Wings Beta | Graphic by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
The WINGS student portal at Wright State University is getting a facelift on Dec. 18, 2023.
The current WINGS system, launched in 2015, is at the end of its shelf-life and is about to be upgraded to what is currently named WINGS Beta.
Quality of life changes
According to Michael Stankas, Chief Information Officer, and Myke Cooney, Sharepoint Administrator, these changes come now that the current version of WINGS has reached the end of its time and needs to be revitalized. With the way things are now on WINGS, you must use several different portals to get where you need to go. Stankas and Cooney stress that the updates are done to make navigation simpler.
“Currently, there are three ‘front doors’: Sharepoint, WINGS and WINGS Express. That is a lot of places to remember for first-year students, so the idea is to mesh them all together and make them accessible from one place,” Cooney said.
Accessibility
There are more uses for this Beta, though. Another problem Stankas and Cooney claim this will solve is the lack of Lake Campus information available. Currently, WINGS shows information from the Dayton Campus primarily, making it harder for Lake Campus students to find their information. With this new system, however, Lake Campus information will be more readily available to those who need it.
Other small accessibility changes are being made, including links to the online versions of the full Microsoft Office suite, the ability to create a to-do list, custom links that are readily accessible on the toolbar and direct access buttons to campus services.
Additionally, students can access the new design easily via smartphone.
“About 70% of our daily WINGS traffic is through a smartphone. We wanted to make that experience easier,” Stankas said.
The new design of the website was made with phones in mind for the pleasure of students and faculty. This is something that the current WINGS was not originally made for.
How to prepare
Stankas and Cooney stress that students should check out the WINGS Beta before the Dec. 18 launch day. The current WINGS will no longer be online after winter break, and WINGS Beta will become permanent.
Stankas and Cooney recommend going to the FAQ page about the topic. On that page will be a link to log into the Beta to give it a try; students can also access it at the top of the current WINGS webpage. Also in that area is a survey for feedback, which allows students to give the team working on the project insight into what students need out of their student life portal.
