Scribin’ in Style Developing a Scribe Style Manual for Your Scribers

Scribin’ in Style

Developing a Scribe Style Manual for Your Scribers

Session Rules of Etiquette

• Please turn off your cell phone/pager

• If you must leave the session early, please do so as discreetly as possible

• Please avoid side conversation during the session

Thank you for your cooperation!

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University of Alabama Quick Facts

• Official Fall 2012 Enrollment: 34,852– Undergraduates: 29,443– Graduates and Professional: 5,409

• Number of College/Schools: 12• Number of Distinct, Currently Active Degree Codes:

– Undergraduate: 27– Graduate: 31

• Number of Distinct, Currently Active Major Codes:– Undergraduate: 157– Graduate: 101

• Number of Currently Active Minor Codes: 87

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Introduction

• Personnel– Are you the only one scribing?– Multiple scribers?– Multiple offices?

• Training– Trained at the same time?– Trained by the same person?

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Introduction

• Consistency– Consistent user experience

• Advisors• Students

– Consistent Maintenance• Current scribers• Future scribers

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Consistency

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Consistency

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Consistency

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Consistency

• Both are valid scribe code• Produce different displays to students and

advisors

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Considerations

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Considerations

• Can’t cover every eventuality– Must leave some things up to the discretion of the

scriber

• Deceptive similarity– Two seemingly similar requirements require different

code

• Input– Consult stakeholders– Consensus

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Considerations

• Lower Division

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Considerations

• “Lower Division”• Built for reporting

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Examples

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General Education Requirements

• Usually “University-Wide”• Good starting point for consistency• Still allow colleges flexibility in their

requirements

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General Education Requirements

• Template

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General Education Requirements

• Variation

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General Education Requirements

• Considerations– Do you have one block or one per college?

• Size

– Leeway of colleges to determine requirements– Proxy Advice– Rule Jumps

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Ancillary Requirements

• Started in Arts & Sciences– Specific Definition

• Courses required by the major that do not count in major GPA

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Another College

• Not called that in the catalog• Consistent experience for student• Advisors can be consistent

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Cataloging

• Point of Contention at UA• Previous “rule”

– Every catalog meant a new block– Way to keep track of what blocks had been

updated– No Catalog Management System to help deal

with changes

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Cataloging

• New Rules• When to catalog

– When a course requirement has changed:• EX: Art History required 2 Literatures; Now they

require one• Procedure:

– Change Stop Catalog Year on current block to previous end of catalog

– Copy requirements into new block and Start Catalog Year is the next catalog

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Cataloging

• When to change requirements in current/previous blocks– When course requirements have changed

due to:• Course renumbering• Course deletion• Changes that are retroactive to previous catalogs

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Major/Concentration Blocks

• Major point of contention with departments and with scribers

• Can lead to confusion– No common definition of what a concentration

is University-Wide– College definitions and curriculum

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Major/Concentration Blocks

• Two concentrations in same major

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Major/Concentration Blocks

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Major/Concentration Blocks

• Designing of Required Concentrations– Where a major has multiple concentrations:

• Scribe all courses common to all concentrations in the major block

• Call the concentration block from the major block• Scribe courses unique to that concentration in the

concentration block• All courses for the major and all concentrations not used in

major GPA calculation are scribed in one block with a name “Ancillary Courses in [MAJOR]”

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Group Rules

• Graduate School• No Concentrations• Using group rules

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Group Rules

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Group Rules

• Common Courses for each concentration pulled out

• Consistent with block format• Helps with “Picking”

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Summary

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Summary

• Consistency– Consistent Code– Consistent Display– Consistent Experience

• Don’t Strangle– Allow some flexibility

• Functionality over Form• Input from all stakeholders

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Questions & Answers

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Thank You!

Kurt Morton

ksm@ua.edu

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© 2014 Ellucian. All rights reserved.

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