MyConcordia portal reaches all-time high

Over 80,000 log-ins the first day of classes

By Anne-Marie Curatolo, IITS

This semester marks a record-breaking high for the MyConcordia portal, as students logged on over 240,000 times during the first week of classes. Portal activity didn’t diminish during the holidays; more than 9,000 users took full advantage of the system on Christmas Day, performing a variety of functions from course changes and locker selection to tuition payment and computer account sign-up. A total of 19,199 log-ins to www.myconcordia.ca took place on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Erin O’Loughlin, a second-year student in Applied Human Sciences, checked her grades over the holidays from Switzerland via her MyConcordia portal. “I always use the portal, it’s more convenient than CARL, which is often too busy to get through. It’s also easier — I can tell which classes are full.”

Students logged on 81,000 times on Monday, Jan. 5, the first day of classes. This figure skyrocketed 10 times, compared to the same date one month previously. A similar peak occurs each year during the first few days of the fall and winter semesters. These numbers plummet significantly after several days. On Wednesday, Jan. 6, the number of users dropped by almost 20,000 and on Thursday, Jan. 7, just over 43,000 log-ins were recorded.

“Many students tend to register for courses, make their payments or check their schedules on the same days each year,” said Fury Tudino, systems analyst, Instructional and Information Technology Services (IITS). This temporary but massive user increase places a great load on the portal.

The cost to increase the current portal capacity is approximately $750,000. Alternatives to this enormous expense are currently being investigated. One option includes adjusting key dates, such as course registration and payment deadlines. By spreading out these busy dates over a longer period of time, the load on the system would be greatly lifted.

“Our goal is to provide the most convenient and efficient system to each and every student at the university,” said Andrew McAusland, executive director of IITS. McAusland believes that placing less emphasis on the system on the same dates each year is key to ensuring the most distributed and cost-effective portal possible.

Currently, an alternate link provides service to users when the portal capacity has been exceeded. Important information is also being made more accessible. After observing that a significant number of individuals were logging on during the busiest days of portal activity to obtain personalized class schedules, they were made available on www.concordia.ca. This ensured quick access for all students.

Please visit iits.concordia.ca to keep up-to-date with further developments on our system. For help or information on portal use, contact the Helpline at ext. 7613 or send an e-mail to portal@concordia.ca.