LandscapeStudyofStudentLifecycle RelationshipManagement

AUGUST2008

DelythChambers DelythChambersConsultingLtd AlanPaull APSLtd

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 1

JISCLANDSCAPESTUDYOFSTUDENTLIFECYCLERELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
Acknowledgements ThanksisextendedtoAndyDysonofJISCforhisadviceduringtheundertakingofthisproject. Thefollowingmembersoftheconsortiumhaveprovidedvaluableinputtotheprojectthrough provisionofcasestudies,focusgroups,attendanceatbrainstormingsession,andcontributionsof theirownwork: AstonUniversity:ProfessorAlisonHalstead,MsAmandaIngleby ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity:DrMarkStubbsandhisteam,DrLizPrice,DrAliciaProwse, KateKirk TheUniversityofNottingham:ProfessorAngelaSmallwood,MsSandraWinfield,MrCliveChurch MrsCharliePaullofAPSLtd ThanksalsotoAstonUniversitywhohostedourteammeetings. Wearealsogratefultothoseinstitutionswhorespondedtotheonlinesurveyandhavemetwithor spokentotheresearchersthroughouttheproject. InadditionwearegratefultoJanetGrahamandherteamattheSupportingProfessionalismin Admissions(SPA)Programme. DelythChambers DelythChambersConsultingLtd 16OakHillDrive Edgbaston BIRMINGHAMB153UG Tel01212445598 Mob:07977051173 Delyth.Chambers@blueyonder.co.uk AlanPaull APSLtd 58NortonWood ForestGreen STROUD,GL60HG Tel:01453835009 Mob:07977120886 alan@alanpaull.co.uk

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 CONTENTS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 EXECUTIVESUMMARY BACKGROUND INTRODUCTION METHODOLOGY DESCRIPTIONSOFTHESTUDENTLIFECYCLE RESULTSOFTHEWEBBASEDSURVEY PERCEPTIONSOFINSTITUTIONSTAFFABOUTBUSINESSBENEFITSDERIVEDFROM SRMSYSTEMS PERCEPTIONSOFSTUDENTSABOUTSTUDENTRELATIONSHIPMANAGEMENT OUTPUTSFROMTHESOFTSYSTEMSWORK OUTPUTSFROMTHESYSTEMSFAILURESWORK HUMANFACTORSAFFECTINGCOMPUTERSYSTEMS INTERNATIONALEXPERIENCES CONCLUSIONS RECOMMENDATIONSTOJISC APPENDIX1:Webbasedsurveyquestionnaire APPENDIX2:Learnerjourneysbrainstorm APPENDIX3:StudentFocusGroupquestioningguide APPENDIX4:AstonUniversityCaseStudy APPENDIX5:ManchesterMetropolitanUniversityCaseStudy APPENDIX6:StudentEngagementwithFEcolleges APPENDIX7:SoftSystemsAnalysis APPENDIX8:Listofissuesidentifiedduringtheresearch APPENDIX9:Glossary APPENDIX10:References DIAGRAMS,GRAPHSANDTABLES Figure1:Exampleofpotentialexitpointsduringtheapplicationprocess Figure2:Expectedinteractionsateachstageofthestudentlifecycle Figure3:ComparisonofSRMsurveywithUCISACISsurveyrespondents Figure4:Numberofinstitutionsofferingaportalfacilityacrossdifferentstagesofthe lifecycle 4 5 6 8 12 16 23 25 33 35 43 49 51 55 56 63 67 68 75 80 81 92 97 98

Figure5:Useoftheportalforenrolledstudents
Figure6:Topthreesystemsinuseatdifferentstagesofthestudentlifecycle Figure7:Aformalsystemmodel Figure8:Agenericstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementsystem

Figure9:signgraphdiagram
Figure10:Thegenericcontrolsystemmodel Figure11:theShockAbsorberModel Figure12:Fittslistanalysis

Figure13:RetentionandEngagementatMMU:Relationshipbetweentypeof interventionandpersonalisation

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1EXECUTIVESUMMARY
Relationshipsareaboutpeoplenotorganisationsorsystems.Forthepurposeofthisstudy,Student RelationshipManagement(SRM)hasbeenregardedastheintelligenthandlingofcommunications betweenaninstitutionanditsstudents. Acleardescriptionofthelandscapeofstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementisdifficultto achieve,asthereishugevariationinthemissionsofinstitutions,learnertypesandeducational provision.Institutionsmanagetheirrelationships,andcommunicationswithstudentsinagreat varietyofways:facetoface,accesstoelectronicsystemstocarryoutadministrativetasks,useof portals,provisionofvirtuallearningenvironments,email,smstextmessaging,andmoretraditional writtenandtelephonecontact.Thetoolsavailabletothemtodothisarealsovaried,andusedtoa greaterorlesserextentindifferentinstitutions. Thestudyhasfoundthatpowerfulintegratedstudentinformationsystemsareavailableinmany organisationstosupportstudentrelationshipmanagement,butthatthesearenotnecessarilybeing utilisedinaholisticandintegratedway,ortotheirfullpotential.Thereasonsforthisarevariedand oftenrelatedtoresourcesavailableatthetimeofimplementationorforongoingdevelopment,and alackofunderstandingofthefullcapabilitiesofthesystem.Mostinstitutionsuseproprietary systems,butmanyhavedevelopedtheirowninhousesoftwareoveranumberofyearsand continuetouseit. Institutionshavearangeofmotivationsfor,andexpectationsof,theirstudentinformationsystems insupportingtheirbusinessprocesses.Providingfunctionalityformanagingtheirrelationshipsinan efficientandeffectivewayisimportant.Theexternalpressuresoninstitutionswhichinclude competitionforstudentsmeanthatmanyaretryingtodifferentiatethemselvesonthequalityof theirservice,educationandsupportprovidedtostudentsthroughoutthefulllifecycleoftheir relationshipfrominitialcontacttograduationandbeyond. Studentsperceivethatgenerallytheirrelationshipsarebeinghandledwellandappreciatetherange ofresourcesandchannelsofcommunicationavailabletothem.Suggestionswerereceivedfrom studentsabouthowcommunicationscouldbehandledbetter.Manybelievethatfacetoface contactisthemostvaluablewayofcommunicating,supplementedbyothermethodssuchasemail andtheuseofportalstoreceiveinformationandcompleteadministrativetasks. Arangeofissueshasbeenidentifiedinrelationtotheuseofsystemstosupportstudentrelationship management,andthesehavebeenhighlighted,alongwithsuggestionstoJISCabouthowtheymight providesupporttoinstitutionsindealingwithsomeofthese.

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2BACKGROUND
Thisstudy,commissionedbytheJISCOrganisationalSupportCommittee(JOS),hasinvestigatedthe waysinwhichinstitutionsmanagetheirrelationshipswithstudents,toprovideapictureofthe currentlandscapeofthedifferentstrandsofactivities,approachesanduseofICTsystems throughoutthefullstudentlifecycle.ThereportexploresbothUKfurther(FE)andhighereducation (HE)sectorsandinternationalexperiencesinthisarea,definesthestakeholdercommunityand determinestheirkeyconcerns. TheJOScommitteehasaremittosupporttherequirementsofmanagersandadministratorsin institutionsbyidentifyingrelevantareasofworkappropriatetoJISCandfundsprogrammeactivity underthefollowingthemes: Theroleoftechnologywithinthestrategicmanagementofinstitutions; eFrameworkandarchitectures; Changingstaffroles,relationshipsandassociatedskills; eAdministration; Businessinnovation. WithinthethemeofBusinessinnovation,thecommitteeconsidersstudentlifecyclerelationship managementi.e.thedevelopmentofstrategiesandpolicies,anduseofICT,tosupport institutions,establish,buildandmanagerelationshipswithstudentsthrougharangeofinteractions andengagementstheyhavewiththemacrossthelifecycleoftheirinvolvementwiththeman importantandcommerciallycriticalsetofactivitiesthatallinstitutionswillneedtoaddressinan increasinglycompetitiveenvironment. TheJOScommitteewishestosupportinstitutionsinimprovingtheoverallqualityofthestudent experience,theefficiencyandeffectivenessoftheiradministrativeprocessesandrelationships contributiontoaddingbusinessvalueanddeliveringsuccess.Thereisaneedtoextendthistypeof worktocoverthefullgamutofinteractionsbetweenaninstitutionanditsstudentsthroughoutthe lifecyclefromprospectivestudent,throughactivestudy,toalumni/alumnae.Studentinstitution interactionsaresettobecomeincreasinglycomplexandlifelonglearningcommitmentsmaymeanit isentirelyprobablethatstudentswillregardanumberofinstitutionsassignificantcontributorsto learning,sequentiallyandconcurrently.Howstudentsandinstitutionsmanagethismatrixapproach toconcurrentlearningproviderandalumnirelationshipsislikelytoimpactthewayinwhichlifecycle managementsystemsaredesignedandoperated.

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3INTRODUCTION
TheShorterOxfordDictionarydefinesrelationshipasaconnectionorassociation.Therefore studentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementcanbedefinedas: Thewaysinwhichlearningprovidersorganisetheirconnections withstudentsoverthelifetimeoftheirassociation. Whatwemeanbystudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementinthisstudyistheorganisationofall interactions,communications,activitiesandeventsthatcreate,maintainanddeepenthesocial, academicandculturalbondsbetweenthestudent,arangeofstaffandotherstudentstopromote betterunderstandingandengagementbythelearner. Studentrelationshipmanagementisbecomingincreasinglyabusinessnecessity,asinstitutionsseek todifferentiatethemselvesfromcompetitorsthrougharangeofmeasures,includingthequalityof servicesprovidedtotheirstudents,andtomanagethecostsoftheirprocessesbyincreasing efficiencyandeffectiveness.Inordertomanagetheseneedssuccessfully,activitiesmustbe underpinnedbyrobustandflexiblesystemsthatcanmeetchangingrequirements.Institutionsmust beabletodemonstrateandrealisethebenefitsofthesesystemstoaddvalueandtojustifythe expenseofimplementation. Inthepastinstitutionshavetendedtomanagedifferentstagesofthestudentlifecycleusing differentITsolutions,forexampleseparatesystemsforenquirymanagement,admissions,student records,accommodation,oralumni.Manyinstitutionsnowbelievethatanintegratedapproachis necessary,inordertoincreaseefficiency(forexamplebyreducingtheneedformultipledataentry), whilstimprovingtheoutcomeoftheiractivities(forexamplebyimprovingacceptanceratesofoffers ofadmissions). Inrecentyears,manyinstitutionshavesoughttheholygrailofastudentsystemthatcanbeused tocompetitiveadvantage,andhaveimplementednewsystemswiththeaimofimprovingprocesses andmanagingtheirrelationshipswithstudentsthroughoutthestudentlifecycle.Whetheritbefor increasingthespeedofdeliveryofservicessuchasadmissionsdecisions,provisionofinformationto preapplicants,managementofacademicrecordsandtheiruseforindicatingtheneedforstudent support,ormanagementofrelationshipswithalumniandfundraising,institutionsareinvestigating waysinwhichtheycancarryouttheseactivitiesmoreeffectively. Institutionsarebeginningtowakeuptothevastamountofdataandintelligenceavailablewithin theirownsystemsthatcanbeusedtounderstandtheirmarket,understandtheneedsoftheir studentsandensurethattheysecurethereputationalandrealbusinessadvantagesarisingfromthe successfulmanagementoftargetedrelationshipswithstudents.Thisneedsanintegratedapproach ifthebenefitsaretoberealised. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 6

Therangeofsoftwareoptionsiswide,andwhilstsomeHEIswillmanagetheirprocesseswithone system,otherswillbeusing,andoftenstrugglingwith,separatesystems,whichmayormaynot interactsuccessfullywitheachother.Thisstudy: Identifieswhatmanagementinformationsystemsandmethodsinstitutionsareusing, andinvestigatestheassumedbusinessbenefitsthathavedrivenchoiceofproductand whetherthebenefitshavebeenrealisedornot; Helpstoidentifythecommoncharacteristicsof,anddifferencesbetween,these institutionalapproaches,sothatrelevantissuesandareasforfurtherworkcanbe identified. Keydriversofchangeinstudentrelationshipmanagementarethechangingexpectationsofstudents oftheirhighereducationexperience,andthewayinwhichtheycommunicatewithaninstitution. Thestudyinvestigatesthecurrentstateofstudentrelationshipmanagementpoliciesandactivitiesin relationtothesechangingexpectationsandstudiestheimpactonrelevantstakeholders. Thestudyraisesarangeofissuesinthedomainofstudentrelationshipmanagement,withwhich someinstitutionsarecurrentlywrestling,andsuggestsareasforfurtherinvestigation.

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4METHODOLOGY
Themethodsusedincarryingoutthesurveyhaveinvolved:informationgathering,systemsthinking techniquesandsynthesis,analysisandmodelling,andtheuseofcasestudies. 4.1 INFORMATIONGATHERING Someoftheinformationgatheringwascarriedoutspecificallyforthisproject,buttheknowledgeof teammembersandworkinothercontextshasalsobeenusedtoinformthoughtsontheworkof thisproject. Informationwasgatheredthrough: o Stakeholderidentificationandanalysis,toidentifythebestorganisationsandindividualsfrom whomtogaininformation. o IdentificationanddescriptionofjourneysthroughFEandHEexperiencedbylearners. o AnelectronicsurveyofFEandHEtoidentifysystemsusedatdifferentstagesofthestudent lifecycle,andascertainviewsonwhetherthesesystemsweremeetingbusinessneedornot.This wasdistributedto155AHUAmembers,andtopartnerFEcollegesofmembersofthe consortium. o Webtrawlsforgeneralinformationonsystemsandtheiruse. o Conversationswithindividualswithresponsibilityforpolicyandoperationsfocusedonbusiness imperatives,andthoseforfunctionalmanagersfocusedonoperationalmatters.Topicscovered weretheirreasonsforchoosingparticularsystems;theirperceptionsoftheeffectivenessof relationshipmanagementfacilitiesavailabletotheminaddingbusinessvalueanddelivering success;howtheymeasuresuccessandeffectiveness;howtheprocesshasaffectedtheirday todaywork;issuesaroundimplementation;acceptanceofmembersofstafftoimplementing neworchangedprocessesinmanagingrelationshipswithstudents;anywishliststheymight haveinrelationtodevelopingtheirsystemsinthefutureandanyplansfordoingso. o Bringingtogetherexistinginformationandknowledgeheldbyteammembersaboutsoftware systemscurrentlyinuse;plusUCISAinformationalreadyinthepublicdomain.ForFE,asthe baselineforthiswork,theUniversityofNottinghamCentreforInternationalePortfolio DevelopmentstaffhasestablishedanetworkofMISandpedagogiccontactsthroughoutthetwo countiesandhascreatedaknowledgebaseofsystemsinuseintheregionscollegesandHEIs. o DesktopresearchtoidentifystudentrelationshipmanagementsystemsusedintheUSand Australia.Identificationofkeyindividualswithwhomtomakecontacttodiscussthisfurther, particularlyinrelationtodeterminingtheirviewsandmethodsofassessingthedeliveryof businessvalue. 4.2CASESTUDIESANDOTHERCONTACTSWITHSTUDENTS Weareconsciousoftheshiftingexpectationsofstudents,andthediversificationofthestudent body.Recognisingthedevelopmentofpersonalisedandindividualisedsolutions,threefocusgroups wereheldwithstudentsfromtheinstitutionsrepresentedontheteam(AstonUniversity, ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity,TheUniversityofNottingham).Thesearelearnerswith particularcharacteristicswhohavehaddifferentlearnerjourneys,andhaveprovidedanoutlineof theviewsofstudentsofthewaysinwhichtheirinstitutionsmanagetheirrelationships,themethods usedandwithwhomrelationshipsarebeingconducted. Additionalmaterialhasalsobeenusedfromcontactwithstudentsthroughotherworkthattheteam membersareengagedin. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 8

4.3ANALYSISANDMODELLING Theresultsofthewebbasedsurveyhavebeenanalysed,andthefindingsfrominterviewsandcase studiesdescribedagainsttheoriginalrequirementsoftheJISCtenderdocument,andanalysedusing systemsthinkingtechniques. 4.4SYSTEMSTHINKINGTECHNIQUESANDSYNTHESIS Softsystemsmethodologyandsystemsfailuresworkaredescribedinmoredetailbelow. 4.4.1SoftSystemsMethodology TheSoftSystemsMethodology1wasusedtoreviewthelandscapeholistically.Itinvolvedthe followingsteps,usingseveraliterationstodeepenunderstanding: Describingthelandscapeinarichpicturediagram.Thepurposeoftherichpicturewasto captureanddisplayinformationfromthemanystakeholderperspectives,andtoremoveany preconceivednotions. Usingtheinformationintherichpicture,wepulledoutfiverecurringandsignificantthemes. Thereviewersthengeneratedfourarchetypaldefinitionsofsystemsfromthethemes, definingseveralsystemsofinterest.Thesewereperfectworldnotrealworldsystems. Simplelogicalmodelsforthreeofthesystemsofinterestwerethendrawnup.
Eachmodelwascomparedwithpracticeintherealworld,usingmaterialfromthecase studies, focus groups, surveys and from the soft systems workshop.

