SAA Newsletter September 2014 Inside This Issue Welcome! 1 Welcome to the September issue of the SAA Newsletter, as we embark on another academic year at the University of Southampton. We have the usual mix of operational, project and system updates, plus SAA staff news. This month we place the spotlight on the Operational Excellence team to learn more about their activities. We also learn more about the launch of the new Banner Basics e-Learning Course. Welcome 1-2 Operational News 2 SAA Job Vacancy 2 SAA Generic E-mail Addresses 2 SKILLS Network 3 Higher Education Review Update 3 Banner Basics e-Learning Course 3-4 SAA Staff News 4 SAA Spotlight: Operational Excellence 5 Feature Requests 5 Assessment at Southampton Update 5 Scientia Update Forthcoming Awards Dates Fri 17 Oct, 17:00 Deadline for marks upload Mon 20 Oct, 12:00 Marks release and classification Mon 20 Oct, 12:00 Deadline for approval of awards Fri 14 Nov, 17:00 Deadline for marks upload Mon 17 Nov, 12:00 Marks release and classification Mon 17 Nov, 12:00 Deadline for approval of awards Should you have any queries, please contact: [email protected] Operational News Admissions Confirmation and Clearing was very successful this year with higher numbers of calls being taken and more good quality applications than ever being received and confirmed. The new undergraduate admissions cycle has now started and new UCAS data has been received at the University since the middle of September. If you do not have a UCAS processing Manual for the 2015 cycle, please contact the ROA Team Leader in your faculty. New applications for postgraduate taught and research programmes are also being received and are already being considered for offers. We are also receiving last minute applications for postgraduate programmes starting this year, and faculty teams are working hard to process these before the start of term. Curriculum & Timetabling The teaching timetable has been published so all students and staff are now able to view personal, module and location timetables via SUSSED. The web room booking facility is now available for ad hoc bookings of common learning space rooms. We are working on fine tuning the allocation of students and resolving a number of capacity issues following the success of undergraduate recruitment, and changes will be communicated to students as they happen. We will be identifying clashes in continuing students’ timetables and will be liaising with students to ensure they are kept informed about any clashes and how to resolve them. Online Option Choice opened for Year 1 entrants and students repeating their year of study on 26 August, and is available until 26 September. You can find a copy of the user guide at: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/studentadmin/curriculum/optionchoice/d ocuments/online_option_guide.pdf On Sunday 28 September (‘Allocation Sunday’) we will be allocating year 1 students to their optional modules so that they have a complete timetable ready for teaching beginning on Monday 29 September. We will be offering face-to-face support for students during those first few weeks of the Semester and will be contacting Faculty Student Offices shortly to make the necessary arrangements. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the team at: [email protected] Key Information Sets (KIS) SAA Staff Vacancy Having looked at the guidance on the HESA web page and reviewing how this has been interpreted by other institutions, we have identified the following areas which need to be addressed:  New programmes for entry in 1516 that have not had a KIS created but do appear on UCAS and have a course URL  Foundation Programmes: Where students apply for a unique Foundation programme code, no action is required. However, where the UCAS code denotes both the Foundation Year and the substantive programme, a new KIS needs to be created for the whole programme of study.  Programmes with multiple Majors that have only one KIS: Where students can apply to an individual major a separate KIS must be created. Where the application is to the overarching programme and the specialism is declared at a later point a single KIS is required  Mlang – as these have separate UCAS codes from the BA, a separate KIS should be produced  Programmes available with a placement year: Where a programme is advertised as a three year course but having an optional sandwich year, the sandwich year should not be included as a stage in the KIS and the maximum average fee should not take account of the fee for this year. If however the course is advertised as a 4 year programme including a year in industry, then the KIS should reflect the sandwich year. The proportion of students taking up the option is not a factor in whether the component should be included. We will be prioritising the issues which can be resolved quickly after the initial submission, with a target date for resubmission by 30 September. It is likely that this may well result in some actions for Faculty teams (estimation of learning & teaching hours and assessment methods for new programmes etc) and we will be in touch shortly with further information. Winter Graduation Our winter ceremonies will take place from Wednesday 17 to Friday 19 December. This is slightly different from those previously published. The schedule and all other relevant information is published on our website: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/graduation/winter/winterindex.shtml. Important dates to note are that Graduand applications open from 01 October to 31 October, and that the robe order deadline is the end of October. More information, including the new process for the platform lists, will be published shortly. Senior Student Data Analyst Location: Highfield Campus Salary: £28,695 to £35,256, FullTime Permanent Closing Date: Sunday 28 September 2014 Interview Date: Tuesday 14 October 2014 Reference: 452614GX https://www.jobs.soton.ac.uk/Vaca ncy.aspx?ref=452614GX We anticipate that there will be a number of new vacancies advertised over the course of the next few weeks, so please keep a look out at: https://www.jobs.soton.ac.uk/ SAA Generic E-mail Addresses Please could we remind you that a documented list of