405 - from cloning of student data in 2005

From cloning of student data in 2005 to 95% online registration in

2011: a merger success story

Marie Muller, Tinus van Zyl and Gert van Wyk

April 2012

Historical Background

• The University of Johannesburg (UJ) was established in 2005 → SA Merger legislation

• UJ is the result of the incorporation of two former Vista University campuses, the Rand Afrikaans University (established in 1967) and the Technikon Witwatersrand (established in 1925)

• SA Merger Guidelines → Academic Administration• Five pre-merger campuses

Bunting Campus (TWR) Kingsway Campus (RAU) Doornfontein Campus (TWR) Soweto Campus (Vista) East Rand Campus (Vista) → UNISA

Bunting Road Campus (former TWR)

Kingsway Campus (former RAU)

Doornfontein Campus (former TWR)

Soweto Campus (former Vista)

Merger challenges: Academic Administration

• Legacy practices → transform to unity and campus equivalence

• Student Data System → unify by “cloning” of data• Alignment of student/academic administration policies,

procedures, regulations, etc.• Ensure smooth transition from pre-merger to UJ• Management of pipeline students and legacy student cultures,

practices, values, etc.• Developing a model of student academic administration

governance → to achieve excellence as reflected in the external audit results

STUDENT ENROLMENT

CENTRE

ESTABLISHED IN JULY OF 2008

Compiled by Gert van Wyk

Senior Manager : Student Enrolment Centre

Tel : 0115594501 or 0823411982

Email : [email protected]

Departmental facts

1. Why was Student Enrolment Centre (SEC) established

• To improve governance• To speed up administrative processes by

centralisation• To give the student a “one stop” experience

2. Staff

A total of 39 permanent staff mostly based on

Kingsway Campus with offices on each of the other

three campuses.

Departmental facts (cont.)3. Services

Acceptance of application forms, capturing of this information on ITS, issuing of student and staff access cards, scanning of documents (now outsourced), selection of students according to faculty criteria, supply of information to prospective students and answering of queries both in person and telephonically, assistance to International students(compliance)

4. Special Projects

• Online applications• Shortened biographical detail with reasons for non

admittance• Late applications in January each year will be

assisted via a Mobi Site.

Departments within Student Enrolment Centre

Contact Centre:Comprises of Information desk for walk in

studentsCall centre

for telephonic queries

Biographics Department:Comprises of Data Capturing of application forms

Scanning of all documents

Issuing of student and staff access

cards

Selections Department:Comprises of Selectors handling selections

for 6 of our 9 faculties

International Compliance Office:Comprises of Staff on each campus to deal

with compliance issues.

Statistics

Contact Centre: (2011)

Visitors through the gates (including more than 94 000

walk-ins in January alone) - 311 904

MyFuture queries - 9 466

Posted Items - 11 398

Calls handled by Call Centre - 216 426

Biographics Department:

Year ApplicationsApplicants

2009 66 117 50 444

2010 83 101 61 915

2011 99 29467 156

2012 105 00085 000

Statistics (cont.)

Selections Office:

Established in the middle of 2010 when staff placement

was finalised.

Handled 70 000 selections(declined, accepted, conditionally

accepted) between 6 staff members.

International Compliance Office:Students receive personal attention regarding their special

needs for applying to UJ.

March 2012 2012/13 Application Procedure

STUDENT ENROLMENT CENTRE 2012 PROCESS FLOWPO

STGR

ADUA

TES

UNDE

RGRA

DUAT

ESEX

TRA

CURR

ICUL

ARIN

TERN

ATIO

NAL

SELECTIONS OFFICE ONLINE APPLICATION BIOGRAPHICS

METROFILE/CORPORATE

GOVERNANCE

FACULTY/DEPARTMENT

INTERNATIONAL OFFICE

EXTRA CURRICULAR DEPARTMENT

Applications screened and sorted

by SEC

Online Application made by applicant

Application routed to correct faculty

Selection done on ITS and ImageNow Letter sent to clientApplications that

failed pre-screening/selection

are captured on SHORT BIO

Applications that passed pre-

screening are sent for pre-selection

Applications that passed pre-

selection are captured and put on

electronic control list

Metrofile collects application forms – scan and upload to

ImageNow


Applications sorted per faculty

Applications monitored and controlled by

Postgraduate SEC staff member.