Considerationofthesecomparisonshelpedtogeneratearangeofkeyissuesthatcanusefullybe addressedandsuggestedactionsthatwillhelptorealisestakeholdergoals.Theoverallmethod helpsustogaininsightsaboutchangestotherealworldsystemsthatmaybebeneficial. Detailsofthemethodology Therichpicturediagramwasdrawnbytheprojectteamduringaworkshop.Membersoftheteam wereencouragedtorepresenttheirexperience,feelings,understandingandknowledgein diagrammatic,graphicalandtextualformonalargepieceofpaper,usingunstructuredand structureddiscussionandbrainstormingtechniques.Thiswassupplementedbyfurtherdiscussions andnotes. Allelementsoftherichpicturewerereviewedintensivelybyasmallerteamofsoftsystems practitionerstoidentifypatterns.Fromthesepatternsfiverecurringandsignificantthemeswere extractedandformulatedindetailwithtextualdescriptions. Analysisofthethemeswithinthecontextofthewiderinformationgatheredfromtheresearchand coupledwiththeexperienceoftheresearcherssuggestedanumberofarchetypalsystemsthat couldusefullybeinvestigated. Aconcisesystemdefinitionforeacharchetypalsystemwasdrawnup:aformaltextualdescriptionof thesysteminplainEnglish,specifyingsixattributes:
Customers:Peoplewhousethesystemsoutputs Actors:Peoplewhocarryouttheprocessesinthesystem

FordetailsoftheSoftSystemsMethodology,seePeterChecklandSystemsThinking,SystemsPractice.

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 Transformation:Theprocessesinthesystem Weltanschauung:Theworldviewofthesystem Owners:Thepeoplewhoresourcethesystem(andcanthereforeshutitdown) Environment:Elementsexternaltothesystemthathaveakeyinfluenceonit

Foreachsystemalogicalmodelwasdeveloped.Thelogicalmodelsshowthenecessarysequenceof stepsthatmustbegonethroughforthesystemtofunctioninanidealizedperfectworldsituation. Eachpartofthelogicalmodelswasthencomparedwithcircumstancesintherealworld,inorderto yieldinsightsintothesituation.Materialfromthecasestudieswasusedatthisstage,aswellas materialfromourwiderinformationgatheringexercise.Itisrecognizedthatthisworkisnormally carriedoutinrelationtoasinglerealworldsystem,andtheteamhadtobecarefultoevidenceits findingsfromtherichpictureandcasestudies,sothatintroductionoftheteamsownpre conceptionscouldbeavoided. TheoutputsarepresentedinAppendix7,usingacommontemplatewithheadingsfor: Theme SystemDefinition Systemattributes Logicalmodel Comparisonwiththerealworld Issuessuggestedbythisworkaregiveninthesoftsystemsoutputssectioninthemainbodyofthe report. 4.4.2Systemsfailureswork The"systemsfailures"workusestechniquesdrawnfrom"UnderstandingSystemsFailures"2, techniquesthat canbeusedforrepairingthesystemsthathaveyieldedfailure,canassist inforecastingfailureandfinallycanhelppreventfuturefailure. UnderstandingSystemsFailures,p2 Thisisnottosuggestthatinstitutionalsystemshavecurrentlyyieldedfailure,wearemoreproperly seekingtoavoidfailureinthefutureandtogainabetterunderstandingofthecurrentsituation. Thesystemsfailuresworkinvolvestakingspecificgenericsystemsmodelsandcomparingreal worldexampleswiththetextbookgenericversion,thecomparisonsyieldinginsightsintowhythe realworldsystemmightnotworkasdesired.Thefirstmodelusedistheformalsystemsone;other relevantcomparatormodelsinclude:

"UnderstandingSystemsFailures"(VictorBignellandJoyceFortune,ManchesterUniversityPressin associationwiththeOpenUniversity)
2

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Communicationsubiquitousasaproblemareainmanysystems,communicationsis reportedasanissuethroughoutourwork.However,thismodelrequiresadetailed investigationofparticularexamplesofcommunicationsinspecificcontexts,andasthe researchinvolvesonlybriefoutlinecasestudies,thereisinsufficientdetailtocarryoutthis comparison. Controlallsystemsneedsomeformofcontrol,inorderfortheoutputsfromthesystemto reachormaintainthedesiredstate.Asweareconsideringrelationshipmanagement,some formofcontrolisimplied. Humanfactors:allocationoffunctionthisisoneofmanyhumanfactorsmodelsmostof whicharenotrelevanttooursubject.Thismodelishighlyrelevant,becauseourfocusison theuseofICTwithinrelationshipmanagementsystems.Underthiscomparatormodelwe examinetheallocationoffunctionsbetweenpeopleandcomputersystems,usingageneral listshowingtherelativeadvantagesofpeopleandelectronicorotherequipment. Thepurposeofallthesecomparatormodelsistoshedlightonthesysteminquestion,sothatwe canunderstanditbetter.

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5DESCRIPTIONSOFTHESTUDENTLIFECYCLE
Thereareanumberofdifferentdefinitionsofthestudentlifecycleinuseindifferentcontexts.They arevalidinaccordancewiththefocusoftheirparticularwork.Thosewithawiderfocushavefewer states,whereasthosewithanarrowfocushavemore,becausegreaterdifferentiationoffunction appearsasresearchmovesclosertothepointofdelivery. FromSPA3,preentryimpacts,theapplicantexperience: Preapplication Application(uptosubmission) Postapplication(admissionsdecisionmaking;feedback) Transition(afteroffersmade,uptoinduction) Learneraspiring(wideningparticipation) Learneraspiring(FEcollege) Learneraspiring(mature) Learneraspiring(secondaryschool) Learnerapplicant(started) Learnerapplicant(awaitingreference) Learnerapplicant(submitted) Learnerapplicant(offered) Learnerapplicant(declined) Learnerapplicant(rejected) Learnerapplicant(accepted) Learnerapplicant(confirmed) Learnerstudent

FromADoM(AdmissionsDomainMap)4,inspiredbyHILDA(HighLevelDomainArchitectureforHE)5:

Forthepurposesofthisstudy,thelifecyclestagesweredefinedaccordingtobroadfunctionscarried outwithinHEIs,whichmightbemanagedbydifferentorganisationalunits,andsupportedbydistinct processes.Thesestagestheninformedthequestionsincludedinthewebsurvey(APPENDIX1). Preapplication Application Preregistration Registration Induction Teachingandlearningprocesses Pastoralcare Employabilityandcareersservices Graduation Alumniprocesses Marketing
3 4 5

SupportingProfessionalisminAdmissionsProjectwww.spa.ac.uk JISCfundedproject:http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/eportfolio/ADoM/

JISCfundedproject(nowcompleted): http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/programme_jos/project_hilda.aspx

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 However,thejourneysundertakenbystudents6throughthesestagesdovaryaccordingtostudent orlearnertype,whichwillresultindifferenttypesofrelationshipbuildingandcontactwiththeir institutions. Identificationoflearnertype:Itwasagreedthatformanyinstitutionsthestandardschoolor collegeleaveratage18stillprovidesthecorebusinessofaninstitution.However,changesin fundingarrangements,governmentpoliciesandtypesofcourseshaveattractedanincreasingly diversestudentbody,eachwithdifferentneedsandwhomayhavelesslinearorstraightforward studentexperiences. Themainlearnertypesidentifiedforthepurposesofthisstudyare: 1 Thestandardschool/collegeleaver 2 Thosewhoseentrytohigherorfurthereducationwasthroughtheaccreditationofprior learning,andwhomayreceivecreditforpartsofprogrammes,qualificationsorwork experiencegainedelsewhere Peopleinfulltimeemploymentundertakingparttimestudydirectlyrelatedtotheirwork, forexampleFoundationDegreesorContinuousProfessionalDevelopment,whomaybe undertakingtheirstudyasarequirementoftheiremployment StudentsfromoutsidetheUK Adultlearners,particularlythosegainingentrytoundergraduatestudyinhighereducation throughanAccessroute StudentsprogressingfromFEtoHEinthesame,orcloselyrelated,institution

4 5

Theworkidentifiedthattherearekeypointsinastudentsjourneywheretheirinstitutionneedsto ensureasecurerelationshiptoensureprogressionofthestudent.Thesestudentdecisionpointsare welldefinedduringtheaspirationraising,preapplicationandapplicationphases,butaremore complexanddifficulttodefinepostenrolment,whenastudentmaybeincontactwithmanyparts ofaninstitution.Ateachpointintheprocess,anapplicant,orstudentcoulddecidethatheorshe wishestodiscardfromtheirconsideration,orleaveaninstitution,andtoensurethatthesepotential exitpointsdonotoccur,aninstitutionsrelationshipmanagementactivitiestakeplace.

Seeappendix2

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 Figure1: Exampleofpotentialexitpointsduringtheapplicationprocess: Enquiry Contact/exitpoint Application Contact/exitpoint Decision Contact/exitpoint Acceptance Contact/exitpoint Registration Figure2:Expectedinteractionsateachstageofthestudentlifecycle: Lifecycle stage Example interactions Pre-application Provision of website information about study opportunities and lifestyle facilities Visit from a member of staff or student of the institution Face to face interaction at higher education fairs Identification of student through gifted and talented streams and subsequent interaction through summer schools, masterclasses, widening participation access schemes, tutoring etc Fulfilment of literature requests: prospectuses, course information Attendance at open days Email response to questions Application Use of electronic application forms Acknowledgement of application Information on progress of application Invitations and attendance at applicant visit days or interviews/auditions Provision of additional information about course of study, school/department, sources of funding Rejection of the application Making of an offer Acceptance/decline of an offer by a studentEmail response to questions Pre-registration Provision of further information about the school/department/course of study Application for and offer of accommodation Access to chat room facilities with other students with offers Provision of instructions for registration, induction and access to university facilities such as library and sports. Provision of pre-entry log-ins to student portals Registration Confirmation of personal details of students, including qualifications held Collection of agreement to abide by university rules and regulations Enrolment on optional modules Provision of log-ins to access university communication facilities, portals, and so on Payment of fees Receipt of student loan and institution scholarship/bursary support Welcome and orientation events for familiarisation with university JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 14

Induction

Teaching and learning

Pastoral care

Employability and careers services

Graduation

Alumni

Post-graduation marketing

environment, expectations of the student experience and social connections with staff and other students Assessment of learning needs Introductions to study methods and skills Direct contact with staff through formal and informal study opportunities Access to e-learning environments Feedback on formative and summative assessments Access to learning support Personal tutor process Use of personal tutor for pastoral support Provision of personal support through student advice centres, counselling and occupational health services Access to facilities provided by careers services: employability skills, volunteering opportunities, practical advisory sessions on interview skills, CV writing Access to schemes which provide opportunities to gain employability skills Access to industrial experience opportunities Collation of academic results Preparation of transcripts and certificates Invitations to and attendance at graduation events Invitations to and attendance at alumni events Requests to donate to university development campaigns, e.g. scholarships Alumni newsletters Tracking of career progress Use of career tracking information to target marketing information about postgraduate and continuous professional development opportunities.

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6RESULTSOFTHEWEBBASEDSURVEY
6.1GENERALFINDINGS Acrossthestudentlifecycle,awiderangeofdifferentsoftwareproductsareinuse,howeverthe mostcommonlyusedsystemisSITS.SITSuserstendtouseSITSacrossthefullstudentlifecycle frompreapplicationtoalumniandincludingfinance,althoughdifferentsystemsarefrequentlycited forfunctionssuchasthelibrary,alumnimanagement,timetablingandfinance.BannerandCampus Solutionsalsoofferfulllifecycleintegration,butgenerallyhavebeenintroducedwithinthelastfive yearsorso.Manyalsohaveinhousesystemswhichhavebeendevelopedoveranumberofyears. Acombinationofcommercialproductsandinhouseareusedbymany,forrealreasons: Mostthirdpartysystemsrequiresomelevelofinhouseenhancementinordertosatisfy businessprocessrequirementsinanincreasinglycomplexbusinessenvironment.Thisis especiallytrueofsuppliedsystemlinks(egbetweenstudentandfinancesystems)astheyare alwaysbasedontriviallysimplisticmodels.Theyrarelyworksatisfactorily. Fourinstitutionsreportedthattheywereintendingfullyreplacingtheirstudentsysteminthenext coupleofyears.Othersweredevelopingnewfunctionswhichoftenfocussedaroundimproving communicationwithapplicantsandstudents,e.g.Implementationofcustomerrelationship managementsoftwaresystems,developmentofportals. Oneinstitutiondescribedhowtheirinhousesystemisconstantlybeingdeveloped: Intermsoffutureplans,thereisconstantchangeanddevelopmentofthesystemsupport, partlyinresponsetoexternalrequirementse.g.totakeaccountofthevariousnational legislaturesrulesforstudentfinancialsupportandpartlyinresponsetoUniversitystrategic initiatives.Thereiscurrentlyastrongfocusonimprovementstostudentsupport. Commentswereoftenreceivedaboutdifficultiesofadaptingofftheshelfproductstoparticular circumstances,andthisisparticularlyacutewheresystemsboughtfromtheUShavetobeadapted forUKeducationbusinessprocessesandstatutoryrequirements.Theresultisoftenthatpowerful andusefulfunctionalityisplacedonwishlists,whilebasicprocessingrequirementsareprioritised, andthatitissometimesyearsbeforeworkbeginsonthosefacilities. AswehavejustimplementedanewStudentSystem,itisdifficulttojudgeUsabilityand Satisfaction.Wehavederivedsignificantbenefitsfromthenewsystembuttherearestill areasofdevelopmentandissueresolution,soitisdifficulttojudgethesituationinsteady state.AsthisisaUSsystem,therehavebeensignificantissueswithadaptingthesystemfor theUKmarket(additionalsoftwaretolinktoUCAS,HESAandSLChasbeenunreliableto date).However,itistruetosaythatthesoftwarehousehavetakenonboardourconcerns andarenowproducingfunctionalityinthecoreproductwhichwillallowthesystemtowork intheUKmarket.Thiswillbeavailableforthe2008/09cyclesoisasyetuntested. Arangeofcommentsweremadeaboutthewaysinwhichinstitutionsareusingtheirsystems,and howwelltheyfeelthattheyaremeetingbusinessneed.

