Archive for the ‘ITS is Strategic’ Category
Next Generation Email and Calendar: Solutions to Enable Student Success
Posted on October 12th, 2011
Following recommendations from the 21st Century efforts, MCCCD will soon move to the next generation of Email and Calendar applications after careful consideration of all these factors. At the May 2011 Governing Board meeting, the Board approved a proposal to replace our current Email and Calendar system (MEMO/Corporate Time) and move Maricopa faculty and staff to GoogleApps for Education (Gmail and Google Calendar). The current plan calls for a pilot to start in spring 2012.
HRMS 9.1 Upgrade: Update
Posted on October 12th, 2011
MCCCD Human Resources Division and DSSC ITS have been deeply involved together in the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) upgrade to Oracle (PeopleSoft) Human Capital Management (HCM) Version 9.1 for well over a year.
CFS Upgrade
Posted on October 12th, 2011
The College Financial System (CFS) is in the middle of a major upgrade from Oracle eBusiness Suite version 11.5.10 to 12.1.3. The initial planning for this project began in Spring 2009 with final board approval granted in December 2010. After Board approval, the planning transitioned to formal upgrade work beginning in April of this year. A great deal of effort has been completed to date on the project in a partnership between ITS and Business Services.
On the Brink of Change: Highlights from the 2011 Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference
Posted on October 12th, 2011
On May 17, 2011, MCCCD held its premier, annual learning technology event, the 2011 Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference Sponsored by the Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction, this year’s program featured presentations, posters, conversations and workshops that showcased topics aligned with the conference theme of “Change”. The theme encouraged attendees to think critically about the current state of higher education and how technology plays a positive role in addressing the challenges both students and educators continue to face.
2011 Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference: Preconference Workshop Highlights
Posted on October 12th, 2011
In coordination with the Teaching and Learning with Technology conference, preconference sessions were held on May 16, 2011 specifically with MCCCD IT and faculty professionals each focusing on their respective areas. Faculty preconference activities included the following:
Measuring Success - Fall 2011 issue of ITS In Touch
Posted on October 12th, 2011
For this Fall 2011 issue of ITS InTouch, we have chosen to highlight the District-wide Consolidated Information and Instructional Technology Action Pan for 2011-2012 as a “measurement of success”.
2nd Datacenter (”Airpark”) Update
Posted on March 10th, 2011
MCCCD’s 2nd Data Center (Airpark) continues to move forward at a steady pace to bring Internet and core system redundant services to our students, faculty and staff.
DSSC ITS is happy to report that the facility is now operational! This new facility provides protection from service outages, and also improves the speed of access the students experience when using on line resources. Additionally, during final staging and testing to ensure power, cooling and support systems were functioning correctly, ITS hosted an educational experience for two classes and the Computer Club from PVCC in December 2010. Students were able to tour this state of the art computing facility and had access to ITS personnel to ask questions.
The Human Resource Management System (HRMS) and College Financial System (CFS) backup servers have been moved from an intermediate redundant location at SMCC to Airpark. The Student Information System (SIS) will be added during Spring Break. Redundant networks and Internet access for the colleges have been added allowing college-based needs for business continuity. We look forward to partnering with our colleges in this regadard in mid-March
Special thanks to Rod Marten of DSSC ITS , for contributing this answer
Click here to see an Index of common ITS acronyms
HRMS 9.1 Upgrade
Posted on March 10th, 2011
MCCCD Human Resources Division and DSSC ITS have partnered to work on the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) upgrade to Oracle (PeopleSoft) Human Capital Management (HCM) Version 9.1. This is a normal life-cycle activity for a major enterprise application such as HRMS. Vendor releases occur every four to five years, and once released, have a life-cycle of five years. The current production version (8.9) ends December 2011. MCCCD will skip Release 9.0 and go directly to 9.1, putting us back on the leading edge of the release cycle.
This project is the result of a number of years in planning. Technical activities started in October 2009, with the first upgrade pass completed in spring 2010. With this upgrade, and in conjunction with the 21st Century Maricopa project, it was decided to include a complete process and customization re-evaluation along with a detailed review of new features and functionality. From spring through summer 2010, a complete RFP/RFQ selection process occurred and as a result, Peak Performance Technologies was selected as our consulting partner in this endeavor. Governing Board approval was achieved in October 2010.
