A critical component of optimizing the MaineStreet class search experience for students is having consistent and clear data elements for every class section, across the UMS. A Data Governance workgroup — comprised of our university registrars, representatives from course scheduling, and IT—is working to analyze options for developing the most informative and consistent coding of classes. In addition to improving class search usability, our shared vision of consistent coding has advantages for students, faculty, and staff alike, resulting in:
Toward this end of consistent & transparent class coding, we have:
Begun development of proposals for consistent coding of Facility/Room, Location, and Campus elements
One of the major tasks accomplished by the workgroup was to identify the administrative data elements of a class search to enable addressing consistency across campuses and departments. Below are the administrative data elements used for scheduling courses that we are working on aligning, as well as the data elements most frequently used in basic class searches. Additionally, many of the administrative data elements can be used as search criteria in an advanced class search.
There are many different places one can search for classes. The following are examples of how the search results appear depending on where a search is conducted.