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6.2RESPONDENTS Thesurveywasdistributedto155membersofAHUA,andFEcollegesthatwerepartnersof consortiummembers.40institutionsrespondedtothesurvey,andmostoftherespondentswere administrativemanagerssuchastheRegistrarorAcademicRegistrar.Theseinstitutionsrepresenta goodspreadofsizeandtypeofinstitution:9RussellGroup,41994Group,11UniversityAlliance,4 Million+Group,11otherornoaffiliation.33offeredHEprovisiononly,6HEandFE,1FEonly.The sizesofinstitutionsrangedfromrelativelysmall(~2,500studentFTEs)toverylarge(>35,000student FTEs). Itispossiblethatthesurveyanswerswereskewedtowardsthosewithahighlevelofunderstanding ofstudentrelationshipmanagementorthosewhoperceivedthattheyhadgoodsystems.We attemptedtovalidateoursurveyagainstthelatestUCISAComputerInformationSystemsurvey (2007),bycomparingthemostpopularsystemsforstudentrecordssystemswithanswerstoour surveyinrelationtoregistrationsystems.BothSITSandBannersystemshadapproximatelythe sameproportionofinstitutions: Figure3:ComparisonofSRMsurveywithUCISACISsurveyrespondents SRM Survey UCISA CIS survey (2007) SITS 23 of 40 respondents 44 of 91 respondents Banner 3 of 40 respondents 12 of 91 respondents Thisbriefanalysissuggeststhatoursurveywasbroadlyrepresentative. 6.3USEOFPORTALS 35institutionsuseaportalofsomekindtocommunicatewithapplicants,studentsoralumni.The numbersgrantingaccesstoinformationviaaportalchangesthroughthelifecycle: Figure4

Portalsweredescribedasbeingusedtomeetawiderangeofinformationneedsofstudents:access tocoursehandbooks,unithandbooks,courserelatedoracademicsupportinformation,email, JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 17

student/staffsearch,universitynews,personallinks,bookmarks,viewpresent/pastprogrammes andunits,linkstocareersadvice,linktoSTAtravelagency,librarysearch,libraryloansandrenewals, purchaseprintcredits,cashtransactions. Figure5:Useoftheportalforenrolledstudents

6.4TOPTHREESYSTEMSINUSEATDIFFERENTSTAGESOFTHESTUDENTLIFECYCLENBwherean
institutiongaveMicrosoftExcelorAccessasthesysteminuse,thesewerecountedasthesystemhavingbeendeveloped inhouse. Figure6:

Studentlifecycle stage
Preapplication

Functionalsubstage
Enquirymanagement

Topthreesystemsinusewheremorethanone institutionusesasystem
SITS(15) Inhousesystem(6) HobsonsEMTConnect(4) Noresponseorn/a(8) SITS(14) Inhousesystems(8) Banner(2) Noneornoresponse(9) SITS(23) Inhousesystems(5) Banner(3) Noresponseorn/a(1) SITS(23) Inhousesystems(8) Banner(2)Agresso(2) Noresponseorn/a(1) SITS(18) Inhousesystem(11) Banner(2) Noresponseorn/a(3)

Application

Electronicapplication form

Applicationadministration

Registration

Registration/enrolment process

Academicprogramme management

Module/courseenrolment

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 18

Timetabling

Examinations

Accommodation

Library

Graduationprocesses

Ceremonyandevent management Alumnimanagement

Postgraduation activities

Syllabus+(21) Celcattimetabler(6) SercoCIMIS(5) Noresponseorn/a(2) SITS(15) Inhousesystem(9) Syllabus+(4) Noresponseorn/a(7) Inhousesystem(8) PAMSOccam(7) QineticsHospitalityManagement(6) Noresponseorn/a(12) TALIS(10) Millennium(6) Aleph(4) Noresponseorn/a(8) Inhouse(15) SITS(13) Noresponseorn/a(8) RaisersEdge(17) Inhouse(5) SITS(4) Noresponseorn/a(8)

6.5SATISFACTIONWITHANDUSABILITYOFSYSTEMS Aswellasinformationaboutthesystemsthattheywereusing,thesurveyaskedhowwellthe systemsinusearemeetingbusinessneed,andtheperceptionsofusersofthesystem.Alsoof interestwastheeasewithwhichdatacouldbetransferredbetweensystemsandagainuserswere askedtoratetheirsystemsateachstageofthestudentlifecycle. Thequestionsonusabilityandsatisfactionaskedforaratingtobeprovidedonhoweasythe softwareistouse,andhowsatisfiedtheinstitutionisthatitismeetingbusinessneed,asfollows: USABILITY

5 4 3 2 1

Excellent,usersfindthesystemveryeasytouse,andrequirelittlesupportin itsuse Good,usersgenerallyfindthesystemeasytouse,andrequiresomesupport initsuse Quitegood,usersfindsomeaspectsofthesystemeasytouse,butsome functionsaremoredifficultandrequiresupport Difficult,usersfindmanyaspectsofthesystemdifficulttouse,andneed considerablesupportinitsuse Verydifficult,requiresveryexperiencedusersandoftenwithconsiderable technicalsupport Extremelysatisfied,thesystemsupportsthisbusinessprocesswell Satisfied,thesystemsupportsmostofthisbusinessprocesswell Quitesatisfied,thesystemsupportssomepartsofthisbusinessprocesswell, butotherslesswell Moderatelyunsatisfied,thesystemsupportsonlysomepartsofthisbusiness process Unsatisfied,thesystemprovidesinadequatesupportforthisbusiness process JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 19

SATISFACTION 5 4 3 2 1

 EASEOFDATAEXCHANGE 0 Notknown 5 Yes,veryeasily 4 Yes,easily 3 Yes,butwithsomeeffort 2 Onlywithdifficulty 1 No Inaselectionofkeyprocessesthetoptwosystemsinusewerecomparedforperceptionsof usabilityandsatisfaction. 6.5.1Administrativesystems ThemostfrequentlyusedsystemacrossthestudentlifecycleisSITSwith23ofthe40respondents usingitacrosstherangeofstudentadministrativefunctions.Someinstitutionsturntoalternatives forsomeelementsofthestudentlifecycleeitherreplacingSITSforthatparticularfunction,orin conjunctionwithit.SomeinstitutionsarereportingtheuseofCRMsystemsduringthepre applicationphase. Electronicapplicationform: ThetwomostfrequentlyusedsystemsareSITSandinhousedevelopedsystems,with6institutions reportingthattheydidnothavethisfacility,andthreenoresponses.ThoseusingSITSreportedthat theyhadusedthesystemfrombetween13yearsandsixmonths,althoughwhethertheelectronic applicationfacilityhadbeenavailableduringtheseperiodswasunclear.Thosewhohaddeveloped inhousesystemshaddonesorelativelyrecently,probablyinresponsetochangingbehaviourand expectationsofapplicants,especiallyatpostgraduatelevel.Havingalreadyexperiencedfully electronicapplicationprocessesthroughUCASatundergraduatelevel,manyapplicantswouldfinda purelypaperbasedsystemunusual. WithregardstotheusabilityofSITS,therangeofratingswasfrom5to2,hencevirtuallyacrossthe fullrangefromexcellentandveryeasytouse,todifficultwithusersrequiringconsiderablesupport initsuse.However,theaverageoftheresponseswas3.5,withamedianandmodeof3.Satisfaction withtheSITSsupportofthisbusinessprocesswasslightlyhigher,withratingsaveragedat3.6witha medianandmodeof4.Manyhadonlyhadthesystemforaround2years,buttherewereexamples ofthosewhohadusedthesystemforlonger,reportinghigherlevelsofbothusabilityand satisfaction.Althoughasmallersample,theinhouseusershadanarrowerrangeof4to2for usability,andslightlyloweraverageratingsforbothusabilityandsatisfaction,althoughthemodefor satisfactionwas4. Insummary,althoughtherewerewidelydifferentopinionsofSITSbetweenusers,usersweremore likelytoallocateSITStopmarksmorefrequentlyandshowedhigherlevelsofsatisfactionwiththe systemforbusinessprocesses,butlessforusability,whereasinhousesystemswereratedmore frequentlyasbeingeasytouse,butlesssatisfactoryinrespectofdeliveringbusinessprocess. Oneofthemainfunctionsofanelectronicapplicationfacilitywillbetoexchangedatabetweenit andothersystems,andinthatrespectinhousesystemsreceivedaslightlyhigherratingthanSITS. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 20

Admissionsprocess: AgainSITSwasthemostfrequentlyusedsystemwith23users,andinhousethesecondwith5 users. TherewerehighratingsforbothsatisfactionandusabilityforSITSandinhousesystems,with slightlyhigheraverageratingsbeingseenintheinhousesystems,althoughmedianandmode ratingsforusabilityandsatisfactionwithbothwere4. Transferofdatawasalsoratedwellforboth,beinggivenaratingof4. Registrationprocesses: SITSwasagainthedominantsystemhere(23),followedbyinhousesystemswith8users. InhousesystemsreceivedhigherratingsfordataexchangethanSITS,withanaverageof4.8andthe medianratingbeinggivenas5.Similartotheadmissionsprocess,inhousesystemstendedtorate slightlyhigherforusabilitycomparedwithSITS,butaveragesatisfactionSITSwashigherat3.9 comparedwith3.6forinhousesystems. Examinationadministration: Abroaderrangeofsystemsareinuseforexaminationadministration,andmanySITSuserswere reportingtheuseofadditionalsystemssuchasSyllabus+,AgressoandCelcat.Aswithother functions,SITSremainedthemostfrequentlyusedsystem,followedbyinhousedevelopedsystems. Bothtendedtoreceive3sforbothusabilityandsatisfaction,althoughonaveragetheinhouse systemswereratedslightlymorehighly. Dataexchangewillbeimportantwheremorethanonesystemisinuse,andratingsof3weremost frequentlygiventoSITS,whereasothersystems(OracleStudentSystem,ProSolution)weregiven thetopratingof5. Alongsidetheexaminationadministrationsystems,institutionsusearangeofmethodstodeliver resultstostudents,withuseoftheportalandVLEsystemssuchasBlackboard. Alumnimanagement: ReflectingthatthemanagementofAlumniisoftencarriedoutasaseparatefunctionawayfromthe mainstudentsystemsandinaseparateorganisationalunit,fewerexamplesoftheuseofSITSwere reportedbutmanymorespecificsoftwaresystemswerereported,withthemostpopularbeingthe Blackbaudproduct:RaisersEdge.Thishadbeenavailableininstitutionsforarelativelylongtime, therangebeing3to15years,withtheaveragebeingover9years.Althoughtwousersgaveratings of5forbothusabilityandsatisfaction,themostcommonlyallocatedratingwas3forboth.Asimilar patternwasseenforSITSusers. 6.5.2Academicmanagement Timetabling Themajorityofrespondentsusedaseparatesystemfortimetabling.Theoverwhelminglymost frequentistheScientiaSyllabus+software,followedbytheCelcattimetablesoftware.Many institutionshadbeenusingtheseforalongtime,withthemajorityhavingusedSyllabus+for7years ofmore.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 21

RatingsonsatisfactionofSyllabus+ssupportforthebusinessprocesswashigh,withmostgivingita ratingof4,withonlytworespondersgivingita2.Usabilitywasalsomostfrequentlyratedat4,with onlyonepersongivingratingof2.Transferabilityofdatascoresvaried,withthemostcommon responsebeing3. AmongstthesmallerCelcatsample,theratingsprovidedwereslightlylowerthanthoseforSyllabus+ althoughonerespondergave5sforbothusabilityandsatisfaction,buttheothersmostfrequently rating3satisfaction,withtwo4sforusability.Againtransferabilityofdatawasrated3overall. Librarysystems Specificlibrarypackagesarealsoinuseintherespondinginstitutions.TALISbeingusedfora considerablelengthoftime,upto20years,insomeoftheinstitutions.Onlyonereportedthatithad onlyrecentlybeeninstalled.Usability,satisfactionandtransferabilityofdatawasrated3most frequentlybyresponders,withonegiving2s,butno5sbeingreported. Thesecondmostcommonsystem,Millenium,hadbeenusedforslightlylesstimeanaverageof6 years.Ratingsforthiswereslightlyhigheronusabilityandsatisfactionwith4sbeingmost commonlygivenonusability,and3sonsatisfaction.Howevertransferabilityofdataappearstobea problemwithmostpeopleratingthisat2,althoughonepersongaveaverylowratingof1.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 22

7PERCEPTIONSOFINSTITUTIONSTAFFABOUTBUSINESSBENEFITDERIVEDFROMSRM SYSTEMS
Throughthesurveyandsubsequentconversations,colleagueswithinHEIsdescribedanumberof driversbehindchoosingandimplementingparticularsystems,andthebusinessbenefitsthatthe systemswereintendedtobring: CompetitiondespitethepublicperceptionofelitismintheHEsectordrivenbyconcentration bythepressonselectivecoursesandinstitution,HEisabuyersmarket.Eachyearall programmesinallinstitutionscompetetofillplaces,butonlyasmallminoritycompeteto recruitthebeststudents.Competitionisincreasinglyfocusedonthestudentexperience,and servicesprovidedtostudents.Buildingarelationshipwithpotentialstudentsandtheirparents andadvisorsatanearlystageisseenasessentialtoinstitutionalsuccessbymany.Theuseof CRMsystemsandthosewhichalloweasyandtailoredcommunicationstoparticularaudiencesis increasing,butatpresentinoperationinaminorityofcases. Understandingofmarketandbuyerbehaviourstudentsystemsarearichsourceofdatato supportaninstitutionsunderstandingoftheirmarket,thecharacteristicsofapplicantand studentcohorts,thepopularityofparticularprogrammes,andmonitoringofthesuccessof campaigns.Thisdatacanthenbeusedtodeveloptargetedmarketingcampaignsinthefuture. Efficiencymanyseniormanagersbelievethatsomeprocessescanbeautomatedandmade moreefficientasaresult,removingtheneedforstafftobeinvolvedinrepetitivelowlevel activitiesandfreeinguptimeformorevaluablework,whilstforexampleincreasingthespeedof turnaroundonadmissionsdecisions,orimprovingtheaccuracyofrecordkeeping. Ageneralbeliefthatuseofaninformationsystemcanhelpimprovethestudentexperience byallowinginstitutionstoforgeandmaintainbetterrelationshipswiththeircustomers,and allowusefulinteractionstooccur(provisionofinformationthroughportals,provideuseful instructionsandinformationaccordingtothestageinthelifecycleastudentisat),andprovidea betterlearningexperience(trackingofprogresstosupportformativeassessmentandfeedback, catchthosestudentsinneedofadditionalsupport), Costbyautomatingsomeprocessesitfreesupstafftimetoconcentrateonothermore valuableactivities(egteaching,research,otherpersonalisedrelationshipmanagementactivities) Newexternalpressures,particularlylegislationandgovernmentrequirements.Theseoccur frequently,andacurrentexampleistheintroductionbytheHomeOfficeofthePointsBased ImmigrationSystem.Thisisstimulatingprocessredesignininstitutionstostreamline internationalstudentadmissionsprocessesandimproveCRM.Theaimistospeedupadmissions decisionmakingandensurethefastestpossibleturnaroundtimefromreceiptofapplicationto anoffer,andthentoimprovetherateandspeedofacceptancesofoffersothataCertificateof Sponsorship(whichwillprovidetheinternationalstudentwithbonafidestoavisaofficer)can begenerated.

