1.
SCORE: _______
Name: Claude McCann
Activity Addressed: Financial Aid/Student Accounting
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow, 5. Enhance
university administrative functions
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/9/97
Time: 9:51:02 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.178
Tuition Distribution Program must be developed to adequately distribute revenue to the schools.
This process is being handled by downloading data to a DBASE program and manually manipulating it to accommodate policy changes. Several Decision Analyzer programs are used to extract data for distribution purposes. Because of recent policy changes and anticipated changes, this process has become very time consuming.
A program should be written to run against the mainframe. It should be flexible enough to incorporate changes in tuition and fee policies each year. STARS data fields should be created or expanded to allow for automatic distribution where possible.
none
Schools and Departments will receive their income in a timely manner. This will provide them with the information to better manage their budgets and project income.
TUCC must provide the programming staff to write a new tuition and fee distribuiton program.
2.
SCORE: _______
Name: Claude McCann, Student Accounting Services
Activity Addressed: Financial Aid/Student Accounting
System Goals Addressed: 5. Enhance university
administrative functions
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/9/97
Time: 10:06:01 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.178
Increase the flexibility to establish tuition and fee charge codes by increasing the code length from 3 to 5 digits.
Currently our charge codes are 3 digits. We are running out of codes and will be required to reuse old codes. Using old codes make it impossible to run queries against historical data. Charge codes are also used to automate the distribution of revenue.
The code should be expanded to at least 5 digits. Also, we need the ability to associate attributes to the codes such as percent of distribution to an account.
The system will have the flexibility to continue to provide itemization of charges to students, vendors and departments.
Users of the system will be able to obtain information more efficiently. Income reports will be improved.
Programming staff will be needed to enhance this function.
3.
SCORE: _______
Name: Claude McCann
Activity Addressed: Financial Aid/Student Accounting
System Goals Addressed: 1. Eliminate manual data entry,
14. Enhance user friendliness, 10. Provide easy student access to
personal information, 11. Provide point-of-contact data entry and
decision making capability
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/9/97
Time: 10:33:27 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.178
The ability to repackage a students financial aid award to take into consideration changes in eligibility and resources.
When a student's eligibility or resources change, a staff person must manually calculate the necessary adjustments in financial aid and enter the adjustment into STARS. Approximately 30,000 changes occur each year.
The financial aid packaging program should be revised to allow the staff to change date fields and let the system adjust the financial aid amounts.
When students change their enrollment levels, receive external aid support, or experience a change in eligibility, their financial aid will be adjusted more efficiently. They will get paid faster.
The users impacted will be the financial aid office staff. It will make the process of changing a financial aid package easier. It will free personnel for student counseling and other support activity.
TUCC will have to provide programming staff.
4.
SCORE: _______
Name: Claude McCann
Activity Addressed: Financial Aid/Student Accounting
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow, 7. Enhance
flexibility of system and ease of development, 5. Enhance
university administrative functions, 13. Enhance user access to
data
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/9/97
Time: 10:49:33 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.178
The process of aging institutional student loans and receivables.
We request from TUCC each year a special program written by a member of their staff. This report is not in production, but is produced for auditors upon request. It is written in an unsupported computer language.
The aging of loans and receivables is a standard business practice. We need a supported program developed that will age loans and other receivables.
Loans and other receivables will be written off in a timely manner. The status of an account can be easily reported to the student.
Better compliance with audit rquirements, program requirements and institutional policy.
TUCC must dedicate the programming staff to develop this program.
5.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Corliss
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit,
Curriculum/Resource Management, Enrollment Management, Financial
Aid/Student Accounting, Graduate Programs, Outcomes Assessment,
Placement/Articulation, Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 9. Create centrally managed set of
rules, 5. Enhance university administrative functions, 15. Ensure
data integrity
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/10/97
Time: 8:07:53 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.158.218
Develop formal procedures for assuring that required data are present, that the same data fields and their respective codes mean the same thing over time, and that data are not overwritten.
Two particular incidents illustrate current practices. I encountered the first when I was doing a statistical analysis on predictors of academic success. The question naturally arose as to how the initial classification of students related to their subsequent performance. When we tried to sort out how many students were classified in certain ways we could not do it because data had been overwritten, codes had changed meaning, and data were incomplete.
The second came to light during our session in Institutional Studies. Two thirds of our new students each year are transfer students. Institutional Studies generates reports based on the schools the students previously attended. Usually about two thirds of the transfer student records do not contain the required information. Someone in Institutional Studies has to go through all the records one by one to fill in the required data. This can be a 2-3 day process.
