RadGrad is a convoluted version of STAR. The RadGrad website seems a little clunky and cluttered. A lot of information is thrown to a new user and it can get confusing to follow. The system is similar to STAR, a class registration system at UH Manoa. Both systems help students plan future classes, STAR is for all classes in the UH system, and RadGrad is specifically for ICS classes. However, students can’t register for the classes through RadGrad, only plan for them.
RadGrad is tailored to students who are trying to be software engineers. There are many opportunities on the site for students pursuing software engineering, but not as much for security students. Cyber security students shouldn’t be limited to two opportunities, ACM and ASECOLabs, to gain innovation points. The lack of opportunities could attest to the quality of the security courses in the ICS department.
I do like the concept of RadGrad since it helps benefit computer science students in preparing for the future. It is helpful to see what opportunities are available in the department even if there is not a lot. Also, the level system is a nice feature that can help incentivize students to close their rings. It would have been better if there was clearly articulated writing that described what is needed to get to each level. However, in production, the site is a little confusing and requires a lot of work to set up. A lot of work already goes into setting up STAR, which is a requirement to register for classes, so why do more work than needed. If RadGrad were able to get the planned classes from STAR, the system would work more efficiently.