by Jennifer Kowalewski

While flipping through the chapters of the manual of FrontPage, a Web site creation software program, Jill Harman saw information about using chat rooms. Harman, the associate director of admissions, realized that chat room technology could help make life easier for new students.

So in 2004, students entering OU-COM began to utilize the school’s first electronic message board.

“The board,” says John Schriner, director of admissions, “has provided a venue to make the transition easier not only for those heading to OU-COM, but those new to the Athens community.”

Since the board’s inception, admissions has posted information such as reminders for filing deadlines and financial aid. As it evolved in 2005, the electronic message board became a great place for incoming students to find housing or roommates, connect with classmates or learn about faculty and curricula.

Incoming students can use the board for information gathering before classes start. This way, when classes begin, students are already familiar with the system. Faculty and staff also have the opportunity to use the board for disseminating information to students.

Survey results from 2005 show that 70 percent of incoming students says  the board was helpful in getting to know classmates. Also, 76 percent found the board helpful for obtaining needed information, while 83 percent would like to see more current students and alums using the board to share their knowledge.

Kate Yanko, a first-year medical student, used the board for connecting with others already at OU-COM. She was an undergraduate at Ohio University.

“I put my contact info up there and offered to show anyone around Athens, to answer questions, etc.,” she says. “A lot of incoming students got a hold of me. Coming from their point of view, the discussion board helped facilitate getting to know the university and Athens.”

At first, she found an unequal distribution of use, with some using it constantly while others never seemed to. But having the board was better than not having it, though, as it helped Yanko find roommates.

In the next several weeks, messaging is planned to switch to Blackboard, an electronic classroom community already in use by Ohio University.

“Going to Blackboard is the logical evolutionary step for our information sharing needs,” says Harman.

Because of her experience, Yanko sits on a committee which makes recommendations for the next version of Blackboard. She wants to continue improving it for incoming classes of the future.

“In general, being a student on the committee means making sure the Blackboard site is cohesive, easy to navigate, complete and that you don’t have to search in 80 places for one piece of information,” Yanko says. “People differ in the way they organize information, but I’m trying to give the student perspective, using my own personal experiences with the message board. The discussion board is something I’d like to see utilized more, and we are definitely working towards that for incoming classes.”

She and other students are working on a comprehensive section called “Life in Athens,” with information ranging from housing and roommates to area parks, recreation and services unique to Athens.

“No matter how great we make a site, if no one uses it, it’s pointless,” she says. “So, the real challenge is getting those who aren’t comfortable with using a discussion board an epicenter for info gathering and exchange. Many students are already very computer literate and participate readily, so there already is a wide distribution of use among them.”

And the board has other uses for OU-COM as well. In November, OU-COM partnered with the University of Michigan Medical School to present a lecture on using technology to communicate with prospective medical students at the American Association of Medical Colleges Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

Schriner says continually updating the message board shows OU-COM’s commitment to its students.

“When we did this at first, we thought, ‘we can do better,’” he says. “And we did better. But then we decided to improve it even more. That’s indicative of OU-COM. Something may be great, but it can always be made better.”

As for the future, the Office of Admissions will continue to work with incoming and current students to improve the way in which OU-COM communicates with its future students.

“And from there, who knows?”