It was also pointed out that users learned of changes to the system, often in passing, at the monthly meeting of the STARS Committee. The meaning of data is thus perputuated by institutional memory rather than by definitions that are available to anyone at any time and constant.
A group charged with setting data standards needs to be established to do the following:
1. define data fields as precisely as possible 2. define the codes that are entered into data fields 3. decide when new data fields are necessary 4. decide who has authority to change data and/or codes 5. decide who has responsibility for assuring that required data are present
Those who have the authority and responsibility for data integrity in the various components of the system must establish methods to ensure that integrity.
To accomplish this I recommend that we establish a Data Standards working group. The net result of their deliberations should be a data dictionary that is available on-line in some form (perhaps on this web site). It is only through this kind of standard setting that we can eliminate our reliance on institutional memory and maintain consistency over the long term.
This partially meets the stated goal that everyone be working from a consistent set of rules.
The impact on students is indirect and long range. Administrators from department chairs and Deans to the Provost must have complete, consistent, and accurate data on which to make decisions on how to design progams that best serve the mix of students at UAB. This involves ongoing outcomes assessment based on students' histories. Only by knowing how various types of students perform and what they are doing can programs be tailored to make the best use of available resources to serve the students.
Users at a number of levels will be affected. The persons responsible for data entry must assure that required data are present and accurate. Their supervisors must monitor this process.
If these processes work properly then those who are responsible for outcomes assessment and reporting should realize a time savings and have more confidence in the results of their analyses.
As the provider of progamming and database management services TUCC must take a leadership role to assure that best practices are followed in the uses of the data structures as they currently exist. As new data and new codes are required, the programmers and database managers will be called on to make changes to the system as required by the users. New data integrity checks should be built into the system as changes are made.
The proposal for establishing data standards made here does not represent a change in the existing technology. Rather, it represents a change in the interaction between the users and TUCC with the latter having more authority to set standards for use of existing structures.
6.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Corliss
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit,
Curriculum/Resource Management, Enrollment Management, Financial
Aid/Student Accounting, Gradutate Programs, Outcomes Assessment,
Placement/Articulation, Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 12. Enhance user access to system,
14. Enhance user friendliness, 8. Enhance user skills
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/10/97
Time: 8:46:41 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.158.218
User training.
Maximizing use of the system as it currently exists is not so much a technical problem as it is a people problem. Users are informally trained by other users with support from TUCC. As the user base expands into the departments where the critical curriculum information is entered into the system and real time decisions are made regarding course offerings this is becoming inadequate.
The model of user support that is emerging in higher education is one in which expertise is distributed into key centers within the institution. The expertise is embodied in indivduals who have been called On-site Computer Consultants (OSCCs) or Department Computer Consultants (DCCs). The idea is that there is a group of individuals who are users of the system who have been given in-depth training. These individuals are then given the responsibility of training new users and providing on-going support for other users in their respective units. They are certified by the information services department annually and continue to receive training on a regular basis.
The premise on which this program is based is that experienced and knowledgeable users of the system know best what problems other users are likely to encounter and can speak their language better than the technology experts.
This model has worked successfully in HUC for some time now and needs to be broadened to include other users around campus.
Again, the impact is indirect. As users become more efficient at what they do, those components of the system that directly affect students' progress toward a degree should be more readily accessible, more timely and more accurate.
The impact on users is direct. Users should become more efficient and more accurate in what they do. Delays between problem identification and resolution should decrease. More users can be added to the system more quickly.
The core of support for the system resides in TUCC. Formal training of the OSCCs with standards for certification must be developed. Regular meetings with the OSCCs to discuss problems will be necessary.
7.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Bedwell
Activity Addressed: Graduate Programs
System Goals Addressed: 2. Eliminate double data entry
points, 1. Eliminate manual data entry, 5. Enhance university
administrative functions, 13. Enhance user access to data
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/10/97
Time: 10:38:34 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.20.64
Revise software to allow users to input multiple, independent graduate school applications to different programs for each student.
Currently, applications for each student are linked. If a mistake is made in data entry for one application, ALL aplications must be deleted and re-entered.
Revise current software.
It will make tracking graduate student records easier, reducing the chances of error.
It will make data entry and student tracking much easier for the Graduate School.
Software will need to be revised.
8.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Bedwell
Activity Addressed: Graduate Programs
System Goals Addressed: 5. Enhance university
administrative functions, 13. Enhance user access to data, 14.
Enhance user friendliness
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/10/97
Time: 10:44:05 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.20.64
Improve ability to track multiple graduate school applications.
Currently, the contact code can track only one application. This makes it difficult to tell when a student originally admitted as a non-degree student has enrolled in a program.
