This is the third of our Strategic Issues blog entries. It outlines strategic issues that have been identified by the users and which the PAG is discussing with Oracle. It has been grouped into two PAG identified issues and Issue Tracker Issues.
1. PAG Identified Issues The PAG has identified the following strategic areas, many of them originated from one or more entries on the Issue Tracker or the SR Listserv, others arose from PAG calls, PAG summits and Birds of a Feather session at the Alliance conference
a..Transcripts
- Extending the scope to cover student life. Show internships, student body offices, other non academic activities and memberships.
- Providing more detail regarding content and objectives of Programs and Courses. Provide a full description of course content to make the transcript more meaningful to recipients and minimise the need for additional information to support transfer credits. Provide additional information regarding the program, particularly objectives and outcomes of the program.
b.. Retention
In the current difficult financial environment it is important to ensure that as far as possible, students complete their studies successfully in a short a time as possible. In addition, institutions are becoming more competitive in an attempt to maximize revenue with the result that retaining existing students is becoming more of an issue. There are various ways in which these issues can be addressed.
- Early warning of at risk Students. A mechanism is needed to be able to define “at risk” students and report on them, and then to be able to track remedial action and progress.
- Integration of progression planning into degree reporting. This will assist students to plan their studies so that they can complete in the shortest time. This requirement may well be met as part of the program enrolment functionality which will allow program or major structures to be developed and displayed in self service.
- Improved facilities for student feedback(esp. course evaluation and reasons for leaving) Providing course evaluation data will facilitate the reporting of student satisfaction, a vital part of retention. In addition the integration of course evaluation and student success rates will enable effective reviews of course efficacy.
- Predictive course demand analysis. Meeting the demand for courses is another obvious essential for retaining students. Students who cannot take the courses they want are likely to leave.
- Enhanced functionality for Academic Support. Similar to item (i) above a mechanism is needed to track and report on progress of students in need of academic support.
c. Additional Self Service functionality
- Add self-service test score inquiry. Available from Student Center for students and Faculty Center for advisors
- Allow students the ability to request a permission from the instructor (or designee) to enroll in a closed class from within self-service.
- Allow more configurability in how faculty and staff can display class rosters
d. Platforms for community development
- Continuing Education – There was a work group which provided input to Oracle regarding requirements for continuing education. A variety of requirements were identified. The need to avoid creating duplicate Emplid’s was seen as critical. This may be handled by the new functionality to support online applications. The other critical issue identified was the need to obtain payment before enrolling students.
e. Improved access control based on time periods
- Control of Class Scheduling
- Control of access to grades
f. Federal Reporting
g. Improving Study Abroad functionality
h. Mobile Devices
Whilst the functionality for using Campus Solutions on mobile devices is a general one. We need to identify
- Existing functionality which needs to be presented for mobile devices
- New opportunities afforded by the use of mobile devices
2. Issue Tracker strategic issues
Most of the above strategic issues had their origins in the issue tracker. The items listed below are those currently on the issue tracker which have been identified either as strategic issues in themselves or issues which when grouped together become strategic. There are many other issues on the tracker which are being evaluated by the PAG and Oracle and may be implemented so please keep them coming.
a. Multiple institution
There is a need to provide more flexibility in various set-up areas allowing different parameter values at the Institution level.
b. Pre-requisites - at session level & post term.
- There is a need to be able to check prerequisites at a session level. At present a course taken in a previous session within the term can only be handled as a co-requisite even if it is passed before the enrolment on the course requiring the prerequisite takes place.
- There is a need to identify where a student is enrolled in a class in a subsequent term and fails the prerequisite class in the current term, i.e. the student no longer meets the prerequisite.
c. Secure transmission of electronic documents.
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