During Orientation Week (O Week), the University will launch the eBox. The eBox is not email, but is a secure web-based communication system between the University and students. 

All on-campus students will now receive official University messages in their personal eBox, rather than by post.

Dedicated information sessions throughout O Week will ensure new students are familiar with both the eBox and the range of tools and resources available in the CSU Online environment.

Trialed and tested for six months, the eBox is part of each students’ my.csu personal website. Student response to the trial was overwhelmingly positive, with feedback used to make improvements to the service.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Planning and Development) Bernie O’Donnell said CSU is leading this innovative pathway to ensure all of CSU students are experienced users of information technology. 

The system allows students access to University messages, such as HECS notices, invoices and their results, online anywhere in the world, while the University can see when and if students have read their messages. 

“This is an important step in our students being able to learn in an e-environment, ” Mr O’Donnell said. 

“The eBox and our many other online services mean that from the moment students start at CSU, they are using the online environment, and interacting with it. This allows our students to fully exploit all the learning opportunities – off line and online, that CSU makes available,” Mr O’Donnell said.

During O Week a special competition is also being launched to promote eBox and my.csu. In addition, colourful eBox characters will be on each Campus, ensuring every student receives the message that eBox is out!
  Background notes: CSU Online 2002

• Charles Sturt University (CSU), as Australia’s largest and leading distance education provider, was the first in Australia to have all its distance education courses supported online. CSU commenced its comprehensive online teaching and learning environment in 1995.
   
• CSU is the first Australian university to send all official communication, such as HECS statements, online. For the 2002 academic year, CSU has launched a secure web-based communication system between students and the University, called eBox. The system allows students access to permanent official messages anywhere in the world, while the University can see when students have read their messages. Trialed and tested for six months, the eBox is part of each students’ my.csu website. Other administrative services offered online to all students via their my.csu include accessing financial services, ordering books from the CSU Library and searching information databases.
   
• CSU has become a reference site for other Australian and international universities and major software companies to learn about online education. The University has already hosted delegations from universities in Asia, Norway, Sweden and UK to demonstrate its online teaching and learning environment.
   
• The University has a specialist team of online staff, computer and software technicians, designers and teachers working on its online learning and teaching developments.
   
• Students can access CSU Online from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This includes more than 31 000 on shore students and almost 7 000 students enrolled in CSU courses studying offshore.
   
• There are high levels of CSU students and staff working online: 
   
• During 2001, 25 000 students used teaching materials in nearly 1 000 online supported subjects. This subject support includes lecture notes, examples, assignments, assignment answers, sample questions, forums and email contacts;
   
• During August 2001, 25 000 students accessed the online environment. During that month, forum messages were read at the rate of about 1 000 every hour of every day and over 40 messages per hour per day were posted to CSU forums;
   
• During 2001, CSU delivered nearly two million pages of information online to students (excluding forums). Two and a half thousand students delivered their assignments online.