all SAA Generic email addresses is available to view on our SAA Workstream SharePoint site. This document contains email information on all generic accounts for teams in Faculties and Registry. You can locate this document by visiting the Working in SAA / Contact Information folder within the ‘Libraries’ section of our SharePoint site, where you can also view the SAA and University organisation charts, as well as an AZ of acronyms. This list of generic e-mail addresses is maintained centrally as a point of reference. Please do not hesitate to let us know of any new addresses or amendments, by e-mailing [email protected] The last award date for winter eligibility will be 17 November 2014. As always, please call us on x23620 or e-mail [email protected] if you have any questions. Forthcoming SKILLS Network Session Semester 1 Exams The semester 1 exams run from 12 – 23 January 2015. Please note that the SZAEXAM form in Banner will open on 22 September. All other critical dates will be published shortly. Please call us on x24734 or e-mail [email protected] if you have any questions. 2 We look forward to welcoming you at the next SKILLS Network session on Tuesday 21 October, 09:0010:00. Details of the session will follow soon by e-mail, so watch this space! Higher Education Review Update The date on which the University has to submit its Self Evaluation Document (SED) and supporting evidence for next February's QAA Higher Education Review is approaching rapidly - 10 November 2014. We can expect the review panel to be looking at our website in detail from that date if they are not doing so already. Version 6 of the SED is currently with Faculties and Professional Services departments as well as with an external adviser for feedback. This version will go to AQSC in September. Following that, the final version will go to Senate in October. Members of the Quality Standards & Accreditation Team (QSAT), assisted by a number of other colleagues throughout the University, are very busy putting together the evidence base. Colleagues in SAA will understand that at the current time this has to be QSAT's number one priority. SAA Staff News Registry: Curriculum and Timetabling We were pleased to welcome Greg Cooper to our team in September. Greg will be job-sharing the Curriculum and Timetabling Officer for Medicine role with Kate Marsh, following her return from maternity leave. Finally we would like to send our very best wishes to Lianne Browne as she starts her maternity leave, and will be much missed. Quality Standards & Accreditation Team (QSAT) News & Away Day Tracey Allen (Head of Academic Appeals and Student Complaints) and Pamela Rouse (Collaborative Provision Adviser) have left the University. Sunita Parhar has joined QSAT as Interim Head of Academic Appeals and Student Complaints. If anyone is looking for an idea for a team away day, QSAT would thoroughly recommend Field Archery at the Countryside Education Trust in Beaulieu. Following a walk from Beaulieu to Buckler's Hard and lunch in Beaulieu, we spent a very enjoyable afternoon shooting arrows at a range of targets in different woodland settings. We were, of course, accompanied by instructors throughout, and training and equipment were all provided! Tracey Allen scored the highest number of points and won the ‘silver’ arrow. Launch of the Banner Basics e-Learning Course The iSolutions Training & Development Team and SAA are pleased to announce that the new Banner Basics elearning course was successfully launched in September. This is an exciting new elearning solution for University staff who require foundation knowledge to navigate and use the Student Record System, Banner. Banner Basics replaces the previous ‘Introduction to Banner’ training course and places a fresh emphasis on online learning and activities to enhance the training experience. On completion of this interactive course there is a knowledge check with successful trainees being granted access to Banner. This course was developed through a successful collaboration between the IT Training & Development Team in iSolutions and SAA. We anticipate that this is just the first building block of a sustained wider collaboration to enhance training and elearning courses for Banner. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved for their hard work and support in bringing this course to fruition. There has been very encouraging and constructive feedback from attendees who have enjoyed this new look elearning course, and we look forward to rolling this out to new users over the coming months. For further information, please visit: http://www.southampton.ac.u k/isolutions/computing/traini ng/ 3 Faculty of Engineering and the Environment (FEE) Q: Who do you work with across the University? The FEE SAA Team has undergone some changes in the last couple of months. Firstly, the Recruitment, Outreach and Admissions Team have moved to Boldrewood Annexe, said goodbye to Jackie Page and welcomed Sean Hollywood and Helen Fitzgerald. A: Initially we will work with a 'champion' to identify a particular process that needs to be reviewed. Then we'll identify who can best facilitate the workshop. Finally, we'll identify a mix of staff and students to attend the session. This might include people who are directly involved in a process, or people who we think can offer a view on how it can be improved. Secondly, the Graduate School Team has seen Stephen Wakeling appointed as CDT Administrator for SIS and ESA (Sustainable Infrastructure Systems and Energy Storage and its Applications) and welcomed Jenny Knight and Victoria Saunders. Thirdly, the Admin and Assessment Team has said goodbye to Paul Green and welcomed Lee Chisman, Anna Davis, Suki Parmar and Joanna Hobbs (working joint with the Graduate School). Fourthly, the CQA Team (Dain Mead, Brenda Leigh and Claire Brockman) has moved to Boldrewood Annexe, along with Roz Stanton, the Faculty Academic Registrar. All extension numbers and email addresses remain the same for all staff. Registry: Exams, Awards & Graduation Although we’re sad to see Caroline Bassily (nee Wright) leave us to take up her new post in Medicine, we’re delighted that Becca Thorburn has now taken up the Senior Administrative