It’s 2012- our cars come equipped with GPS systems, we don’t leave the house without our iPods, and god forbid we go somewhere without a cell phone. We rely so heavily on technology and hardly notice the power of our tools until they’re gone.
Technology also has a heavy influence in education. Our parents typed up their thesis papers on typewriters and embraced the concept of email as adults. We’ve grown up with technology, taking for granted the ease and accessibility of information on the Internet. Imagine going for a week, or even a day, without your computer or smart phone. Most of us shudder at the thought and would feel completely cut off from civilization without it.
While we’ve come a long way from typewriters, new technology is constantly being implemented into our lives. Being students at Michigan State University, it’s expected that we embrace technology as an important learning tool. Besides the university email accounts, which students are expected to tend to daily, all class communication takes place through a system called ANGEL. Students can check their grades, submit assignments, and send messages to classmates or professors.
ANGEL also allows for professors to post lecture notes, announce events to all class members, and smaller groups within large classes. Students can talk to each other and exchange notes or contact the professor and TA’s directly.
This program seems like a smart, efficient way for students to maximize their college education and experience. Although it can come in handy for a variety of reasons, ANGEL, like other new technology, experiences glitches. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but when your semester grade is riding on it, you tend to take notice.
The most common thing students complain about is ANGEL’s message of ‘unsupported browsers’. The ANGEL system does not support Google Chrome or Safari, two widely used Internet browsers. An ever-increasing number of students are buying Mac computers, which come equipped with the browser Safari.
Other students have experienced more severe problems, like inability to access certain essential documents or issues attaching assignments to be turned in. Due to the high volume of problems being experienced by ANGEL users, professors are reverting to alternative means of communicating with their classes. Other forms of social media like Facebook and Twitter have also proved effective in connecting students in the classroom.
Over 88 percent of MSU students have had some sort of issue regarding ANGEL, and 18 percent say that they’ve had several problems involving the online technology. Whether it be session timeouts, printing issues, or overall inaccessibility, students’ frustration with ANGEL has grown throughout the school year and hopes of change are wide-spread.
The issue has been brought to the attention of the MSU technology department, and they’re devising a plan that would most benefit students and professors. Re-doing the ANGEL site would be both expensive and costly, so the department is looking at implementing a whole new system all together. Two current prospects are Blackboard and Desire2Learn.
“Students are required to do so much online these days, having a mediocre system really makes it more difficult for us to get done what we need to,” said Communication sophomore Leah Benoit. She, along with others, are getting frustrated with the problems they experience daily.
Whatever the University decides to do, students hope they do it soon. With finals quickly approaching, students want to be updated on their current grades and be able to access study guides and supplemental materials that many professors post on ANGEL. Students are hoping next school year brings a more stable and reliable source for their classwork.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MSU chapter.