Applications put on Postgraduate control

list

Applications with qualification code captured with qualification code. Applications without qualification

code captured under generic code.


ImageNow

Application routed to Postgraduate queue -

ImageNow

Project routed to relevant Faculty/Department via

ImageNow

department does selection and sends out

correspondence

Applications sorted per faculty


Applications with qualification code captured with qualification code. Applications without qualification

code captured under generic code.

Applications put on electronic control list


ImageNow

Project routed to relevant Faculty/Department via

ImageNowdepartment does selection and

sends out correspondence

Application handed in at SEC offices – Walk in


Application screened by International Office

Application received from department/faculty/post

Applications captured on ITS. NB – Must be captured under Generic Code

Applications put on electronic control list


ImageNow

Project automatically routed to International queue – by

identifying the passport number

Projects routed to relevant

International queue

International Office does

selection and sends out

correspondance

Achievements

• Documents are not as easily lost – successful

incorporation of ImageNow (document management

system).• Easier to track where the application is in the process.• The process is much faster (20 day turn around time).• All relevant staff have access to the documents.• Consistency achieved in the centralising of selections

for six faculties.• Standardisation of communication to applicants.• Status check on the UJ website.• The empowerment of call centre staff to access and

issue relevant information.

ONLINE REGISTRATION

SYSTEM

Compiled by Tinus van Zyl

Senior Manager : Faculty Coordination

Tel : 0115594885 or 0825606861

Email : [email protected]

Online Registration System

• Developed in 2008 and piloted in 2009• Focus was on the development of a system which:

• was user friendly, reduced the registration time spent per student and alleviated resource requirements

• incorporated all the standard registration checks and validations (e.g. pre & co-requisites, grade 12 endorsement, timetable clashes)

• enhanced Academic Administration Governance• In 2010, 86% online registration achieved• In 2011 we registered 95% of our close to 50 000 students

online and in 2012, 96% using the system

Online Registration System

Online Registration Process

• Registration planning process:• Registration Committee and Task Team driven by sound

project management principles• Z-card information• Registration schedule• At orientation all students were trained how to use the

online registration system • Enrolment management could be enforced on a real-time

level and quotas set per qualification and subject• Computer laboratories used for assistance and

consultations

Online Registration Process (cont.)

• Centralised dedicated critical services e.g. international office, finance, applications, call Centre, student cards and the capturing of finger prints

• Opened online registrations (off-site) one week before the start of formal registration, which resulted in approximately 5 500 registering online before the start of formal registrations

• The system allows for a secure online payment processes

Lessons learnt and improvement strategies

• Pressure shifted to the production of student cards and the capturing of finger prints in 2011

• Assisted students anywhere on campus with Wi-Fi connected tablets

• This year we also Initiated a dedicated “information hub”: to answer all e-mail enquiries and telephone enquiries

• Cameras installed in all the registration venues – allowed staff to remotely monitor activities across campuses

• YouTube video and information on UJ website

Value added to Academic Administration

• The online registration system has significantly enhanced academic administration governance and service delivery

• Drastically reduced the students visiting campuses to register (approximately 30% to 40%)

• Annual cost saving of 40%• Supported our commitment to a more user friendly and

environmentally friendly environment (e.g. no more printing of any registration documents)

• Approximately 85% of the students prefer online registrations – surveyed 2011 / 2012

CONCLUSION

• Technology-based systems: 95% online registration• Reduced turnaround time and improved governance with the

management of electronic applications• Student satisfaction: 75% (on the total registration process,

including finances)• External audit results: improved governance form 5533 errors

in 2006 to 68 errors in 2011 (based on the 2010 student data)• Collective planning and ownership

405 - from cloning of student data in 2005

Education