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One Year Under Our Belt:Self-Reported Academic RecordSession A4
Gregg Perry, Thomas Skottene & Nancy Walsh
Office of Undergraduate AdmissionsUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Agenda
• Introduction• History• Reasons for Moving to SRAR• Technical Aspects• User Experience/Common Errors• 2013 Enhancements• Pros/Cons• Verification Process• Summary• Feedback/Q & A
Introduction
Gregg PerryAssociate Director, Recruitment
Thomas SkotteneAssociate Director, Data Services
Nancy WalshSenior Associate Director, Operations
SRARTM Background
• Self-Reported Academic Record– Used by University of California system,
Georgia Tech, Rutgers, and others– Freshman applicants self report their academic
record– Self-reported data is used to process & review
applications– Once applicants accept their offer, final
transcripts are checked for discrepancies
Why SRAR?
• Staffing issues
• Large administrative savings– 7,000 vs. 30,000+ transcripts, automation possibilities
• Enhanced Customer Service
SRAR Timelime
• Trial Run, 2011– All freshman applicants with international credentials &
applicants from Glenbrook North High School
• All In, 2012– All freshman applicants required to submit SRAR
High Level Technical Considerations
• Easy to use– Our applicants– Internal users
• Integrate with our systems – Banner – our Student Information System (SIS)– eAdmitTM
• Volume/Load– Handle current and expected future volume, including peaks around
deadlines
• Security Concerns• Utilize new possibilities
– Automation– Transparency– Archiving
Ease of Use
• The SRARTM is a web form – Familiar Design
• applicants are used to it
– Flexible • able to make changes quickly
– The Regular Application Form is also a web form, though separate
– Applicants need no special system requirements• Some schools reported very old browsers and could not submit
– Warnings • When applicants do something unexpected such as not filling in all
four years for coursework
– Errors• When applicants make errors such as leaving required fields blank
User Testing Results
• Our initial approach was too process-centric– i.e. what Admissions needed to get our process
done
• Applicants will guess and make (false) assumptions if they are not allowed to choose exactly what they expect/want– Drop downs have more options now
• Even if we internally strictly don’t need it
– Places for information we don’t really need• Applicants will find a way to give it to us anyway
Integration with our Systems
• Banner– Illinois has used Banner as our main university wide data
repository and student information system since 2003 – Banner is a 3rd party tool made by Ellucian (Previously
Sungard, previously SCT, etc…)– Banner is housed and controlled by Central IT – Gives Admissions very limited power over functionality
and look and feel
• eAdmitTM
– eAdmitTM - Internal application processing system– Workflow and data repository for most internal
admissions processes
How It Was Before
Print out relevant materials
Enter decision back when
review was done
Banner(our Student Information
System)
Banner(our Student Information
System)
Online Web Application
Form
Online Web Application
FormTest ScoresTest Scores
Electronic
Paper manila folderPaper manila folder
Other paper forms
Other paper forms TranscriptsTranscripts
Paper
How It Is Now
Banner(our Student
Information System)
Banner(our Student
Information System)
Online Web Application Form
Online Web Application Form Test ScoresTest Scores
eAdmitTMeAdmitTM
Import relevant data
Other electronic forms
Other electronic forms SRARTMSRARTM
Push back data
Electronic
SRARTM Banner (SIS) Integration
• Pulling Data– Identity
• Login & PIN • Pre-logged-in credentials
– Previous Schools information from application
• Push Data– Academic calculations such as GPA– Language Other Than English (LOTE)– Pattern
Screenshot of Banner Status Page
– With open SRAR link
Self-Reported Academic Record
Message box telling applicants items are missing.
Link directly to SRAR form.Pre-logged in.
No need for username or PIN
Volume/Load
• A very large portion of applicants procrastinate and submit very, very close to the deadlines• 10,000 applications in one week prior to
November 1
• We received no complaints of slow or non-responsive SRARTMs during the peak times
Unintended Consequences
• The Urbana admissions office releases the decisions twice a year – Mid-December – Mid February
• In the last two years the Central IT’s Status Page crashed during the December decision release
• Admissions Status page stayed up – creating an alternative way for users to see
their decision
Security Concerns
• Concerns– Physical damage
• Fire• Tornadoes
– Electronic break-in attempts• None have been successful
• Solutions– Data is backed up daily and in different locations
• Not possible or practical with paper
– Data is stored in a server room with heightened security procedures
• Our paper files were not as safe as we would have liked
Automation
• Identify matched based on application ID– We now know which “John Smith” logged in
• Data as data and not text!– Academic calculations– Pattern analysis
• Aggregate information– Number of As, Bs, Cs, etc.
• Sorting– Subject– Chronological– By grades, requested
Transparency
• Stored in database – not paper• Audit points
– Who did what when?• Users • Tasks• Date stamps
• Reporting– Data as data
• Avg amount of As
User Experience
• User-friendly form; dropdown menus• Very important that applicants read
ALL the instructions• Must have transcript with them when
completing• More work, 60-90 minutes• Can log back in to review submitted
SRAR
Common User Errors
• Ignoring directions• Not entering senior year courses• ‘Creating’ their own grades by averaging
semesters• Did not convert number grades to letters• Entering all grades available (quarter,
semester, year)• Not entering grades at all when present on
transcript• Incomplete SRARs
2013 Enhancements
• Tweaking directions• Designated area for senior year
courses• Edit option in extreme situations• Academic credentials site• Internal view improvements
Advantages
• Easier application process for applicants & counselors
• Applications complete much sooner• Solved some staffing issues• Automation of data
Disadvantages
• Need to get the word out better; received too many high transcripts
• Applicants not following SRAR directions; manual follow-up needed
• Some technical issues on applicants’ end
• Verification/rescind process?
Verification Process
• Official final transcripts needed by July 10th deadline.• If final not available by deadline, 9-11 transcript is
required.• Staff will verify transcripts against SRAR.• Suspected embellishment will be reported to review
chair. Poor senior year performance will also be reported.
• Chair will review information & determine if offer should be rescinded. Student will be notified if offer is rescinded.
• If no documentation is received by deadline, admission offers will be rescinded. Students will be notified by end of July.
Summary
• History – why we moved to SRAR• Technical – how was it created?• Functional – how did it work from
user & Admissions perspective?• Pros/Cons• Verification Process
Feedback/Questions & Answers
Gregg [email protected]
Thomas [email protected]
Nancy [email protected]