COMMS 3 New Features and Changes
This page outlines some of the new features of COMMS 3 and some of the key differences between this and the previous version.
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Referenced from: Information for Employees
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COMMS 3 New Features and Changes
What’s new / What’s changed
This page outlines some of the new features of COMMS 3 and some of the key differences between this and the previous version.
Updated user interface
The interface for COMMS has been redesigned to be more streamlined and easier to use. Responsive pages can accommodate most devices and screen sizes.
Web based Course Outlines
Course Outlines are now essentially web pages, making them more accessible and easier to update. Web based outlines do not need to be generated before they can be viewed. The new design follows guidelines for accessibility compliance. Outlines may still be downloaded as PDFs using the “Save as PDF” or “Print to PDF” functionality in most major browsers.
In-place Course Outline editing
Instead of going back and forth between the outline editor and the generated outline, users can now edit the outline in-place.
Improved search
The course outline search is now faster and easier to use.
Data
COMMS 3 connects to the same database as COMMS 2 therefore the same live data can be accessed in either system. For example, a Course Outline approved in COMMS 3 will be approved in COMMS 2 as well. This means both COMMS 3 and COMMS 2 may be used interchangeably until COMMS 2 is retired on May 14, 2025.
Reports
Reports are now accessible in two ways:
- On the new ‘detail’ pages relating to different Org Units (Academic Year, Department, Program).
- Using the Search function. For example, to access the Course Outline overview report for the current year, search for ‘2024-2025’ and select the ‘Academic Year’ result. The detail page will have various reports as well as management functions that are visible depending on your user role.
Support
You can now request technical support by clicking the ‘Get Support’ link in the help menu. It will open a new email addressed to commssupport@northern.on.ca which is monitored by a Northern College COMMS team.
Custom roles.
Administrators can now create custom application roles appropriate to different business requirements.
| COMMS3 *NEW | Usual staff | Permissions | |
Source: https://www.northerncollege.ca/uploads/2025/04/COMMS-3-New-Features-and-Changes.pdf