TIME-OUT For Old SUSSED

This morning it was announced that SUSSED will time-out for good as it is replaced with a sleeker, more user friendly design.

In his blog, VP Academic Affairs, Sasha Watson announced today that the old system which has caused much concern for Southampton students has finally been revamped. The online portal is not being replaced by a new system but instead has been redesigned to provide a more modern look and student-friendly service.

So sleek, so modern, so...similar?

Sasha tells The Tab:

The new changes to SUSSED show significant improvement to what was originally very clunky and not very user friendly; it also shows iSolutions’ new-found emphasis on hearing and acting on student feedback…The difference is remarkable…and we could finally see [SUSSED] becoming the true portal for student information and services

The new change will go live on Tuesday the 25th of September.

SUSSED has been heavily criticised for its frequent time-outs and inconvenience to students, particularly when having to repeatedly type in usernames and passwords to access resources. iSolutions, the team behind the new design, have taken student feedback into mind when creating the new platform and have removed the continual process of logging in to access certain areas. One 4^th year ECS student who has had to battle with SUSSED since the day he was a fresher said:

I think I’ll really miss logging in three or four times. It really helps you to remember that password you have to change every six months.

The system will still be called SUSSED but will feature a customisable layout with useful links. Sasha promises that SUSSED will continue to evolve and develop with the needs of students. The student homepage will have links to teaching and exam timetables, Blackboard, Student Services Centre enquiries, exam past papers and a campus map.

Could this be the end to the dreaded time-out?

Ella, an English and French student told The Tab:

In a way, it’s going to be like losing an old friend-even though they’re incredibly irritating at times, you do have a soft spot (in this case, the login timeout message). No-one’s perfect though, right?

According to the University, a budget of £150,000 has been devoted to SUSSED as part of the Student Centeredness Fund. Whether the new system will actually reflect that cost is entirely another matter. Also mentioned by the University, an online enviroment offering staff and students the ability to “learn how to use social and collaborative tools in a professional, safe and productive way” is also being developed. Labelled as ‘Sharepoint’ and also priced at £150,000, this development has been trialled by a select group of students but the outcome is unknown.

Back in May at the height of exams, the past paper system crashed for an entire weekend, leaving students without access to any past exams. At the end of June when Semester 2 results were released the online system crashed due to the demand of students wishing to see their results. Will the new system be an end those hiccups?