Evolution of eINFO

Introduction of Counsellor Guidelines, a newsletter that provided a central, non-partisan compilation of Ontario university entrance requirements.

Counsellor Guidelines changed its title to INFO and remained a resource for Ontario high school guidance counsellors. A different university volunteered each year to produce and distribute the magazine.

The Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) agreed to help produce and distribute INFO magazine at the request of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) and the Ontario University Registrars' Association (OURA).

The OUAC implemented a new policy of providing copies of the magazine to every graduating Ontario high school student.

The INFO Editorial Board (IEB) was formed to guide the development of the magazine and determine its content. The IEB contains representatives from all parties served by INFO magazine, including the Ontario School Counsellors' Association (OSCA), the Ontario Universities' Council on Admissions (OUCA), the General Committee of Secondary School Liaison (GCSSL), COU, OURA and the OUAC.

The OUAC assumed full responsibility for producing INFO magazine, including coordinating and editing work that was previously done by university volunteers. While the IEB decided the INFO content and format, the OUAC compiled the information from Ontario universities and provided a unified editorial voice that aimed to highlight all Ontario universities equally.

OURA mandated that INFO magazine become electronic by 2008. In response, the IEB established a year-long commission to examine the migration from hard copy to an online version.

The IEB commission indicated that an online INFO would be beneficial:

• To allow students of any age and grade level to access the resource, a goal that would be impossible for the printed magazine.
• To allow the OUAC to collect accurate information because the universities would be able to update their information on a regular basis.
• To integrate information in INFO with the information in the OUAC online application system, allowing students, teachers and parents to access consistent information from the beginning to the end of the research and application process.

The eINFO (short for "electronic INFO") project plan was created to guide the development of the eINFO site.

The IEB, through the OUAC, engaged in extensive consultation with high school students and counsellors via surveys and focus groups to determine the needs for eINFO.

eINFO first went "live" in December.

A new version was launched in September with additional search tools and updates.

In the fall, eINFO was completely redesigned in both appearance and function to become a powerful resource that made finding and comparing university information easier and faster.

Users could do the following:

• Save searches
• Compare programs at different universities
• Customize and print charts of data
• Search for financial aid using highly specific criteria
• Find additional information about programs and universities

As design and accessibility standards evolved, the IEB decided eINFO should be redesigned to address these changing needs. The IEB and the OUAC conducted surveys about the content and usability of the website with guidance counsellors, students and universities.

The new website, launched in August, includes the following:

• A refreshed look and feel
• Improved usability
• Mobile-friendly functionality
• Adherence to accessibility legislation (WCAG 2.0 AA)