1. The Tsunami Effect: Cleaning Up After the Implementation of a New Integrated Student Information System Sam Stigall, MA Bob Lorick, MSMR Terri Day, PhD

2. Presentation Overview:  Integrated system background  Roadblocks & solutions  Tips

3. Integrated System Background:  Timeline to rollout:  Rolled out in Summer because of smallest enrollment numbers  Hardest term to calculate because of all the terms: Maymester, 11week and first and second 5 weeks  Sequence of rollout: –Admissions –Financial Aid

4. Business Practices:  Roadblock:  Departments did not understand what data was collected  Example: Tracking of MA to DOC students not noted in prior system, as students were treated as readmits  Solution:  Academic plans  New process as of Fall 2008

5. Variable Cleaning:  Roadblock:  Value and variable definition consensus  Solution:  No arbitrary changes can be made without following proper protocol

6. Student IDs:  Roadblock:  Different IDs for different reporting agencies:  State requires SSN  Institution uses 10 digit ID  Former system assigned a variety of different numbers to international students (created problems with Human Resources)  Internal changes for students without IDs –CBM00N Solution:  Campus-wide agreement on how to use IDs  Ensure new system is integrated with Human Resources

7. CIP/Academic Plans:  Roadblock:  Mismatches between academic plans and academic classifications that was caused by the creation of new plans:  Example: Materials Science Engineering (MSE) in old system for all levels Now: MSE_DR, MSE_MENT, MENGR, MSE_METS, MSE_MNR, MSE_MSTH, MSE_SP  Solution:  Simplify academic plans and eliminate redundancy

8. Majors and Minors:  Roadblock:  Academic plan and classification mismatched due to problems with: –Effective dating –Term activation –Reporting minors as majors  Solution:  Monitor major sequence and language changes  Increase advisor training

9. Ethnicity and Citizenship:  Roadblock:  New system definitions don’t match UT Arlington’s needs:  New system reports ethnicity and citizenship separately, making it difficult to determine the “international” students  Determining student residency then becomes difficult Solution:  Formed a committee to evaluate the aforementioned issues

10. Admit Types:  Roadblock:  Graduate school and transfer designation  Undergraduates and EAP  Solution:  Met with respective departments to explain why the logic needed to be simplified

11. Historical Data:  Roadblock:  Necessity of converting historical records/archives to new system  Fact book: Problems with developing fact book reports  Need to convert expanded variables into old variables for trend analysis and for CB Reporting  Solution:  Hired more reporting individuals  Moved files that may be needed for historical reference to our server

12. Tips:  Choose the fall semester for system rollout: If your logic is correct, population size doesn’t matter  Pay close attention to what variables are available in the data system  Don’t program around exceptions  You won’t know what data will look like until it’s too late  Running parallel systems  Utilize the system’s audit capabilities  Be cognisant of the marketability of your staff will the new integrated system training  Anticipate Fact book delays

13. Contact Information:  UT Arlington website: http://www.uta.edu/irp/http://www.uta.edu/irp/  Sam Stigall:  817-272-3132  sam@uta.edu sam@uta.edu  Bob Lorick:  817-272-5308  lorick@uta.edu lorick@uta.edu  Terri Day:  817-272-5130  terri@uta.edu terri@uta.edu