Project Summary:

We will be developing a portal in which prospective graduate students can conduct their application process to the University of Iowa. Within this portal, prospective students and current faculty can collaborate to make it easier to learn about the University of Iowa, the programs it offers, and the areas of research in which these programs are involved. Anyone will be able to view a page containing all programs offered where they can choose a specific program to learn more information about. Each program will have associated faculty members with them. Our portal will put a major emphasis on tools to promote programs and discoverability for students, through the aforementioned pages, as well as some extra contact features described below.

Once a student has decided on their program, they will be able to create a student account where they can submit relevant information, such as name, email, transcripts, etc. The account will require 3rd party authentication. Once they have an account, a student will be able to submit an application with all of their information as well as withdraw their application if they no longer wish to attend the school. They will also be able to message faculty members directly with any questions through the web application itself. Students can go to a discussion forum where they can ask and reply to questions of other students.

Faculty members can view student applications relevant to them and provide feedback on those applications. They can find more information about a student, such as undergraduate university information at their application. They can view other evaluations made by faculty members to see what their comments were. A special administration faculty member, the Department Chair, will be able to accept or deny students applications, which will send them a letter regarding the decision. Faculty members will also be able to communicate with students through the web application itself. The Department Chair will also be necessary for verifying new Faculty accounts so they are not self-identified.