The Student Enrolment Project at the University of Durham

1. The Student Enrolment Project at the University of Durham Presented by: Joanne Elliott (Unisys Ltd), Leigh Sykes (University of Durham) January 2009

2. Aims • To provide background information on the project to move Durham to an online enrolment system from a paper-based process • To describe the work undertaken by Unisys Ltd to meet the University’s requirements and to make best use of the OENR • To details learning points from the project so far • To detail future development priorities

3. Background • Following extensive consultation with stakeholders it was established that the University’s existing registration process was not fit for purpose, since it did not provide a positive student experience and did not meet the University strategic aim to ‘use its resources effectively and efficiently’ • It was therefore agreed that a new enrolment and registration system was required in order to move awayfrom the process described as ‘paper-based and resource intensive’ and to improve the student experience of this ‘chaotic’ process • Since the registration process is business critical for the University, the project was considered very high risk and thus it was decided that the process should be re-engineered into separate enrolment and module registration processes

4. Background Cont’d • It was agreed that this project was the highest priority Pan-University project taking place at the time • Funding of £1.1 million was approved by the University Executive Committee in June 2007 • A technical specification for a new online enrolment system was delivered by Unisys Ltd in October 2007 • Implementation of this design commenced in November 2007, which meant that we were able to take advantage of the introduction of the SSEN (introduced Summer 2007) • Total development, testing and implementation time was approximately six months • The new online system went live on 12th May 2008. More than 15000 students have used the facility this year.

5. Project Milestones • Solutions Option Paper February 2007 • Technical Proposal October 2007 • Technical Design & Detailed Web Page Design November 2007 • Development Phase November 2007 – February 2008 • Testing Phase February 2008 – April 2008 • Implement Software May 2008

6. Project Requirements • The University outlined the following high-level requirements for the • Student Enrolment System (SES): • Transparency to end-users: The student should be able to access the enrolment processes by logging into DUO (Durham University Online - networked Learning Environment for students, using Blackboard software) and preferably with no additional sign on from the point of logging into that facility. • Clear status of the enrolment process: There should be a checklist facility to clearly indicate to the students which areas of enrolment they have / have not completed. • Approval/monitoring/reporting: • There should be functionality enabling required data for each student to be collected / confirmed as having been checked or amended by the student. • A new student’s identification must be verified by a member of staff and this must be recorded. • There should be a provision of management reporting.

7. Process Definition • Enrolment - Definition • The process by which a student confirms their intention to join or return to • an institution to follow a programme of study.

8. Unisys Project Approach • The approach taken was to implement the Student Enrolment system (SES) on to the current Banner infrastructure. • SGHE enrolment model: A template for online enrolment, OENR, was released by SGHE, however a complete bespoke set of pages were developed using the SSEN and PRGN toolboxes: • SGHE web development toolbox: Unisys implemented the Self-Service Engine (SSEN) as a solution for Enrolment along with bespoke developments to meet the additional requirements of the University. • SGHE rule based processing toolbox: Unisys implemented the Process Rules Engine (PRGN) to process entered data and write it back to the person and student area of the database. Also to keep an audit and facilitate reporting.

9. Unisys Project Approach • The keyadvantages for using SSEN/PRGN were; • the speed for developing the web pages, • the automatic provision of the checklist facility, • and the direct links to the Banner data.

10. Unisys Project Approach • The SSEN toolbox was used to generate Banner Self-Service web pages for • displaying and gathering enrolment data . • The series of generic Banner forms were used to configure the web pages • using the Process Rules Engine in Banner to collate data and write it back to • the person and student area of the database. • The web pages were built up from a series of elements (fields etc) and were • gathered together under the umbrella of a tick-box menu, which display a • student’s progress through the required elements of online enrolment. • Processes were defined for each student type and stage, for example, • undergraduate enrolment and postgraduate enrolment.

