1. Automating the workload: Developing sustainable data management on a budget
Aaron Distler, M.A., Associate Director of Academic Success & Accessibility
Stetson University

2. Learning OUtcomes
Participants will articulate current administrative barriers impacting the efficiency of their accommodations process.
Participants will identify 3 resources currently available that may assist with their accommodations process.
Participants will develop a short list of questions to ask their IT department in order to determine next steps.

3. Presentation Overview
Where we started & why automation is important
Where we are now
Steps we took to get there
Available resources and talking with IT
Database Basics
Learning opportunities
What are our next steps

4. Where we started Manual process Emails drafted to faculty individually
Accommodations included “similar” language
Review each student’s file individually

5. Impetus for change
Dual Roles
Staffing structures
Mistakes implementing accommodations
Changing expectations and labor laws (FLSA?)

6. Guiding principles of transition
Reasonably lower administrative impact on the team
Increase focus on the implementation and support of accommodations
Automation to inform practice not replace it

7. Where we are Now Student in process of establishing accommodations
Check what steps have been completed
Student actively registered for accommodations
Student’s accommodations
Class schedule and requested courses
Final exam schedule
Outreach to students and staff
Connect with students with a particular accommodation
Notify faculty of students’ accommodations
Provide emergency list of students to Public Safety department

8. How did we get there? All software licensed by the university
Student Management Software (Banner, Oracle, Peoplesoft)
Disability and Accommodations Information
Document Management
Reporting Software (e.g. Argos)
Microsoft Office Products
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
This is scalable to institutions with different caseloads

9. Microsoft Accessibility PSA
Microsoft has demonstrated a commitment to accessibility! All Microsoft components of the process should be accessible.
Microsoft Accessibility Homepage
Twitter.com/MsftEnable – news, updates, and insights
Aka.ms/InclusionMechanics for demos of Office 365 accessibility features
Support from an expert:
1 (800) – Disability Answer Desk
Online chat with experts available as well
Connected with a representative through the online chat when developing the presentation to confirm Microsoft products would be accessible. Representatives response was “all Microsoft Office 365 products are accessible.”

10. Partnerships with It department
Creation & management of reports
Training to create and schedule personal reports
Trouble connecting with IT department?
Create all of the database in Access!
“They know the system, but you know the students” – there may be times where you look at the data and know that something does not seem to be right. Remember that the IT department knows how to put together the pieces you provide them. They may not be aware of the “idiosyncrasies” of the information. When communicating with the IT department, it can be helpful to think through “what makes this student’s record different from other students?” This may help the conversation with IT to update the reports.

11. DATABASES 101 Input View Output Record Accommodations Information
Save Documentation
Input
Individual information needed to implement accommodations
View
Data to report
Spreadsheets to complete a process
Output

12. Database 101 – Key Terms
Table – a spreadsheet where the information is stored
Query – a combination of tables to provide you with the information you need.
Unique or Primary Key – a single piece of information that is unique to a particular record/individual. Used to connect tables as part of a query.
Examples: Student ID numbers, Course registration numbers
Form – view of one particular record (e.g a single student) which may be a particular row from the database.
All Biology 1 courses may be called BIO However, each individual section is given a registration number of students can register for a particular section with a professor at a specific time. This registration number would be the unique key.

13. How the puzzle pieces Fit together
Student’s Classes and Accommodations
Student ID Number
Student’s Courses
Student’s Accommodations
Course Registration Number
Course Day, Time, Location, Faculty Member
Query
Primary Keys
Tables

14. Query Examples Accessible Course Locations – Current Semester
Lists all students with an “Accessible Course Location” accommodation and their class schedule. Allows me to identify if any courses need to be moved for the upcoming semester.
Faculty and Advisor Accommodation s
Lists all students who have requested accommodations, their accommodations, requested courses, faculty and advisor contact information. Used to create mail merge and send information to the student’s faculty each semester.
Not registered but requested discrepancy
Lists any students who have submitted our accommodations request form, but have not registered with our office for accommodations. Accessibility Services Center team can then reach out to student with steps to register for accommodations

15. Access Forms

16. Resources for Learning About Databases
Focus on learning 2 things:
SQL Query Building
Building in Access (Tables, Queries, Forms, Reports)
Codecademy
Free resource to learn coding - HTML, JavaScript, etc.
2 lessons on SQL coding – “Learn SQL” and “SQL: Table Transformations”
YouTube – number of different free videos/tutorial series on Access Database creation
Search “Microsoft Access Tutorial”

17. Resource Screenshots

18. Microsoft Word Mail Merge
“Mailings” Tab within Microsoft Word
Connects to Access Table/Query or Excel Spreadsheet
Column headers become placeholders
One record or row per document
Preview and send or print

19. Hindsight Is 20/20 – Lessons to share
Make the system work for you! Only use features that make sense in your process.
“Shipped is better than perfect” – It will not be perfect at first, and that is OK!
Updates should be informed by the users
Ask “is it possible?”
Beware of redundant systems! – Do not continue old practices once the new one is established.
Consider permissions and users
Two people cannot occupy the same database
Input only, view only, master permissions
Refresh schedule – how often do you want the data to update?
Are some tables changing daily while others are static after a certain date?
The database will never be perfect. There will be particular “holes” in the data you are gathering, and you need to identify what information may have fallen through the cracks
Be careful not to stick with previous manual systems once you have automated. Continuing to engage in multiple systems that will provide the same end result is simply not a good use of time. Trust that the process is working and spend any additional time double checking the automated process. This will help you identify holes faster and get them fixed.

20. Future Projects
Create semester transition guides for staff
Ensure queries include functional descriptions
Link courses to accessible text library

21. Thank you For Coming! ANY QUESTIONS?
Contact Information
Aaron Distler, Associate Director of Academic Success & Accessibility
(386)