Using the Web for Student/Alumni Information Gathering


Peter Brauer

Duke University
E-mail: pbrauer@server1.stuaff.duke.edu
URL: http://www.stuaff.duke.edu

Departments of the Division of Student Affairs at Duke University collect and process information for undergraduate students for many of their functions. Two departments that are required to rapidly respond to specific information are the Office of Student Development and the Career Development Center. The Office of Student Development maintains responsibility for the assignment of on-campus housing, and the Career Development Center provides career and job search counseling. The greatest challenge in these processes has been developing an equitable and efficient system to process this information and provide assistance to the students. The traditional approach has been the use of lengthy written surveys, counseling appointments, and other information gathering methods. Collection, scoring and processing these data was stressful for both students and staff.

A decision was made to automate as much of these procedures as possible while still allowing maximum student input and control over their own information.

The Division of Student Affairs Office of Information Services (OIS), Housing Management, The Duke University Office of Information Technology and a team of students collaborated on development of a system to meet the needs of the Office of Student Development, while the OIS and the Career Development Center worked together to improve and expand on the existing Career Development Center website known as CareerNet .

Utilizing the WebŐs potential as both a tool for the dissemination and the collection of information to meet the needs of the Office of Student Development, we enabled the undergraduate population on our two campuses to complete the 1996 housing survey process on-line. This on-line collection of data eliminated re-entry error and provided a learning experience by developing the studentŐs Web use skills. It also saved innumerable hours of time on the administrative side of the equation by eliminating the chore of direct data entry.

New services that are being offered by the expanded Careernet Site include contact searching, which allows current Duke Students to identify Duke alumni/ae that are working in specific fields and that are willing counsel students in their career choices, the ability for alumni/ae to update their own personal information dynamically over the web, and for the student to actually set up interviews with recruiters included credential and resume service. References and appointment scheduling are also now available on-line.

N.A. Web '96 Home Page

This page updated and maintained by:
Hope.Greenberg@uvm.edu Last update: 22 August 1996