Scottish Government

This document is also available in pdf format (192k)

Efficient Government Fund

Stage 1 Application - Expression of Interest

Part 1

Part 2: Narrative Bid

1. Introduction

This proposal emanates from existing work undertaken by Central College of Commerce. FE needs to undertake business transformation to its cumbersome administrative processes through the appropriate deployment of technology solutions. This involves deployment of an existing fully functioning proven solution across the wider sector which processes largely similar transactions. The key thinking is the use of proven technology to create efficiencies for the whole Scottish sector. Many of the existing vendor solutions are not designed with the exact needs of the Scottish Education System let alone the needs of SFEFC and SQA. As a result, there is always a mismatch between solution providers and Scottish FE needs. This project aims to address this difficulty directly.

Technology advances. Eprocessing is common if not expected practice. Customer expectations are high and increasing with the prevalence of technology solutions in many aspects of life, yet a new prospective student to many colleges is still asked to complete a minimum of three forms by hand and a student could well use the services of more than one FE College during a lifetime of learning. This project addresses the concept of collecting data initially for one purpose and using it in a wider integrated way.

FE Customers should be able to

1. Apply Online possibly only once to multiple potential providers leading to extensive efficiency savings'
2. Monitor the stages of the application Online (acknowledge, interview, offer, final offer etc.)
3. Enrol Online
4. Pay Online
5. Access Individual Record Online
6. Agree and establish Personal Learning Plans Online
7. Monitor Attendance Online
8. Submit data alteration notifications Online
9. Access Learning Materials
10. Access Appropriate and selected Learning Resources
11. Data transfer through the use of common identifiers e.g.SQA Scottish Candidate Number

These among other Data Life Cycle Facilities will be enabled through the adoption of an existing solution across the sector.

2. College Benefits

• Data obtained from elsewhere
• Error levels reduced and rectification costs reduced
• Key entry costs reduced
• online management of college
• Tailored to each college's local management
• Learner ownership of progress and achievement
• Real time financial information
• Real time student count information
• Aid school/college/university partnership

3. Data Flows

Data entry in Colleges and other agencies can be reduced by utilising to maximum potential electronic data transfer between institutions.

4 Current Availability of Modules

5 Additional Narrative Information

5.1 Overview

At Central College of Commerce, we wished to utilise information efficiently with network and web technologies to provide better management tools for managing the College. Attentive to the advances in technology, and sensitive of the increasing demands of an aware Scottish public, we adopted a strategic view to utilise aspects of the WWW in order to maximise the benefit for staff and students. We wanted open access to, what can only be described as massive amounts of data (some 12 years worth) essential to the smooth running of an FE institution stored in legacy database systems. The intention was to move data to the desktop, to get the data closer to those who need and use the data.

From a Strategic Development Project the College devised two themes ENQUIRER and ENROLMENT. The Enquirer theme for prospective students to select programmes was developed into a tool for : the selection of courses or past student information; searching and processing applicant data; recording and monitoring student attendance; and linking timetables to students and the basic course information. The Enrolment theme for online enrolment was developed into a tool for: web based enrolment and financial transactions; remote enrolment and payment; and in college enrolment and ID capture.

5.2 Strategic Innovation Fund ( SIF)

In 2001 the Scottish Further Education Funding Council ( SFEFC) launched a Strategic Innovation Fund from which Central College of Commerce was one of eight colleges to received funding. This was used to develop a number of web-based products. Originally the project had Online Enrolment & Enquiry as a title. The project was collaborative in nature and had the Bank Of Scotland as an interested commercial partner. The BOS were at the time developing secure Internet payment gateway facilities and our project was seen as a useful project to test their developed technologies.

5.3 Original SIF Project Objectives:

• The development of an online enquiry system based on the national database of learning opportunities with views at college and area level, providing a clear information base for academic guidance (supported and self-led)
• The development of an online enrolment system based on the above database.
• The development of a secure transaction server closely integrated with a major clearing house system (partnership secured in principle with Bank Of Scotland)
• The development of an integration strategy for the introduction of the developed system into college operation and administrative procedures
• The development in at least one college of a detailed implementation plan reflecting the developed integration strategy
• The implementation of the developed online enquiry and enrolment system.

Secure payment processing were provided by the Bank of Scotland for the first year and then by World Pay.