Revise software to allow multiple contact codes to be tracked simultaneously.
It will improve record keeping.
It will make tracking students easier.
Software will need to be revised.
9.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Bedwell
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit,
Curriculum/Resource Management, Enrollment Management, Financial
Aid/Student Accounting, Graduate Programs, Outcomes Assessment,
Placement/Articulation, Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 5. Enhance university
administrative functions, 13. Enhance user access to data, 14.
Enhance user friendliness
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/10/97
Time: 10:50:40 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.20.64
Simplify/improve software used to analyze data for reports.
When specific groups of data are required, programmers must be contacted for assistance in using current software or to write new sub-routines.
Replace the "Decision Analyzer" program with software that is more user friendly.
Only indirectly.
Report writing will be greatly simplified, and the availability of data for graduate program analysis will be greatly improved.
New software will need to be written.
10.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Bedwell
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit, Enrollment
Management, Financial Aid/Student Accounting, Gradutate Programs,
Placement/Articulation, Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 2. Eliminate double data entry
points, 1. Eliminate manual data entry, 3. Eliminate need for
ancillary databases, 5. Enhance university administrative
functions, 13. Enhance user access to data, 15. Ensure data
integrity, 10. Provide easy student access to personal
information
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/10/97
Time: 10:58:57 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.20.64
Allow widely used electronic student transcripts (EDI) to be received and entered into our database.
Currently, transcripts are entered and distributed manually.
Change software so electronic transcripts can be downloaded directly into STARS system
Improve turnaround time for graduate admissions.
Will improve efficiency by bypassing manual data entry.
Conversion program will need to be written.
11.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Bedwell
Activity Addressed: Graduate Programs, Registration and
Records
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow, 2.
Eliminate double data entry points, 1. Eliminate manual data
entry, 3. Eliminate need for ancillary databases, 5. Enhance
university administrative functions, 14. Enhance user
friendliness, 15. Ensure data integrity
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/10/97
Time: 11:03:45 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.20.64
Allow direct data transfer from a graduate school application form on a website to the STARS system.
Application information is entered manually.
Write a conversion program.
Faster turnaround time for graduate admissions.
Reduce the need for manual data entry.
Conversion software will need to be written.
12.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Bedwell
Activity Addressed: Graduate Programs, Outcomes Assessment
System Goals Addressed: 3. Eliminate need for ancillary
databases, 5. Enhance university administrative functions, 13.
Enhance user access to data
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/10/97
Time: 11:09:51 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.20.64
Establish a computerized archive of graduate student records that is available on-line through STARS.
Records are copied by hand and delivered to Departments by runner.
Revise software so graduate records are available on STARS.
Data will be available for advisors immediately.
Reduce manual labor, improve efficiency.
Software must be written.
13.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Bedwell
Activity Addressed: Graduate Programs
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow, 1.
Eliminate manual data entry, 5. Enhance university administrative
functions, 13. Enhance user access to data, 15. Ensure data
integrity
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/10/97
Time: 11:13:53 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.20.64
Allow scores for Graduate Record Exam (GRE) to be received electronically and entered directly into STARS.
Data is received and entered manually.
Conversion software written.
streamline time required for admissions process.
Increase efficency by eliminating manual data entry.
Conversion software will need to be written.
14.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Bedwell
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit,
Curriculum/Resource Management, Enrollment Management, Financial
Aid/Student Accounting, Gradutate Programs, Outcomes Assessment,
Placement/Articulation, Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 13. Enhance user access to data,
12. Enhance user access to system, 14. Enhance user friendliness,
8. Enhance user skills, 11. Provide point-of-contact data entry
and decision making capability
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/10/97
Time: 11:22:24 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.20.64
Reduce the effort and frustration new users experience in getting connecting and learning the STARS system.
Nothing.
Improve documentation for the STARS system so the processing of installing and learning the software is less frustrating. For example, when I picked up my userID, I was given a booklet describing the University Computer Center. However, no help was available to provide help with either the installation or use of the STARS system. At this time (two weeks later), I still have not been able to access the STARS system from my computer. I recommend that a web site be established that provides the following services: 1. The web site should provide downloadable versions of the software required to use the STARS system. The URL of a web site containing the software required for either IBM-compatible or Apple hardware should be provided by TUCC whenever a new userID is given out. 2. The web site should also contain simple instructions to install that software (remember, this should be very user-friendly if the rank and file faculty are expected to use this). 3. The web site should contain a manual with a detailed overview of the capabilities and use of the STARS system, including pictures of screens from the system. 4. The web site should also contain a glossary of commonly used commands for navigation in the STARS system.
Only indirectly.
