The way that students discover and interact with campus organizations is about to change substantially, as the old DuckLink application is soon to be decommissioned and replaced with a new version. The new incarnation of DuckLink shares much of the same functionality as the app with which Stevens students are familiar. However, it features a larger suite of tools and services and an overhauled user interface developed by Campus Groups, a private campus engagement platform.
Campus leaders, in most cases the designated presidents and treasurers of registered organizations, have been extended pilot access to the service so that organization pages can be prepared ahead of the launch. This process has included the migration of files from the old DuckLink and the granting of officer status to club eBoard members. Full access to the platform will be extended to all undergraduate students by January 1 of next year, according to the Office of Student Life.
The new DuckLink was built on Campus Groups, a platform by Ready Education that also serves other universities and colleges. It places a much larger emphasis on peer-to-peer connections and networking than the old DuckLink, prompting new users to customize their profile and explore a directory of campus connections, from which users can directly launch chats with other users. Users can search this directory manually or by filtering for profiles that indicate shared interests and group memberships.
Organization pages have been dramatically enhanced and now aim to be the central digital hub for Stevens clubs, essentially creating web pages for each organization. The dashboard still allows for event creation and file sharing, forum and discussion pages, a customizable website menu view with a configurable URL, direct channels to send email announcements and surveys to all active members, and other widgets including custom badges and workflows. Most campus organizations currently rely on separate platforms, like Slack or Discord, for intra-community communication and planning, but this overhaul aims to make DuckLink a centralized app for running groups and events.
The original DuckLink, developed on the Engage platform, was launched in 2017 and replaced DuckSync, its predecessor, in an abrupt transition that was announced only a day before DuckLink came online. That happened because DuckSync’s platform, OrgSync, was purchased by CampusLabs, which owns Engage.
In contrast, the transition to the new DuckLink has been in progress throughout this semester, and the transfer of member information and files has been completed manually by individual club officers. It is also a true change to a separately owned platform; Stevens’ contract with CampusLabs will come to an end on December 31, when the switch to Campus Groups and the new DuckLink will officially occur. Club information, such as constitutions and images, that haven’t yet been migrated by that date will be lost, according to Undergraduate Student Life. To student leaders: we advise you to get on it!
When granted access, students can access the new DuckLink through a new URL, ducklink.stevens.edu, or via the my.stevens.edu application page.
