Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
Features
U. of Michigan Automates Tracking Data Improving Its Operations
5/1/2004
Large organizations require access to information on a timely and organized
basis to track the efficiency of their internal processes, understand their
performance, and stay abreast of changes in their external environments. Unfortunately,
this information tends to be located in diverse places, reflecting the fact
that the requisite information is usually embedded in a wide range of files,
documents, and other "hard copy" sources. Gaining access to and organizing
this information can be difficult – but it d'esn't have to be this way.
The University of Michigan School of Social Work is a model of how an educational
organizations can streamline back end processes and save time and money.
The School of Social Work (SSW) is part of the research university in Ann Arbor
was particularly concerned about improving its operation because of its complex
nature; students study in Social Work and five different social sciences: anthropology,
economics, political science, psychology, and sociology.
The challenge SSW faced was keeping track of hundreds of students in order
to understand who they are and what they are doing. SSW also needs to generate
reports for internal and external reviews, annual reports, research grants,
and various other activities. For example, the federal government routinely
asks for data on students and student performances, and providing this data
is key to keeping the university functioning. Also, SSW reports to the university
on an annual basis and to external constituent groups.
Until recently, SSW used a hard copy filing system and tracked everything manually.
Staff members would dig up a file, scour through it for the desired information,
and return it to its filing place, a process that made it difficult to extract
data from documents efficiently.
A year ago, SSW invested in Alchemy, a paperless document management system
developed by IMR. Student files, committed minutes and other types of information
are scanned into the Alchemy repository, which currently holds approximately
60,000 records. This process consolidates data for easy retrieval.
For example, for a grant report for the National Science Foundation, SSW may
need to provide data on alumni, such as how many alumni participated in certain
programs. Staff members simply access the repository, and a quick search reveals
the desired data. SSW can then copy the data onto a CD and ship it to the foundation;
SSW can also email or print out and send the information by hard copy.
Alchemy is being used school-wide by dozens of employees, who can access the
repository simultaneously while maintaining the confidentiality of the records.
In SSW, nearly a half-dozen staffers use the system, while it is used by an
additional two dozen or so in other offices, including the Dean's Office, the
registrar's office, and the office of student services. Here are some of the
benefits SSW has seen:
Recommended Reading
- Microsoft Unveils 'Ultimate' Support Service
Microsoft Monday rolled out the highest level of its enterprise support programs to date, adding a new offering called "Microsoft Services Premier Ultimate." The offering builds upon the company's existing Premier services program.
- Digital Arrays for Evidence-Based Learning
Our culture is redefining itself and we are redefining how we see learning. It is time for educators to get out of the box of seat time, finally, and consider evidence-based learning.
- 'That Which Weaves Together': The NSF Cyberlearning Report
Trent Batson takes a look at the National Science Foundation's Report of the NSF Task Force on Cyberlearning, "Fostering Learning in the Networked World: The Cyberlearning Opportunity and Challenge."
- The Power of Wikis in Higher Ed
Over the last six years, Stewart Mader has staked his career on the power of wikis. Mader first worked on wiki adoption initiatives in the IT department at Brown University, becoming fascinated by their power and potential. In this first half of a two-part interview, Mader talks about powerful ways to use wikis in education, content ownership issues, and how wikis tend to be used--and why.
- Sakai 2.5.2 Gets Performance Boost; New Modules Released
The Sakai Foundation has released the Sakai Collaboration and Learning Environment 2.5.2, the first maintenance update to the open-source learning management system since the 2.5 release in March. The new version includes performance enhancements, as well as a number of bug fixes and other enhancements.
- Microsoft Changes Virtualization Licensing Rules
Microsoft has made substantial changes to its virtualization licensing program, changes that will lower the cost of using virtualization for many customers.
