an ITCS-supported
service
my.umich Project Information
About my.umich
Communications
- Monthly brown bag meetings: information and schedule
- Brown bag presentations (view outlines and download .ppt files)
- News articles
Previews
Frequently asked questions about my.umich
If you have questions that aren't included here, please send them to us: my.umich.questions@umich.edu.
- What is my.umich?
- How does my.umich know who I am?
- Can I customize my own my.umich Web space?
- How does my.umich fit in with the U-M Gateway? How are they different?
- I'm not a U-M undergrad... can I use my.umich?
- How much does it cost to use my.umich?
- How did the my.umich Project start, and who is working on it now?
- Where is the project now, with respect to its development?
- What came before "open pilot"?
- How did you decide what services to include in my.umich?
- What is the "Janus Project"? How is it related to my.umich?
- How can a unit benefit from partnering with the my.umich Project?
- How can my unit's services be included in the my.umich environment?
What is my.umich?
The my.umich site is a unique Web environment; a doorway to personalized, Web-based services for the U-M community. The first services to be implemented in this environment are focused on the needs of undergraduate students. As more services are developed, the my.umich environment will become useful to more audiences. Additional groups, such as U-M faculty and staff, will be encouraged to use their personalized my.umich space when services designed to address their needs are added to the environment.
How does my.umich know who I am?
The my.umich technology identifies you by your login identification (uniqname and UMICH password) and gives you access to the services and resources you are authorized to use, as well as personalized information associated with those services. For example, if you are a student, your course schedule will be displayed in your calendar, and if you are enrolled in CourseTools courses, you will receive the appropriate CourseTools announcements.
Can I customize my own my.umich Web space?
Yes. You can select the services and display options you find most useful. You can move services around on a page or, in most cases, add or delete services from a given page. You can also add or delete pages (with the exception of your my.umich home page). To explore customization options, click on the "customize pages" button in the banner or under the "list of services."
How does my.umich fit in with the U-M Gateway? How are they different?
The my.umich Web environment is not a replacement for the U-M Gateway. The Gateway and my.umich efforts are related projects moving toward a common goal: to provide University-sponsored information. The Gateway will continue to be the access point for people outside the campus community and for anyone who wants access to the pages published there. The my.umich project is a suite of dynamic Web applications that taps into University data and processes that may be of interest to internal audiences.
I'm not a U-M undergrad... can I use my.umich?
Anyone with a uniqname and UMICH password and is eligible for U-M's Basic Computing Package can use my.umich. Although the current suite of my.umich services were developed with the interests and needs of U-M undergraduates in mind, many graduate students, faculty, and staff find several of the services to be useful at this time.
How much does it cost to use my.umich?
There is no cost for using my.umich. It is provided to anyone on campus who is eligible to receive the Basic Computing Package.
In fall 1999, Jose-Marie Griffiths, University
Chief Information Officer (CIO) initiated a project to develop a Web environment
that would present personalized information, services, and resources to
University audiences. Current project team members come from Information
Technology Central Services (ITCS). Consultants from Apple Computer, Inc.
have also worked on the project.
The my.umich project moved from "open
pilot" (open to anyone at U-M who is eligible for the Basic Computing
Package) into production (7x24 supported service) December 10, 2001. Open
pilot began February 20, 2001. There was a significant upgrade to the
pilot on August 25 during which time existing services were improved and
new services added. Over the summer (traditionally a low-usage period),
approximately 4,000-4,500 users were using my.umich on a daily basis.
Prior to open pilot, the staged release process included:
Phase 2: Authentication for e-mail was implemented, allowing testers to access their IMAP UMICH e-mail.
Phase 3: Testers were able to access IMAP ENGIN e-mail (if they had e-mail provided through the College of Engineering) as well as IMAP UMICH e-mail.
Decisions regarding the original suite of my.umich services were based partly on what was technically possible within the development timeframe and partly on what students told us they wanted. During the spring of 2000, the my.umich team conducted student interviews to gather student opinions about the Web and observed students' Web usage patterns to determine their interests and navigation techniques. The team used their findings to guide decisions about the design, architecture, and navigation tools for the initial my.umich implementation. As my.umich began to take shape, the team did "rapid prototyping," presenting parts of my.umich to students at summer orientation, asking their opinions, seeing what worked for them and what did not, modifing accordingly.
The Janus Project was the original working name of what is now called the my.umich Project. Janus is the name of the Roman god of doorways or portals. The Janus Project name is still occasionally used informally, although the project's official name is the my.umich Project
Looking Ahead...
The my.umich Project can allow for the presentation of campus-wide services in a common framework and help academic and administrative units to support a specific campus constituency by providing access to unit-sponsored information and news, as well as an entry point to that unit's Web site. By partnering with my.umich, a unit can benefit from the economies of scale, security features, and cutting-edge technologies that are a part of the my.umich environment.
Linda Place, director of U-M Web Coordination, is working with academic and administrative units that want to explore options for providing unit announcements, news, and entry points to their own Web sites in my.umich. The my.umich environment will afford units the opportunity to enhance interaction with the communities they serve.
How did the my.umich Project start, and who is working on it now?
Where is the project now, with respect to its development?
What came before "open pilot"?
Phase 1: The beta version of my.umich included all initial services. However, authentication for e-mail was not yet implemented. E-mail testers could send mail but not access their own e-mail.
How did you decide what services to include in my.umich?
What is the "Janus Project"? How is it related to my.umich?
How can a unit benefit from partnering with the my.umich Project?
How can my unit's services be included in the my.umich environment?