As of this year, Emory University has decided to switch to Microsoft 365 for the purposes of University-wide email and calendar services. LearnLink, however, has been retained for the use of conferences and advertising for various university-wide activities. While this is a transition year and some technical and functional issues are expected, we have found the current system to be unexpectedly inconvenient. Accessing email via Microsoft 365, conferences and advertisements via Learnlink and supplemental material and grades via Blackboard can be a tedious and frustrating process. The lack of functional consolidation is especially problematic for freshmen, many of whom have a difficult time adjusting to the various programs.
The University has maintained that they are looking to find a successor to LearnLink so that the conference system will not be eliminated. While this may very well be a step in the right direction, it does not directly solve the issue of consolidation and integration. Despite this, the University has stated that any changes made will be done so with the aim of integrating different functions into one medium. In other words, the main goal is efficiency, which is certainly welcoming news for students. We at the Wheel are hopeful that many of the current issues will be sorted out as the year progresses. We hope that the administration will continue to work with its students and incorporate feedback into any future changes that are made. For the time being, we encourage all Emory students in need of extra assistance in using Microsoft 365 to take advantage of the resources and tutorials that the University has made available online.
The above staff editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel‘s editorial board.
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