Officer role in the team. Fae Ashton joined us as a temp back in July and has so far successfully lived through graduation and the supplementary and presessional exams. Her temporary assignment runs until at least mid-October. SAA Spotlight: Operational Excellence Q: Looking back over the last year, what were the successes for the team? A: A year ago Mary was leading the work on her own - now there are six of us in the programme office. Awareness of our work is spreading and we are regularly being approached with ideas for future workshops. Q: What are the regular challenges that you have to face as a team? A: One of the biggest challenges is measuring the impact of the changes that have come out of the workshops. Some of the processes work on an annual cycle, so we will have to wait some time to see the full impact. We'll be focusing on this a lot over the next year. Q: Please tell us something that we might not know about members of the team A: Maria and her husband once spent an evening with Jean-Claude Van Damme (and his mother) at a VIP party at the Cannes Film Festival. This month we caught up with the recently established Operational Excellence team to learn more about our colleagues and their activities. Elizabeth’s Belgian great grandfather traced her family back to the 15th Century and found there is a strong likelihood that she is related to Anne Boleyn. Q: Please tell us a bit about the way in which the Operational Excellence team is structured, and the key activities that you undertake. Dannielle is a record-breaking tap dancer. A: We organise workshops across the University that help staff and students to review and improve particular processes. The workshops are supported by a network of more than 25 University staff who are now trained process improvement facilitators. The aim is to reduce bureaucracy across the organisation, free-up time and make it easier for us all to access the services that we rely on. After a workshop, we work with a process champion to help embed the changes, organise follow-up meetings and measure the benefits. Mary Hurst is the Programme Manager. While Mary is on maternity leave, Maria Ward (Project Manager) will be leading the team. Working with her are Frank Wright and Dannielle Elster (Business Change Analysts) and Elizabeth Lloyd (Programme Coordinator). Greg Sandford works with us a day a week on our communications. Q: Where is the team based? A: We're based in 37/4007, and we like to stress that we have an 'open door policy' so anyone who wants to find out more about the programme can pop in for a chat. 4 Greg has been used as body-double for Barack Obama. Q: What are the main objectives for the team for the new academic year? A: We want to continue to raise awareness of the work, and you'll be seeing a lot more about the programme around the University. We also want to go back to the processes that have been reviewed over the last year to see where the changes have made a difference for our staff and students. Visit www.southampton.ac.uk/excellence for more information, and follow the office on Twitter @UoS_Excellence. If you or your team are interested in being featured in a future SAA Spotlight item during 2014-15, we would really like to hear from you. Please contact Stuart Edwards. Assessment at Southampton Update Recent Feature Requests Gone Live We are pleased to announce that the User Acceptance Testing for Banner Gradebook XE Marks Entry and eAssignment was successful and will be available as planned for 2014/15. The following CRs were made live during the recent systems releases: Changes to Functionality CR3099 Online method for students to request Proof of Enrolment letters CR3269 Create a new withdraw code for use with admissions CR3290 HESA Update of STULOAD Function CR3292 Amendment to fees module billing process CR3293 Include residence status 0 into the ‘whole’ tuition fee billing process CR3313 Automation of the 920 checklist item for specific courses CR3317 Add new SHANCRS codes and SGAADVR codes CR3333 HESA Update of MOD/EXCHANGE/LOCSDY Functions CR3353 Amend the RZEPROP process CR3397 Reverse out form SZASECT as obsolete CR3407 Re-instate the Clearing Hotline Applicant Look-up facility for 2014 CR3490 Over the next couple of weeks, Jenny Millington and Liv Støbseth-Brown will be visiting Academic Units across the University to speak with academics and SAA colleagues about how these systems will function and discuss potential changes to processes. These meetings are designed to ensure that there is a coherent understanding between SAA colleagues and academics about responsibilities for providing and accessing information in a timely way, to enhance working processes and the experience provided to our students. Look out for information about Marks Entry Roadshows which will be held in October, to provide generic information about the changes to the Marks Entry systems and how they will benefit you and your Faculty. Training for the systems will be provided in the form of an online training guide, currently being developed by the IT Development and Training Team, which will be accessible to both SAA and academics. You can find out more information by accessing the Assessment at Southampton Communications SharePoint site at: https://groupsite.soton.ac.uk/Administration /Assessment-at-SouthamptonCommunications/Pages/Home.aspx HESA Paper fix Changes to Reports CR3335 CR2181 CAS Report additional item CR3408 Upgrade Discoverer Report 1.025 Scientia Update CR3447 Additional tick box fields to the bottom of the report SZAALVL CR3363 HESA 8.11.1 Upgrade KIS Following the decision to stop the Scientia Enterprise go-live in August, in the coming weeks work will be undertaken on planning the new project. CR3426 INTTRACK UK 8.3.1.2 CR3468 Enrolment error on Higher Education Page We need to agree appropriate dates and the correct technical approach to this implementation so that we can guarantee a successful go-live next time. Upgrades of Banner Modules CR3380 HESA 8.11.2 Upgrade DLHE CR3491 Paper fix for DLHE CR3390 UCAS 8.7 Regulatory for 2015 cycle includes CR3316 Exam Scheduler is being looked at as a separate project and it is anticipated that it will go live on 30 September. 5