Key Goals are to:
- improve information quality;
- improve reporting capabilities;
- improve business processes;
- reduce customizations;
- continue vendor support after December 2011;
- increase standardization opportunities across all colleges;
- align with 21st Century Maricopa recommendations;
- reduce dependency on shadow systems;
- add additional self-service;
- enhance integration with external vendors and internal systems.
Process mapping for core processes was completed in October 2010, project planning has just been completed, and work teams have been established and include over 100 employees from throughout MCCCD. The fit/gap process commenced in January 2011 and will continue through April 2011. Upgrade environments have been established and customization removal and/or inclusion is about to begin. Testing will occur through summer 2011 and go-live currently scheduled for October 2011.
Special thanks to Don Outland of DSSC ITS for contributing this article
Click here to see an Index of common ITS acronyms
Online Performance Reviews (ePerformance)
Posted on March 10th, 2011
MCCCD is moving toward online, interactive performance reviews. The system is called ePerformance and is a module within the Human Resource Management System (HRMS).
Automation of performance reviews was specifically targeted as a priority by the 2009 Consultant-based study requested by the MCCCD Governing Board. This finding resulted in the formation of a 21st Century Maricopa team (Team F092) in early 2010 that was tasked to “mandate the regular completion of standardized employee performance management review process, utilizing tools standardized across MCCCD.”
Prior to the study, the Human Resources Functional and Technical Support teams began conversations toward online performance reviews. The HRMS ePerformance module was purchased in late 2008, and a small pilot project was completed in 2009. Additionally, the HR Division completed extensive discussions with the MAT Advisory Council to refine the content and format of the MAT Review. This provided a great start for the work of the 21st Century Maricopa team. The best and most cost effective solution was to expand the existing 2009 pilot and continue toward full implementation and roll-out across all employee groups. In July 2010, the recommendation and plan was accepted by the 21st Century Maricopa Steering Committee. The “new” pilot began in August 2010.
Given the scope of the project, the effect on MCCCD employees and “Maricopa culture”, and the upcoming HRMS upgrade, a decision was made to phase the roll-out over multiple years starting with a limited Early Adopter Program. Three college sites volunteered to participate (EMCC, GCC, and PC). Design, configuration and testing were completed by October 2010, training was developed and delivered in November and December, and the process went “live” for the three Early Adapter colleges, as planned, in January 2011 with no increase in budget.
The continued roll-out will be phased in, by Employee Group, over the next three years. The remainder of the MAT group will be included after the completion of the HRMS 9.1 Upgrade in January 2012. PSA Council discussions are currently underway. It is anticipated that the group will join the fold in January 2012 followed by Crafts, M&O and Safety policy groups.
Special thanks to Don Outland of DSSC ITS for contributing this article
Click here to see an Index of common ITS acronyms
College Site Visits: Working to connect our MCCCD sites with what the 2nd Datacenter (”Airpark”) has to offer
Posted on March 10th, 2011
The 2nd Datacenter (also known as “Airpark”) is an exciting step toward improved services for DSSC ITS customers that we have enjoyed sharing with the college community.
This past summer, Rod Marten visited all 10 college sites describing the capabilities of the new facility which includes increased DSSC ITS service reliability, improved network reliability and performance, and access to resources that the college sites can leverage to improve their systems. Each site also had the opportunity to share some of their ideas about how they would be able to take advantage of these resources.
In December 2010, awareness of the facility was raised when the the IT Leadership Committee (ITLC) meeting was hosted at Airpark. Partnering with MIS/CS departments, three classes at PVCC were given a unique opportunity to see the inside of a state-of-the-art computing facility. In January 2011, additional detailed meetings were held with MCCCD colleges about some of the innovative ideas they had come up with to improve their operations through use of the facility.
The next steps for outreach of the Airpark project is to continue to partner with the colleges to enable their vision for technology at their respective sites.