11. Meeting Project Requirements • Single Sign On • A student gains access to the online process at the point they have an active student record (status code ‘AS’) and when they have been provided with their ITS logon credentials. • A link to the enrolment system is available via DUO and provides a seamless login process between the DUO and SES systems.

12. Meeting Project Requirements • Checklist of Stages • A checklist page is displayed to guide students through the web based • processes. This checklist clearly indicates which areas have and which • areas have not yet been completed by the student. • The checklist items for a student are: • Enrolment • Verification • Module Registration

13. Meeting Project Requirements • Enrolment Stage • Web pages are available for the student to enter or confirm their personal • details, for example address information and sponsor details. Personal • information data fields are split across several web pages. • This functionality also includes; • The addition of Quick Address functionality for amendments on UK • Addresses. • A file upload process to upload photographs • A process for handling the upload of photographs. Photographs are stored inside tables in the Student database and these are used to produce the student’s campus card before they arrive.

14. Meeting Project Requirements • Confirmation Processes • A new student’s identity is confirmed by the University as part of the • Enrolment process. • Functionality is available to allow the University to record the verification of • a student’s identity against proof of identity documents. • The students is provided with a web page to allow them to view that • this stage of the process is complete.

15. Meeting Project Requirements • Web for Faculty – Department and College • Web pages are available to confirm the following is complete: • Student Verification of Identity • Campus Card has been distributed to the student.

16. Meeting Project Requirements • Process Completion • Once a student has completed all stages of the enrolment process they will • be provided with a facility to; • View their Personal Details • Update their Permanent Address • Update their Term-Time Address • Update their Emergency Contact Details • Once all the stages are marked as complete on the checklist screen, a student • has the status of RE against his/her student record. Students are granted access to • the Library (via campus card) once they are enrolled and identity verified.

17. Meeting Project Requirements • Look and Feel • The University style sheet was applied to the SES web pages.

18. Meeting Project Requirements • Interfaces to Other Systems • The SES interfaces with the following systems: • DUND Interface - ITS application used to maintain user details for all Durham IT users • A process to improve the efficiency of data transfers between Banner and DUND has • been developed. • Interface with the Fees Generation & Invoicing Processes • A bespoke process for calculating an individual’s fees will be developed for full-time • students. • Photograph Interface with the Campus Card System • Photograph are made available to DUND via a database link, then transferred to the • Campus Card System

19. The New Process • What information needs to be in place in Banner for online enrolment • to take place for new students? • A student record needs to be in place • This is created when the student is finally accepted and the decision code FA / IA is added to their record by UG Admissions or Graduate School. • The student’s ITS account is created the following day. • The student is sent an email with their IT account access information and is invited to complete online enrolment once the system is open to them, 56 days before their start date.

20. The New Process • Handling Different Student Types • The following instances where students are handled in a different way within the SES, are as follows; • Enrolment/Re-Enrolment • The data items to be confirmed and edited vary depending on whether a student is a new or continuing student • Fee Calculation • Depending on whether a student is full or part-time, the fee calculation and displaying of fees differs. For part-time • students, the display of fees is not possible without registration being completed for these students. Instead of • displaying and prompting for fee details, an appropriate message is displayed to indicate that fee cannot be provided • Campus Card Collection • Collection of campus card issued flag is not required for DL students as not all of these students need cards • Verification of Identity • For continuing students this is not required • Dates of Enrolment • Timings of enrolment are different depending on a student’s programme of study. The commencement date is used to • determine timings of enrolment for a new student. All students have the same timings for re-enrolment except for DL • students. DL students have multiple start points and the system is available all year round for enrolment / re-enrolment. • International Office Data • The international office data web page is only be displayed for Overseas students determined by the residency • status of the student for the effective term.

