UMPI students design, maintain Web site

    PRESQUE ISLE – Most university graduates agree there is a lot more on the line in real work situations than in classroom simulations. But thanks to a University of Maine at Presque Isle information technology course, the transition between those two worlds has eased.
     In one of those cases in which there is truly something for everyone, students in JoAnne Wallingford’s Management Information Systems class have developed and continue to maintain the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce Internet Web site.
    The Web project is just one among dozens in the community her students have taken on that combined classroom theory with outside experiences.
    “The Web site is probably our most visible project,” Wallingford said. “It began three years ago with a new design and has been updated since then.”
    It began with a casual conversation between Wallingford and Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Allen Deeves.
    “Allen mentioned to me they needed to have the Web site redone,” Wallingford said. “So three years ago a group of students in the class began the first phase with a new design for the site.”
    Deeves and the students meet on a regular basis to discuss changes and modifications to the Web site and those meetings have given him a true appreciation for the students.
    “I find (the students) are responsive to the needs of our public organization and ensure the end result is the best product within limitations,” Deeves said.  “I understand this is part of curriculum and there is a learning component before utilizing their skills. I’m very pleased with the quality of their work and happy to add a community-based activity to their learning model.”
    The project is now in its third phase and last year the students decided to redesign the format and worked as a team to research appropriate software.
    “They found a Web design tool that actually makes the site easier to maintain,” Wallingford said. “Since the students knew nothing about the software they had to learn not only how to use it, but how to best implement it.”
    In a nutshell, that’s the point of Wallingford’s class. Once these students are working in real information management jobs, she said, they will need to think, work and produce as part of a team where business and people’s jobs could be on the line.
    “They learn to be part of that team and how to think around obstacles,” Wallingford said. “It’s real-world situations with a safety net.”
    In her classes, Wallingford exposes her students to strategies and skills that allow them to implement new information systems to their future employers. Projects like the Presque Isle Chamber Web site take them one step further into practical experience.
    Deeves could not be more pleased with the results.
    “The project has improved and increased our exposure, provides additional service for our members,” he said, adding, “The design has broadened our network for site visitors and information they need.”  
    “The class prepares the students to help organizations and businesses with their technology needs,” Wallingford said. “A lot of times businesses get new software but don’t know how to best use it. That’s where our students come in.”
    UMPI offers a concentration in management information systems and students are required to take Wallingford’s class twice. This, she said, helps provide continuity in long-term projects from year to year.
    “Some of these projects, like this one, are really big,” Wallingford said, “and the students from one year hand them off to the next class.”
    According to Deeves, “It has been a wonderful relationship that has been seamless through the transition of students entering and graduating from the program.”
    The Chamber director also has high praise for the instructor.
    “JoAnne Wallingford injects a great deal of energy into all her initiatives,” Deeves said. “Her professional tact builds a close professor-student relationship (and) that builds knowledgeable graduates and a positive learning experience.”
    As far as Deeves is concerned, both the university and community service organizations like the Chamber function best when they have deep roots or attachments in the community.
    “I believe these two entities are working together to encourage this close relationship,” he said.
    Since the students meet on a formal basis just once a week, there is a fair bit of self-motivation involved, Wallingford said.
    “When they first start out, some of the students are a little shy and don’t say much,” she said. “But by the second year they are confident and using critical thinking and not afraid to take on projects.”
    The Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce Web site may be seen by going to www.pichamber.com.