Academic Advising

Advisory Group Newsletter

January 2017

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Alliance 2017 is fast approaching, coming February 27 – March 2, 2017. If you missed the Early Bird Registration, you can still take advantage of “Advanced Rates” from January 7 – February 3, 2017.

Already registered? Complete your agenda soon! By indicating the sessions you are interested in, you’ll be able to plan you time, access speaker notes before the session, use the mobile application (to be released soon), and do post-session evaluations. This data also helps conference organizers with resource allocation. 

Have you considered adding a pre-conference workshop to your agenda? Check out the offerings here. We’re lucky to have Larry Hill from Indiana University leading participants through a comprehensive overview of all Academic Advising components. For only $100 USD, you can be a sure winner in Vegas and “Roll 7's Every Time With Your Academic Requirements”. (Note: You must register for a Workshop before you can add it to your agenda.)

Mix and Mingle. Start the conference with a friendly welcome at the AA Community Mingle, February 27 at 3:00 pm. You will get an overview of the conference, highlights of the track sessions, meet old and new friends, and find out how to play Academic Advising Poker.

Flock to Birds of a Feather. Be sure to make time March 2 from 8:30 am – 9:30 am for the AA Birds of a Feather session. This is an opportunity to meet fellow AA professionals from around the world, share your experiences, triumphs and challenges, and find solutions to those nagging problems. If you have specific topics you wish to explore, please e-mail them to Kelly Wilker-Draves (kwilker@uwaterloo.ca).

Vote on Product Enhancement Tracker Items! See current items here. See below for some general information about the Product Enhancement Tracker. If you use Advising Notes, or are considering using it, you’ll want to get your vote in on Enhancement # 2675 Advising Notes – Add Role Level Security Whether you are attending the conference or not, your vote matters!

Make time for Community Service Activities. Fulfill a New Year’s resolution to contribute to the community by participating in one or more of the service activities happening at Alliance 2017. You can help Green Our Planet, Desert Paws Las Vegas Puppy Raisers, and Spread the Word Nevada.

Become a Volunteer at Alliance 2017. This is a wonderful opportunity for Alliance attendees, new and experienced, to get more involved in the HEUG. Click here for details. Sign up before February 1.

ACADEMIC ADVISING NEWS and ISSUES

Welcome New Alternate Members to the Advising Group!

We are pleased to welcome Jenn Hubbs of the University of Florida and David Donnelly from University of Newcastle, Australia. Alternate members (or non-voting members) serve one-year terms, adding their expertise and ideas to the mix. If a voting member is unable to continue participation, an alternate may be appointed to replace him/her. This allows for better continuity and effectiveness in the group. Thank you David and Jenn for joining us!

Come meet Jenn, David, and the rest of the Advisory Group, plus the entire AA Community at the Alliance 2017 AA Community Mingle.

PRODUCT ENHANCEMENT TRACKER – WHAT IS IT and HOW DOES IT WORK?

The Product Enhancement Tracker (‘PET’) is a tool to gather information about potential improvements to the most current version of Campus Solutions.

What is a PET Item?

A ‘PET Item’ is essentially a brief overview of an existing request for a change/enhancement to the product. HEUG members can review these items to see what issues are arising for other users and to provide feedback via voting as to whether the issue in question impacts their institution, and to what degree. Members can also comment on PET Items to indicate their support, describe their own use cases, add their own SR number for the same issue, identify and quantify additional business impacts or suggest alternative solutions. The data gathered here helps quantify and prioritize the desirability of potential enhancements.

What if my issue/idea isn’t on the Product Enhancement Tracker?

If you have searched HEUG online and your enhancement idea is not already in the PET, and you have submitted a Service Request to Oracle, you should also submit your own PET Item. Having others indicate their support and interest in your issue increases the likelihood that Oracle will address the matter in upcoming PUM Images/Bundles. You will need to provide the following information:

·         A short title summarizing the issue

·         A longer description outlining the matter. Screenshots and/or highly detailed documentation may be uploaded to the PET Item as attachments.

·         An Oracle SR ID: You can submit the PET Item without an Oracle SR ID number, but it must be added before the Advisory Group can approve your item.

·         An Oracle Bug Reference Number: If Oracle has converted the SR to an enhancement “Bug”, provide the Bug Reference Number

·         Business Process Impact: A description of how the enhancement will improve your administrative process

·         Workarounds in Place: The manual steps or modification implemented to solve the issue.

·         Suggested Resolution: What you would like to see, or details of a modification you have already put in place to address the issue.

Then what happens?

Each submitted pending PET Item is then reviewed by the AA PAG. An item may be:

·         Approved: The item is complete, has an Oracle SR/Bug Number, and appears to solve an issue relevant to many institutions and which is not addressed by existing functionality. The item is made available on HEUG Online for all AA Community Members to view, vote and/or comment on. If more information is needed to make a determination, the AA PET Co-ordinator will get in touch with the submitter. 

·         Rejected: The issue can be addressed by existing functionality and/or is unique to a very small number of institutions, or no Oracle SR/Bug Number has been added within 30 days of the original submission.

Your participation drives the PET!

Member votes and/or comments are used by the AA Advisory Group to prioritize PET Items before the annual Summit prior to the Alliance conference. The Advisory Group then meets with Oracle strategists to review potential items for development. 

If a priority item benefitting a large number of users is strategically aligned with Oracle’s project goals for the latest release of Campus Solutions (i.e.: CS 9.2), Oracle endeavours to incorporate it in future PUM images. Development of the Advising Notes functionality was a direct result of ideas put forth in the PET; smaller changes are also included in development planning.

Visit soon: Product Enhancement Tracker

WHAT’S NEW from Oracle

Campus Solutions 9.2 Re-certified Upgrade Now Available

In order to provide our global customer base with sustained upgrade support, Oracle has released the re-certified PeopleSoft Campus Solutions 9.0 to 9.2 Upgrade. Recommended information related to this latest upgrade path is available at:

My Oracle Support (MOS) PeopleSoft Campus Solutions Upgrade Home Page (MOS Doc ID 2078564.2), Campus Solutions 9.2 Upgrade Image 9.2.0.1.0 Available January 2017 (MOS Doc ID 2215904.1) and on the Campus Solutions Applications Blog.

Video Learning resources:

Oracle’s YouTube Channel has posted a new video overview of features for Campus Solutions 9.2 Fluid UI PUM Image 3. Visit https://www.youtube.com/user/oraclehighered for other video offerings and the PeopleSoft Information Portal  for additional documentation. 

LEARN MORE

Want more details on the Product Enhancement Tracker? Read the PET Community Statement document.

Check out what’s on offer from the HEUG Education Series regular offerings. Click here to see the latest schedule.