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This article provides key information on the current Data Governance project looking to create a standard flag on Academic programs that identifies the program modality.
Detailed Information
Background Information
Previous Data Governance Project
This Data Governance Project aimed to standardize and clarify course delivery modalities within the University of Maine System (UMS) by updating Instruction Mode coding and definitions. Recognizing the inconsistencies in coding practices across campuses, which hindered accurate reporting and created confusion for students, particularly those in online programs, the proposal recommended adopting a uniform set of definitions. These definitions, which include On-Site, Blended, Online Low Residency, Online Synchronous, Online Asynchronous, and Hyflex, were developed through stakeholder input and aim to better reflect the actual delivery methods while providing flexibility for future technological advancements. Implementing these system-wide codes enhanced clarity for students, improve consistency in cross-listed courses, and supported the UMS's strategic goal of expanding access to online education.
Issue Summary
The University of Maine System (UMS) Institutional Research office experiences frequent requests for reports on the institution's online program inventory. Currently, MaineStreet lacks the functionality to filter degrees by online modality, necessitating a manual compilation of online programs for each report. With the continued expansion of UMS's online program offerings, this manual process has become unsustainable and inefficient, requiring a more automated and scalable solution. This project aims to address this deficiency and streamline the reporting of online program data.
Project Scope
As part of the University of Maine System’s (UMS) strategic initiative to improve reporting on online programs and degrees, the Institutional Research (IR) office has identified the need for an automated, sustainable solution.
Currently, our Student Information (MaineStreet) system lacks the functionality to identify academic programs and academic plans by online modality, resulting in a manual, time-intensive process for compiling reports on online offerings. This challenge is becoming increasingly unsustainable as UMS continues to expand its online academic portfolio. This project will design and implement an automated solution to support accurate, efficient, and scalable reporting of online programs. The solution will enable institutional stakeholders to quickly access reliable data on UMS’s online offerings.
Project Goals
- Develop and implement functionality within MaineStreet (or an integrated system) to enable filtering and reporting of academic programs by online modality.
- Improve efficiency and scalability of the online program reporting process.
- Ensure consistent and accurate classification of online programs across the system.
Project Scope
Inclusions:
- Definition and implementation of standardized online modality terms and associated dropdown values for consistent program classification.
- Development of online modality filtering functionality.
- Testing and validation of the implemented solution.
- Categorization of academic programs using the newly developed online modality flag.
- Creation of user documentation and delivery of relevant training.
- Design and implementation of audit queries to identify and validate the application of the online modality attribute across all relevant program/plan records.
- Categorization of students as online for purposes such as:
- Student Tuition fee classification
Exclusions:
- Development or launch of new online programs.
- General enhancements to MaineStreet not related to online modality reporting.
- Categorization of students as online for purposes such as:
- Immunization requirements
- Financial Aid eligibility
- Development of a formal definition of an “Online Student.”
Environment
- System Wide
- MaineStreet
- Peoplesoft® Campus Solutions