Manyusersdofeelthatthesedesiresareborneoutinpractice,buttherearemanycaveats,suchas thesignificantinvestmentinelectronicsystemsandstafftimetodevelopthemandlearntouse them.Notmuchevidencewasfoundofoverallreductionincostsasaresultoftheimplementation ofsystems. Thefollowingareaselectionofillustrativecommentsreceived: Ingeneralwearecontentwithoursoftwaresystem,whichfulfilsourcurrentand foreseeableneeds. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 23

 Thevarioussystemsoutlinedabovesupportelementsofthebusinessprocesswellhowever thesetendtohavedevelopedrelativelyinisolationandtheneedtotransferdatabetween systemsusuallyrequiresbespokeworkbyourC&ITdepartmentasdatadefinitionswithin eachsystemdiffergreatly.ThishasbeenrecognisedbyourInformationSystems DevelopmentGroupand2newprojectslookingat'DataDefinitions'and'Identity Management'aswellasanongoingprojectonManagementInformationarebeingtasked withaddressingthisissue.TherearealsointentionstorolloutaChangeManagement protocoltoallsystemmanagersastheseinterdependencieshavebecomemuchmore complexovertime.CurrentStudentPortaltechnologyisbeingscopedtoberolledoutto Applicantsduring2008/9. Thesystemreferredtoaboveis[our]ElectronicCourseandStudentInformationSystem. Thisisactuallytheprimaryelementofanintegratedsetofinhousesystemscoveringseveral oftheareascoveredinpart2.ForsimplicityIhaveusedthesametitleforallsubsystems. [This]isaclassicSQLbasedsystemaugmentedbyanhtmlwebportalcalledPIP.Itiswell regardedintheUniversityandbyexternalmeasures,suchasQAAinstitutionalandsubject audits.Itiseconomictorunanddevelopandadaptabletochangingneeds.Theneteffectis probablytomakethesystemsenvironmentsomewhatunusual.While[it]isbynomeans perfect,itdoesprovideaneffectiveframeworkforefficient,integratedbusinessprocesses, whichcanembrace,asfaraspossibleorjustifiable,thoseaspectsexecutedbycommercial packagedsoftware. Afewreportedthattheyarereviewingtheirfairlynewsystems: Wearecurrentlyinthesecondyearofrunninganewstudentrecordssystem,therearea numberofinitiativesoverthenextyear,toreviewandstandardiseanumberofbusiness processes.Itisanticipatedthatanumberofbenefitswillcomefromthis.Mainsystems problemsrelatetolackofvalidationinstudentrecords.Dataexchangeiscurrentlyby traditionalbatchinterfaces.Webbasedprovision,especiallystudentselfservice,isstillinits infancy.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 24

8PERCEPTIONSOFSTUDENTSABOUTRELATIONSHIPMANAGEMENT
8.1OUTCOMESFROMFOCUSGROUPWORK Threefocusgroupswereheldwithstudentswhowerelikelytohaveexperiencedstudentjourneys thatwereidentifiedduringtheprojectteamsmeetingtopoolknowledgeandexperience. Thethreefocusgroupscomprised: 1. Homeundergraduatestudents6students,allfinalyear,standardentrants,i.e. qualificationsonentrywereAlevelorInternationalBaccalaureate 2. NonEUinternationalpostgraduatestudents4students(3mastersdegreestudents,1PhD student),allover21.Qualificationsonentrybachelorsdegreeormastersdegree. 3. Foundationdegreestudents15students.Allmature,studyingparttime.Qualificationson entryvariedfromOlevelstoMastersdegree. 8.1.1Awarenessoftheinstitution: Theundergraduatesinterviewedeachclaimedtohavebecomeawareoftheinstitutionataround age16,ofteninconversationwithotherstudents,orthroughacareerstalkatschool.Onestudent wasrecommendedtoattendaSuttonTrustSummerSchoolbytheirteacher,whichthey subsequentlydid. Theoverseaspostgraduateshadadifferentexperience,searchingwebsitelistsandlookingfor competitiveEnglishuniversities.Theinternetwasthemainsourceofinformation,boththeBritish CouncilsUKEducationwebsiteandthoseofindividualinstitutions. Theexperienceforadultlearnerswasverydifferent.Allbutoneoftheparticipantswereenrolledon theFoundationDegreeprogrammeasaconditionoftheiremployment.Theoneenrolledtoimprove theirownprospectsandwasalreadyemployedintheindustrysectorcoveredbytheprogramme.All ofthestudentswerefirstmadeawareoftheUniversityanditsroleinprovidingworkbasedlearning aspartoftheirtraining,whentheywereofferedtheirjob. 8.1.2Choosingaprogramme: Theundergraduatestudentsusedawiderangeofsourcestohelpthedecisiontoapplyfortheir chosenprogrammeatthisuniversity.Threestatedthattheywereverykeenonthesubjectthatthey werenowstudying.Onechosetheinstitutionratherthanthecourse.Teachersandparentswere helpfulinmakingthechoice.Arangeofsourcesofinformationwasused:prospectuses,opendays, TheTimesEducationGuide,visitstouniversities,directcontactwithteachingstaff.One,whohad attendedtheSummerSchool,washighlyinfluencedbythatexperience,andstatedthattheSummer Schoolmademewanttocome.OnestudentdidnothaveanycontactwiththeUniversity,but usedthewebsitetolookatcoursedetailsandoutline.

Thepostgraduatestudentschosetheirprogrammesastheyrelatedtotheirformerstudiesor employment.Rankingoftheinstitutionincomparisonwithotherswasinfluential,andusingon linesourcesofinformationwasmentionedmostfrequently,asweretheopinionsoffriends, teachersandworkcolleagues. Theadultlearnershadtheirprogrammechosenbytheiremployers.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 25

8.1.3Thenatureoffirstcontactwiththeinstitutionandperceptionsofhowthatwashandled: Theundergraduatestudentsmadethefirstcontactthemselves,eitherthroughtheirowninitiative orthroughbeingadvisedto.Requestsforprospectusesovertheinternetweremade,andevents attended.Althoughrequestingtheprospectuswasfrequentlythefirstcontact,thiswasfelttobe impersonal,whereassubmittingaUCASformwasfelttobemorepersonal.Onewaspleasedtohave metalecturerfromtheUniversityattheirschool,andwaswarmlygreeted. Theinternetprospectusrequestserviceswerefelttobeverygood,especiallywhenaccompaniedby anencouragingletter.Onefeltthat11contactatauniversityfairwasinitiallydisappointing,but improvedwhenthememberofstaffdiscoveredwhatprogrammethestudentwascurrently studying(IB).FacetofacecontactwasalsowelcomedbythestudentwhoattendedtheSuttonTrust SummerSchool,aswellastheexperienceofhavingattendedtheuniversity:WhenIcametoUni lateronitfeltlikeIhadalreadybeenthereandknewwhatitwaslike. Thepostgraduatestudentswerefromoverseasandsothenatureofthefirstcontactwiththe universitywassomewhatdifferentusingBritishCouncilhighereducationexhibitionstomeet universitystaff,usingthehelpofauniversityagent.Contactswerealsomadebyemail,aswellasa requestfortheprospectusovertheinternet. Thestudentsfeltpositiveaboutthewaythattheirinitialcontacthadbeenhandled.Thestudent whohadmetamemberofuniversitystaffattheBritishCouncilexhibitionwasimpressedbythat person,andthismeetinghadmadeherchangehermindfromheroriginalchoiceinstitution.The websitealsoimpressedher,andwhenshehademailedtheschool,shehadreceivedaprompt responsewhichcontrastedfavourablywithherexperiencewithheroriginalchoiceinstitution. Promptattentionandfastresponsestoapplicationswerealsoconsideredfavourably.Onestated thatpersonalsupportfrom,anddirectcontactwith,theirintendedsupervisorwereexcellent.One personsfirstexperienceoftheuniversitywasonan8weekpresessionalEnglishlanguagecourse. TheadultlearnerswereinitiallycontactedbytheUniversityandtheirpartnercollegeswhere teachingwouldtakeplace.Theinitialcontactwasperceivedwellandthestudentsweresentallof therelevantinformationandgivenacontactpersonwhowasavailabletoansweralltheir questions.Theirfirstvisittothecampusinvolvedatourofallthefacilities,whichwasperceivedto beextremelyhelpful.ForallbuttwoofthestudentsthetouroftheUniversitywastheirfirstever contactwithaninstitutionofhighereducation.Thevisitallayedtheirfearsofstudying.Thosewho hadpreviouslystudiedatacollegecomparedthefacilitiesattheuniversitywiththecollegeand wereimpressed. Issue:Howtoensurethatfirstcontactispersonalisedandofhighqualitythroughoutthe institution. Issue:Institutionandotherwebsitesareinfluentialinraisingawarenessofinstitutionsand programmes,andinpromptingstudentstomakethefirstcontactandseekfurther information.Theyareoftenthereforethefirstlinkinthechain,afterpersonal recommendation.Institutionsneedtoensuretheappropriatenessoftheirwebsiteinmeeting theinformationneedsofprospectivestudents,andensureitscurrency. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 26

8.1.4HowdidtheUniversityhandletheapplicationandregistrationprocess? TheundergraduatestudentsconsideredthatthelettersfromtheUniversityareverypoliteand encouraging,butrealisedthattheyhadtoremainneutralandformalbecauseultimately,theymay notacceptyourapplication.Thosewhohadpersonalcontactthroughaninterviewandother contactvaluedthat.TheyconsideredhoweverthattheinformationfromUCASatresultstimewas thedefinitivestuff.Aftertheirplaceswereconfirmed,studentswereexcitedbythe communicationsandinformationreceived.Onestudentdidnotreceiveapackofinformation,and feltseriouslydisorientedinweek1asaresult.Thisuniversityprovidesaccesstotheuniversity websiteformorelettersanddetailandalsoachatfacilityprovidingalinktootherpeoplewho wouldbelivinginthesameaccommodation.Oftheotherfivestudentsonlyonehadusedthechat facility.Registrationwasdoneinperson,ratherthanonline,andthestudentsfeltthatthiswasnot awarmwelcomeasitwaslikeaproductionlineandconfusing. Thepostgraduatestudentscitedalesspositiveexperience.Theonlineapplicationprocesswas consideredtobegood,withswiftresponsesbyemailfollowedupbyofficiallettersofconfirmation. Themastersstudentsreceivedapackofinformation,amapandahandbook.Theresearchstudent hadnotreceivedthesethingsandwasfeelingsomewhatlost.Informationonregistrationwas providedonpaperattheuniversityschoolatawelcomemeeting.Threeofthestudentshad experienceddelaysinobtainingloginsforemailandsoon,andwereunhappyaboutthis. Issue:Ensuringthateverystudentreceivestheinformationthattheyneedpriorto registrationandinduction. Theapplicationprocesswashandledbytheemployersfortheadultlearners,sotheywerenotable tocommentonit.Somefeltthattheregistrationprocesswasslightlydisorganised,whichreflected thefactthattheywererequiredtoregisterbothatacollegeandtheuniversity.However,onceon thecampustheregistrationprocesswentwithrelativeeasefromtheirperspective.Arrangements weremadeforthestudentstofilloutthenecessaryformsinaclassroomenvironmentwherehelp wasonhandshouldtheyrequireit. Issue:Thereisatensionbetweentheneedformassapplicationandregistrationprocesses andtheneedforapersonaltouch. 8.1.5Whilststudyinghowdoestheuniversitycommunicatewithyou?Whatabout?How frequently?Viewsonthese TheundergraduatestudentsdescribedemailsfromtheSchool,andstatedthattheSchoolOfficeis goodatkeepingtheminformed.Theschoolsendstextstoletthemknowifalectureiscancelled, andreminderemailswhenfeesaredue. Thestudentportalprovidesinformationabouteverything,andisfelttobeverygood.Onestudent statedthattheywouldbelostwithoutit.Theylikeditbecausetheyhavethechoiceofwhento accessit,ratherthantheuniversityinitiatingcontactwiththem. Therearemessagesofthedayforeveryone,ontheintraneteverytimesomeonelogsin,often aboutpayingfees,sometimesaboutexamentry,etc. Mostcommunicationisbyemail,andthecommentwasthattherearetoomanyemails.Thedanger isthattheybegintobeignored.Itwassuggestedthatcommunicationmethodsshouldchangeif JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 27

theydontwanttoborethestudents,althoughsome,e.g.aboutcareersserviceevents,orlibrary booksoverduewereconsideredhelpful. Othercommunicationswereonpaper:lettersabouthallfees,tuitionfees,transcriptsof examinationresults,moduleregistration. Studentswereconcernedaboutthetoneofcommunicationsaboutmoney,whichtheyconsidered tobeimpersonalandgivetheimpressionthattheuniversityischasingeverylastpenny. Thepostgraduatestudentshaddifferentexperiencesdependingontheschooltowhichthey belonged.Schoolscommunicatebynoticeboards,appointmentswithstaff,andthehardcopy handbook.Welcomeeventsintheschoolprovidedinformationonseminarsandoptionchoices,and providedmorehelpthanexpected.Howeverinadifferentschooltherewaslesscontactwithstaff, andstudentstherewereexpectedtotaketheinitiativeandaskforhelpwithacademicworkby email.Thestudentportalwasaccessedregularly,asthishadtobeusedtoreachemail,andtofind informationaboutfunding. Thepostgraduatestudentscitedarangeofuniversitybodieswithwhomtheywerecommunicating: theInternationalOfficeforinformationonfinanceandsoon,withinahardcopywelcomepack; studentsocieties;postgraduatestudentassociation,studentsunionandtravelagencies. Therewasafeelingthatmuchuniversityinformationisobtainedinformallythroughotherstudents. Facebookisusedasacommunicationtoolwithotherstudentsandprovidesinformationonsocial opportunities. Thesubjectofandmethodofcommunicationsvaried,asitdidwithundergraduatestudents. Examinationandothermarkstendedtobeonpaper,andthenwerelateravailableonWebCTorthe portal.WorkinprogressseminarsforthePhDstudentprovidegoodformativeassessmentand somefeedbackwasalsoreceivedbyemail. Whilstthequalityofcommunicationswasthoughttobegood,thegeneralviewwasthattherewere toomanyemailsandthataboutathirdwereirrelevant.Onefeltthattherewastoomuch informationontheportal,whichmadeitdifficulttodisentanglewhatheneeded:inthiscasethe supervisorwashelping,actingasafiltertopersonaliseitforthestudent.Itwasfeltthatthehard copyhandbookhadveryimportantinformationwithinit,butthatthiswasnotaveryaccessible modeofpresentationandthatthelikelihoodofstudentsreadingitwaslow.Thecommentwasthat whensomuchcomesviaemail,somethinginhardcopylikethisismarginalised. TheadultstudentsreceivedcommunicationsfromtheUniversityusingemail,noticeboards,the studentportal,Blackboardandpapermail.Asthesestudentshaduniquecircumstances,the methodsofcommunicationvaried.Somehaddifficultiesinaccessingelectroniccommunicationsat theirworkplaceduetorestrictionsonwebsiteuse.Bespokearrangementsweremadeforany studentswhocouldnotaccesstheelectroniccommunicationmethods,traditionalmailwasusedas abackup,andonestudentlivinginaremotepartofScotlandonanislandwascontactedby telephoneonly. Thesubjectsofcommunicationsfocusedontimetablearrangements,curriculaissues,registration andaccommodation.Communicationswereperceivedtobegenerallyhelpful.Thisgroupwas JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 28