The learning curve for all new users will reduced, and these resources will also greatly benefit the occasional user.
They will have to provide documentation to the STARS system.
15.
SCORE: _______
Name: Mary Beth Adams
Activity Addressed: None of the Above (Please describe
below)
System Goals Addressed: None of the Above (Please describe
below)
Mandated by: ACHE
Date: 7/17/97
Time: 10:24:28 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.185.131
The legislature has mandated the creation of a statewide student database that will be administered by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. Each institution in the state will submit a file each term with records for each enrolled student. UAB must create a file in the appropriate layout to submit to ACHE.
Institutional Studies and Services staff have worked with ACHE staff and other institutional representatives in compiling a data dictionary and file layout and are doing some of the initial programming necessary to prepare a file to submit to ACHE.
Once ISS staff have done what they can, help will be needed from the STARS programming folks to accomplish certain things that are beyond the programming capability of the ISS staff.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
A certain number of man hours will need to be allocated to complete the task.
16.
SCORE: _______
Name: Stella Cocoris
Activity Addressed: Enrollment Management
System Goals Addressed: 7. Enhance flexibility of system
and ease of development, 12. Enhance user access to system, 14.
Enhance user friendliness
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/17/97
Time: 11:21:31 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.88
Undergraduate Admissions staff should have easy access to all automated letters for more efficient editing and customization.
All letters reside on the mainframe; formatting and editing are done through a complex mainframe script program. This program is incapable of producing digitized signatures, so thousands of letters must be hand-signed, usually by multiple hands. Thus, a prospective student receive 5 letters from the Director of Admissions, but 5 different signatures. These glaring differences undercut the personalization necessary for effective recruitment. Two-page letters are difficult to run since the letterhead cannot be digitized. Waste occurs when there is a "breakdown" midway trough a large run of, say, 3000 letters since the whole set must be run and re-run before an error can be corrected.
Develop a download program so that letters can be maintained and produced via p.c.
Prospective students will receive a more personalized, customized communication which is less likely to look mass-produced than is currently the case.
Admissions will have greater flexibility in creating personalized communications and can save time and money by a having a more efficient letter generation system.
17.
SCORE: _______
Name: Stella Cocoris
Activity Addressed: Enrollment Management, None of the
Above (Please describe below)
System Goals Addressed: 3. Eliminate need for ancillary
databases, 5. Enhance university administrative functions, 13.
Enhance user access to data, 6. Reduce paper handling
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/17/97
Time: 12:32:46 PM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.88
Admissions staff should have the ability to create ad-hoc reports on prospective and admitted students.
A pull-off program has been written but has not proven to be user-friendly. Therefore, requests for ad-hoc reports typically require support from TUCC.
A user-friendly pull-off program should be written to run against the admissions system. This program should allow for any coded criteria to be used in generating reports on pre-enrolled students.
Students will be recruited more effectively since UAB staff could better customize communications with them.
UAB staff involved with recruitment will have easy access to data on pre-enrolled students. The data can be used to develop specialized communications for targeted groups.
18.
SCORE: _______
Name: Charlotte Borst
Activity Addressed:
System Goals Addressed: 1. Eliminate manual data entry
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/21/97
Time: 4:52:50 PM
Remote Name: 138.26.152.141
The "room characteristics" section has the potential to select needed equipment, etc. for a class. Unfortunately of the 10 available characterisitics, only 3 actually work; otherwise, the class is "kicked out" of the system in an error report, resulting in the need for manual entry.
the ability to automate the scheduling of rooms began only recently. While some buildings/departments on campus are totally "pre-assigned", others are not, and some depts are competing with each other for classrooms in the same building. Some classrooms are more suitable for a particular discipline than are others, and characteristics were built into Schedule 25/25E to take care of this issue. However, only 3 of the 10 characteristics currently are workable, and given the parameters established by the system, the class gets "kicked out" of the system, and back to the dept to resolve, or it may get assigned into a room that is unsuitable for the professor's pedagogical approach.
Since classroom preferences are chosen usually by each dept administrator (an secretary or another person within a dept), the system for chosing room characteristics needs to reflect the most important pedagogical needs of the professor and the discipline being taught (ie a history class almost invariably needs maps). These choices need to be easily indicated and to work consistently to minimize the number of classes that are not assigned rooms.
Classes taught in rooms with too few seats or without the appropriate tools cannot be taught properly. Classroom time is wasted in trying to find the proper tools.
The users of this part of the SIS are each dept secretary or other administrator who must spend time re-entering data or in chasing down other classrooms, or in placating upset faculty and students.
The characteristics are already identified, but the choice options do not work. Programming time must be spent in fixing this problem.
