1. SMUDIE Project Report
Activity report for the Project Steering Group meeting January 23 rd 2012.
1. Summary
This report covers the initial activities undertaken for the SMU Data Integration Exercise
(SMUDIE) project in the two months November 22nd 2011 – January 22nd 2012. During that
period the small project management team was established and arrangements for the initial
round of data gathering were agreed. A project Blog was set up as a reflective diary of
project activities and issues, available as and information source for both the internal
project stakeholders and the JISC Programme team. Simon Gibbon represented the project
at the Transformation Programme Start-up Online Conference and reported back to the
project team. Nick Potter had an initial discussion with the project Critical Friend, Dave
White at the University of Oxford, and this was followed up by Tony Toole.
Tony Toole completed the first round of interviews with key stakeholders in Registry,
Information Services and the Faculties. The outcomes of these interviews were used to
begin the process of modelling the student information management systems in place at
SMU and to form an initial assessment of its effectiveness. The overall impression gained at
this early stage was that the systems underpinning student information management at the
University were basically sound, although several areas were still in development as part of
an intended migration towards a single integrated system.
2. Stakeholder Interviews
2.1 Registry, Quality, Learning and Teaching Services
During the reporting period a restructuring took place in the management of Registry
services, academic services, quality assurance, learning and teaching. As a result, Nick Potter
became Head of Academic Services with responsibility for all these areas, and Paul Osborne
became Deputy Head of Academic Services. The following interviews took place in this area:
Name Position
Dr Nick Potter Head of Academic Services
Paul Osborne Deputy Head of Academic Services
Tanya McIver-Janes Head of Registry Support Services
Gemma Green Head of UK/EU Admissions
Kristina Kirby Management Information Officer
(FADE)
2.2 Computing and Information Services
2. Name Position
Lyndon Shirley Head of IT Services
Dave Smith IT Services Support Officer
John Millward IT Services Support Officer
Simon Gibbon TEL Development Officer
2.3 Faculty: FADE
Name Position
Louise Harris Secretary to the Dean
Susan Lambert Faculty Secretary
Rhian Pole Admissions Tutor
Kristina Kirby Management Information Officer
3. Interview Outcomes
These initial twelve interviews were loosely structured and aimed at gaining an
understanding of the roles involved and the general student information management
system(s) at the University.
The overall message from CIS was that the goal was a fully integrated Student Information
Management system that began with the original application and continued through to
graduation and alumni management. The current system is based on the Unit 4 Agresso QLS
student management system and is expanding to include the Agresso CMS. The system at
present integrates well with the UCAS application system and the online student enrolment
system has been a significant and successful move forward. On enrolment, the system
populates the Moodle VLE with student information linked to their courses and elective
modules. There is still manual entry of part-time and international student applications, but
this is seen as something that will be progressively addressed. An issue for implementation
is the level of CIS manpower available for the engagement with Registry and academic staff,
and the ongoing development collaboration with Unit 4. Coupled to this is the issue of
succession planning and the risk of expertise loss if staff leave or retire.
Once enrolled, student academic progression information input is the responsibility of staff
in the Faculties. All academic staff use the QLS system to enter information and this is seen
as an area of potential weakness as there are a great many staff involved and consistency in
the quality of data entry may vary. This initial survey has indicated that the role of the
Faculty MIOs is very effective in addressing this risk of inconsistency. This link between the
Faculties and Registry is valued by staff on both sides. The checking of student module
registration, assessment result entry and similar activities, particularly in preparation for
exam boards, indicates an important and efficient quality control intervention.
3. There are as number of areas being identified as candidates for improved integration into
the centralised student information management system. This includes all instances where
large scale data input from paper format is involved, and also where information cannot be
easily extracted form the system, as appears to be the case with official student transcripts.
Other areas for development include attendance monitoring and the ACMS, but this is
already known and being worked on. The general impression gained so far is that, centrally,
all the key areas for improvement are already known about and that limiting factors relate
to available manpower and the ability of Unit 4, in particular, to respond to the problems
identified.
The other area that is emerging as a likely focus for improvement is in staff engagement
with, and understanding of, the student information system. Staff in the Faculties, and in
Registry, are understandably, only familiar in detail with the data they are responsible for
and their user interface(s) with the system. The lack of a full picture of the system, lack of
awareness of ongoing peripheral changes that impact on their habitual way of doing things,
and the existence of conflicting data formats, are all things that will need to be addressed. A
comprehensive review of data formats, addressing, for example, the anomalies in grade
reporting, is certainly going to be a recommendation from this exercise. Another
recommendation is likely to be a system of staff development/awareness that not only
ensures the maintenance of data consistency, but also ensures all staff are aware of any
information management system changes when they are implemented and know how to
engage with them.
4. Enterprise Architecture Modelling
The SMU Data Integration Exercise Project will be using Enterprise Architecture modelling
techniques to aid its student information management analysis and planning activities.
Enterprise Architecture is one of a number of modelling techniques used in management.
Others include Checkland’s Soft Systems Modelling and Beer’s Viable Systems Modelling
and each have their strengths. EA will be used here as it explicitly links the business layer
modelling of management procedures and processes to the system applications layer that
supports them, and the technical infrastructure layer upon which the applications run.
At this early stage in the project only the business layer is being developed, based on the
information for the interviews. The real benefit of the visual models emerging from the
process is that they facilitate conversations about the issues they represent. It invites
participants, firstly, to modify the model to so it accurately portrays the management
structure as they see it. It then allows the identification of anomalies/control/management
and communications issues and energises improvement planning.
The two images below illustrate the models that emerge. Each of the elements represents a
particular business function, role or activity and the links between them represent
information flow and control/trigger functions.
5. The Smudie project is progressing as planned. The original project GANTT Chart included as part of the project proposal has been updated to reflect the
timing changes arising from the activities and management decisions in this first phase. This is shown below.