initiallyhesitanttocontacttheuniversity,butnowdofeelthatcommunicationispossibleasthey havenamedpeopletocontactandtheirenquiriesarerespondedtoreasonablyquickly. Onthewholethequalityofcommunicationwasconsideredtobehigh,andthisgroupconsidered thattheysharedresponsibilitywiththeuniversityforcommunication. Issue:Portalsareperceivedasagoodmeansofcommunication,becausetheyrepresenta singlestartingpoint,andthestudentcanchoosewhentoaccessit.Thesystemcancarry largevolumesofstructuredinformation,fromwhichthestudentcanchoosetherelevant sections. Issue:Howtomakethehighqualityapproachmoregeneralthroughouttheinstitution? Issue:Howtocombinehighvolumecommunicationswithpersonalhumancontactanddo thiseverywhere. 8.1.6ViewsonhowwelltheUniversityismanagingitsrelationships Theundergraduatestudentscategorisedthedifferentpartsoftheuniversitythatwasforging relationshipswiththem:theSchool/Department;thebusinesssideoftheUniversity;centralservices likeCareers;studentdrivenserviceslikeStudentsUnionandalsothestudentrunsocieties. School/Department:TheSchoolofthesestudentswasperceivedasveryfriendly,hadpersonal tutors,andthelecturersspoketostudentswhenpassingtheminthecorridor.Onestudentwhose optionchoicesgivehimquiteabitofcontactwithanotherSchoolsaidtheywerelucky,astheother Schoolseemedtohimquitedifferent. ThebusinesssideoftheUniversity:isperceivedasabigsystemwhichrollsaheadunderitsown momentum,andisnotintouchwiththeviewsandvaluesofstudents.Theywouldliketobeableto communicatetheirviewsbutdontknowhowtoandwouldnotexpectthemtocount. CentralServices:suchasCareers,areseentobepositive. Studentledservices:thestudentsfeltthattheStudentsUnionismeanttobeanimportantchannel ofcommunicationbetweenthestudentsandtheUniversityinbothdirections,butthatitwasnot reallydoingthisjob.Oneofthestudentsinterviewedhadbeenrunningastudentsocietybasedin hisSchoolandhismeansofcommunicatingwithstudentsincluded:posters,Facebook,email,word ofmouth,thewebsite,letterstofreshers.HewouldlikeaccesstohisSchoolsfacilityfortexting students,whichheperceivedasveryeffective. ThepostgraduatestudentsagreedthattheyliketheUniversityverymuchandaregladtobethere. Theysuggestedmarksoutof10forhowitismanagingitsrelationshipwiththemandthefour studentsgavefourdifferentmarks.Thelowestwas50:50,positiveandnegative,becausethat studentfeltthatshewasOKbutthatoneofherfriendswasnt,shemarkedtheUniversityat6/10. ThenextlowestwasthePhDstudentat7/10.Thentheothertwoweremorepositiveandawarded 8/10and8.5/10.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 29

ThemajorityofadultstudentswereveryhappywiththemannerinwhichtheUniversitymanagedits relationshipswiththem.Themainissuesraisedcentredonstudentsdesiretohavegreaterinput fromtheUniversityintermsofincreasedclassroomtime. 8.1.7Howcouldrelationshipmanagementbebetter? Theundergraduatestudentsfeltthattheportalwascrucialandverygoodbutcouldbeevenbetter. TheysuggestedamuchfullercoverageofUniversitynewsontheportal,actualnews,sothat studentscouldfeelinformed.Allthenewsshouldbeavailable,notjust4selecteditemsasat present,sothattheycouldchoosetoreadtheincreasednumberofitemsornot. Othersuggestionswere: Thatthetoneofcommunicationsaboutmoneyischanged.Onesuggestionwasmoreuseof theFinancetabontheportaltopersonalisethesemessages,forexamplemakeitredforthe studentwhoowessomething. Theyreportedthatillfeelingisgeneratedbygeneralmessagessuchas:youcantgraduateifyou dontpayyourlibraryfines.Othersuggestions,arethatchargessuchfinesetcareperceivedasfair printingforexampleisveryexpensive.Libraryfinesforshortloanbooksareconsideredtobevery heavy,butitisseenasharshtochargeastudentforalatebookifnoonehasrequestedit. Thepostgraduatestudentsfeltthattheywouldlikemorecommunication,andofmoreappropriate kinds. ItwassuggestedthattheInternationalOfficewasveryimportant,andthattherebemore interactionwiththeInternationalOfficewhiletheyareontheircourse,perhapsasasourceof greatersocialcontactandinthefirstweeksinprovidingstudentmentorsinthefirstcoupleof weeks.Theypointoutthattherearealwayssomeinternationalstudentswhoarrivelateandthat theyinparticularwouldbenefitsignificantlyfromapersonalassessmentoftheirinformationneeds. IntermsoftheirSchools,theywouldliketogainmorespecificinformation,forexampleaboutand understandingoftherolesofinternalandexternalexaminers,andsuggestedthatMastersstudents beassignedpersonaltutorsinthesamewayasundergraduates. Thematurestudentperceivedtheuniversitytobeahighlypositivelearningenvironmentandallfelt thatitwouldbepreferableforallteachingtobeundertakenattheuniversityratherthansplit betweenitandtheirappropriatecollege. Issue:Perceptionsaremostlygood,buttherearegapsinrespectofsomeexperiencesand someareas;howdoesaninstitutionmakeallitsinteractionsuniformlygood? Issue:Ensuringthatinformationisappropriateandtimely. Thatstudentsareconsultedovermajordevelopmentsinsuchawaythatthestudentbody asawholefeelsithasbeenconsulted.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 30

8.2MANCHESTERMETROPOLITANUNIVERSITY:MODELOFTHELEARNERPROJECT7 TheModeloftheLearnerprojecthasbeencarriedoutbyLizPrice,intheFacultyofScienceand EngineeringatManchesterMetropolitanUniversity.Theaimoftheprojectistoevaluate,through questionnairesurveyandfollowupfocusgroupdiscussions,howthecurrentstructure,practiceand learningenvironmentintheFacultyofScienceandEngineeringatMMUshouldbeenhancedto supportflexible,independentlearningtodevelopindependent,autonomouslearners.Thesupport forlearningandthelearningenvironmentareallpartofthebuildingofrelationshipswithstudents. Aspartoftheprojectlearnerswereaskedmanyquestionsabouttheiropinionsontheimportance ofarangeofissues,someofwhichhaverelevancehere,forexamplethoseabouttheirpreferred learningstylesandwaysofdealingwithquestions,challengesandproblems. Theresponsesreinforcetheresultsofthefocusgroupworkcarriedoutaspartofthisstudy:that studentsmostvaluefacetofacerelationships,butthatelectronicmethodsofcommunicationare widelyusedandexpected;andthatstudentsfeltthatimprovedfeedback/communications/contact withstaffwouldhelpimprovetheirmarksandlearningexperience. WithintheModeloftheLearnerproject,whenexistingstudentswerequestionedaboutfacetoface andonlinelearning:81%ofrespondentslikeorgenerallylikefacetofacelearningandteaching,41% likeorgenerallylikeonlinelearningandteaching. Themostpopularwaysofdealingwithquestions,challengesorproblemsforexistingstudentsareto meetwithatutor(ratedwithintheirtopthreeby61%ofrespondents),meetotherstudents(rated withintheirtopthreeby53%ofrespondents),contactingatutorbyemailortelephone(rated withintheirtopthreeby50%ofrespondents)andlookingontheinternet(ratedwithintheirtop threeby49%ofrespondents). Interestinglythemostpopularwaythatnewstudentsexpecttodealwithquestions,challengesor problemsaretomeetwithatutor(ratedwithintheirtopthreeby76%ofrespondents),lookonthe internet(ratedwithintheirtopthreeby58%ofrespondents),ormeetotherstudents(ratedwithin theirtopthreeby55%ofrespondents).Contactingatutorbyemailorphonewasonlycitedby33% ofrespondentswithintheirtopthree. 8.3CONCLUSIONSABOUTTHEPERCEPTIONOFSTUDENTS ThefindingsofthestudentfocusgroupworkandthoseoftheModelsoftheLearnerProjectare similarinthattheyshowthatstudentsvaluefacetofacerelationships,butalsoexpecttouse electronicmethodsofcommunicationwidely.ThisalsoconcurswithotherrecentworkbyJISCwhich haslookedattheexpectationsandexperiencesofstudentsusingICTinhighereducation8.Thisstudy concludedthat:Studentsarecomfortableusingtechnologyfortheadministrationfunctionsoftheir university,personalandsociallife(payingrent,usingonlinetimetableresources,bookingoutlibrary 7 Price,E.A.C.(2008)FlexiLearning:ModeloftheLearner.FacultyofScienceandEngineering, ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity(unpublishedreport).

GreatExpectationsofICT:howhighereducationinstitutionsaremeasuringup.June2008,IPSOS MoriforJISC

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 31

books).Universitiesshouldtakecare,however,nottounwittinglydiscriminateagainstthosewho arelesstechsavvy,bothinteachingandinexpectationofusingadministrationsystems,asthese mayalsobethestudentswhoaretheleastfinanciallywelloff.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 32

9OUTPUTSFROMTHESOFTSYSTEMSWORK
Thefollowingthemesweredrawnoutoftherichpictureandresearchmaterials: Improvingthequalityoftheinformationusedbystaffwhointeractwithstudents Tensionsbetweencultures PersonalisationvstheBigSystem Matchingfunctionalitywithrequirements Diversityofstudentbody

Thefirstthreewerechosentotakeforwardforfurtherinvestigation.Forthesecondtheme, Tensionsbetweenculturesitwasdecidedtolookatasystemwhoseoutputsmightbenegative,a systemthatwouldnotbeadeliberateconstruct,butwouldbeausefulonetoinvestigate. Thesystemsdefinitionswere: Asystemtoimprovetheaccuracy,relevanceandaccessibilityofinformationcommunicated tostudentsbyuniversitystaffatkeypointsinthestudentlifecycle,forexampleenrolment. Asystemtocreateculturalbarriersbetweendifferentgroupsinahighereducation institution. Asystemtorelatethevariedandpossiblychangingcircumstancesofhighlydiverse individuallearnerstothestudentlifecycleacrossoneormoreHEIs. SeeAppendix7fordetailsoftheinvestigation.

9.1ISSUESIDENTIFIEDFROMTHESOFTSYSTEMSMETHODOLOGY
Asignificantnumberofissueswereidentifiedduringthesoftsystemswork: Issue:Stafftraining Issue:ITmakingalltherelevantinformationavailabletostaffandstudentsinapredictable place. Issue:Staffwhoanswerenquiriesfromstudentsneedaccesstoalltherelevantinformation quickly.Someofthisinformationisdetailedmaterialheldindatabases,someissofter informationabouttheinstitutionsservices. Issue:Ensuringthequalityofinformationgiventostudents,includingaccuracy,timeliness andrelevanceofeachdataitem,especiallyinrelationtothedifferentcircumstancesof students.Thequalityofdataaboutstudentsisquestioned,althoughcertainsoftware packageshaveahigherlevelofconfidencethanothers.Isthedatarelevanttothe processes?Istoomuchdatacollected? Issue:Areoursoftwarepackagestherightonesforourbusinessprocesses?Areour processesconfiguredtothesoftware,oristhesoftwareconfiguredtotheprocesses? Issue:Howdoweprovidestudentswithtargetedcommunicationsrelevanttotheir individualcircumstancesthroughmediathatmeettheirindividualrequirements?

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 33

Institutionsarekeentocommunicatewithstudents.Thiscanleadtoexcessiveor inappropriatecommunication,leadingtoinformationoverload9forstudentsandpotential communicationfailure. Issue:Whichchannelsofcommunicationareappropriate,bearinginmindthatmany,but notall,studentsareDigitalNatives10? Issue:Studentswouldliketimelyrelevantformativefeedbackinteachingandlearning.How tosatisfythisrequirementconsistently? Issue:Howdowedeliverprocessimprovement? Issue:HowcanourITsystemssupportprocessimprovementstrategies? Issue:Canweimprovethecommunicationsbetweendifferentinterestgroupswithinthe university,allofwhomareengagedinstudentrelationshipmanagement?Institutionshave processesinplacetocovereachpartofstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagement. However,manyoftheseprocessesmaybehistorical,mayuseinappropriatetechnologyand maynotbesufficientlyjoinedup.

SeeGlossary. SeeGlossary.

10

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 34

10OUTPUTFROMTHESYSTEMSFAILURESWORK
Thepurposeofthe"systemsfailures"workistogaininsightsintothesituationbyconstructing abstractmodelsandcomparingthemwithstudentrelationshipmanagementmodels,drawing conclusionsfromdifferencesbetweenthetwo. 10.1CONSTRUCTIONOFAFORMALSYSTEMSMODEL Aspartofthe"systemsfailures"work,agenericstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementsystem wasconstructed.Thisactivityusedasitsstartingpointaformalmodelofa"systemthatincludes people",defined(briefly)as"asetofcomponentsputtogetherforapurpose".Theprincipal componentsofsuchaformalsystemareadecisionmakingsubsystem,oneormoreprocesses,a performancemonitoringsubsystemthatfeedsbacktothedecisionmakingsubsystem,andarange ofmoreorlessexplicitinformationflowsthatlinkthecomponentstogether. Thefollowingdiagrams(figures7and8)showboththeformalsystemmodelandthegeneric studentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementsystemmodel.Thegenericmodelisbasedonour researchwork,butisofnecessitynotparticulartoanyHEI,anditsfeatureswillnotbereplicatedin totalityinanyspecificexample.Webelievethatthisapproach,whilenotnecessarilyacademically rigorous,isapragmaticonethatsuppliesusefulinsights. 10.1.2Descriptionofthemodelandevidence Akeypartofasystemsthinkingapproachtoproblemsistotakeaholisticview.Inthiscasewehave setthestudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementsystemwithinawidersystem,thehigher educationinstitution.Thiswidersystemdesigns,resourcesandlegitimisesitssubsystemsand makespeopleinvolvedinthesubsystemsawareofwhatisrequired. NotallthecomponentsinthewiderenvironmentthatinfluenceanHEIhavebeenincluded.The mainonesinrespectofSRMseemtobefundingbodyandgovernmentinitiatives,whichhavebeen identifiedduringourworkshopaselementsthatattempttosteerHEIsandthedirectionofstudent relationshipmanagement.Inclusionofotherelementsintheenvironmentmightreducetheclarity ofthemodel. Withaveryfewexceptionsnoneoftheinstitutionswehavebeenincontactwithhadawelljoined upstudentrelationshipmanagementsystemorstrategy,andthisstatementisreinforcedbythe resultsofoursurvey.Asonecommentputit: Thevarioussystemssupportelementsofthebusinessprocesswell, howeverthesetendtohavedevelopedrelativelyinisolationandtheneed totransferdatabetweensystemsusuallyrequiresbespokeworkbyour[] departmentasdatadefinitionswithineachsystemdiffergreatly. Whileallinstitutionshavedesigned,resourcedandimplementedanenrolmentsystem,forexample, itisveryrareforthisenrolmentsystemtobeviewedas,ortofunctionas,asubsystemofawider studentrelationshipmanagementsystem.Thenearestencounterwiththelatterisanexampleof enrolmentsetwithinamuchwiderrecruitment,admissionsandearlyretentionstrategybasedon customerrelationshipmanagement,thougheventhisapproachwasrestrictedtoUKfulltime undergraduateprovision. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 35

