Week+Three+5362

= Information Systems Management and Collaboration = "Four keys ideas continually surface when it comes to making the most of the SIS technology: leadership, communication, training and more training ."

Sausner,R. (2003, November). Making paperwork fulfilling. District Administrator. Retrieved on January, 28, 2010, from: http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=103

I like the idea in this quote that "more training" is considered a key element in optimizing existing technology. In another article we read about purchasing and implementing a student information system it stated that allocating resources to train staff on the system was imperitive. It also suggested that additional staff be hired to assist with the transition and to provide help desk support. In my current job the only training I initially received on the SIS system was hands on training from my director and co-workers. It was explained that the current system we were using was going away and I would receive training on the new system at some point in the future. A year down the road, the new system has been implemented and the only training we received was a half a day a couple of months prior to going live in the new system. Since the time of the training and the implementation of the new system there is a tremendous lag time in which, if staff are not using the system, they forget what they learned. I keep wondering if there will be some further ongoing training available for current staff or new employees, but at this point I don't forsee that occurring.

I agree that as an adult distance learner, a great deal of self-discipline is required to complete the work. In working with adults I have found that age has little to do with maturity level. I have found that many adults who dropped out of school lack the discipline needed to go back and complete their GED. They may have learning disabilities or other barriers to overcome, but the self-discipline that is needed is a huge factor. It has been my observation that when the adult student has a support person who is providing some strong motivation along the way, they are more likely to be successful. Unless the student is very goal-oriented or has a strong motivating factor, they will not be disciplined enough to complete the work. I consider myself pretty self-disciplined and goal-oriented but even I have found that it helps to have a study partner to motivate me.

I like the idea of a "fee of services" model. We may be dreaming here, but I agree that homeschool families would benefit from working with their local school districts. When my first child was about to enter Kindergarten we decided to try the home school route. He had a June birthday so he was a young 5 year old entering Kindergarten. I would have loved to have had an expert to consult with to determine how best to meet his needs. I later discovered that I had the option of holding him back a year and waiting for him to mature a little which would have helped him be more successful in school. I regret that I made a lot of mistakes in my initial experience with home schooling and feel that my child suffered somewhat for it. Possibly if my local school district had been a little more open to work with me, even if it was on a fee for service basis, the child could have been benefited so much more. And, by the way, the home schooling only lasted for one year.

I initially requested an interview with one of Lamar University’s SIS staff members in order to obtain information to complete this assignment since I am an employee of the university. I was informed by Priscilla Parsons, ERP Project Manager of Lamar University, that all Lamar students in the Academic Partnership program would be provided with the same information via email regarding the questions related to this assignment.
 * SIS Evaluation**

No dollar amounts were discussed in the information that was provided regarding the costs of the software. It was stated that in addition to the purchase of the software license, consulting services were purchased to support the implementation of the software. Annual software maintenance fees (typically 18-21% of the original license cost) provide fixes, enhancements and upgrades to all systems. Additional third party systems were purchased to provide functions such as check printing and credit card payment processing. New hardware (database and application servers; storage systems and networking) were also purchased to support the software.

Ms. Parsons informed us that the full suite of Banner products provide an integrated ERP system encompassing Finance, HR, payroll, Student Financial Aid, and Student Information. Some features of the student information system include student registration, student records maintenance, degree audit and a web based self service product that allows students online access to their student information, registration and student account. The web based self service product also provides faculty members access to class information.

Some of the functions include admission to the University, processing of financial aid, student enrollment in courses, class and faculty management, academic transcript maintenance, degree verification and graduation, tuition and fee assessment, and payment processing.

Ms. Parsons stated that Texas requires the reporting of student, enrollment and faculty data. The Texas Connection Consortium and SunGard Higher Education work together to provide Texas-specific solutions saving time and money for the members of the Texas Connection Consortium. The TCC association comprises [|40 state universities, colleges, and community college districts] sharing the resources of a single Solution Center that maintains solutions from SunGard Higher Education.

Ms. Parsons stated that she believes that ease of use is a matter of opinion. While the Banner system is user friendly, the majority of the administrative staff may not consider it user-friendly. She stated however, as with most tools, productivity will increase as knowledge is gained and experience using tool increases. The Banner products are designed as an integrated ERP system, thus sharing information between the systems where appropriate. Integrated ERP systems are designed to eliminate, or greatly reduce, the duplication of data.

From my observation and use of the system, it does not require duplication of data entry. Ms. Parsons stated that academic and administrative departments that need assistance with the student system may contact the Registrar’s office, the helpdesk (helpdesk@lamar.edu) or the Banner Project Office. The vendor, SunGard Higher Education, also offers online support services for issues that cannot be resolved on campus. It has been my experience that the customer support provided by the helpdesk is always timely and helpful.

Ms. Parsons stated that basic training sessions were offered for staff to provide a foundation for use of the system. The wide diversity of administrative uses will require more specialized training sessions. The requirements of these specialized sessions will be defined as we continue in our first semester using the Banner student system. I was trained in the Banner system by university staff members a couple of months prior to the system going live. The training I received was adequate although I would like to see more specialized ongoing training offered to our individual department staff.


 * SIS Evaluation**

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