This semester, North Idaho College has joined hundreds of other colleges and universities nationwide in using OrgSync, an online communication and organization tool. NIC’s version, called “CardinalSync,” is accessible to every NIC student, staff and faculty member.
Heather Erikson, assistant director of student development, revealed that in the near future, CardinalSync would expand to become NIC’s primary platform for tracking student involvement, approving and advertising events, and organize risk management procedures.
With CardinalSync students can browse the college’s clubs and organizations, join their portal and engage the clubs at whatever level they feel most comfortable.
Erikson said last June NIC received approval to purchase CardinalSync and Student Development teamed with the Communications and Marketing Department to develop and customize it.
CardinalSync helps students to build a resume, keeps track of the organizations and positions, the projects, the achievements students have had while they are in college.
Students can also create an e-portfolio that they can share out to other people. They can put all their work history on it and it becomes a unique URL that belongs to the students forever.
CardinalSync is only one of many OrgSync products used by universities throughout the nation.
Erikson explained that NIC students can transfer their involvement and accomplishment records from their CardinalSync into the OrgSync of their four-year university. A local example is University of Idaho’s VandaLink.
Some club advisers are enthusiastic about CardinalSync’s usefulness.
“I think it’s really great,” said Shelley Cobetto, computer science and technology club adviser. “There are some things that could be tightened up. I think it’s got potential and I’m really excited about it.”
Other advisors are cautiously optimistic.
“In the future it could be a useful tool for ASNIC clubs,” said Evanlene Melting Tallow, adviser of the American Indian Student Alliance club.
Additionally, clubs and students can link their personal social media to CardinalSync.
Each student, staff, and faculty member has a CardinalSync account that they may access through the MyNIC page.