Decisionmakingsystemsincludedmanyinterestedparties,someatthelevelofschool,department orfaculty,reflectingadecentralizedservicedeliverymodel,somethroughcentraloffices.Wedid notinvestigatedecisionmakingsystemsatthemostseniorlevels. TheinstitutionalsurveyshowsthatITsystemsdonotalwayscovertheentirestudentlifecycle.In manycasesitisdifficulttosharedataacrossthestudentlifecyclestages.Managersresponsiblefor thespecificprocessesateachstagehaveingeneraldesignedtheiractivitiesandoutputsaroundthe requirementsofthatstage,ratherthaninthecontextofstudentrelationshipmanagementasa whole.Forexample,weencounteredcommentssuchas WhyistheAccommodationOfficesounhelpfultostudents? Whenthestudentrecordsarepassedon[fromAdmissions],wecanno longerlookatthem,sowecantmakechanges. Commentsatuniversityvisits ItisalsocommonthatWideningParticipationinitiativesaredeliveredviaseparateactivities,using separateteams,withlittleornoarticulationwithapplicationsprocesses.Fortheseseparate activitiestherewouldbenocommonapproachtoestablishingandmaintainingtherelationshipwith individuallearners.However,acautionarycaveatisnecessaryhere,becausewedidfindrecognition insomeinstitutionsthatamorejoinedupapproachmightbebeneficial,andevidenceofplanning towardsthatgoal: ThishasbeenrecognisedbyourInformationSystemsDevelopmentGroup and2newprojectslookingat'DataDefinitions'andIdentityManagement' aswellasanongoingprojectonManagementInformationarebeing taskedwithaddressingthisissue.Therearealsointentionstorollouta ChangeManagementprotocoltoallsystemmanagersasthese interdependencieshavebecomemuchmorecomplexovertime. Scottishuniversity Eachprocessrelatingtoastageinthestudentlifecyclewilloftenhaveamonitoringsysteminplace, sothatchangescanbeeffected.ITsystemsencounteredhadmanagementreportingfunctionsthat permittedmonitoringoftheprocesses,asexpected.However,monitoringwascarriedoutand activitiesadjustedinaccordancewiththespecificprocessratherthaninrelationtostudent relationshipmanagementperse.Forexample,severalinstitutionswithseparateITsystemsforpre applicationenquiryfulfilmentandforapplicationprocessingwereunabletoprovidecompatible reportsortointegratedata,sothatthesetwoprocesseswereeachmanagedinaquitedistinct fashion.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 36

Figure7
A formal system model

Environment

Environment

Disturbs WIDER SYSTEM

Tries to influence

Formulates initial design of

Provides resources and legitimises

Makes expectations known

SYSTEM

Decision-making subsystem

Supplies performance information to

Decides on processes and designs them

Makes expectations known Provides resources and legitimises

Reports to

Input

Sub-systems that perform processes

Performance monitoring sub-system

Output

Provides performance information

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 37

10.1.2Comparisonoftheabstractmodelofstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementandthe formalsystemsmodel Acomparisonofthetwomodelsshowssomedistinctivedifferences:

The student lifecycle relationship management system is not well formulated; it consists instead of largely separate systems, designed for specific purposes, each of which has its own decision-making sub-system, information flows, processes and monitoring. The HEI only rarely resources and legitimises a student lifecycle relationship management system. Instead it does so for component processes, such as admissions, teaching and learning (often via a VLE) or alumni relations. Only very rarely are these processes considered as a whole, so that typically a learner will have several different logins to a university system, or staff will use entirely different systems in their relationship with learners, dependent on the lifecycle state (applying, learning, postgraduation) or the type of learner (UK full time undergraduate, WP group, overseas research student, and so on). A co-coordinating and decision-making sub-system for student lifecycle relationship management is usually lacking. The previous point has a knock-on effect on the links between the decision-making sub-system and the process components. While information flows and links do exist, they are in the context of each individual process, not an integrated system. Perhaps the most important implication here is that the expectations in relation to student relationship management are not known at each point of contact. This encourages differences in the character and quality of each event in the relationship. For example the student may have an excellent experience during application and admissions, but this may not be matched in the institutions approach to teaching and learning, which may exhibit an entirely different style and quality. The same separation into distinct processes noted above permeates the performance monitoring sub-system area and the information flows into and out of it. This effect may depend on the size of the institution, the larger ones having more specialization and differentiation of processes; this may mean that larger institutions are able to cope more readily with the individual processes, gaining economies of scale, but are worse at the overall integration of student relationship management. This issue may need further investigation. Those involved in the components of student relationship management tend not to influence their environment in a coherent fashion with respect to student relationship management as a whole, but rather for their own particular interest. It is fairly typical, for example, for an institution to provide a high quality personalized electronic teaching and learning environment for students attending the university, but to provide only a very generic approach to giving information to pre-enrolment learners or to post-graduation contacts. While there may be very extensive information about module content and the choices available to students once they have been accepted and are engaged in selecting options within their programme, such information is not usually available when choosing the programme itself, and many institutions struggle to give the recommended level of information through entry requirements and Entry Profiles for admissions purposes. For example, to date about 67% of courses in the UCAS scheme have Entry Profiles, many of these not of first rate quality, against a target of 85% for September 2008 and 100% for September 2009.

10.1.3Issuesidentifiedfromtheformalsystemmodel Issue:Studentrelationshipmanagementisonlyrarelyconsideredaholisticconcept,leading tocompartmentalisationoffunctions,processesandmethods.Thiscanleadtoafractured experienceforstudentswithveryvaryingcharacterandquality.Itcanalsomeanthatdata exchangebetweenprocessesisinefficientornonexistent. Issue:Monitoringofthestudentexperienceissimilarlycompartmentalised,makingit difficulttocoordinateprocessimprovement,togaineconomiesofscaleortoreportonitin aholisticfashion. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 38

Figure8

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 39

10.2USEOFACONTROLMODEL
Thereareseveralcontrolmodelsusedinsystemsfailuresanalysis.Themostpertinent,becausethe mostusedandsuggestedbytheinformationfromthestudy,istheclassicfeedbackcontrolmodel (seefigure10).Thepurposeofacontrolsubsystemistoenableasystemtodeliveroutputswithin consistentparametersortoreducedisturbanceofthesystembytheenvironment.Underclassical feedbackcontrolthesubsystemmeasurestheoutputfromaprocess,comparesitwithadesirable orreferencelevel,andmodifiesoneormoreinputstreams,sothatanyerrantoutputisreturnedto acceptablelimits.

10.2.1Anexamplecontrolmodel:TheManchesterMetropolitanUniversityShock AbsorberProject
Theprojectteambelievethatitisimportanttoensurethatallourfirstyear studentshavethebestpossibleexperienceintheirearlyweekshereat MMU.Researchstudiesshowusthatapositiveandproductivefirstyearis essentialforprogressionandsuccessthroughouttheundergraduateyears. TheShockAbsorberProjectTeam,MMU WehaveusedtheexampleofManchesterMetropolitanUniversitysShockAbsorberProjectto illustrategoodpracticeintermsofcontrolofstudentrelationshipmanagementprocesses,inthis casetheinductionortransitionprocess.TheShockAbsorberprojectisathreeyearHEAfunded project,basedatMMUandruninpartnershipwithTheUniversityofLiverpoolandStockport College,lookingatwaystoeasetheshockoftransitionintouniversity.Itaimstoputinplace activitiesandinterventionsthatwillaidtheprocess,frompreregistrationtothefirstassignment andproduceatoolkitforstafftoimprovethefirstyearexperience.Interventionsincludesuch activitiesasusingSecondLifeasanenvironmentfornewstudentstomeetoneanotheronline beforebeginningtheirstudies,sothatrelationshipsbetweenstudentsandwithstaffcanstartearly. Theuniversityisrunningarangeofactivitiesacrossselectedprogrammes,evaluatingthemthrough anextensivequestionnaire,whichteststhelevelofengagementofthestudentandthequalityof theirexperienceofuniversitylife,andtheneffectingfurtherchangeasaresultoftheevaluation. Theaimoftheuniversityisencapsulatedinthe followingsigngraphdiagram.Thegreaterthe effectivenessofinductionactivities,thebetter engagedstudentsareatthestartoftheircourse,and thelesstheshockoftransition.Thisleadstobetter retention.Converselyifinductionisineffectivethe reversewillhappen,leadingtohigherdropoutrates.

Effectiveness of induction activities

Shock of transition

Engagement of students

Quality of student experience

+
Retention

Figure9:signgraphdiagramshowingtheeffectofinductionactivitiesonretention JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 40

 Figure10Thegenericcontrolsystemmodel

Figure11. TheShockAbsorberModel

AlthoughtheShockAbsorberProjecthasnotyetfinisheditswork,itisdemonstratinga sophisticatedapproachtostudentrelationshipmanagementinthelifecyclestagesofpre JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 41

application,inductionandtheearlystagesofteachingandlearning.Thenewactivitiesincludemany instancesthatuseelectronictoolstofacilitatecommunicationsbetweenthestudentandstaff,and betweenstudentandstudent.Theapproachisverydetailed,withanextensivequestionnaire designedtoreachtheheartoftheissuesfromthelearnersperspective.Itisnoticeablethatthese inductionmethodsareinmanyinstanceslocalisedtoparticulardepartmentsorprogrammes.The Universityhascrossuniversityinitiativesforretentionandinduction,butimplementationwork takesintoaccountlocalworkpractices,historyandtypesofstudentgroup.

10.2.2IssuesidentifiedfromtheControlModel
Issue:Feedbackfromstudents.Itisimportanttoobtainandanalysesystematicfeedback fromstudentsabouttherelationshipbetweenstudentsandtheinstitution.Thisshouldbe thebasisofthedesign,planningandimplementationofchangedprocessesinresponseto thefeedback,takingintoaccountthestudentslifecyclestate,theinstitutionsapproachto studentrelationshipmanagementandanylocalcontextinrelationtothepartofthe institutionthatisinvolved.Ourresearchhasshownthatfewinstitutionsarecarryingoutthis typeofchangeprocess

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 42

11HUMANFACTORSAFFECTINGCOMPUTERSYSTEMS:ALLOCATIONOFFUNCTION
Ausefulmodelforcomparisoninsituationsinvolvinghumansandcomputersystemsisthe AllocationofFunction.Thismodelrecognisesthathumansandcomputersystemshavevery differentcapabilities,sosomefunctionsarebetterallocatedtoonesideortheother.Thefirstlistof suchcapabilitieswasdrawnupbyFittsin1951(hencetheseareknownasFittslists)11.Thereare significantdrawbackstothisapproach,becauseoftherapidityofthedevelopmentofnew technology,andthelackoffinedetailintheattributes,butitcanstillbeaninstructivemethod.This isparticularlytrueinanerawhenhardwareandsoftwaresystemsareincreasinglyseenasmediating tools,andpartofhumanandmachinesystems,ratherthanasautomationsystemstowhich humansmustconform. WehaveusedamodifiedversionofFittslisttohelpwithouranalysis,asshowninthefollowing table. Figure12:Fittslistanalysis Property Communications Computer Multichannel:Largevolumesof informationthroughalargenumber ofmedia. Formalcommunications. Human Singlechannelatatime(speech; writing;nonverbal). Lowvolume. Informal,empathiccommunication. Shortformalcommunications. Information Processing Largevolumescanbeprocessed quickly. Routineandrepetitivetasksareeasy. Fastsortingandfilteringcapabilities. Cannotprocessemotional information. Storageand memory Goodatlongterm,highvolume storageandrecallofdatawithout degradation. Cannotreceiveorstoreemotional information. Input Verylimitedinputmechanisms, primarilydigital(sound,text, graphics). Poorpatternrecognition. Quantitative,notjudgmental.
11

Subjecttoinformationoverload. Poorsortingandfilteringcapabilities. Pooratroutineandrepetitivetasks. Slow. Canprocessemotionalinformation. Poorataccuratestorageandrecallof datawithoutdegradation. Canstoreunstructuredsocial,cultural andemotionalinformation. 5senses(experiential). Widerangeofinputs. Goodpatternrecognition. Socialandculturalnuances. Qualitative,judgmental

BignellandFortune,p193

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 43

Reasoning

Deductive(logical).

Inductive(evidencebased,intuitive).

Highvolume,generalandimpersonal. Lowvolume,specificandpersonal. Intelligence Nospontaneousgoalorstrategy switching. Onlydealswiththepredictableor predicted. Accessibility Requiresequipmentandalevelof technicalability. Notimeconstraints. Stored(standard)information availablecontinually. Breakdown Suddenandcomplete(butnowadays comparativelyrare). Gracefuldegradation,canadaptto pressure(butreductionin performancecommon). Readilyaccessiblewithintimeand languageconstraints. Morenuancedinformationavailable. Canadapt. Candealwiththeunexpected.

11.1INFORMATIONFROMANALYSISOFTHECASESTUDIES
Thefollowingpointshavebeenidentifiedbycomparingthecasestudieswiththeabovetable. 11.1.1Communications ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity Arelianceonprovidingstandardinformationtoallstudentsleadstoinformationoverload12that canresultinstudentsfailingtoreceiveorunderstandimportantdetails.Informationshouldbe targetedtoindividualneedsandrelevanttriggerpoints. Amultichannelapproach(Lawdepartment)topreentryinformationcanresultinmorestudents receivingandunderstandingit. Toolssuchassocialnetworkingsitesareusedtopromotesocialinteractionthatbuildsrelationships amongststudentsandbetweenstudentsandstaffatanearlystage. Extendedinductionwitharangeofinterventions,bothusingandnotusingelectronictools,helps studentstoengagewiththeuniversitysacademicandsocialculture. AstonUniversity Extensiveinductionissupportedelectronically:MyAstonPortal(MAP),electronicpostcardsadvising ofrequiredactions;andbypeople:socialactivities,mannedhelpdesks,allocationofpersonal tutors.Thesemeasuresaredesignedtoassistwithretention. Foralumnitheuniversityusesmultichannelcommunications:website,magazine,email,telephone, socialnetworkingsites,events,discussionforum.

