Winthrop works with two Wingspans until August
Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 4:09PM By Jonathan McFadden
Wingspan got a makeover.
Wingspan was upgraded to a newer version during spring break, though much of its programming and feature updates are still in transition from the old Web site. The reason for the change boiled down to old technology that had been introduced in the 1980s.
While students reacted to the change, faculty also had to become accustomed to the new setup.
Steven Frankforter, associate professor of marketing and management in the College of Business, said he thinks the Owens fire negatively impacted the implementation of the new Wingspan.
He said it’s also created problems for advising because summer and fall registration have to be done on two separate systems.
Tim Drueke, registrar for Records and Registration, explained that two halves to the system exist. Student information has been copied from the old system into the new, but the old system is still official.
With the conversion to the new format, everything from the current spring term and summer term remains on the old Wingspan, while everything from fall 2010 and beyond will be on the new Wingspan.
Students who want to change any personal information, such as their address, will have to do it on the old system.
But using the dual system won’t last. Drueke said once August arrives, the old system will go away; everything from the old system will be on the new one.
Currently, staff members of Records and Registration, the Office of Financial Aid and the Cashier’s Office are all working out of two systems. “All of us are going through this,” Drueke said.
Drueke said he thinks the new Wingspan will make registering for the fall 2010 semester easier and quicker because students will be able to select multiple courses at a time.
He said the handful of students he’s talked to said they liked the new Wingspan format. Michael Cornick, accounting professor in the College of Business, said he thinks the new Wingspan format is a big improvement over the old one.
“It [the old Wingspan] has served its purpose,” Cornick said.
