DARS User Group
Thursday, May 27, 2004,
10:00 am – 3:00pm
St. Cloud Technical College,
Room I-238
Present: Michelle Frenzel, Gin Forseman, Shawn Hardwerk, Donna Marzolf, Gina Boeckermann, Kelli Kienitz, Gloria Deick, Mary D’Andrea, Rita Moore, Fred Forseman, Laurie Tralle.
Minutes http://www.dars.mntransfer.org/usergroup/MinutesNov1803.html from the November meeting were approved.
Training/Presentation reports
The DARS team conducted a Basic Encoding Workshop October 21-23, 2003 (6 individuals, 5 institutions), and TA Encoding Workshop Feb. 3-5, 2004 (17 individuals, 9 institutions).
Third Thursday open lab attendees since Nov., 2003 equal 74 individuals, 49 schools; Friday: 34 individuals, 21 schools. Thursday topics presented by members of the DARS team: Reference Year, Exceptions, String Tables, DARS Web 3.5 demo, TA rules to Mntransfer.org, More Meaningful Weighted Averages, TRLOOKUP, Pre-Assigned Condition Codes, and Tech Prep. All of these topics have companion documentation on the web site.
Topic Suggestions for future Third Thursdays: Running DARS reports with ACCESS (also a possible User Conference topic); Access Transfer Course Query (read-only .zip file) Analysis tables: reports and uses Reporting functions with DARwin 3.5.
Individual Lab Sessions (Nov.-May) accommodated 15 individuals, 11 schools
CAS for Administrators was presented Feb. 11, 2004.
Laurie presented CAS to the Ed. Policy committee of MnSCU Presidents on May 4, 2004. The presentation was part of a PowerPoint including Transfer issues, the Discipline Review meetings and CAS.
Laurie and Margo Mueller presented the DARS/CAS Connection at the CAO/CSAO/Deans meeting at Metro State, May 26, 2004. Campus copies of the DARS Progress Report were available. The 31 attendees asked good questions and showed an increased awareness of DARS and CAS.
Laurie is scheduled to present CAS at the June 15-16 Board of Trustees Meeting. The presentation will be similar to the one presented to the Ed Policy Committee in May.
Basic Encoding is scheduled for June 1-3, with 13 individuals registered, from 6 institutions. CAS for Administrators will also be offered this summer. Training through the summer will be on an “as needed” basis. We are currently considering a summer TA Workshop, as a number of institutions have new staffing working with transfer.
The DARS web site hits since November follow:
Dec – 4156
Jan – 5532
Feb – 4843
March – 7509
April – 5430
May - 5287
Gina reported that the spike in hits for March reflected the
activity of web crawlers.
Gina and Mary will begin a review of the Website to remove
obsolete pages. The overall look
should not change.
Fred and Laurie will be visiting Southwest MSU in June to discuss the Analysis Tables. The User Group expressed a need for the Analysis tables and reporting. The new version of DARS has more reports.
DARS Progress Report: As of the current publication of the DARS Progress Report, no school has a red light for encoding. Laurie reminded the Group that institutions can contact her at any time to report changes in their status.
DARS & CAS have been undergoing a Legislative audit since April 2004. In the exit review conducted on June 1, the auditors identified an number of security issues that will require IT resources. Additionally, they suggested that we consider ways for campuses to insure testing accuracy. They recommended initiating a Peer Review process, or a User Conference topic: Best Practice for DARS Testing.
Completed tasks (since the last User Group meeting, Nov. 2003) from the DARS Team Task List:
The following have been documented and posted on the web site:
INCLTOP #PD Enhancements 2/24/04 INCLTOP #PT# 11/10/03 Hypertext inside audit for email line to DARS web helpdesk 1/13/04 INCLTOP #TS enhancements 1/20/04 Revised #CO & #PR 1/20/04 INCLTOP #DD# Enhancement – 2/24/04 INCLTOP #DD# bug fix for when no degree 3/29/04 INCLTOP #NC Major Concentration bug fix 2/24/04 INCLTOP #RC enhancement to add spacing 3/15/04
Additionally, these tasks have been accomplished:
Export bug fix (Northland) 2/24/04 Export enhancements for quarter & unit credits 1/16/04 Export slowdown (Riverland) fix rolled out 3/29/04 ISRS enhancement to allow export of “invalid” grades to ST1112UG and having earned credits print on transcript (Mary Johnson) - Addition of BTC database for Northwest Tech Bemidji 4/15/04 Addition of East Grand Forks programs/requirements to Northland 4/15/04
The User Group agreed that DARS users continue to be notified via the list serve of enhancements and/or announcements, and continue to note in “What’s New”. The Group acknowledged that application of the enhancements is often driven by immediate need. Some applications may not seem useful at first consideration, but might be more useful with more information.
