Previous Data Management Systems Dbase III  Antiqued system  Not supported by NEIU  No relationship to Student Advisement files  Lack of data in existing program for reports  No relationship to main school record system (CARS) Word documents  Application to SWK  Student Course Plan process  Student Graduation Reports  Administrative reports

The Impact of the old system Retrieval of information for CSWE for 2003 Annual report took three weeks Dependency on Secretary for access to CARS to know who is registered for required courses Time required for secretary to input advisement into Dbase III Time required to complete Student Graduation reports (information not centrally located)

Some of the ways the new database informs our advising process 1.Provides students with a complete course plan report including major/minor and general education requirements 2.Significantly shortens the time spent producing graduation reports 3.Enables communication among advisors and office staff on the details of a student’s experiences and educational needs

Some of the ways the new database informs our program 1.Gives us the characteristics of our students, e.g.: ethnic composition, age and gender grouping 2.Allows breakdown by educational level 3.Provides patterning statistics such as number and characteristics of program graduates vs. newly accepted students 4.Provides all required statistics for producing annual accreditation reports

Demo!!!!!!! ManualObject List

The Story Continues………..

Purpose of A&S Database Template The A&S Database Template will provide academic departments with a means to collect information on majors and minors, including contact information, relevant coursework, and advisement records. This information can be used to improve the advising process as well as to produce advisement reports, graduation reports, and future planning initiatives. Pros and Cons Steps to Development

What are the Pros and Cons for developing a database template for departments? PROS 1.Improves advising experience for advisor and student; 2.Simplifies advising process for advisor; 3.Simplifies production of year end and graduation reports; 4.Increases consistency between departments; 5.Prepares departments and faculty for CARS replacement; 6.Organizes data to inform department for future planning and development such as alumni tracking. CONS 1.Takes a lot of time and effort to develop: every faculty and staff member of the department needs to be on board; 2.Requires a ‘point person’ from each department to learn and support database for their department; 3.Will impact the office processes within department as well across the school; 4.Requires departments to think through many related aspects such as office forms & advising processes; 5.The database is only as good as the last update; 6.Template databases will not be supported by University Computing Services.

Steps to Development: Phase 1 1.Departmental commitment; 2.Assignment of a point person from each department; 3.Finalization of template design; 4.Building of the database template; 5.Development of written documentation. Phase 2

Steps to Development: Phase 2 1.Point person training; 2.Customization of template for individual department by point person; 3.Conversion and input of up-to-date data; 4.Training and support of faculty and staff during transition and on an ongoing basis; 5.The ongoing support of the new database by the point person from the department.

Responsibilities of Point Person Commit to supporting database for department; Be familiar with departmental procedures and needs; Attend at least three 3-hour workshops at Northeastern; Attend session on customizing database for department; Be available for additional planning meetings as needed; Training and support of departmental faculty and staff.

The Template Project

Some of the ways this kind of project can empower programs Enables more consistent data exchange with records office Creates consistent reporting processes among departments Prepares departments for better data collection and use, e.g.: new enterprise wide system, assessment needs

The Moral of the Story……. is not ‘just use the latest and greatest technology’ The Moral is about….. Partnering to create technology supported and enhanced environments