Jisc smudie project report 1
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This report summarizes the initial activities of the SMUDIE project from November 2011 to January 2012. Key activities included establishing the project team, conducting interviews with stakeholders, and beginning to model the student information systems. The interviews identified areas for improvement, such as integrating additional data sources and increasing staff awareness of the systems. Enterprise architecture modeling techniques are being used to aid analysis and plan improvements to the student information management systems and processes. The project is progressing according to its initial plan.
Jisc smudie project report 1
- 1. SMUDIE Project Report Activity report for the Project Steering Group meeting January 23 rd 2012. 1. Summary This report covers the initial activities undertaken for the SMU Data Integration Exercise (SMUDIE) project in the two months November 22nd 2011 – January 22nd 2012. During that period the small project management team was established and arrangements for the initial round of data gathering were agreed. A project Blog was set up as a reflective diary of project activities and issues, available as and information source for both the internal project stakeholders and the JISC Programme team. Simon Gibbon represented the project at the Transformation Programme Start-up Online Conference and reported back to the project team. Nick Potter had an initial discussion with the project Critical Friend, Dave White at the University of Oxford, and this was followed up by Tony Toole. Tony Toole completed the first round of interviews with key stakeholders in Registry, Information Services and the Faculties. The outcomes of these interviews were used to begin the process of modelling the student information management systems in place at SMU and to form an initial assessment of its effectiveness. The overall impression gained at this early stage was that the systems underpinning student information management at the University were basically sound, although several areas were still in development as part of an intended migration towards a single integrated system. 2. Stakeholder Interviews 2.1 Registry, Quality, Learning and Teaching Services During the reporting period a restructuring took place in the management of Registry services, academic services, quality assurance, learning and teaching. As a result, Nick Potter became Head of Academic Services with responsibility for all these areas, and Paul Osborne became Deputy Head of Academic Services. The following interviews took place in this area: Name Position Dr Nick Potter Head of Academic Services Paul Osborne Deputy Head of Academic Services Tanya McIver-Janes Head of Registry Support Services Gemma Green Head of UK/EU Admissions Kristina Kirby Management Information Officer (FADE) 2.2 Computing and Information Services
- 2. Name Position Lyndon Shirley Head of IT Services Dave Smith IT Services Support Officer John Millward IT Services Support Officer Simon Gibbon TEL Development Officer 2.3 Faculty: FADE Name Position Louise Harris Secretary to the Dean Susan Lambert Faculty Secretary Rhian Pole Admissions Tutor Kristina Kirby Management Information Officer 3. Interview Outcomes These initial twelve interviews were loosely structured and aimed at gaining an understanding of the roles involved and the general student information management system(s) at the University. The overall message from CIS was that the goal was a fully integrated Student Information Management system that began with the original application and continued through to graduation and alumni management. The current system is based on the Unit 4 Agresso QLS student management system and is expanding to include the Agresso CMS. The system at present integrates well with the UCAS application system and the online student enrolment system has been a significant and successful move forward. On enrolment, the system populates the Moodle VLE with student information linked to their courses and elective modules. There is still manual entry of part-time and international student applications, but this is seen as something that will be progressively addressed. An issue for implementation is the level of CIS manpower available for the engagement with Registry and academic staff, and the ongoing development collaboration with Unit 4. Coupled to this is the issue of succession planning and the risk of expertise loss if staff leave or retire. Once enrolled, student academic progression information input is the responsibility of staff in the Faculties. All academic staff use the QLS system to enter information and this is seen as an area of potential weakness as there are a great many staff involved and consistency in the quality of data entry may vary. This initial survey has indicated that the role of the Faculty MIOs is very effective in addressing this risk of inconsistency. This link between the Faculties and Registry is valued by staff on both sides. The checking of student module registration, assessment result entry and similar activities, particularly in preparation for exam boards, indicates an important and efficient quality control intervention.
- 3. There are as number of areas being identified as candidates for improved integration into the centralised student information management system. This includes all instances where large scale data input from paper format is involved, and also where information cannot be easily extracted form the system, as appears to be the case with official student transcripts. Other areas for development include attendance monitoring and the ACMS, but this is already known and being worked on. The general impression gained so far is that, centrally, all the key areas for improvement are already known about and that limiting factors relate to available manpower and the ability of Unit 4, in particular, to respond to the problems identified. The other area that is emerging as a likely focus for improvement is in staff engagement with, and understanding of, the student information system. Staff in the Faculties, and in Registry, are understandably, only familiar in detail with the data they are responsible for and their user interface(s) with the system. The lack of a full picture of the system, lack of awareness of ongoing peripheral changes that impact on their habitual way of doing things, and the existence of conflicting data formats, are all things that will need to be addressed. A comprehensive review of data formats, addressing, for example, the anomalies in grade reporting, is certainly going to be a recommendation from this exercise. Another recommendation is likely to be a system of staff development/awareness that not only ensures the maintenance of data consistency, but also ensures all staff are aware of any information management system changes when they are implemented and know how to engage with them. 4. Enterprise Architecture Modelling The SMU Data Integration Exercise Project will be using Enterprise Architecture modelling techniques to aid its student information management analysis and planning activities. Enterprise Architecture is one of a number of modelling techniques used in management. Others include Checkland’s Soft Systems Modelling and Beer’s Viable Systems Modelling and each have their strengths. EA will be used here as it explicitly links the business layer modelling of management procedures and processes to the system applications layer that supports them, and the technical infrastructure layer upon which the applications run. At this early stage in the project only the business layer is being developed, based on the information for the interviews. The real benefit of the visual models emerging from the process is that they facilitate conversations about the issues they represent. It invites participants, firstly, to modify the model to so it accurately portrays the management structure as they see it. It then allows the identification of anomalies/control/management and communications issues and energises improvement planning. The two images below illustrate the models that emerge. Each of the elements represents a particular business function, role or activity and the links between them represent information flow and control/trigger functions.
- 4. 4.1 UCAS Application 4.2 SMU Enrolment 5. Project Planning
- 5. The Smudie project is progressing as planned. The original project GANTT Chart included as part of the project proposal has been updated to reflect the timing changes arising from the activities and management decisions in this first phase. This is shown below.