MOCC Agenda
Thursday, November 20th
1:00 to 3:00 pm, CST
605-773-2323; password = 5502#
Minutes to be recorded by Rose Ann Lennon
Main Agenda:
1. Introductory items:
r Role call
Present: Pam Thomas, Sandy Anderson, Barb Dolan, Matt Aschenbrener, Don Ticknor, Rose Hansen, Sharon Sopko, Trudy Zalud, and Jay Larsen (sitting in for Sharon Kienow)
r Agenda modifications None
r Review of minutes from our October meeting – see attached email from Suzanne
2. Technology update: Don – please refer to minutes of the recent DA meeting (sent via email this morning):
m 1c. HOM vs. LOC addresses
Currently, if permanent address = local address, then the information is entered into Colleague only once. And if addresses are manually updated, then this approach works fine. However, when addresses are updated electronically (for example, in relation to Registration Confirmation), then an issue arises: there's no way for the process to determine whether or not a local address is needed/missing. Consequently, we have decided to change our current practice and enter the information twice. Carla will incorporate this change into Colleague Procedures.
r 1d. Withdrawal dates
To this point, we have assumed that the effective date of withdrawal entered into Colleague should reflect the day the student actually withdrew from the university. Now the question has been raised: should this date equal the last day of the term? The program should stay active until that point in time.
Jay: Students called into military service have the option to take letter grades or W grades (depending on the point in the semester at which the student withdraws). This situation should be considered. Also, withdrawal date impacts financial aid calculations, including return of federal funds.
Trudy: Clearly, this decision has ramifications for financial aid. Jay, could you please refer this matter to the module for discussion?
Jay: Yes, I will gladly follow up.
Don: You could use the DA minutes as a springboard to discussion. Also, each DA plans to broach the subject at the campus level and bring that feedback to our next meeting.
Sandy: As a note, programs are not inactivated until the end of the term – regardless of withdrawal date. For various reasons, we do need an exact withdrawal date.
Don: Yes, we do have two different issues here. Accessing input from the Financial Aid Module will be critical.
r 5. Clearinghouse
Clearinghouse reporting has added a new field for class and allows a detailed break-down of graduate students – master's, specialist, doctoral, etc. Right now, our only classification at the GR level is the generic graduate. We are struggling to determine a suitable translation table which will enable more definition of this student grouping. As a technology group, we plan to post queries with AnswerNet (to ascertain whether a rule could be combined with the translation table) and with Clearinghouse (to determine how NSLC will use the new class field). This research may help us to discover viable options.
r 6b. Immunization update
We are testing a new registration rule that encompasses location (topic) code and delivery method (local government) codes. Additionally, we are testing a new location (topic) code for use with classes that actually meet outside of the state boundaries: OUT. Our deadline is January 1st.
r 6c. Recommended location (topic) codes
The Continuing Ed Department at USD has submitted a proposal for a new coding scheme. However, the rationale for this request eludes us…the proposal seems to consist of one-to-one replacements with only a few new location codes. The group asked Joleen Bos (the newly appointed DA for USD) to follow up with Continuing Ed for more information.
r 8. I to F grade change – credits not updated
This glitch has not been fixed, but that remains the intention.
r 9. Procedure updates
Carla is working on updating Colleague Procedures.
r 3b. VSA calculator
Apparently, all schools will be installing VSA College Cost Calculator. Is anyone aware of efforts at his/her university?
Sandy: For DSU, Marilyn Halgerson would be able to speak to that.
Matt: This project is system-wide, but I don't know the status at SDSU.
Don: I need to ask at USD as well.
Update: This conversation was continued on the most recent technology call. We checked with VSA; due to several problems, this group is advising against installation of the calculator at the present time. Eventually, they will set it up on their site and allow universities to use it from there. If South Dakota does install, we will pursue a centralized installation (instead of decentralized installation involving all six universities).
r 4b. Web Advisor – carryover issues from 2.x
As discussed in previous meetings, we had a problematic situation involving withdrawals and dropping the last class: WA would allow a student to drop his/her last class if the last two remaining classes were corequisites. This glitch has been fixed. However, we have related problem: if a student is registered for future semesters, then WA will allow him/her to drop all courses for the current semester. We need to fix this.
r 5f. Web Advisor link to NSLC (Clearinghouse)
In the past, students were required to log in to access the Clearinghouse site, providing SSN in the process. Recently, NSLC changed requirements; as a result, universities must transition to 'server side authentication.' This change compels the regental system to set up several programs (Envision and CF) to pass Social Security Numbers (along with site ID's and passwords) to NSLC. Social Security Numbers will be sent securely across the internet by the link in WA to NSLC, thus eliminating the need for students to log in and submit that identifier. As of now, students need only to click on the NSLC link. RIS is still working on the transition; at this point, our programs have not passed the NSLC requirements for a successful test. The change must occur before the established deadline of January 1st, 2009.
Barb: Is there a plan to publicize this change to students?