The User Group requests that enhancement announcements include an example of the application, and the original person requesting the enhancement.
DARS Catalog Update: Since Nov. 2003, 376 catalogs have been transported, and 35 new catalogs added. Currently in-progress: UND (two catalogs, one with CCN, into one), Inver Hills: Quarters, & Gustavus.
Recently added quarter catalogs include: U of M Morris, Anoka Ramsey, Central Lakes, Mpls., Normandale, Century (We are now using last quarter catalog for titles.)
Additional catalogs completed: Akita, Concordia-Moorhead, U of Wisconsin Colleges (13 institutions), U of M Crookston, UW-River Falls.
Mary noted the need for occasional corrections, Northland in particular. When corrections are identified, either from users or campuses, we correct in the dvlp catalogs, document, send on list serve.
Grant catalogs: Of original 18, 12 have been released to users: North Iowa, Iowa Lakes, UW Superior, NDSU, U of St. Thomas, Hamlin, Bethel, UM Morris, St Catherine, UW Eau Claire, UW Stout, UW La Crosse. One is in cleanup, and 5 catalogs, from two campuses are outstanding (expect resolution by July 1).
All U of M and MnSCU semester catalogs are available. Wisconsin: 5 state universities and University colleges. North Dakota: 1 ½, Iowa: 2. The current list of available DARS catalogs is on the web at http://www.dars.mntransfer.org/updates/number20.pdf
U of M Catalogs update: MnSCU and U of M CAS server allows sharing of data. We have replicated from U of M, 1017 IREF and 995 TA tables. These tables include the FICE, course begin and end data, and selected TA rules. We have removed extraneous encoding: condition codes, 5 year date ranges. We are now reviewing these catalogs and building TA tables with basic Gen Educ courses. These will be made available on a state by state basis, beginning with IOWA and 29 schools.
Mary discussed plans for the institutions affected by the NTC re-configurations. New catalogs will be built for Northland (002385) and Minnesota State Community and Technical College (005541). Northland’s catalog will include additional courses from the NTC curriculum; MSCTC will include former Fergus Falls, former NTC and new curriculum. The first year term for both will be 19993. Campuses wishing to retain the catalogs they have already built, could enlarge these with additional courses. The complete catalogs will be available through DARS catalog transport, and through a TA Rule report.
Allow receiver to change word TRANSFER in target course: Added to form for requesting DARS catalogs in Dec. Most campus requests include this change to the target course.
Tasks carried forward
Web audits for advisors will be available with DARwin 3.5, accessible from DA0001CP.
#TM-Transcript Message will be the first enhancement completed with version 3.5.
Full demo or INCLTOP enhancement to pull student email address will be worked on with the new version.
The User Group recommended that we consider the new ISRS Admissions module and the multiple e-mail options.
Enhancements for 3.5
The User Group requests that we create reports to:
Get a list of Report INSTID’s used Get a list of students by source ID (transfer institution) List student with exceptions Identify credits used toward program for Financial Aid reporting. (Donna Marzolf. This might have applications for Perkins grants and/or NCAA verifications.
The first two reports would add ability to query Joe Cool (Transfer evaluations) via DA0001CP
User Group requests that we either provide further documentation for “Access Transfer Course Query (read-only .zip file)”, and provide training in a Third Thursday session.
Ongoing tasks
Curriculum Comparison Project -1/23/04
Curriculum from ISRS was pulled in Dec. 2003, and compared with curriculum for spring 2004. The changes (additions, deletions, credit and title differences) were assembled into a word document and sent to campus: DARS encoders, Transfer Specialists, CAO’s. We asked them to review the word document and return. We especially asked them to add any MnTC information, as this was not available for our review process. Of those sent (NWTC, Fergus were not sent) 20 sent back the document for posting. The remainder were posted on the web site and announced to encoders and Transfer Specialists. Updates are posted on the web site and announced in What’s New.
User Group requests that the Curriculum Changes be sent to the primary DARS encoder, with cc to CAO, Transfer Specialists, and Registrars.
User Group requests that the template used to identify Curriculum Changes include these categories: New Course, Course Name Change, Course Description Change, Course Dropped, Course Credit Value Change, Discipline Change, Course Number Change, content unchanged, and MnTC Goal course.
The User Group requests that the process continue with template changes.
