running a sam-based computer literacy program sandra neill and miguel roman george brown college...
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Running a SAM-based Computer Literacy Program
Sandra Neill and Miguel Roman George Brown College
Toronto, Canada
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
Outline
• About George Brown
• About us
• Our team
• Context
• SAM@GBC
• Beyond the bricks
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
George Brown College
• Downtown Toronto, Canada
• Two campuses + satellite at Ryerson University
• 14,000 fulltime students
• 50,000 continuing-education students
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
About us
• Sandra Neill, Miguel Roman
• Learning Innovations and Academic Development (LIAD)
• Computer Skills and Application (CSA)
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
About us: CSA
• 6000+ students/year
• Suite of five basic~intermediate computer skills courses covering a range of Microsoft applications
• Three dedicated labs, one at each campus
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
Our Team
• Sandra– Curriculum design– Course & section building– Database front end processes– Feedback & evaluation– Day-to-day program administration.
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
Our Team
• Miguel– Database back end & automation of
processes– Custom datafiltering to populate sections
with Banner data– Query & derive final course grades– Grade load to Banner.
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
Our Team
• Other team members include – Systems administrator
(server/labs/hardware/image)– Two course coordinators (administration &
student issues)– 8 computer skills teaching assistants to staff
labs & tutor students
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
Context
• Province of Ontario mandate for generic skills includes basic computer literacy
• Computer Skills and Applications (CSA) program was created in 1995 to address this mandate
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
CSA
• Almost every incoming student in diploma or degree-oriented studies takes a Computer Skills and Applications course
• 6000+ each year
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
SAM@GBC
• CSA rolled out Skills Assessment Manager as its course delivery platform in May 2004
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
SAM@GBC
• Flagship course is a four-module basic applications class: – Windows, Word, Excel, Internet Explorer
• Students who arrive at GBC well-prepared can take a for-credit Challenge Test– Also delivered using SAM
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
SAM@GBC
• Three-step test-training-test path– Students begin with an assessment – Then receive custom training on the tasks they could
not complete– Followed by an exam on the same tasks.
• Assessment eliminates the tasks they can already do– Students must learn and test successfully on 80% of
the tasks they were unable to do in the assessment.
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
SAM@GBC
• Assessment & exam must be done in CSA lab
• Training can be done anywhere – Software available for overnight rental from
GBC library
• Custom training remains available right up until the exam deadline
• Three attempts at each exam
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
SAM@GBC
• Continuing-education and Access programs are a little different– Two-step path of full training on all tasks first,
followed by a test– No assessment, no customized training– Seems to work better with these groups
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
SAM@GBC
• CSA Program partners with GBC Staff Development office– Staff Development uses SAM to train staff and
faculty in use of MS applications– Staff Development will also use SAM to test
job applicants when job requires proficiency in MS applications
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
CSA in the community
• Partners participate in our basic computer course
• On successful completion, participants receive a college credit – Frontier College – Fred Victor Centre – Jewish Vocational Services
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
The Big Picture
SCT Banner
SAMCSADatabase
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
Student Registrations
• SCT SIS Database
SCT Banner
•SAM gets its student data from the SCT Banner database.•This population is started through an initial SQL extract for each section in Sam and then kept synchronized through daily SQL extracts from the Banner database.
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
Data Translation
• CSA Database
CSADatabase
•We maintain our own database which mirrors the SAM database but contains additional information not necessary for SAM.•This allows us to translate the business rules of our institution to suit SAM and vice versa.
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
Database Updates
• SAM Database
SAM
•SAM database snapshots are sent periodically byCourse Technology; we load these into our CSA database.•The SAM data is combined with our SIS student data in theCSA database.
This allows us to do periodic data integrity checks betweenthe SAM database and produce custom reports during anactive Term.
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
Grade Process
CSADatabase
SCT Banner
Final Grade calculation is performed inthe CSA database, then formatted for upload to the SCT SIS database.
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
Archive
Final reports are produced and all data is archived for future reference in the event of any discrepancies or grade challenges
S. Neill & M. RomanGeorge Brown College
Questions
• Thanks for coming!
• Contact us at: