What is it?

A news site for all Lancaster students located within the Portal.

It gathers student news from right across the University and makes it available to students in one place. It also provides the ability to target stories at specific students, based on characteristics such as their college, department and level of study. As the Portal already offers access to students' email, timetables, ASK and Moodle, it is a place students regularly visit.

The news page consists of the following sections:

• My University - general University news and announcements.
• My College - college-specific news authored by the College Manager.
• My Department - a space for faculty and department updates, fed by the relevant departmental news page.
• Events - an events feed consisting of events located within the Students' Union's Union Cloud system and the University website.
• Students' Union - the latest stories authored by the Students' Union.

Why has it been created?

Audience research showed that students struggled to keep up with University news and events as information was spread between so many sources. As a result, students were missing out on beneficial opportunities.

Students also said they wanted up-to-date, relevant information and the ability to control what they receive based on their interests.

In response, the Communications team and ISS worked together to create a system that meets these needs.

How can I submit a story?

A network of authors includes staff from each college as well as a range of professional services and the Students' Union.

If you are interested in submitting a story or becoming an author, please email studentnews@lancaster.ac.uk

Where can I get support?

If you have any issues using the system, please contact John Davey, ISS Information and Communications Coordinator, at j.davey@lancaster.ac.uk

Where can I see it?

Students will access the news page when they visit the Portal. If staff follow the same link they will instead reach the Staff Intranet. However, authors have access to simulate what students will see in a preview page, and everyone can access a basic version of the news site (ensure you are not already logged in as a staff member) that strips out tailored elements such as college and department news sections.