The User Group further requested that we forward a request to require the MnTC Goals in ISRS , and that the Goals (CS2001UI) be MnSCU defined.
Tech Prep Update – announcement 3/10/04
We have committed to building Tech Prep articulations and transporting to receptive campuses. Tech Prep has been DARS was documented and posted on the web site, and was presented at April Third Thursday. Campuses participating in the project: Inver Hills, Hennepin TC, St. Cloud TC, Dakota County TC
Future plans include the need to populate these in CAS.
TA Rules to MnTransfer Report
Gina reported that the TA Rules to MnTransfer option was used by 5 schools to post 24 tables. The process reduces the need for campuses to maintain two separate data bases for TA rules and is an interim application leading to CAS implementation.
Enhancement requests/ bug fixes
INCLTOP enhancement (#AM?) for Metropolitan State to display applicant major (tentative major entered in ST1004UG)
Increase number of printable lines in INCLTOP to 75 (from 50). INCLTOP is being used by may campuses to provide test scores, and campuses are finding that 50 printable lines is insufficient. User Group requests that INCLTOP printable lines be increased to 75.
INCLTOP enhancement to have the Exception Memo field print on the audit. MSU-Mankato would like it to print, in the case of CA type exceptions next to the course in the Sub-Requirement. However, if this is not possible, it could be printed in INCLTOP or INCLBOT. User Group requests that we explore if this can be accomplished with a COM setting or by an INCLTOP enhancement.
INCLTOP enhancement request from Metropolitan State to use Student Placement Levels screen (ST3506UG) instead of Test Score Maintenance Screen (ST1118UG) User Group requests INCLTOP enhancement to read ST3506UG; functionality should be the same as #TS.
Kelli Kienitz requested an enhancement to #06 Advisor. Currently #06 prints the active advisor. Kelli has students in Ridgewater’s ISRS whose advisor begins in the next term. Since that date is in the future, no advisor prints. Functionality should look for an end date greater then today’s date, and sort by end date. If both dates are future, print by end date. End date advisors you don’t want to print. The User Group requests that #06 print all advisors that are active, including those dated in the future, and when there are multiple advisors
User Conference 2004
User Group recommends that the conference be scheduled for fall, but before the Minn. National College Fair (Oct. 27-28). Look at Sept. 21-22, and 28-29 (Tues-Wed.) dates for the MN DARS User Conference.
User Group requests that we plan a mid-week conference, with a half day and full day, or two ¾ days.
User Group requests that we plan for a St. Cloud location, with a 10:30 start time.
CAS Update
Laurie reports that she needs to bring up 8 more institutions by Fall Semester 2004. These will probably be: Saint Paul College, Riverland, Ridgewater, MN Southeast Tech College, St Cloud TC, Vermilion, Hennepin TC, and possibly Century.
The remainder of the schools will be brought up during Fall semester.
Fred has developed some updating of campus DARS tables for CAS. Once they are updated, they will remain updated, and may be observable by the campus, e.g., end date of 9999 or 9999 9 are changed to 9999 99.
We expect an automatic updating with the CAS server, probably bi-weekly.
Official announcement by MnSCU and U of M is forthcoming, but may be linked to when the State Legislature is in session.
Laurie and Nancy Conner (Director of PR/Media Relations) are working on a universal brochure for MnSCU. The brochure will include student identification of the “point of entry” institution in CAS and password.
SPEEDE: Due to old technology, IT is abandoning SPEEDE for the electronic transfer of student transcripts. IT is developing a process to allow electronic transfer of transcripts within the system.
ISRS requests
Setting a DARS catalog in ST1104UG: The User Group requests that the catalog defined in ST1104UG include the language: DARS Catalog, that the yrtr date be required, with a default of effective yrtr. History of catalog is not necessary. Alternate catalogs should be processed in Joe Cool, not ISRS.
User Group further requests that ISRS provide a back fill with data for current or old catalogs. Include in the Admit module.
Based upon earlier discussion in this meeting, the User Group we forward a request to require the MnTC Goals in ISRS , and that the Goals (CS2001UI) be MnSCU defined (see Curriculum Comparison Project, above)
DARwin version 3.5: DARwin 3.5 has been loaded in dvlp. Testing begins on Friday May , 28. Fred reports that the analysis tables have been beefed up, offering additional options for users. Many data base changes have been added, which will require all of the MnSCU institutions to convert to 3.5 at the same time. Group discussed how this would be accomplished: convert over the week end, and dis-user old account, requiring the user to install 3.5 before they receive new account. DARS Team hopes to have a mid-July roll-out for 3.5, with the Web package upgrade available later in July.
