MSU finally is looking into updating the system to work on all browsers, including the second-most popular browser in the world in Chrome.

The university is considering making an attempt to fix the current browser issues with ANGEL, despite difficulties they’ve encountered in the past. Fixing the program should be a priority for the university, not a consideration.

In November 2011, Ron Rivard, manager of the MSU Computer Store, said about 85 percent of students who buy computers from the store purchase Macs, which come equipped with Safari — a browser not supported by ANGEL.

Brendan Guenther, director of MSU Virtual University Design and Technology, told The State News “MSU’s been shying away from upgrading a major version of ANGEL because every time we’ve done it, it’s been tremendously difficult.” (“MSU considers updating ANGEL browser usability” 1/12 SN).

It is shocking and even embarrassing that a Big Ten university that prides itself on innovation in research and technology is reluctant to get a website to function properly.

The program has become a vital resource, and a great number of courses rely on ANGEL as a major part of the class. Many professors post assignments, quizzes and documents on ANGEL for their classes. With the site not always functioning properly, or if students have the wrong browser, it gets in the way of students’ learning.

Issues like browser compatibility should be solved, especially when it causes as many problems for students and faculty as ANGEL does.

ANGEL’s inability to work is such an issue that many professors have noted the troubleshooting to students prior to assignments being posted. It is not uncommon for professors to let students know that if they are not using ANGEL on a supported browser, they might not receive documents that the students turn in via ANGEL. That’s an issue that definitely could affect grades, especially since there is no way for students to see if homework assignments were received by teachers.

The problems with ANGEL are forcing some professors to turn to alternatives for their courses. Many professors now rely on blogs, Wikispaces, Facebook groups, Twitter and Google Docs to get messages and assignments to students.

It’s not as if ANGEL is the only option for MSU. The university did a trial over the summer with Moodle, a site similar to ANGEL. If it would be more cost-friendly and efficient than fixing ANGEL, the university should think about ditching the current program.

Whether the university keeps ANGEL or not, it is certain changes need to be made. The current problems with ANGEL on many popular browsers are causing too many issues for students for it to continue functioning this way.

Now is the time for the university to stop looking into possible changes and start making them.