5 things you need to know about Concordia.ca/students

Concordia revamped its website in August. The university has taken the next leap in its digital evolution by introducing a student hub that houses key dates, academic resources and services undergraduates and graduates have to access every day.

Here are the 5 things you need to know about Concordia.ca/students.

1. It’s got important information and resources

The new hub offers a new way for students to get information quickly and easily.

“When we introduced role-based navigation this summer, the goal was to consolidate information for our primary audiences,” says Lucy Niro, director of Web Communications. “The current students hub will house information students need so they don’t have to root around in several different areas to find it.”

The information is streamlined into four main categories: Academic Resources, Financial Matters, Student Services and Beyond the Classroom. “There's more of a natural flow in how the information is organized.”

Many large sites containing vital information for students, such as Health Services, the Birks Student Service Centre, and Financial Aid and Awards, have already been added to the hub. The rest will be brought in by January 2014. 

2. The MyConcordia portal is still the place to go for personalized info

The MyConcordia portal will remain separate. It will continue to be the place where students access personal and confidential information like class schedules, billing addresses and Moodle.

“The new student hub is meant to complement the portal, not replace it,” Niro says.

3. You’ll never miss another important date

Staying on top of important dates can be a hassle, especially when you’re already trying to manage a full course load of assignments and deadlines.

The new hub has two subsections: one for graduate students and one for undergrads. Click on either one, and the first thing you’ll see at the top of the page is a four-month timeline.

“Your semester at a glance” provides a comprehensive list of key dates, from exam schedules to registration and convocation deadlines. There’s also a section for frequently asked questions.

4. News, events and notices are targeted and timely

The hub will also feature news, events and notices that appeal to students.

“We’re hoping that the hub becomes the space students gravitate toward for everything they need to know about what’s going on around campus,” Niro says. “It’s designed to make their experience here at Concordia a positive one.”

5. We need your feedback so we can keep fine-tuning the hub

As with any major website project, there are bound to be links that are broken, and information that’s not where you expect it to be or that was somehow missed.

The goal is to keep improving the student hub. You can tell us what you think by clicking on the Feedback button in the lower right-hand side of your screen. A window will pop up with three options:  “I want to report a bad link,” “I can't find something on the website” and “I'd like to share my impressions of the site.”

In the next few months, there will also be focus groups and surveys aiming at soliciting feedback.