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Plus 2 or how we developed an MLE

Plus 2 or how we developed an MLE. Agenda. Rationale Definition of MLE and Portal Data entity philosophy Navigation Authentication Data transfers and system functions Website standardisation and accessibility Use of e:Vision within the MLE School and Service websites e-Payments

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Plus 2 or how we developed an MLE

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  1. Plus 2 or how we developed an MLE

  2. Agenda Rationale Definition of MLE and Portal Data entity philosophy Navigation Authentication Data transfers and system functions Website standardisation and accessibility Use of e:Vision within the MLE School and Service websites e-Payments Ownership, BPR, publicity and 'on-side' stuff University Support and Monitoring Afterwards…

  3. The Project & Rationale The project was set up as stand-alone – reporting straight to (initially) a Pro Vice Chancellor and (subsequently) the Vice Chancellor. The Project Director briefs the Executive (VC & DVCs) monthly at least. The Director is a Senior Academic (seconded). The Manager is a Senior Administrator (seconded). There are, in addition, 16 full time secondees and contract staff.

  4. The MLE Rationale The University needs more students to come… …then to stay! • Our administrative structures stop us recruiting • We can’t fully support those who need flexibility • Uncertain advice • Stress • Confusion over support mechanisms • We can’t fully support those who need flexibility

  5. The MLE Features • Learning support and administrative systems apparently integrated into a single system. • With an overtly stated intention of helping: • students in their studies • tutors in their teaching • administrators in their management • AND to get more students and keep them with us!! • It places students and learning support at the centre of the University’s activity. This has come as a bit of a surprise for some areas of the University!

  6. Definition of MLE and Portal In our implementation… Managed Learning Environment • a system allowing controlled and guided access to on-line resources: • controlled means that access to different part of the system depends on the level of access granted • guided means that the system ‘suggests’ navigation routes according to the person’s needs. Portal • a system that checks to ensure that a user is authorised to access the system, and provides basic first-step navigation into the MLE.

  7. The Portal Is Web-based Hosted on Solaris/Unix (for security and robustness) Is set up for slow (28K) modem capability Is W3C disability compliant Provides user authentication via LDAP Gives user access to The VLE The Student Administration System Information Services resources User setup options Gives user views of “Internal” websites Newsfeeds etc

  8. MLE data entity philosophy Data exist once only – and reside in the most appropriate place, dataflow being controlled by the MLE:

  9. MLE Navigation

  10. Authentication Achieved through LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), which is populated from the SITS PMU table. (The Portal operates within the SITS e:Vision containers.) Staff: weekly download from HRM system to update SITS Students: Immediate update of system on registration Copied to LDAP server, for authentication. When authorisation is achieved, a volatile cookie is placed on the machine, and the user may then access appropriate areas of the system eg e:Vision, WebCT and the MLE, and thence to the various websites and resources.

  11. Data transfers and system functions Data are transferred through three main routes: • Two-way, bespoke, ‘hard’ interfaces: • eg Oracle Financials, PAMS • One-way, ‘soft’ interfaces: • eg Library, Students’ Union, HRM • Dataflows • eg WebCT, timetabling, student support Functions are carried out in the most appropriate system.

  12. Data transfers and system functions (example) Data from SITS to WEBCT are transferred, using SITS SRL in three stages: • User list (weekly) • Module (‘courses’) list (weekly) • Membership list (three times a day) • This maintains the necessary student/module/membership files in WebCT. NO module definition data are kept on WebCT, but are available through WebCT. eg, the Module Descriptor that a user views through WebCT is actually held on SITS (MDS). Also, module memberships MUST be maintained through SITS, NOT through WebCT. • Learning resources are kept on Information Services systems and linked from WebCT, unless they are ONLY required through WebCT. • Module mark entry by academic staff, and viewing of transcripts by students is done through e:Vision.

  13. Standardisation and accessibility As part of the project, all School and Service content has been brought ‘into’ the MLE, and standardised. • All use a content management system (ZOPE) • All satisfy the SENDA rules (and are W3C AA compliant) • All are constructed through a common template with common menus and navigation • The content is the responsibility of the ‘owner’ (eg School/Service) • Updates are ‘cut and paste’, so need not be done by technicians • Newsfeeds can come from the School, or the Centre • Are customised for Staff, Students and Guests

  14. SCREEN DUMP

  15. Use of e:Vision in the MLE e:Vision provides the ‘preferred’ route for: Staff to enter marks/grades Students to get standard outputs (eg Council Tax, transcripts) etc e:Vision also provides a route for: Students to view their personal details Students to update their termtime address Students to view their marks/grades Students to re-enrol (from January 2002) Students to select options (from September 2003) etc

  16. e-Payments ePDQ (via Barclays Merchant Services) will be on the MLE from September. This allows: Students to select when and what to pay Overseas students to pay from their own bank accounts Parents (or anyone) to pay on students’ behalf Students to take control of their own debt Payments to be made from anywhere, at any time Details are checked against the SAS, then posted to ePDQ for authorisation, then reported to Finance.

  17. Ownership, BPR, publicity and 'on-side' stuff (1) The MLE Project was established as a ‘stand alone’ entity, partly with the intention of breaking the existing silos in the University down. • This has caused some interesting frictional forces to come into play!

  18. Ownership, BPR, publicity and 'on-side' stuff (2) A full and inclusive consultation was used to: • Choose the systems • About one third of the staff, and several students were actively involved in the selection • Decide how to implement them • As many staff as possible (about 800) and the Students’ Union were interviewed as part of a BPR exercise. Each BPR was based on a Strategic Objective, which was shared with staff. • This led to a series of recommendations that were shared with all staff.

  19. Ownership, BPR, publicity and 'on-side' stuff (3) Continuous consultation and updating has been carried out throughout the implementation of the MLE: • Project website • Newsletters • Open fora, in various guises.

  20. University support The Project has a University level Committee that oversees it: • useful for funding council purposes • Chaired by Project Director • minutes go to Executive • membership includes: • Academic Registrar • Heads of Information Services, IT&CS, LDS, Marketing • Students’ Union • It receives: • monthly progress report against agreed timeline • monthly budget report against agreed spending profile • regular reports from internal and external evaluators

  21. After the Implementation Following the implementation period, the MLE and Portal will pass to Information Services (“the Library”) for further development.

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