Special thanks to Rod Marten of DSSC ITS , for contributing this answer
Click here to see an Index of common ITS acronyms
Measuring Success - Spring 2011 issue of ITS In Touch
Posted on March 10th, 2011
Did you know…
In 2010, Blackboard had:
- (fall 2010) 8 Million logins (September had the highest month ever with 1 Million!) a peak of 50,000 logins in one day
- (fall 2010) a peak of 270,000 logins in one week
- (fall 2010) a typical user logging in five times per week
- 4,739 instructors using the system
- 25,086 courses being taught in the system
Student Information System (SIS)
- Total logins to SIS in 2010 was over 5 million
- On average, there are over 150,000 logins to SIS on a weekly basis
- SIS staff-performed enrollment transactions have dropped 15%, while student self-service online enrollments increased 70%
- Self-service activity in SIS rose 25-70% for common transactions
- Nearly 50% of SIS transactions are now initiated by students
- Fall/spring enrollments (class occupancies) have grown from 284,000 daily to 390,00 (up 37%) since 2008
- SIS is one of the largest systems in the country with over 1.8 billion rows of information and growing at approximately 20% per year
Account Management (username/password) Services (CIMS)
- During peak registration hours, our College Identity Management System (CIMS) supports over 20,000 user logins to SIS every hour
- CIMS supports over 417,000 active student accounts and 16,150 employee accounts
- Last year, we had over 15 million logins to Student Email (Google) using CIMS
- CIMS significantly reduces the time and support costs required to fulfill new student account creations and password-reset requests for our 400,000+ active faculty/staff and student accounts while increasing security and compliance
Human Resource Management System (HRMS)
- In 2010 alone, HRMS issued 278,681 paychecks
- Nearly 3 million total paychecks have been issued since July 1999
Faculty and Staff Email and Calendar Services
- In 2010, MCCCD received over 12 million email messages and our anti-spam devices blocked over 2.5 million messages (20%)
- In 2010, MCCCD sent over 7 million email messages
- On a daily basis, MCCCD faculty and staff receive approximately 37,000 messages and send over 26,000 messages
Student Email (Google)
- Last year, there were over 15 million logins to the Student Email System
- Usage is approaching 60% of our entire student population
Helpdesk Tickets
- DSSC ITS handles an average of 242 tickets per week and closed 10,974 tickets in 2010
Network
- DSSC LAN averages 100% availability
- Internet connection averages 99.812% availability - this represents less than 16.5 hours of downtime over the entire year
- Overall network traffic in 2010 was 7.656 TB (7,656,000,000,000 bytes of data)
Automated Personnel Action Requests (PARS)
Posted on October 25th, 2010
In partnership with Gideon Taylor (GT) and their ePAF™electronic forms platform, MCCCD went live last spring with a powerful Job Change eForm after less than six project weeks. This marks the fastest yet that a major GT ePAF™ based form has been brought to production. In those six weeks the joint MCCCD-Gideon Taylor project team successfully completed Discovery, Design, Development, Unit and User Acceptance Testing, as well as significant training.
The Job Change eForm, as customized by the project team, automated all Job Data change actions (Personnel Action Requests or PARs). Some special features include simplified earnings distributions, grant-related “special funding”, internal transfers and “renewals” - essentially the annual rehire of employees in temporary positions.
Annual renewals alone account for 1,000 transactions per year. By replacing a previously paper-based distribution process with email notifications, the eForm will eliminate 3,000 pages annually. Even more impressive is the time savings. After being trained on the new Job Change eForm, one staff member said, “I can now do in 30 seconds what used to take me 40 minutes.” Even at just this one stage in the Renewal process, 650 hours will be saved every year! That does not yet include any time and efficiency savings realized by the staff at the college.
The rapid move to Production allowed for a huge performance boost during MCCCD’s fiscal year cut-over on July 1. Phase I usage was limited to DSSC staff because, based on the date, paper PARs had already been generated and submitted by the Colleges. College roll-out will continue over the next several months.
Special thanks to Don Outland of DSSC ITS for contributing this article
Click here to see an Index of common ITS acronyms
