One Year Under Our Belt: Self-Reported Academic Record Session A4 Gregg Perry, Thomas Skottene & Nancy Walsh Office of Undergraduate Admissions University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Agenda Introduction History Reasons for Moving to SRAR Technical Aspects User Experience/Common Errors 2013 Enhancements Pros/Cons Verification Process Summary Feedback/Q & A

Introduction Gregg Perry Associate Director, Recruitment Thomas Skottene Associate Director, Data Services Nancy Walsh Senior Associate Director, Operations

Historical Perspectives of the SRAR

SRAR TM Background Self-Reported Academic Record –Used by University of California system, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, and others –Freshman applicants self report their academic record –Self-reported data is used to process & review applications –Once applicants accept their offer, final transcripts are checked for discrepancies

Why SRAR? Staffing issues Large administrative savings –7,000 vs. 30,000+ transcripts, automation possibilities Enhanced Customer Service

SRAR Timelime Trial Run, 2011 –All freshman applicants with international credentials & applicants from Glenbrook North High School All In, 2012 –All freshman applicants required to submit SRAR

Technical Perspectives of the SRAR

High Level Technical Considerations Easy to use –Our applicants –Internal users Integrate with our systems –Banner – our Student Information System (SIS) –eAdmit TM Volume/Load –Handle current and expected future volume, including peaks around deadlines Security Concerns Utilize new possibilities –Automation –Transparency –Archiving

Ease of Use The SRAR TM is a web form –Familiar Design applicants are used to it –Flexible able to make changes quickly –The Regular Application Form is also a web form, though separate –Applicants need no special system requirements Some schools reported very old browsers and could not submit –Warnings When applicants do something unexpected such as not filling in all four years for coursework –Errors When applicants make errors such as leaving required fields blank

User Testing Results Our initial approach was too process-centric –i.e. what Admissions needed to get our process done Applicants will guess and make (false) assumptions if they are not allowed to choose exactly what they expect/want –Drop downs have more options now Even if we internally strictly don’t need it –Places for information we don’t really need Applicants will find a way to give it to us anyway

Integration with our Systems Banner –Illinois has used Banner as our main university wide data repository and student information system since 2003 –Banner is a 3 rd party tool made by Ellucian (Previously Sungard, previously SCT, etc…) –Banner is housed and controlled by Central IT –Gives Admissions very limited power over functionality and look and feel eAdmit TM –eAdmit TM - Internal application processing system –Workflow and data repository for most internal admissions processes

How It Was Before Print out relevant materials Enter decision back when review was done Banner (our Student Information System) Banner (our Student Information System) Online Web Application Form Test Scores Electronic Paper manila folder Other paper forms Transcripts Paper

How It Is Now Banner (our Student Information System) Banner (our Student Information System) Online Web Application Form Test Scores eAdmit TM Import relevant data Other electronic forms SRAR TM Push back data Electronic

SRAR TM Banner (SIS) Integration Pulling Data –Identity Login & PIN Pre-logged-in credentials –Previous Schools information from application Push Data –Academic calculations such as GPA –Language Other Than English (LOTE) –Pattern

Screenshot of Banner Status Page –With open SRAR link Self-Reported Academic Record Message box telling applicants items are missing. Link directly to SRAR form. Pre-logged in. No need for username or PIN

Two Servers Central IT Encrypted Handshake Admissions Passes the Applicant’s Identify Securely

Volume/Load A very large portion of applicants procrastinate and submit very, very close to the deadlines 10,000 applications in one week prior to November 1 We received no complaints of slow or non- responsive SRAR TM s during the peak times

Unintended Consequences The Urbana admissions office releases the decisions twice a year –Mid-December –Mid February In the last two years the Central IT’s Status Page crashed during the December decision release Admissions Status page stayed up –creating an alternative way for users to see their decision

Two Interfaces Data Central IT Server 1 (Crashed) Pull data Server 2Admissions

Security Concerns Concerns –Physical damage Fire Tornadoes –Electronic break-in attempts None have been successful Solutions –Data is backed up daily and in different locations Not possible or practical with paper –Data is stored in a server room with heightened security procedures Our paper files were not as safe as we would have liked

Automation Identify matched based on application ID –We now know which “John Smith” logged in Data as data and not text! –Academic calculations –Pattern analysis Aggregate information –Number of As, Bs, Cs, etc. Sorting –Subject –Chronological –By grades, requested

Transparency Stored in database – not paper Audit points –Who did what when? Users Tasks Date stamps Reporting –Data as data Avg amount of As

Functional Perspectives of the SRAR

User Experience User-friendly form; dropdown menus Very important that applicants read ALL the instructions Must have transcript with them when completing More work, minutes Can log back in to review submitted SRAR

Common User Errors Ignoring directions Not entering senior year courses ‘Creating’ their own grades by averaging semesters Did not convert number grades to letters Entering all grades available (quarter, semester, year) Not entering grades at all when present on transcript Incomplete SRARs

2013 Enhancements Tweaking directions Designated area for senior year courses Edit option in extreme situations Academic credentials site Internal view improvements

Advantages Easier application process for applicants & counselors Applications complete much sooner Solved some staffing issues Automation of data

Disadvantages Need to get the word out better; received too many high transcripts Applicants not following SRAR directions; manual follow-up needed Some technical issues on applicants’ end Verification/rescind process?

Verification Process Official final transcripts needed by July 10 th deadline. If final not available by deadline, 9-11 transcript is required. Staff will verify transcripts against SRAR. Suspected embellishment will be reported to review chair. Poor senior year performance will also be reported. Chair will review information & determine if offer should be rescinded. Student will be notified if offer is rescinded. If no documentation is received by deadline, admission offers will be rescinded. Students will be notified by end of July.

Summary History – why we moved to SRAR Technical – how was it created? Functional – how did it work from user & Admissions perspective? Pros/Cons Verification Process

Feedback/Questions & Answers Gregg Perry Thomas Skottene Nancy Walsh