And at more and more of these institutions, Lotus Domino is playing a critical role. Babson, which was also ranked 14th worldwide in the Financial Times list of executive education providers, began using Lotus Notes in 1993. The sites use interactive and multimedia elements, with photos and diary-like entries to help students experience the energy, enthusiasm, and excitement of such programs as the Babson's Business Development Hatchery. Unlike traditional HTML language, which often requires the expertise of a single webmaster, Domino creates a community of content managers empowered to post new information in an efficient way. Every content manager has the ability to submit Web text and, through a workflow process, is periodically prompted to update information so that the content remains fresh.
Students can register for courses online.
They can access a variety of information, including grades, billing status, lists of their classmates, faculty bios, and even classified ads. They can retrieve and update their own personal information in university records. And as an additional service, Babson alumni are linked for life with permanent school-sponsored email addresses, letting them keep in touch using addresses which stay constant through changing jobs and service providers. In addition, Babson students are using Domino to retrieve homework assignments and readings, engage in threaded discussions on classroom topics, view sample exams, and collaborate on projects. They can also create online knowledge bases that include course assignments, papers, projects, and discussions that can be called up for instant use.