405 - from cloning of student data in 2005
TRANSCRIPT
From cloning of student data in 2005 to 95% online registration in
2011: a merger success story
Marie Muller, Tinus van Zyl and Gert van Wyk
April 2012
Historical Background
• The University of Johannesburg (UJ) was established in 2005 → SA Merger legislation
• UJ is the result of the incorporation of two former Vista University campuses, the Rand Afrikaans University (established in 1967) and the Technikon Witwatersrand (established in 1925)
• SA Merger Guidelines → Academic Administration• Five pre-merger campuses
Bunting Campus (TWR) Kingsway Campus (RAU) Doornfontein Campus (TWR) Soweto Campus (Vista) East Rand Campus (Vista) → UNISA
Merger challenges: Academic Administration
• Legacy practices → transform to unity and campus equivalence
• Student Data System → unify by “cloning” of data• Alignment of student/academic administration policies,
procedures, regulations, etc.• Ensure smooth transition from pre-merger to UJ• Management of pipeline students and legacy student cultures,
practices, values, etc.• Developing a model of student academic administration
governance → to achieve excellence as reflected in the external audit results
STUDENT ENROLMENT
CENTRE
ESTABLISHED IN JULY OF 2008
Compiled by Gert van Wyk
Senior Manager : Student Enrolment Centre
Tel : 0115594501 or 0823411982
Email : [email protected]
Departmental facts
1. Why was Student Enrolment Centre (SEC) established
• To improve governance• To speed up administrative processes by
centralisation• To give the student a “one stop” experience
2. Staff
A total of 39 permanent staff mostly based on
Kingsway Campus with offices on each of the other
three campuses.
Departmental facts (cont.)3. Services
Acceptance of application forms, capturing of this information on ITS, issuing of student and staff access cards, scanning of documents (now outsourced), selection of students according to faculty criteria, supply of information to prospective students and answering of queries both in person and telephonically, assistance to International students(compliance)
4. Special Projects
• Online applications• Shortened biographical detail with reasons for non
admittance• Late applications in January each year will be
assisted via a Mobi Site.
Departments within Student Enrolment Centre
Contact Centre:Comprises of Information desk for walk in
studentsCall centre
for telephonic queries
Biographics Department:Comprises of Data Capturing of application forms
Scanning of all documents
Issuing of student and staff access
cards
Selections Department:Comprises of Selectors handling selections
for 6 of our 9 faculties
International Compliance Office:Comprises of Staff on each campus to deal
with compliance issues.
Statistics
Contact Centre: (2011)
Visitors through the gates (including more than 94 000
walk-ins in January alone) - 311 904
MyFuture queries - 9 466
Posted Items - 11 398
Calls handled by Call Centre - 216 426
Biographics Department:
Year ApplicationsApplicants
2009 66 117 50 444
2010 83 101 61 915
2011 99 29467 156
2012 105 00085 000
Statistics (cont.)
Selections Office:
Established in the middle of 2010 when staff placement
was finalised.
Handled 70 000 selections(declined, accepted, conditionally
accepted) between 6 staff members.
International Compliance Office:Students receive personal attention regarding their special
needs for applying to UJ.
March 2012 2012/13 Application Procedure
STUDENT ENROLMENT CENTRE 2012 PROCESS FLOWPO
STGR
ADUA
TES
UNDE
RGRA
DUAT
ESEX
TRA
CURR
ICUL
ARIN
TERN
ATIO
NAL
SELECTIONS OFFICE ONLINE APPLICATION BIOGRAPHICS
METROFILE/CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
FACULTY/DEPARTMENT
INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
EXTRA CURRICULAR DEPARTMENT
Applications screened and sorted
by SEC
Online Application made by applicant
Application routed to correct faculty
Selection done on ITS and ImageNow Letter sent to clientApplications that
failed pre-screening/selection
are captured on SHORT BIO
Applications that passed pre-
screening are sent for pre-selection
Applications that passed pre-
selection are captured and put on
electronic control list
Metrofile collects application forms – scan and upload to
ImageNow
Online Application made by applicant
Applications sorted per faculty
Applications monitored and controlled by
Postgraduate SEC staff member.