21. The New Process Photograph Page A student is not be permitted to upload a photograph if they have exceeded the maximum number of upload attempts. This limit is set to 3. • Students are not be permitted to upload photographs if the current date exceeds the cut • off date for submitting photographs. This cut-off date is 12 days prior to the • commencement date. The ‘Upload Photo’ file browse item allows only valid image file extensions, ie. GIF, JPG, JPEG, TIF, TIFF, BMP. On upload of a photograph, the image file will be converted to JPG format and resized appropriately for the Campus Cards system. Should any errors occur during this process the student will be asked to upload a valid image file. Photographs are held as ‘BLOB’ data types within the database.

22. The New Process • Process Complete – Reminders / Revoking Access Email reminders will be sent to students to highlight incomplete processes and to prompt them to complete the process or they may lose their IT access. ITS Access will be revoked to Basic if the process is not complete 14 days after the student’s commencement date.

23. The New Process • Enrolment Open / Close – Override • In order to work around an instance whereby a student requires to enrol when • enrolment is closed, the Enrolment Closure Override attribute ‘OVER’ is set against • a student. SPA can set this attribute if a student needs to enrol but enrolment has • closed for them.   • If this attribute exists for a student the Enrolment System will override the check on • open/close dates and allow the student access to enrol. • Once a student has completed enrolment, the attribute can be manually removed • via the form.   • The ‘OVER’ attribute is added/ removed using the Banner form SGASADD.

24. Supporting the New Process • Staff Enrolment Pages • An on-line facility for staff has been developed to allow for relevant data • checking and confirmation, and is available via DUO. The system audits • the member of staff completing the checking and confirmation processes. • The staff page will provide a link to the following web pages: • Student Enrolment Details • College / Department Students • Photograph Validation • Enrol on behalf of a Student

25. Supporting the New Process • Audit Information • A bespoke table to capture audit information was developed. • This stores the following tracking data: • the date that each section (e.g. enrolment, verification etc) of the whole process has been completed, • dates that e-mails have been sent to individuals, • flags for incorrect data • This allowed support staff to identify which elements of the process had • been completed by each individual student and when, as well as to confirm whether • e-mails had already been sent.

26. Supporting the New Process • Supporting Problems • Students who are having problems with the enrolment system or process, are directed to the IT • Service Desk. • Students and Staff can contact the IT Service Desk via the Comments and Questions form link • found at the bottom of all the web pages. • Or, via the email address which is itservicedesk@durham.ac.uk • Or, ITS can also be contacted by personal visits. • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are available from the web pages. FAQs are used by students • to obtain answers to any queries they may have relating to the enrolment process.

27. Developing Online Enrolment • Using the SSEN toolbox • The following items have been configured to meet the University’s Requirements via • the SSEN set-up options. • Labels • Select Lists • Links • Checklist web pages • Configuration has been carried out of the drop down selection lists for fields • such as Ethnicity and Disability codes, as these all need to be selected from the • HESA validated lists.

28. Developing Online Enrolment • Explanatory Text • On each web page the following text has been added; • Page Header Text: this is the text that is displayed at the top of the page • Page Title Text: this is the title that will appear in the window bar • Text Object: this is the text on the web page. It is possible to enter HTML • tags directly into the value field for the Text property. Text objects are • associated with sections or forms. • Data Item Label: this is the text that will be displayed for the data item on • the web page.

29. Developing Online Enrolment Select Lists Some examples of Select Lists used within the SES; Marital Status STVMRTL Country of Nationality SKVSSDT Ethnic Origin STVETHN Disability Information STVMEDI Disability Allowance SKVSSDT Term Time Accommodation Type SKBHINS Emergency contact relationship STVRELT

30. Developing Online Enrolment • Links • Links have been used extensively throughout the SES. • Link objects are available within the SSEN to use within a web page; these • insert a link on the web page. • Page Set Links • Both SSEN Page Links and Link URLs (using Redirect URLs / Process • Rules) are used within Page Sets to determine which page is displayed.

31. Developing Online Enrolment • Business Rule Processes - the PRGN toolbox is used to build • business rules: • Business rules are used as follows; • To determine which pages to direct a student to in the SES • To determine the status a student should receive after completing each stage of the SEP process.

