Recent updates to Student Information System (SIS) Online have made the site more user-friendly and accessible for the visually impaired.
Before the recent update, Tufts was using an older version of the SIS software that was beginning to show its age in its layout and usability. Users navigated between frames using an interface that was non-standard, which many found confusing.
The new SIS Online application, which students use to retrieve grades and faculty use to report them, among other things, has a modernized layout and navigation between sections is facilitated by descriptions for each section and tool tips. The Student Services Center has received only positive responses from users, who have noted an overall interface improvement, according to Director of Technology Patricia Sheehan.
The new system also overhauled the class registration process, which required time for development and testing before it was finally released to the university as a whole.
Another aspect of the new interface is improved accessibility for the visually impaired. The site now follows the Web Accessibility Standards from the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, according to Sheehan, as well as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines put out by the World Wide Web Consortium -- even though Tufts is not legally required to comply with these standards.
In compliance with the regulations, SIS Online now offers two ways to log in. The non-frames version has been optimized for users who depend on screen readers, which read the text that appears on the page aloud. This version does not use JavaScript and puts all the information on one page, which supports the use of the screen reader.
"Students with disabilities should find the site much more accessible as much work was done in order to achieve this goal," Sheehan said.
In the future, all other websites supported by Student Services will be updated to incorporate similar usability and accessibility enhancements. The admissions website and Webcenter, which stores old exams online and provides the housing lottery numbers, will be part of the effort.
"It is part of my plan to make the web[sites] as accessible as possible," Sheehan said. "Tufts plans to assess as an institution what must be done to make all of its websites as accessible as possible."
SIS Online is an application that was created for use by many schools then customized by Tufts. Switching to the newer version involved customizing the program to reflect how classes are scheduled and grades are reported at Tufts, according to Mario Gonzalez, the programmer analyst for the Student Services Center.
Nearly every student on campus uses SIS Online. Students use the application to change personal information, view transcripts and financial aid information, register for classes, and view schedules. Administrators use SIS Online to update financial aid and payment information, and professors enter the times they are teaching and report final grades.
More from The Tufts Daily
Trending
The Print Edition
