A new web portal called MyBucks will centralize numerous web resources which students use on a regular basis. The site was greeted with a mix of approval and skepticism from students and faculty alike.
MyBucks is an online service that consolidates students’ school e-mail accounts, advising information and other college related web services.
Vice President of Information Technology Services, Deborah Noble, said the goal of the new site is to make things easier for students.
“We want MyBucks to be a one-stop shop where students can locate anything from class schedules to important forms,” she said.
The site works on any web browser and consists of three main regions: a personal calendar that includes student’s class schedules, notifications from the college and access to college systems such as BB Vista, Canvas, WebAdvisor, among other things.
Lead Desktop Support Technician Andy Plaisted said the site launched during the first week of November.
“Students will still need separate passwords to access BBVista and their Bucks e-mail accounts,” he said.
Also, the MyBucks password is the same password students use to log on to the computers around campus, so it should not be confusing or force students to register for yet another service.
The site contains tabs with options such as a college catalogs, advising, career services, financial aid and athletics. These subjects are available at the click of a button to students who log in to MyBucks.
“We wanted students to have a simpler way to access anything they could possibly need for their studies at the college,” Noble said.
There is a forms tab on the page, where students can either print out, or send via e-mail forms for many school-related tasks.
The forms available through the site help complete tasks ranging from graduation to starting a student club or athletics team.
Students had their say in the decision-making process that went in to creating the MyBucks site.
“We felt student feedback was extremely important in making this site because students are the ones who will be using it. They helped design the way it looks and what can be accessed through MyBucks,” Noble explained.
Bucks Student Body President Katie Coffman sat in on several meetings about the program before it was released.
“I like how the school worked with students to change aspects of MyBucks,” she said. “This way the program will fit the needs of students.”
Coffman also said the site is new and still in the developmental stages and may go through more updates and changes.
Another student, Tyler Wilson, a business major from Yardley, said he hasn’t heard of MyBucks and uses another similar program, Canvas, for several of his classes.
“I use Canvas to check my grades and communicate with teachers. It’s like BBVista but my classes use it,” he said. “I don’t have any problems or difficulties in the online aspects of my classes, so I guess that’s why I won’t use MyBucks.”
The program also has a wide array of icons on the homepage that allow students to explore other websites. These include Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, Google Docs and the Bucks homepage.
“All of these icons were added due to student feedback. They wanted Facebook and Gmail access, as well as access to the other pages,” Noble explained.
According to Noble, student feedback is crucial to keeping MyBucks a successful and helpful portal.
“We want to know what students think of the portal and how we can improve or change things to make it more efficient,” Noble said.
One Bucks student, Kemisha Harewood, said the program simplifies one aspect of her college experience.
“It eliminates the need for different passwords and websites for pages I visit every day. My student e-mail and BBVista are now at the same place,” said the education major.
MyBucks is also available to faculty and staff of the school.
Matt Seibert, a resident of Doylestown and a librarian at the Newtown Campus, said he uses it frequently.
“I think it benefits students the most,” he said. “It’s a good resource to centralize and streamline the online part of their education.”
MyBucks can be found on  upper right corner of the main Bucks website. To log on, students use the same user name they have for any Bucks login; however, @securebucks.edu must follow.
For more information on MyBucks or any ideas, opinions, or feedback, students can e-mail them to [email protected], or contact Noble at [email protected]