12

SeeGlossary.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 44

FurtherEducation Computersystemsareusedforquantitativeharddatadrivenbyfundingneeds.Coursetutorsare usedforindividualproblems;electronicsupporttools,suchasNottinghamsPassportfolioor ConnectPointcouldhelpsupportstafftocommunicatewithstudents,butarenotyetwidelyused. 11.1.2InformationProcessing ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity Theuniversityrecognisedthatinformationoverloadonstudentsinsomedepartmentswas contributingtodropoutrates.Specificinterventionstoaddressthishavebeenadoptedonbotha universitywidebasis,forexampletheRetentionandStudentSuccessproject,andwithinindividual faculties,forexampleRetentionStrategyGroups.Theseinterventionshaveincludedhuman interventions,suchasmentoring,increaseduseofindividualtutorialsandjustintimeaccessto coreskills,aswellascomputerassistedones,suchasthedeliveryofinformationonlyatrelevant timesandaccordingtocircumstancesidentifiedthroughcaptureofdatafromthestudents.They aredesignedtodeliversupporttoindividualsandtocollectdataaboutstudentengagementand progress,soarecoveringbothquantitativeandqualitativeaspects. Interventionshaveincludedearlyaccesstoonlinecourses,theVLEandsocialnetworkingsites,as wellasselfdiagnosticactivitiesandthoseaimedatawarenessraising.Itisworthnotingherethat theseinterventionsmakeappropriateuseofcomputerprocessingpower,forexamplethrough innovativewebquestsortheAlternateRealityGamesforOrientation,SocialisationandInduction (ARGOSI)project,inconjunctionwithdirectinterpersonalcontacts. FurtherEducation IntheFEarenacomputerprocessingpowerisusedprimarilyonquantitativedataandrequirements arefundingdriven,ratherthandrivenbyrelationshipmanagement.Studentsupportand engagementishandledbysupportstaffandtutorsmainlybyfacetofacecommunications. 11.1.3Input ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity Theuniversityusesitsstafftohandlethesocial,academicandculturalunderstandingofstudents andtopromotetheinstitutionsvaluesandculture.Theseareaspectsthatcannotbeallocatedto computersystems,althoughcomputerbasedtoolscansupportthem.Aspecificexampleof significantchangehereasaresultoffeedbackfromstudentswasinthebiomedicalsciences department;libraryinductionhadbeenhandledonline(allocatedtoelectronicsystems),butwillin futurebecomeafacetofaceevent(allocatedtohumans),becausestudentswantedtobeshown aroundthephysicalenvironment.Forthiseventfacetofacecontactisseenasanimportantpartof therelationship. 11.1.4Reasoning,Intelligence,Communications ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity FromtheMMUcasestudyitisnotedthatplannedandimplementedinterventionsfrompre registration,throughinduction,toteachingandlearninguselesselectronicmethodsasthestudent movesthroughthelifecycle.Atpreregistrationstagethreeofthefourextrainterventions mentionedusedelectronictools,atinductiononeusedelectronictools,andattheteachingand learningstageuseofelectronictoolswasminimal.Thesespecificextrainterventionscanbe JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 45

mappedasdescribedinthefollowingdiagram.However,itisimportanttonotethattheseareextra interventions,electronicandpersonalisedmethodsareusedthroughoutthelifecycle.Allocationof functioninthesecasesillustratesthatpersonalinvolvementbystaffbecomesmoreandmore relevantasthestudentsrequirementsbecomemorespecifictoindividualcircumstances.

Figure13:RetentionandEngagementatMMU:Relationshipbetweentypeofinterventionand personalisation

Extra interventions

Extra interventions

AstonUniversity Theuniversityssuccessfuluseofpersonaltutorsandpeermentoringshowstheimportanceof humanadaptabilityinresponsetodifferingpersonalcircumstances.Thesefacilitiesarecoupled withspecifictargetedsupportwhereneedsareidentified,forexampleanewLearningandSkills Centre,ProgrammingSupportOffice,AssistiveTechnologyOfficer. 11.1.5Accessibility ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity TheuniversityprovidesaccesstotheVLEfromthetimeaplaceisoffered,sothatstudentscan choosetofamiliarisethemselveswithitiftheywish.Itisimportantthattheuseofthistoolin advanceofthestartofthecourseisvoluntary. AstonUniversity TheMAPportalrepresentsasinglepointofcontactforthestudent,whichcanmakemuch informationmorereadilyaccessible.Thecasestudyprovidessomeillustrativeusagefigures, demonstratingahighlevelofloginsandsignificantactivityintheareaofassessment.Although otherareasofactivityaremuchlowerinnumbers,thevolumeofinteractionsisimpressiveforanew serviceandbearinginmindthetotalnumberofstudentsattheuniversity.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 46

11.1.6Issuesidentifiedfromhumanfactors:allocationoffunction
Issue:Informationprovidedtostudentsneedstobeappropriate,timelyandunderstood. Appropriatemeanstakingintoaccountindividualcircumstances,aswellaslifecyclestate. Ascomputersareprimarilygoodatroutine,highvolumeandrepeatableprocesses,some responseswillrequirepersonalattentionofstaff.Thereforesystemscontaininghumansand computersneedtobeabletoidentifywherethesehumaninterventionsarerequired.All interactionprocessesneedabackstopofaperson.Feedbackfromtherecipientisimportant, sothatstaffknowthattheinformationhasbeennotonlysent,butreceivedandunderstood. Thisfeedbackactsasaprocesscontrolmechanism. Issue:Informationcanberelevanttoall,orrelevanttoonlyoneindividual. Informationcanbehighvolume,relevanttoallstudents,ortolargegroups,orcanbevery specifictoindividualsortosmallgroupswithrelativelyrareneeds.Sometimesthe informationneedsaredeterminedbythestudentsthemselves.Thesedifferentneeds suggestamultichannelapproach,takingintoaccountinformationrequirementsand accessibilityissues.Channelsusedinourcasestudieshaveincludedwebportalsandother institutionwebsites,VLEs,socialnetworkingsoftware,virtualrealityenvironments,email, letters,newslettersandmagazines,smstextmessaging,facetofacecontact,voice telephony,forums,surveys,physicallocations. Issue:Promotionofsocialinteractions. Promotionofsocialinteractions(stafftostudents;studentstootherstudents)isvitalfor studentengagement,retention,social,academicandculturalunderstanding. Communicationwithinrelationshipmanagementconsistsofbothformalandinformal patterns,whichdeepentheassociationofthestudentwiththeinstitution.Computer systemscanbetoolsorfacilitatorsforthis,butdirectpersonalinteractionsareperceivedby bothstaffandstudentsinourresearchasveryimportantforcementingsocial,academicand culturalengagement. FurtherEducationinstitutionshavewelldevelopedelectronictoolstohelpcollectionand analysisofdataforthepurposesoffundingandattendance,gearedtoreportingtoLSCand OFSTED.Thesetoolsarelesswelldevelopedforstudentsupportfunctions. Issue:Interventionstendtoinvolvelesselectronictoolsasthelifecyclestateprogresses. Asthelifecyclemovesfromaddressingthemassofpotentiallearners(preapplication) throughgroups(cohortsapplyingandregisteringonspecificprogrammes)toindividuals (personalisedteachingandlearning;pastoralsupport),sointerventionsbecomemore specificandpersonalisedandhardertosupportbyallocatingfunctionstoimpersonal machines.Thisissuereflectstheeasewithwhichcomputerscancommunicatestandard messagesandlargevolumesofinformationverywidely.Institutionsareincreasingly recognisingtheneedtobeattunedtothedangerofinformationoverloadforstudents,which canbealleviatedbycarefulconsiderationofthewhen,howandhowmuchofeach communication. Issue:Asuitablestartingpointforcommunications.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 47

Studentsappreciateastable,singlestartingpointforinformationgatheringand communications,forexampleastudentportalthatallowsthestudenttocontrolwhen, whereandsometimeshowitisaccessed.Earlyexperienceofthesesystemspaysdividends, becausethestudentbecomesusedtothisasaculturalnorm,particularlyifitisviaasingle interfaceoraconsistentstyleofinterface.Whilethesesystemshavebeenavailableatthe teachingandlearningstage,forexamplethroughVLEs,theyarestillcomparativelyrareat otherstagesofthestudentlifecycle.However,feedbackonthequalitativeandquantitative benefitsofthesesystemsisstillneeded.Thereisalsoevidencefromourcasestudiesthat thesesystemsneedtobecoupledwithtargetedcommunicationstriggeredbychangesinthe studentslifecyclestateandgearedtoelicitingspecificactionsfromthestudent,forexample areplytoanofferofaplace,paymentoffees,submissionofpieceofworkforassessmentor agreementtoattendanalumnievent. Issue:Accessibility Accesstoindividualisedpersonalsupportisvitalforsomestudents,andtheseindividuals cannotbeidentifiedinadvance. Issue:Studentchoice Thereisapremiumonsystemsthatstudentscanchoosetouseornottouse.Therearefour principalimplicationsfromthisbroughtoutfromouranalysisofthecasestudies: .1 Multichannelcommunicationsshouldbeused; .2 Feedbackshouldbegathered .3 Andchangesimplementedinresponse; .4 Targetedsupportshouldbeavailablewhereneedshavebeenidentified.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 48

12INTERNATIONALEXPERIENCES
TheprojectdefinitionoftheLandscapeStudyofStudentLifecycleRelationshipManagementasked thatsomeenquiriesbemadeintotheexperienceofothercountries. Apartfromwebsearches,thishasprovedverydifficult(possiblyduetotimeofyear). SearcheshavebeenmadeofsourcesintheUnitedStatesandAustraliabeingtwoofthemajor competitorswiththeUKforstudents.Theseinvestigationshaveshownthattheenvironmentsfor highereducation,andthepressuresonthemtorecruitandretainstudentsareverysimilartothose oftheUK. IntheUnitedStates,pressuresonhighereducationaresimilartothoseintheUKsqueezeson financeandresourcesleadingtoadriveforgreaterefficiency,andincreasedmarketisationofthe highereducationsector.This,asintheUK,ispromptinginstitutionstoundergoprocesschange. Becauseofincreasingpressuretoreducecosts,keeptuitionincreasessmall,andservemore students,institutionsareseekingwaystoimprovetheirproductivityandefficiency.Theyare creatingadministrativeefficiencies,suchasbystreamliningbusinessprocesses.Theyareinnovating withtechnologybasedteachingtoreachmorestudentsbothoncampusandinthebroader communitythroughdistanceeducation.13 Overthepast5yearsorso,manyinstitutionsintheUShavebeenfocussingonstrategicenrolment management(SEM)whichconsiderstheentirelifecycleofastudentfrompreadmissionactivitiesto postgraduationwithinthestrategicgoalsoftheinstitution. TheOraclePeoplesoftCampusSolutionsproducthasagreatmanycustomersinthehigher educationsectorintheUSclaimstobetheworld'sleadingstudentsystemandalumnidevelopment solutionforhighereducationandisbeingusedatover800campusesinmorethan20countries. Sungardproducts,notablyBanneralsohavealargepresenceintheUS,andthecompanywebsite statesthat:SunGardHigherEducationassistsmorethan1,600customersworldwide... BothOracleandSungardhaveapresenceinAustralia. InAustralia,thereareverysimilarpressurestothoseintheUSandUK.Althoughincomesof AustralianinstitutionshaveincreasedinrecentyearssincetheintroductionoftheHigherEducation ContributionScheme(ie,studenttuitionfees),resultinginalesserdependenceongovernment income,AustralianHigherEducationinstitutionsarealsofacingincreasedcompetitionforstudents throughincreasesinhighereducationprovisionwithinAustraliaandalsoincountrieswhichhave traditionallyprovidedagoodsourceofinternationalstudents.Risingcostsarealsoanissue. Universitiesarealsoconfrontingtheverymajorcostsofmovingtocomputermediated, electronicandflexibledeliverymodes,whileatthesametimeattemptingtosustain,as faraspossible,theircampusbasedandfacetofaceteachingapproaches.Whiletheremay arguablybesomedownstreamsavingsfromincreaseduseofelearning,thereareenormous transitionalcostsincreatingdigitallibraries,convertingexistingcoursesanddevelopingnew ones,andestablishingnewelectronicinfrastructure.Internationalevidencealsosuggests 13 Eckel, P and King, J American Council on Education (2004) An overview of higher education in the US: Diversity, Access and the role of the marketplace JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 49

thatthesecostswillrecurfrequentlyduetotherateofchangeintechnologyandstudent expectationsforbothelearningandfacetofaceteaching.14 Thereportgoesontosaythat: .....thenewgenerationsofyoungerstudentsenteringuniversityarevery ICTliterate,andexpectahighlevelofondemand,onlineaccesstolearningmaterials, assessment,andadministration.Themajorityoffirstyearstudentssurveyedin2004used onlinecourseresources,emailandsoftwaredesignedfortheircourse.Aminorityusedonline discussionopportunities(Krauseetal.2005).Alluniversitiesareinvestingsubstantialamountsin thesetypesofinitiatives AnyoneinvolvedininternationalstudentrecruitmentintheUKwillspeakaboutthewayinwhich Australianinstitutionsrecruitstudents.Australiahasseenahugegrowthininternationalstudent numbersofrecentyears,whichhasdriventhedevelopmentofsophisticatedrecruitmentand internationalstudentserviceoperations.Storiestendtoconcentrateontheexcellentservice providedtointernationalapplicants,particularlyintermsofspeedofadmissionsdecisionmaking. ShouldJISCwishtoexplorethelandscapeofstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementinother countriesinmoredetail,thenitisrecommendedthatthisbecommissionedasaseparateproject.

14

AustralianGovernment(June2008)ReviewofHigherEducationDiscussionPaper http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/85826/200806181222/www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/06C6543187914816 ACB96F1FF9CA3042/22465/08_222_Review_AusHEd_Internals_100pp_FINAL_WEB.pdf

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 50

13CONCLUSIONS
13.1THELANDSCAPE Acleardescriptionofthelandscapeofstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementisdifficultto achieve.Thereishugevariationinthemissionsofinstitutions,learnertypesandeducational provision.Institutionsareaffectedbyexternalpressureswhichinturnaffectthesystemsand processestheyuse.Competitionforstudents,changingexpectationsofstudents,changesin legislation(egimmigrationrules),changesinnationalprocesses(egUCAS),fundingmethodsall requiresystemchangesmanyofwhicharedirectlyrelatedtothemanagementofrelationshipswith students.ThisistrueintheFEsectoraswellastheHEsector,wherestudentfundingfrom governmentiscloselycontrolledinrelationtooutputsandthereforeneedsthesupportofwell managedsystems. Inthefuture,themissionsofinstitutionsarelikelytodivergefurther,asinstitutionsexplorenew linesofbusinessinrelationtostudents.From2020thepopulationofthetraditionaluniversity entrant(1820yearolds)willbegintodecline,andinstitutionsreliantonthismarketsectorwillhave tocompetemoreaggressivelyforthosestudentsanddiversifytheiractivity.Asaresult,student relationshipmanagementprocesseswillbecomemoresophisticated,asinstitutionsincreasinglyuse thestudentexperienceasadifferentiatingfactorratherthantheireducationalprovision.Well resourcedinstitutionsarebetterplacedtodealwiththesepressures,butsmallerinstitutionswould benefitfromworkwhichhelpsthemtodeveloptheirsystemsandprocesseswithoutthesignificant investmentofdoingitfromscratch.Itislikelythattherespondentsmetthroughthisstudyarethe oneswhoaredoingthingsquitewellbythemselves,buttherewillbeverymanymoreinstitutions thatarestrugglingandneedhelp. Ashumaninteractionsincreasinglytakeplaceonline,thereappearstobeablurringoftheline betweenusingacomputerasanactivity,andtheactualactivitiesthemselves.Useofportalshelp toimprovetheconsistencyoftherelationshipexperiencedbystudentsacrossdifferentpartsofthe institution,butthisisnotalwaysthecasewithhumaninteraction,whichismuchmoredifficultto achieve.ItispossiblethatstudentrelationshipmanagementintheHEsectorismorefragmented nowthanintimesoftheUniversityRegistrythatcarriedoutstudentadministrationfrom applicationtograduation.Recenttimeshaveseenincreasedprofessionalizationoffunctionalareas andseparationoffunctionalunits,eachresponsiblefordifferentstagesofthestudentlifecycleand withtheirownmethodsofcommunicating.Theseparationoffunctionalandprofessionalareas bringstensionswhichmakesitmoredifficulttoachieveanintegratedstudentrelationship managementsystem. Webelievethatstudentrelationshipmanagementshouldbeseeninanholisticwayacross functions,andthatanintegratedsystemispreferableintryingtoachievethis,althoughitseems inevitablethatsomemorespecialisedfunctionssuchastimetablingandlibrarymanagementwill remainseparate.Provideddatatransferbetweensystemsiseasytoachieve,thisshouldnotbea problem. 13.2STUDENTRELATIONSHIPMANAGEMENTSYSTEMS Powerfulintegratedstudentinformationsystemsareavailableinmanyorganisationstosupport studentrelationshipmanagement,butthefunctionalityinsomecaseshashardlybeenexplored. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 51