Applications put on Postgraduate control
list
Applications with qualification code captured with qualification code. Applications without qualification
code captured under generic code.
Metrofile collects application forms – scan and upload to
ImageNow
Application routed to Postgraduate queue -
ImageNow
Project routed to relevant Faculty/Department via
ImageNow
department does selection and sends out
correspondence
Applications sorted per faculty
Online Application made by applicant
Applications with qualification code captured with qualification code. Applications without qualification
code captured under generic code.
Applications put on electronic control list
Metrofile collects application forms – scan and upload to
ImageNow
Project routed to relevant Faculty/Department via
ImageNowdepartment does selection and
sends out correspondence
Application handed in at SEC offices – Walk in
Online Application made by applicant
Application screened by International Office
Application received from department/faculty/post
Applications captured on ITS. NB – Must be captured under Generic Code
Applications put on electronic control list
Metrofile collects application forms – scan and upload to
ImageNow
Project automatically routed to International queue – by
identifying the passport number
Projects routed to relevant
International queue
International Office does
selection and sends out
correspondance
Achievements
• Documents are not as easily lost – successful
incorporation of ImageNow (document management
system).• Easier to track where the application is in the process.• The process is much faster (20 day turn around time).• All relevant staff have access to the documents.• Consistency achieved in the centralising of selections
for six faculties.• Standardisation of communication to applicants.• Status check on the UJ website.• The empowerment of call centre staff to access and
issue relevant information.
ONLINE REGISTRATION
SYSTEM
Compiled by Tinus van Zyl
Senior Manager : Faculty Coordination
Tel : 0115594885 or 0825606861
Email : [email protected]
Online Registration System
• Developed in 2008 and piloted in 2009• Focus was on the development of a system which:
• was user friendly, reduced the registration time spent per student and alleviated resource requirements
• incorporated all the standard registration checks and validations (e.g. pre & co-requisites, grade 12 endorsement, timetable clashes)
• enhanced Academic Administration Governance• In 2010, 86% online registration achieved• In 2011 we registered 95% of our close to 50 000 students
online and in 2012, 96% using the system
Online Registration Process
• Registration planning process:• Registration Committee and Task Team driven by sound
project management principles• Z-card information• Registration schedule• At orientation all students were trained how to use the
online registration system • Enrolment management could be enforced on a real-time
level and quotas set per qualification and subject• Computer laboratories used for assistance and
consultations
Online Registration Process (cont.)
• Centralised dedicated critical services e.g. international office, finance, applications, call Centre, student cards and the capturing of finger prints
• Opened online registrations (off-site) one week before the start of formal registration, which resulted in approximately 5 500 registering online before the start of formal registrations
• The system allows for a secure online payment processes
Lessons learnt and improvement strategies
• Pressure shifted to the production of student cards and the capturing of finger prints in 2011
• Assisted students anywhere on campus with Wi-Fi connected tablets
• This year we also Initiated a dedicated “information hub”: to answer all e-mail enquiries and telephone enquiries
• Cameras installed in all the registration venues – allowed staff to remotely monitor activities across campuses
• YouTube video and information on UJ website
Value added to Academic Administration
• The online registration system has significantly enhanced academic administration governance and service delivery
• Drastically reduced the students visiting campuses to register (approximately 30% to 40%)
• Annual cost saving of 40%• Supported our commitment to a more user friendly and
environmentally friendly environment (e.g. no more printing of any registration documents)
• Approximately 85% of the students prefer online registrations – surveyed 2011 / 2012
CONCLUSION
• Technology-based systems: 95% online registration• Reduced turnaround time and improved governance with the
management of electronic applications• Student satisfaction: 75% (on the total registration process,
including finances)• External audit results: improved governance form 5533 errors
in 2006 to 68 errors in 2011 (based on the 2010 student data)• Collective planning and ownership