Don: No, I don't see a need. First of all, SSN was always a part of the process; the only real difference pertains to the party sending the information. Second, no other demographic information (name, date of birth, etc) will be provided – just SSN. Finally, the Social Security Number will be encrypted, and breaking the encryption would be extremely difficult. I'm confident in the security of the submission process.
r 5h. Students adding themselves to waitlists
When students pursue the waitlist option, the wrong message is sent (that is, they are receiving a message that confirms course registration, not placement on the appropriate waitlist). We decided to capitalize on the fact that a message is sent and change the content of that message; it will now be more generic in nature.
r 9. Clone from PROD to TEST
This process is highly important to the Financial Aid Module, and we are working to accommodate their preferences. We plan to execute the clone in early January so that the TEST environment has all pre-registration data and FA setup data.
Jay: That is good news!
Other?
Trudy: Don, you mentioned the creation of a WA advisory council at USD. How is this unfolding and has the group proven useful?
Don: Things are going very well! The group members were pre-selected, and they meet regularly. Consequently, they are motivated and involved. Their input has been very beneficial. Whenever a question arises on the tech call, I am able to touch bases with this group and receive relevant information from an end-user's perspective. For example, we have encouraged faculty to save data often when entering grades for large classes (such as 300 students). The group reminded me that saving takes the user back to the menu, which is awkward and inconvenient. Such tips are extremely helpful.
3. Colleague maintenance during the holiday season – see email from Suzanne below:
Christmas and New Year’s both fall on Thursday this year; this affects our maintenance schedule. During the week of December 22nd, offices aren’t open on either December 25th or 26th. Grades are due on the 24th at midnight, so we will do maintenance on the 27th (Saturday morning). We will plan to finish by 10:00 a.m. that day.
For the week of December 29, we will do maintenance on January 3rd (also Saturday morning); again, we’ll plan to finish by 10:00 a.m. that day.
Questions/commentary from the group
Sandy: Moving maintenance to Saturday is a good idea. Just an FYI – since offices will be closed on Friday, the 26th, we will need to complete all of our end-of-term processing in a time span that has been shortened by one day. This will be challenging.
4. Registration Confirmation Project – see email from Suzanne below:
On the call today, these dates were set for the 2009SP Registration Confirmation process. Trudy, please add to the MOCC agenda, and Carla, please adjust the calendar as needed.
1. The system process will open up on December 15th. Right now it is on the calendar for November 26 – please move it to December 15th.
2. RIS will begin running PADU daily with an effective date of January 14, 2009 (first day of term) starting January 2.
The calendar item currently says “Run PADU (Pending Address Update) prior to transmission of FA.”
Please change that to “Run PADU (Pending Address Update) prior to transmission of FA and Refund processing with an effective date of January 14, 2009 (start of term). Process will be run daily each morning.”
Questions/commentary from the group
Sandy: We have been working with issues related to student address; we brainstormed changes and made decisions that affect the Registration Confirmation process.
Pam: Yes, we are waiting for Darcy to confirm that our requested changes have been made. We are anxious to test because BILL is looming on the horizon. Registration Confirmation will be available to students from December 15th to January 23rd – approximately five weeks.
5. Immunizations Update:
r MCR 20F (Compliance Procedures for Spring 09) – please see attached
If anyone has recommendations for this document, please submit by next Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving). Pending feedback, I will finalize the MCR and then distribute/post to the MOCC website.
r Recent meeting with Immunization Committee: November 14th
I met with the Immunization Committee last Friday; the phone conference provided a great opportunity to touch bases as an entire group and to debrief fall semester (that is, our transition to state law). We discussed what went well and what didn't. A significant number of positives were shared, along with tips that might benefit other campuses. Of course, a greater number of frustrations were revealed.
Common themes:
m Staff members either overriding holds or assigning the TWR waiver to enable registration without the knowledge and consent of the student health coordinator: this is very problematic. Leaving student health out of the loop leads to nasty surprises when the non-compliance list is distributed. And the delay in communication decreases the length of time afforded to students for necessary follow-up to demonstrate compliance.
m Registration clean-up just before the census extract was frozen. This led to bumps in the numbers of students included on non-compliance lists.
m Continuing Education – in the past, these departments weren't typically in the mix…now they are and don’t like it. They are struggling to accept the reality of this new state law. Understandably, the Continuing Ed folks regard immunization compliance as yet another stumbling block to enrollment – counterproductive to the goal of increasing participation and revenue. We continue to work through issues with these departments.
m International students: due to situational complexities, these students experience greater difficulty when attempting to access immunization records.
m TWD: confusion attached to this code lingers; the uncertainty is compounded by the fact that we have adjusted its application. In the past, we used this waiver for students who register for main campus (or UC) classes, but actually complete the totality of work off campus. Due to the transition to state law, we now use this waiver for students who register for face-to-face instruction, but actually complete all work in a distance format. (Note: this code is used only if a student registers for two or more classes; if the student registers for just one course – and that course is coded as face-to-face - then the TW1 waiver is used.)
The meeting was very productive. I was mindful of the group's feedback as I tweaked the MCR. MCR 20F was distributed with the agenda. Again, please send any comments or suggestions by next Wednesday (November 26th). I am anxious to finalize and distribute the MCR so that the student health folks have this resource available to them as needed.
Good news! Next semester, the non-compliance list will be available through Web Wizard. This is progress! As everyone knows, we revised the compliance program to fit the new dictates of the law. This significantly increased the complexity of the program. Because of this added complexity, Cory was uncertain as to whether the new program would provide a fit for Web Wizard. But after taking a closer look, he determined that it should work! Consequently, we will resume 24/7 access to this important information…a huge plus for the student health folks! We are aiming for January 1st.