19.
SCORE: _______
Name: Charlotte Borst
Activity Addressed:
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow, 2.
Eliminate double data entry points, 3. Eliminate need for
ancillary databases, 5. Enhance university administrative
functions, 13. Enhance user access to data, 12. Enhance user
access to system, 14. Enhance user friendliness
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/27/97
Time: 9:31:58 PM
Remote Name: 138.26.152.141
Curriculum system now lists all courses and the course history. However, the data in this system is very dificult to access.
Currently, a university administrator, typically a dept head or undergrad or grad director, cannot access a hard copy of the curriculum schedule without going to TUCC. Moreover, though there are some "canned" report programs available, most reports need to be generated by TUCC. Thus, the admin- istrator cannot manipulate the data as he or she needs to, and shape questions particular to his or her own needs.
As ACHE and other agencies within and without UAB begin to scrutinize programs, dept heads and others will need easy access to their data on past registration and course offerings. Reports will need to be generated "on site," rather than relying on overnight runs through the mainframe. Some sort of program needs to be available to do this via desktop PC access.
Indirectly, through better dept understanding of the past history of their own curricula.
Directly--users will be better able to access their data, to manipulate it, and to generate reports without delays.
Some sort of "user friendly" program needs to be written by TUCC to provide this service.
20.
SCORE: _______
Name: Stella Cocoris
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit, Enrollment
Management, Outcomes Assessment
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow, 1.
Eliminate manual data entry, 5. Enhance university administrative
functions, 13. Enhance user access to data
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 2:05:29 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.88
There is a need to extract and store on STARS all information received on prospective students who send test scores to UAB.
We capture name, address, social security number, high school, major, and test scores. We do not display information on career goals, personal goals, extracurricular interests, anticipated college gpa, needs for academic support (math, study skills, reading, etc.), estimated family income, and more. Because it is valuale in the advising process, much of this information is captured on the Educational Planning Survey new students complete at orientation and used in assessment.
Programs should be written to capture, store, and make available on STARS all data sent to the institution on prospective students. Assuming a user-friendly report writing system can be created, lists of prospective and/or newly admitted students can be forwarded to other UAB offices for specialized recruitment.
UAB staff in admissions, academic advising, and other areas will be more well informed of students needs and address those needs more effectively. The information may be useful in planning interventions that might improve students' chances of academic success.
UAB staff interacting with prospective and admitted students can more effectively match services with student needs by having more complete information.
21.
SCORE: _______
Name: Jim McLean
Activity Addressed: None of the Above (Please describe
below)
System Goals Addressed: 9. Create centrally managed set of
rules
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 3:17:17 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.9.175
The integrity of the data in the current system is not always accurate
The integrity of the data in the current student information system is sometimes questionable. Data errors occur because of data entry problems but more importantly, they occur because of lack of data definitions and data policies.
A system needs to be put into place that insures the integrity of the data available in the system. Elements of that system should include 1) administration of the system should be through Academic Affairs, 2) the system should be the clear responsibility of ONE individual, 3) a management system should be developed, 4) clear policies should be developed for adding new data fields, deleting existing data fields, and modifying data fields, and 5) clear procedures need to be developed for cross-validation of data.
More accurate data will result in fairer decisions about students.
More accurate data will provide more confidence in data used for making decisions, particularly high stakes decisions.
It all depends on how it is implemented.
22.
SCORE: _______
Name: Stella Cocoris
Activity Addressed: Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow, 1.
Eliminate manual data entry, 5. Enhance university administrative
functions, 13. Enhance user access to data, 15. Ensure data
integrity, 6. Reduce paper handling, None of the Above (Please
describe below)
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 3:19:00 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.88
UAB should join the National Student Loan Clearinghouse. Membership will allow us to download demographic information on enrolled students from STARS and forward to a national office, which assumes responsibility for verifying enrollment on those with student loans.
Students are regularly asked by lendees to provide enrollment verification for their student loan. Verifications are requested at the Registrar's office. Since UAB is not a member of the clearinghouse, staff must manually request each enrollment verification letter through a STARS screen. The letters and associated labels are printed at TUCC and delivered to the Registrar's office the next day. Staff then stuff, stamp, and mail letters.
Programming should be written to download on a regular basis the appropriate information to the NSLC, and the institution should become a member of the clearninghouse.
Students will no longer need to request enrollment verifications for their loans if their lender is a member of the clearinghouse (most are). Participation in the clearinghouse results in fewer technical defaults since lenders are regularly notified that their borrowers are in school.
