Title: A Strategic Plan for the UAB Student Information Systems
1A Strategic Plan for the UAB Student Information
Systems
- Summary of a Proposal
- Submitted by the
- Student Information Systems Management Advisory
Committee
2Committee members
- Mary Beth Adams
- Institutional Studies Services
- Jeanne B. Alexander
- University Computer Center
- Dr. David M. Bedwell
- Joint Health Sciences
- Phyllis Berk
- University Computer Center
- Dr. Charlotte G. Borst
- School of Social Behavioral Sciences
- Stella Cocoris
- Student Affairs
- Dr. David A. Corliss (Chair)
- School of Optometry
- Dr. J. Michael Hardin (As of 2/98)
- School of Health-related Professions
- Dr. M. Khris Mcalister
- School of Business
- Claude E. Mccann
- Department of Finance
- Dr. James E. Mclean
- School of Education
- Dr. Maryanne B. Ivey (Staff)
- Office of the Provost
3Committee charge
- Short term
- Develop a strategy for enhancing the existing
system - Long term
- Monitor policy development
- Assess impact of policy changes on the SIS
- Assess impact of changes in the SIS on policy
4Scope of this proposal
- Examines costs and benefits of several solutions
designed to - Meet the student-related strategic agenda goals
- Add functionality to the existing system
- Lay foundation for commercial SIS
- Place TUCC in a strategic position for change
- Cover present to end of FY1999-2000
- Does not include estimates for commercial SIS
5Strategic agenda goals as context
- Increase retention of students between first and
second years - Increase the 4-, 5-, and 6-year graduation rates
6Actions recommended to meet strategic agenda goals
- Develop appropriate policies and procedures
- Assess academic preparedness in all incoming
students and assure it in others - Advise all incoming students, all enrolled
students flagged by system, others on demand - Ensure timely availability of required courses
through structured curriculum - Support all of the above with a strong student
information management system
7Setting priorities for SIS modifications
- Undertake only high priority modifications to the
current system - Use a consistent method for defining priorities
- Plan with migration to new technologies in mind
- Train staff for migration to new technologies
8Assumptions behind recommended solutions
- A commercial SIS will provide functionality users
need with a minimum of customization - Will purchase new SIS within a reasonable period
of time (by 2000?) - Student services will not be affected adversely
by eliminating low priority projects
9Assumptions (contd)
- Structural programming required to modify
existing system is not a good use of resources - Adding new modules that cannot be migrated to a
new system is not a good use of resources
10Overall strategy
- Identify global solutions that
- Meet as many functional requirements as possible
- Meet as many user needs as possible
- Put the TUCC staff in a strategic position to
migrate to new technologies - Require changes that will not be lost when we
migrate to commercial system
11Planning methodsidentifying global solutions
- Identified general functional requirements as a
list of goals for any administrative system - Ranked functional requirements by impact on
students, users, and administrators - Looked for interactions among functional
requirements - Identified global solutions
12Interactions among requirements and global
solutions
13Planning methods evaluating specific proposals
- Members of committee met with users
- Posted specific proposals to web site
- Proposals were ranked by
- The number of areas they affected
- Sum of ranks of functional requirements met
- Proposals were grouped by global solution
14Recommended solutions I
- Address the strategic agenda goals
- Degree audit and articulation database
- Curriculum planning tools
- Hit list
- Tuition redistribution
- Student and faculty web access
15Recommended solutions II
- Address decision support, data integrity and data
access - Decision support center
- Data standards monitoring
- Data warehouse
16Recommended solutions III
- Address workflow
- Electronic data interchange
- Programmable e-mail system
17Recommended solutions IV
- Address technology changes
- Client/server access to mainframe
18Investment strategy
- Hire consultants (programmers) to complete
year-2000 fixes - Frees permanent staff to work on solutions
- Minimize programming changes to existing system
- Invest in training for new technologies
- Hire other staff outside TUCC as needed
19TUCC personnel requirements
20Investments
21Cash flow
22Risks
- Continuing administrative support
- End user buy-in
- Reliance on information systems to do it all
- Delayed modifications to existing system
- Change from quarter to semester calendar
23For the complete proposal and more, visit the
SISMAC web site at http//ntopt.opt.uab.edu/sisma
c