5.4 Products

• ENQUIRER the web enabled enquiry system has been available to Central College of Commerce staff since June 2001. The software, in a variety of versions, was delivered as a solution in a box to 17 FE colleges throughout Scotland who will benefit from these proposed further developments. The web portal allows access to various bits of information delivered in a controlled fashion to the user's desktop. Enquirer is a presentation layer of software that extracts data from backend database systems and delivers the data to the user from a single easy to use interface. Irrespective of the location, style, presentation, configuration and technology of the backend system, Enquirer presents the data to the 'authenticated' user desktop in a uniform easy to use manner. A single authentication allows 'a grid based approach' to service delivery, users only accessing what they are authorised to access. The 'Authentication & Delivery Layer' inherits the controls, security and rights restrictions imposed by individual services which are applied to users as they authenticate to the 'OneService'.
• ' ENROLME the web enabled enrolment system widening access to learning opportunities has just completed its seventh 'live' run. The portal, developed to facilitate enrolment for Saturday Morning classes, allows students to enroll online including payment, fully integrated and secured initially by the Bank of Scotland Internet Payment gateway and latterly by World Pay. This technology has proved effective with a total of 1500 transactions completed online. An average of 33% of all Saturday Enrolment transactions have been completed using this automated portal. Additionally this software is used with a dedicated fulltime interface to allow prospective students to complete their individual enrolment. The software permits students to use web cam technology to capture their own picture whilst completing their own enrolment process using data previously captured at the application stage. The software is equipped with various error checking and control facilities meeting the need of FES data collection and control. This software generates individual PDF based enrolment forms together with students pictures permanently stored on the database. Their visual identification together with unique identification numbers are printed on individual student "matriculation" cards. The data is linked to the library system allowing student's access to the Learning Resource Center with all its facilities and resources. This facility has meant a radical change in the way in which induction processes are handled allowing more time to deal with individual guidance for funding support and other related matters.

All data captured during the enrolment process, is instantly available in the form of summary reports for the Management Team to monitor and control. This captured data is also available to the wider staff through Enquirer.

• Attendance recording system is fully functioning with a master register, access to absence monitoring and graphical representation of overall attendance details. Data is used in ESF claims and in student bursary calculations. All teaching staff use a facility provided through Enquirer to access their own timetables. This provides a quick and easy link to class registers. Teaching staff now use the facilities provided to enter attendance data during each teaching session. The system handles some 300 registers per day with individual members of staff entering attendance data daily with an average of 20 students, giving 6000 rows of data to be managed every day. Being able to monitor closely patterns of attendance allows staff to identify and support "at risk" students.

Previously administrative staff entered attendance data into the system using the provided interface, leading to delays between data capture and data recording. From Sep 2004, all teaching staff have been using the dedicated interface to enter their own class registers online. Attendance data is transformed into practical user timely reports using the Enquirer interface relating to individual and group attendance statistics. Guidance tutors and course leaders access this real time attendance information on a regular basis to aid student support.

• Enrolment tool is fully functioning for Full Time students. 2250 students used the developed software interface during the Aug 2004 enrolment period with all electronic enrolment forms stored in PDF format in the student database. This software is fully integrated with: network user account creation using Novell technologies; the generation of class registers; student identification cards; and access to the library database. This product now uses web cam technology to allow each student to capture their own ID picture, which is stored and accessible through Enquirer. Full Time enrolment has been transformed from an awkward slow and cumbersome operation to a slick smooth well functioning one in which students enjoy taking part.
• Time Table viewer is also fully functioning, giving access to staff, course and location data through a web browser, providing room search and booking facilities. This data is integrated with Enquirer delivering unique staff timetables and linked to attendance recording and monitoring software.
• Quick address lookup facilities are incorporated in 'ENROLME' the postcode database ensuring that any new data capture is accurate and correctly formed. Expertise has been developed to extract postcode data from purchased original 'raw' post office data, representing a saving of £15K at Central College of Commerce. This database has been incorporated in 'ENQUIRER' and an exception report is available detailing postcode errors in the database. The project extension period would allow investigation of the possibility of offering this postcode lookup facility as a web service tool for all FE colleges.

The project team is flexible and able to deliver tools covering new requirements to the desktop. For example, as a result of a recent audit report a new way of dealing with student withdrawals has now been introduced.

5.5 Network Connectivity

To benefit from a greater availability of information it has been necessary to have 100% connectivity to the network/internet. Teaching staff have access from individual PCs placed at their desk. Every classroom (including practical rooms), meeting room, boardroom is equipped with permanent overhead technology, connected to audiovisual resources and to the network/internet.

The availability of software tools to manage the learning process combined with the infrastructure to carry the data to the desktop has proved effective and is now embedded at Central College of Commerce.

5.6 Benefits

• Opening access to data stored in legacy database system has been transformational, getting the data closer to the people who need to use it. The goal is to provide a better service to our students and to provide quick and accurate answers to legitimate requests for information. By moving the data closer to lecturers and course leaders significant progress has been made. Processes are continuously evolving and transforming of our business.
• Decision-making is now based around access to real-time information delivered with ease to the user's desktop. Managers access live information aiding decision making.
• Strong links with a number of colleges as a direct consequence of this project have resulted. These partnerships in a resource-restricted environment allow the sharing of skills, products and expertise.
• A number of web-based tools and software solutions are currently shared with some 17 colleges throughout Scotland. 12 colleges have chosen this year to contribute financially towards product maintenance, indicating that there is a particular need in Scottish Colleges.
• Further tools are developed continuously for smooth institutional management of the driven by user needs and business requirements.

5.7 External Evaluation

The project has been externally evaluated by ESYS on behalf of the Funding Council. The external evaluation acknowledged our approach to dissemination as 'best practice'. Extract from evaluation

' Highest profile of all ICTSIF projects due to sustained and proactive dissemination activity throughout the programme with a range of audiences in FE and HE. Articles published in the Scotsman and Herald newspaper - a major achievement. Feedback gathered online from all internal users for Enquirer. Publication of an online log of work in progress was a novel approach and a useful best practice for future projects.'

For further detailed information access www.learninscotland.ac.uk