The University’s new email system, Microsoft Office 365, replaced Learnlink for student email and calendar on August 10, but LearnLink remains in use for conferences.
All email for students, faculty and staff can now only be accessed using Microsoft Office 365. In addition, students can now link their email accounts on their smartphones.
Alan Cattier, director of academic technologies, said that the transition process ran smoother than expected and that the Office of Information Technology has made great progress.
Cattier added that the Information Technology (IT) department has received positive feedback from students about the new email system.
Some students, however, have said they find checking both Office 365 and LearnLink to be a hassle. College Sophomore Caroline Capponi said it is too early to tell if she prefers the new system to Learnlink.
“I feel like there are a lot of places I have to check, now,” Capponi said. “I have to log in to so many different things.”
Similar to Capponi, College sophomore Evan Rhea said he finds using both LearnLink and Office 365 is a hassle.
“I haven’t spent much time with [Office 365], but so far I don’t like it because I feel like now we always need to check two different systems,” Rhea said.
The IT department has been working with the College Council (CC) and the Student Government Association (SGA) for the past three years to find a new email and calendar system that will allow easier collaboration between students and faculty.
Later this fall the IT department will team up with CC and SGA to look into a new community tool to someday in the near future replace LearnLink, according to Cattier.
“LearnLink continues to be the best of Emory; it’s the software that underlies it that is no longer current and doesn’t appear to be viable for the future,” he said.
Cattier said a new and exciting feature with Office 365 is how much easier it is to send and receive emails on a mobile platform such as smartphones and tablets.
“Most people are especially interested in the mobile experience of the new environment on their smartphones,” Cattier said.
In addition, Cattier said students can check in with the Cox Computing Center for dedicated training sessions on Office 365 throughout the month of September.
– By Nicholas Sommariva
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.