The clearinghouse states that member schools typically reduce workload by one staff person per 15,000 students. Currently, 1 FTE in the Registar's office is responsible for enrollment verification. It is expected that this staff member's workload would be reduced by approximately 67%.
23.
SCORE: _______
Name: Jim McLean
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit
System Goals Addressed: 9. Create centrally managed set of
rules
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 3:23:34 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.9.175
Establish a central authority for determining transfer credit acceptance criteria and assign departments the responsibility for applying these criteria.
Transfer students with credit in courses from other institutions their courses reviewed for posting by admissions and for acceptance by the school to which they are applying. This school sometimes gets the advice of the school or department offering a particular course and sometimes does not.
It is recommended that a central UAB authority (e.g., Undergraduate Council) be responsible for acceptance principles and that the department offering a similar course to that being proposed for transfer have the responsibility for determining its equivalency.
Decisions on student transfer credit will be consistent.
It will clarify the responsibilies in determining student transfer credit.
Should not impact on the computer center.
24.
SCORE: _______
Name: Jim McLean
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 3:29:50 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.9.175
Provide an online, up-to-date list of courses previously awarded transfer credit.
Lists of courses from other institutions that have previously had UAB equivalent courses and credit determined are kept in a list that is distributed about twice per year.
The list should be maintained and made available through electronic means on a real-time basis, or at the least, updated online weekly so it will be accessible to all advisors or administrators who evaluate transfer credit. A useful method for this to be accomplished would be through a website.
It will decrease time for determining course transfer credit if the same course has ever been transferred for another student.
It will eliminate duplication of effort. Once a course has been reviewed and an equivalent UAB course determined, it would not have to be done again.
Someone at TUCC might have to set up the system to implement the automated list.
25.
SCORE: _______
Name: Jim McLean
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 3:34:13 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.9.175
Complete the implementation of the Degree Audit Reporting Systems (DARS).
The Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) has been implemented in only a limited number of schools. Even in those schools, the data are not complete. The 94-96 catalog is still not complete for all schools.
The DARS system should be expanded to other schools and brought up to date with the current catalog.
For many, it would eliminate the need for a personal visit with an advisor.
It would reduce the time needed for advisors to see students.
They would have to provide the programming support to complete the system.
26.
SCORE: _______
Name: Jim McLean
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 3:40:51 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.9.175
Update the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) software.
The current DARS software is not the most current version and is written for a CICS computer operating system. STARS system is operated on an IMIS computer at UAB. This requires a conversion of all screens for each upgrade from CICS to IMIS. Even after conversion, the current software does not allow client downloading of data except by screen printing unless the client has a dedicated data line and printer.
A newer client server version is available that would eliminate this problem and its cost is approximately $3,000. Evaluate the client server version of DARS and implement if feasible. This would also solve the printer problem as the client server version would allow printing from any connected PC with proper authorization.
It would provide more timely degree audit forms.
It would provide a much more user friendly interface for the degree audit system. Users would also be able to download and manipulate degree audit information for planning purposes.
They would have to install and test the new software.
27.
SCORE: _______
Name: Jim McLean
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 3:46:49 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.9.175
Provide the capability to enter results from placement testing, CLEP, high school AP results, etc. at point of collection.
Placement testing is scored either by hand or the answer sheets are sent to TUCC for batch processing. The hand scored tests are entered manually and the batch processed tests are batch loaded. Test results from high school AP courses, CLEP, etc. are received as hard copy reports and also entered manually by the Registrars Office.
An immediate modification that would enhance the system would be to set up Jennie Jones' operation to enter the these test results directly in her shop. A further enhancement would be to provide her with a scanner to score the tests. A more efficient long-term solution would be to convert to a computer adaptive testing system with direct input into the database. Such a system would eliminate handling of the data by at least two departments.
It would lessen the time it takes for student information to be available to advisors.
It would reduce the number of people who must handle the data and provide the data in a more timely fashion.
It would reduce TUCC work in the long run but would involve them in setting up new interface.
28.
SCORE: _______
Name: Jim McLean
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit
System Goals Addressed: 3. Eliminate need for ancillary
databases
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 3:52:55 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.9.175
Add a student contact field or fields to the main database.
The General Studies Advising Office must look up on STARS and hand note information such as the admission status (e.g., conditional, non-conditional)of students scheduled for advising.
Information such as admission status should be noted on list generated by the Admissions Office. This could be made available online.
Provide information to their advisors in a more timely manner.
Reduce the need for a supplemental database and reduce the time for the information to be available.
It would require them to modify the database.
29.
SCORE: _______
Name: Jim McLean
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit
System Goals Addressed: 3. Eliminate need for ancillary
databases
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 3:56:20 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.9.175
Add the student contact system for General Studies Advising to the STARS system.
