students are commuters!

What is the solution? 9/18/ ODU Class Cancelation Notification System  This system will notify students when a professor has canceled a class.  Notification will be done though: Text messages (SMS) to mobile devices Instant messages (AOL, MSN, and Yahoo) Calls to home, office, and mobile phone numbers s to non-Old Dominion addresses

Implementation 9/18/ Database  This system will procure section rosters from the Leo Online database  This system will procure contact information for the ODU Alerts database  Information will be combined into a central database

Implementation 9/18/ Web interface  Students will be able to sign up for this notification service from the ODU website.  Professors will have access to a secure website which will list his or her sections of instruction.  A cancel class option will be present which will send notifications to all students in that section who have registered to be notified.

Marketing 9/18/ Target customer  Old Dominion University  Once system is refined and packaged, it can be marketed to other colleges and universities End users  Old Dominion University students  Old Dominion University faculty

Issues 9/18/ Information security  Students personal information.  classes may be unintentionally canceled. Access to secure databases  Leo Online  ODU Alerts System Training  Web form  Faculty interface Accurate numbers  Number of classes canceled

Conclusion 9/18/ Time and money are going to be saved The number of ODU commuters justifies this system Implementation is not too complicated Benefits outweigh the costs

ODU Points of contact 9/18/ Ardena Jordan – Office of Student Housing Todd Cockrell – Institutional Research & Assessment James Long – Parking and Transportation Services