32. Developing Online Enrolment • Student Web Page Mappings

33. Developing Online Enrolment • Staff Web Page Mappings

34. Developing Online Enrolment Page Sets within Page Sets Checklist Page • Enrolment • Verification • Programme & Module Registration Enrolment • Personal Details 1 • Personal Details 2 • Address Information • Emergency Contact • Photograph • International Office Data • Financial Information • Confirm data, Rules & Regulations

35. Developing Online Enrolment Using the PRGN toolboxto display different data according to student type, e.g. new/continuing Following techniques have been used; • Variants of a page and use dynamic re-direction (using Process Rules) to automatically direct students to the appropriate pages • Include additional conditions i.e. student type, in the select statement of the Data Object or Select Lists

36. Developing Online Enrolment Page Updates Using In-Line Views with the SSEN toolbox; • Page object is created in GKASPAG • Database table is created with a name matching the page name and with columns for all updateable fields • Database view is created with a name also matching the page name • Trigger (instead of insert/update) is created on the database view • Process Rule Set is created in GKRPRST, to auto populate GKRPWRK • Process Rule is created in GKRRSQL, to select data from GKRPWRK • Map columns in GKRPRCT; define the view columns to insert the data into the view • Code within the trigger on the view for validation and data updates

37. Developing Online Enrolment Page Updates How the processing works; >Page is complete and submitted by the student >Data is removed from the underlying table >Data is inserted into the view >Trigger is executed >Validation code is invoked >If data passes validation then Banner tables are updated >If data fails validation then populate the table and re-display the data back to the student N.B. we use a timestamp on the table so only displays data within a certain timeframe

38. Developing Online Enrolment Page Updates Main reason for using In-Line Views; • Updating more than one table from one page with several data items displayed on it • Retaining data entered when page validation fails • Ability to test updates by inserting data directly into the views rather than via the front end

39. The Student Enrolment System Now lets take a look at some of the key sections of the SES…

40. The Student Enrolment System Staff & Students Login via DUO

41. The Student Enrolment System Open the SES

42. The Student Enrolment System Students are logged into the Student Enrolment System and asked to click on the link to continue.

43. The Student Enrolment System Process Checklist items for New students.

44. The Student Enrolment System Process Checklist items for Continuing students.

45. The Student Enrolment System Photograph Page

46. The Student Enrolment System • Enrolment • Checklist Page • At this stage, • Confirm • Data, Rules & • Regulations • page can be • completed. • If however all check boxes are not • checked the user will be taken to the • Confirm Data, Rules & Regulations • Error web page and requested to • complete all of the enrolment • sections. • Student can • then Confirm • Enrolment

47. The Student Enrolment System • Confirmation • Enrolment • Complete Page

48. The Student Enrolment System • Enrolment is • marked as • complete on • the Process • Checklist Page

49. Learning Points - General • Business processes can never be ‘too defined’ and making sure that they are accurate and understood is the foundation of any project of this nature • The impact of different cultures within the project was extensive and often detrimental • Communication issues were often highlighted as problematic between the different stakeholders • Obtaining buy in from all of the disparate stakeholders was often extremely difficult • The project successfully implemented a new online system despite this • The University’s method of resourcing the project did not assist the project in working towards a successful implementation

50. Learning Points - General Cont’d • The issues that the project team and other staff testers were concerned about were not the ones that end users were concerned about • Undertaking a project of this size while also addressing the new HESA return may have been a miscalculation in terms of the resource required for each • Implementation resource was not defined in enough detail, and so some stakeholders felt un-supported • Success was achieved based on the goodwill and determination of the project team and some key stakeholders • The benefits of the new process are becoming much more apparent as time goes on e.g. the student records team has completed many processes relating to registration 3-4 weeks in advance of in previous years • Students have welcomed the new process and have been very complimentary about the online functionality