The local database developed and used by General Studies Advising Office to track advisee contacts is written in DBase III. This makes it necessary to have a programmer training in that language develop the code for producing reports.
Add the student contact system to the STARS system or add a subsystem to the mainframe system with data access, data entry, and report production capabilities available in the Advising office.
Advisors have information more quickly.
Advisors have information more quickly and the General Studies Academic Advising Office would no longer need to maintain a database.
It would need to be implemented by TUCC.
30.
SCORE: _______
Name: Jim McLean
Activity Addressed: Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 4:00:25 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.9.175
Automate the paper handling of the Admissions and Registrars Offices.
The Admissions and Registrars Offices handles most of the paperwork by hand. Each submitted sheet of paper and form is eventually filed in a student's folder. Everyone who needs access to these data must locate the file, extract the information, and re-file the folder.
There are at least two modifications that should be considered. The first is to develop an electronic system for handling the data such as the Optidoc System used by Financial Aid and Student Accounting. This would put all files in an electronic form making them accessible through terminals. The second is to consider developing an electronic application through the Internet. This would have the added advantage of making the application process available world-wide and reduce direct inquiries.
Decrease the amount of time for admission decisons and registration information to be completed.
Reduce the paper handling and improve access to student information.
They may have to assist in setting up the systems.
31.
SCORE:
Name: Phyllis Berk
Activity Addressed: Curriculum/Resource Management,
Enrollment Management, Outcomes Assessment
System Goals Addressed: 9. Create centrally managed set of
rules, 3. Eliminate need for ancillary databases, 13. Enhance
user access to data, 14. Enhance user friendliness, 15. Ensure
data integrity
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 6:20:15 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.25.8
Implement a Student Data Warehouse to provide users with direct, autonomous access to student data.
Users can either run their own queries using Decision Analyzer or ask TUCC or Institutional Research to produce a customized report.
Goal: Integrate all student-related data into a single repository from which users can easily run queries, produce reports and perform analysis.
Tasks:
1. Establish the need for a data warehouse. 2. Obtain commitment fromm upper level management 3. Identify source a funding (database, query tool, consulting, training, additional staff) 4. Form a project team with representatives from TUCC, Institutional Research, STARS users and decision support Users. 5. Determine what information should be kept in the warehouse- what level of detail/summarization. 6. Evaluate Query products.
indirectly
Users will have accurate, consistent data available for decision making and planning.
TUCC would need additional staff to be dedicated to this project.
32.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Bedwell
Activity Addressed: Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 5. Enhance university
administrative functions
Mandated by: UAB Administration
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 10:15:03 PM
Remote Name: 138.26.20.64
Provide distinct categories in payroll system for postdoctoral fellows (19s vs 08s) so their FICA status can clearly be accurately assessed and documented.
Classification is unclear, causing protential problems with IRS.
Add distinct categories into payroll system to keep track of distinct classifications of postdoctoral fellows on training grants and those paid off other grants.
None
None
Minor programming change.
33.
SCORE: _______
Name: David Bedwell
Activity Addressed: Financial Aid/Student Accounting,
Graduate Programs, Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 5. Enhance university
administrative functions
Mandated by: UAB Administration
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 10:23:28 PM
Remote Name: 138.26.20.64
Provide different classifacations of graduate students (non-resident aliens, those paid by fellowships, those paid by other funds) with distinct codes in payroll system.
No distinct classifications
Make separate categories.
Allow FICA exemption to be maintained and accurately documented.
None
Minor programming change.
34.
SCORE: _______
Name: Stella Cocoris
Activity Addressed: Curriculum/Resource Management,
Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow, 2.
Eliminate double data entry points, 1. Eliminate manual data
entry, 3. Eliminate need for ancillary databases, 5. Enhance
university administrative functions, 13. Enhance user access to
data, 14. Enhance user friendliness, 15. Ensure data integrity,
6. Reduce paper handling
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 10:37:41 PM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.88
Add to STARS a feature that shows the number of students who attempted to register for a full class as well as a list of those students.
The "number of attempts denied" is stored and displayed in STARS. This number may include multiple attempts by the same student and thus may not represent student demand for a class.
Store the ID of each student attempting to register for a full class and associate that ID with that class. Additional regisration attempts by the same studen for the same class would not be stored or would be sorted out of the list. The resulting list of ID's (and other relevant information) could be made available to departments for decision-making. While these lists of students would not represent "waiting lists for full classes, they could be a first step in that direction. Perhaps a true waiting list feature in STARS could use some of the same programming code used by these lists.
Because these lists would provide more reliable information to departments, students would be more effectively served.
Departments can make appropriate decisions. Registration staff can provide more accurate information to students about demand for closed classes.
35.
SCORE: _______
Name: Stella Cocoris
Activity Addressed: Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 5. Enhance university
administrative functions, 14. Enhance user friendliness
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 10:42:40 PM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.88
Registration warnings, like the check for advisor's signature, should be cleared only by hitting a special key or key combination.
Almost all registration warnings are overriden by pressing the F1 or Enter key. These are the same keys the user would press if there were no warning. If the user doesn't read the screen carefuly,the warning is missed.
Code should be written that disables to F1 and Enter keys when a registration warning is issued.
Students would be less likely to register for classes without proper signatures or authorization.
Special override keys would make registration warnings and important messages much more difficult to overlook.
36.
SCORE: _______
Name: Stella Cocoris
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit,
Placement/Articulation, Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 4. Automate work flow, 9. Create
centrally managed set of rules, 5. Enhance university
administrative functions, 6. Reduce paper handling
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 7/30/97
Time: 11:00:13 PM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.88
The system should check to see if students have met prerequisites before they are registered for courses.
The system checks to see if a registering student is cleared for lower level math classes and EH 101 but does not read against course history to do this. Rather, blocks to registration are determined based on whether a student has met appropriate placement criteria.
To do prerequisite checking in the most comprehensive sense, at least two other processes must occur in addition to the necessary programming. First, the master course file must be coded in such a way that only absolutely required prerequisites are carried as such. This will avoid an onslaught of requests by students for special exceptions which must be approved at the departmental or individual faculty level. Second, and perhaps much more difficult, is that a 'transfer data bank' must be built and updated constantly as new courses come into the institution and are articulated. (Since 65% of our undergraduates come in with previously earned college credit, they will have likely met prerequisites for our couses with work completed at other institutions.) To do prerequisite checking, the registration system should read against a student's previous course history and current enrollment.
Students' chances of academic success will be greater if it can be validated that they are adequately prepared for coursework. Improved retention should resutlt.
Faculty will no longer need to use valuable class time to assess whether enrolled students have completed prerequisites. Also, academic advisors will not have to track enrollments, as is currently done in some departments, to make sure that stuents are enrolled in appropriate courses.
37.
SCORE: _______
Name: Claude McCann
Activity Addressed: Financial Aid/Student Accounting, None
of the Above (Please describe below)
System Goals Addressed: 1. Eliminate manual data entry, 3.
Eliminate need for ancillary databases, 5. Enhance university
administrative functions
Mandated by: UAB Administration
Date: 7/31/97
Time: 12:47:34 AM
Remote Name: 138.26.167.178
Provide the cashier's system to the hospital for the recording of miscellaneous cash (non patient) into FAS.
The hospital is using a system that does not provide the accountability for miscellaneous cash receipts. The cash system is difficult to balance with FAS and the Bank. When hospital purchased a system for patient receivables, this system did not have an adequate component for non patient cash.
The hospital should use the system that is in use in the Cashier's Office. This system handles the receipt of miscellaneous cash and can be balanced on a daily basis with FAS and the Bank.
none
The hospital users and departmental users will be able to rely on the data appearing on the FAS statements and know that it is in balance. The Hospital will not have to purchase a new system.
TUCC will have to assist in the setup of hospital equipment and security. Changes to daily reports must be made to accommodate the additional group in the cash system.
38.
SCORE: _______
Name: Phyllis Berk
Activity Addressed: Advising/Degree Audit,
Curriculum/Resource Management, Enrollment Management,
Registration and Records
System Goals Addressed: 13. Enhance user access to data,
12. Enhance user access to system, 14. Enhance user friendliness,
8. Enhance user skills, 11. Provide point-of-contact data entry
and decision making capability, 6. Reduce paper handling
Mandated by: None of the Above
Date: 8/13/97
Time: 6:01:07 PM
Remote Name: 138.26.25.8
Provide faculty members web access to class and student data
This information is available for viewing through the mainframe STARS system. However, most faculty members do not connect to the mainframe and are unfamiliar with the STARS screens.
Extend our contract with EPOS ($1700) to include WEBFACULTY. This would provide the following web applications:
1. View class rosters (instructors can view their own - past and current) 2. View information about students in your classes (gpa,address, phone, major, etc) 3. View classes offered in a term. 4. If UAB decides to allow faculty members to post grades directly, provide a web screen to do so.
With online grade posting, students could get their grades faster.
Instructors can view/update information about classes and students from home or office as long as they have a PC, and access to the internet.
TUCC will have to work with EPOS to develop these applications.
--End of Proposals--
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