Mostsystemsinuseareproprietarysystemsbuttherearealsomanyexamplesofinhouse developedsystems.TheclearmarketleaderintheUKistheSITSVisionsoftwareproductofTribal, whichclaimsamarketshareofover65%oftheUKHEsector,andprovidesafulllifecycleproduct. Therearemanyotherproductsinusehowever,andrecententrantstothemarketsuchastheUS SungardproductBannerandOraclePeopleSoftCampusSolutionsalsoofferfulllifecycle functionalities.Mostrespondentsclaimedsatisfactionwiththesystemstheyareusingandtheways inwhichtheyaresupportingbusinessprocesses,althoughsomedidqualifythat,expectingbenefits inthefuturefromnewlyimplementedsystems. Thereasonsforthelessthanfullimplementationordevelopmentofsystemsaremany,butthereis arealtensionbetweenresourcesavailablewithinISdepartmentsandtheaspirationsoffunctional managerstoimprovetheirprocesses.Manycomplainaboutlongwindedapplicationprocessesto competeforsystemanalystandprogrammertime,andthatoftenthestrategicimportanceoflarge orevensmallchangesislostamongstcompetingpriorities,greatlyslowingdownprocess improvement,andinsomecasesleadingtoworriesaboutreductionofthecompetitivenessofthe institution. Indealingswithinstitutionsthroughthisandotherprojects,exampleshavebeenfoundofsystems beingusedaspartofmanualprocesses,largelyasrepositoriesofinformation,andalsomore sophisticatedwaysprovidingautomatedprocessessomeofwhicharenew,forexampleautomatic checkingofapplicantentryqualificationsagainstsetcriteria,generationofstandardoffersand enforcementoftheprinciplesoffairadmissions. Decisionsmadeduringtheinitialimplementationphaseoftensetthetoneforthelifeofthesystem. Atthetimeofimplementation,systemsoftenhavecapabilitiesfaradvancedofcurrentbusiness processes,andthereisalwayscompetitionforresourceswithininstitutions.Scarceavailabilityof resourcesattimeofimplementationinISdepartments,alackofforwardplanningforfutureneed, plannedphasedimplementationoveranumberofyears,andalsolackofunderstandingamongst usersofpotentialcapabilities,allcontributetothepiecemealimplementationoffunctionality.This lastsometimescausesproblemssuchasthoseidentifiedinthesystemsfailureswork:thereis sometimeslackofagreement,orlackofunderstandingaboutwhoownsthedata:isitthe operationalarea,orisittheISdepartment?Manywouldclaimthatitistheoperationalarea,but thosepeopleoftenseethetechnologythattheyareusingastheproductofsomeoneelseandseeit astechnical,andsodonotcomeforwardtorequestchanges.ISdepartmentsexpectoperational managerstoapproachthemwithrequestsforchange,andoperationalmanagersexpecttheIS departmenttobeproactiveinsuggestingchange. Issue:Howtoempoweroperationalmanagerstounderstandtheirownershipofthe operationanddata,andtoempowerISdepartmentstobecomemoreconsultativeintheir approachtosupportingthese.Someoftheconsultantsinthisprojecthavefound themselvesincircumstanceswheretheyarediscussingbusinessprocesschangewith operationalmanagers,whichwillrequireadaptationtosystems,butwherethereisno involvementoftheISdepartmentteam. OneoftheconclusionsthathasbeendrawnabouttheSRMlandscapeisthatsystemsdoneedtobe seenholisticallyacrossthestudentlifecycle.However,functionalmanagersdonotalwaysseeitthat JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 52

way.Aseniormanagerinalargeinstitutionwhoisveryclearaboutownershipoftheirbusiness processanddatahadrecentlymadeanurgentsystemchangerequestarisingfromanexternal processchange: TheISdepartmentisworkingatadifferentspeedtous!Ourrequestisunlikelytobe actionedanytimesoon.Thisfunctionwasconsideredtobeapplicableacrossthewhole studentsystem,andsotheyaregoingtohavetogoouttotender,whichwilltakesixmonths ormorebeforesomeoneisinplacetodothework.Thisprocessisfundamentaltothe operationofmyarea,andweneeditnow,theresultishavingtodevelopmanualwork aroundswhichwillproveveryexpensiveinthelongrun. Seniorfunctionalmanager,Englishuniversity 13.3MANAGINGRELATIONSHIPSWITHSTUDENTS Institutionsmanagetheirrelationships,andcommunicationswithstudentsinagreatvarietyof ways.Thetoolsavailabletothemtodothisarealsovaried,andusedtoagreaterorlesserextentin differentinstitutions.Electronicmethodsareavailableandusedwidely,butinstitutionsneedto considerthetoneandfrequencyofemailcontact,andthecontentofstudentportals. Studentsquestionedwerelargelysatisfiedwiththerelationshipsthattheyhadwiththeir institutions,andprovidedsuggestionsforhowthesecouldbeimprovedormanageddifferently. Studentsappreciatethemorepersonalisedapproach.Increasedpersonalisationofcommunications andtargetingofinformationisrequiredbystudentstoenhancetheirexperience,andopinion,of theirinstitution,butthisisverydifficulttoachieve,particularlywheretherearepressurestoreduce costs. Differenttypesofstudentshavedifferingcommunicationsneedsandalsohavedifferentchannelsof communicationavailabletothem.Institutionswillbestmanagetheirrelationshipswherethisis understood,andwheretheyhavetheabilitytopersonalisecommunications.However,thiswill requirealevelofresourceinfirstidentifyinginformationneeds,andthenindevelopingandusing themostappropriatemethodsforeachstudent.Studentsconsiderthatthemostvaluablemethod ofcommunicationisstillpersonalcontact,particularlyfacetoface,althoughdirectemailcontact withanamedindividualwasalsovalued.However,studentsexpecttouseelectronicmethodsfora numberofthings(administration,accesstolearningresources)andthispreferenceshouldnot distractinstitutionsfromdevelopingcreativeandcosteffectivemethodsofcontact.Considering carefullyinformationneeds,ensuringconsistencyofapproachandmessage,andkeeping informationchannelsuptodate,areallveryimportant. 13.4SUMMARY Wehaveidentifiedalargenumberofissuesindicatedinthetextofourreport.Thesehavebeen broughttogetherandlistedinAppendix8.Therangeofissues,likethedomainofstudentlifecycle relationshipmanagement,iswide.Forconveniencewehaveanalysedtheissuesandoffera consolidatedlistofconcernsthatinstitutionsmightwishtoconsider,whenlookingathowtodesign, developandimplementstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementsystems.Theseconcernshave formedthebasisofourrecommendationstoJISCinthenextsectionofthisreport.Webelievethat staffmanagingtheinstitutionsrelationshipwithitsstudentsshouldconsiderhowto:

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 53

1. Usenotonlymasscommunicationsforefficiencyandcosteffectiveness,butalsoaddress individualpersonalisedneeds; 2. Provideconsistenthighqualityinteractionsbetweenstudentsandtheinstitution; 3. Provideinformationthatisrelevant,timelyandaccessibletoeachindividuallearner; 4. Givethestudentthechoiceofwhen,whereandhowtoaccessinformation,whereverpossible; 5. Makethebestuseofavailablefunctionalityinexistingandplannedsystems; 6. Improvecommunicationsbetweeninstitutionalstaffengagedinstudentrelationship management; 7. Improvecurrentstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementprocessesinastrategicmanner; 8. Managestudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementholistically.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 54

14RECOMMENDATIONSTOJISC
Basedontheissuesfoundinthereportweconcludethatthefollowingcouldbefurtherlinesofwork thatJISCmightwishtoconsider: PromotingSRMasaconcept.Itseemsthattomeetstrategicneedsofinstitutions,student relationshipmanagementdoesneedtobeconsideredinanholisticway,butdespitefinding examplesofintegratedsystemsthereneedstobegreaterexplorationofwhethertheholistic approachisbeingtaken.Ourfindingssuggestthatdespiteintegratedsystems,operationalprocesses continuetobecarriedoutinasiloedwayandthereisoftenlittleinteractionacrossfunctions. ThereforeJISCmightliketoconsiderhowitcanpromoteSRMasaconceptwhichcutsacross functionalareas. Communications.Thewideareaofcommunicationsmanagementandchannelsofinteractionneeds moreinvestigationtoanswerthefollowingquestions:howcaninstitutionsbestmakeuseof opportunities?Whatarethemostappropriatechannelsforindividualstudents?Howcan communicationsforstudentsbepersonalised?Arethesolutionstechnicalorhuman? Improvingtheinterfacebetweenoperationalandtechnicaloperations.Theremaybecultural problemsandtensionsbetweenfunctionalmanagersandtechnicalmanagers.Howcanthis interfacebeimproved?Howcanfunctionalmanagersbeempoweredtotakeownershipoftheir processesanddata?Howcanthetechnicalexpertsbeempoweredtotakeamoreconsultativeand proactiveroletohelpfunctionalmanagersseethepossibilitiesforthetechnicalsupportand developmentoftheirprocesses? Supportingprocessimprovementandunlockingthepowerofsystems.Casestudiestendtofocus onbestpracticeandalthoughexamplesofgoodpracticehavebeenidentifiedthroughthisproject, itmightbeusefultodoacomparativestudyofgood,mediocre,andpoor/strugglingpractice.The aimofthiswouldbetodevelopatoolkitforthosewishingtoundertakeprocessimprovement, containingforexampletherightquestionstoaskinordertodeterminewhattheirprocessesshould achieve. ShouldJISCwishtoexplorethelandscapeofstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagementinother countriesinmoredetail,thenitisrecommendedthatthisbecommissionedasaseparateproject.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 55

APPENDIX1 Webbasedsurveyquestionnaire
JISCLandscapestudyofStudentLifecycleRelationshipManagement INSTITUTIONSYSTEMSSURVEY
YOURNAME INSTITUTION NAME YOURPOSITION TOTALSTUDENT CONTACTDETAILS Telephone POPULATION Email Thankyouforcompletingthisquestionnaire.ThepurposeofthesurveyistoprovideJISCwithacomprehensivepictureofthesystemsthatarebeingused acrossHEandFEinstitutionsintheUKtomanagethefullstudentlifecyclefrompreapplicationtopostgraduation.Thesurveyiswrittenwithusersand businessprocessownersinmind,anddoesnotrequiretechnicalexpertisetocomplete.Wethereforehopethatitscompletionwillnotbetooonerous. Institutionsmanagetheirstudentinteractionsinmanydifferentways,soweapologiseifthefunctiondescriptionsthatwehaveuseddonotmatchyour institutionspractice.Mostofthesectionshavebeenkeptgeneral,butwehavesubdividedthesectionswhereweareawarethatsomeinstitutionsmight operatedifferentsystemswithinthesamefunctionalareaeg.Postgraduationactivities.Thequestionsonusabilityandsatisfactionasksforaratingtobe providedonhoweasythesoftwareistouse,andhowsatisfiedtheinstitutionisthatitismeetingbusinessneed,asfollows: *USABILITY 5 Excellent,usersfindthesystemveryeasytouse,andrequirelittlesupportinitsuse 4 Good,usersgenerallyfindthesystemeasytouse,andrequiresomesupportinitsuse 3 Quitegood,usersfindsomeaspectsofthesystemeasytouse,butsomefunctionsaremoredifficultandrequiresupport 2 Difficult,usersfindmanyaspectsofthesystemdifficulttouse,andneedconsiderablesupportinitsuse 1 Verydifficult,requiresveryexperiencedusersandoftenwithconsiderabletechnicalsupport # SATISFACTION 5 Extremelysatisfied,thesystemsupportsthisbusinessprocesswell 4 Satisfied,thesystemsupportsmostofthisbusinessprocesswell 3 Quitesatisfied,thesystemsupportssomepartsofthisbusinessprocesswell,butotherslesswell 2 Moderatelyunsatisfied,thesystemsupportsonlysomepartsofthisbusinessprocess 1 Unsatisfied,thesystemprovidesinadequatesupportforthisbusinessprocess Pleasereturnthisquestionnaireto:Delyth.chambers@blueyonder.co.ukby...........................................................

STAGEOFTHE

STUDENTLIFECYCLE

NAMEOF SYSTEM CURRENTLYIN USE

PRODUCER/ SOFTWARE HOUSE

Canthe system exchange datawith other systems?

LENGTH OFTIME INUSE

USABILITY* PLEASE RATE15 (seeabove)

SATISFACTION# PLEASE RATE15 (seeabove)

WHENDOYOUPLANTO REPLACETHISSYSTEM?

NAMEOF REPLACE MENT 1218 ABOUT ABOUT SYSTEM MONTHS 5YEARS 10YEARS (IF TIME TIME TIME KNOWN)

PREAPPLICATIONSTAGE eg.Enquirymanagement Wideningparticipation Eventmanagement Literaturerequest fulfilment Otherfunctionsor activitiesundertaken usingadifferentsystem atthisstage: APPLICATIONSTAGE eg.Electronicapplication Admissionsprocess Otherfunctionsor activitiesundertaken usingadifferentsystem

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 57

STAGEOFTHE

STUDENTLIFECYCLE

NAMEOF SYSTEM CURRENTLYIN USE

PRODUCER/ SOFTWARE HOUSE

Canthe system exchange datawith other systems?

LENGTH OFTIME INUSE

USABILITY* PLEASE RATE15 (seeabove)

SATISFACTION# PLEASE RATE15 (seeabove)

WHENDOYOUPLANTO REPLACETHISSYSTEM?

NAMEOF REPLACE MENT 1218 ABOUT ABOUT SYSTEM MONTHS 5YEARS 10YEARS (IF TIME TIME TIME KNOWN)

atthisstage: POSTAPPLICATION/PRE ENROLMENTSTAGE INSTITUTION REGISTRATION/ ENROLMENT eg.Registration/ enrolmentfunctions Paymentoffeesdue Otherfunctionsor activitiesundertaken usingadifferentsystem atthisstage:

ACADEMICPROGRAMME MANAGEMENT eg.Module/course enrolment

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 58

STAGEOFTHE

STUDENTLIFECYCLE

NAMEOF SYSTEM CURRENTLYIN USE

PRODUCER/ SOFTWARE HOUSE

Canthe system exchange datawith other systems?

LENGTH OFTIME INUSE

USABILITY* PLEASE RATE15 (seeabove)

SATISFACTION# PLEASE RATE15 (seeabove)

WHENDOYOUPLANTO REPLACETHISSYSTEM?

NAMEOF REPLACE MENT 1218 ABOUT ABOUT SYSTEM MONTHS 5YEARS 10YEARS (IF TIME TIME TIME KNOWN)

Recordingof achievement EXAMINATIONS MANAGEMENT PROGRESS MANAGEMENT STUDENTFINANCIAL SUPPORTMANAGEMENT Eg.Studentloancompany interactions Managementofinitial selectionfor scholarship,bursary support,orprizes Paymentofmoniesto scholarship,bursaryor prizeholders Recordkeepingof scholarship,

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 59

STAGEOFTHE

STUDENTLIFECYCLE

NAMEOF SYSTEM CURRENTLYIN USE

PRODUCER/ SOFTWARE HOUSE

Canthe system exchange datawith other systems?

LENGTH OFTIME INUSE

USABILITY* PLEASE RATE15 (seeabove)

SATISFACTION# PLEASE RATE15 (seeabove)

WHENDOYOUPLANTO REPLACETHISSYSTEM?

NAMEOF REPLACE MENT 1218 ABOUT ABOUT SYSTEM MONTHS 5YEARS 10YEARS (IF TIME TIME TIME KNOWN)

bursaryorprizeholders ACCOMMODATIONAND RESIDENCES MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENTOF COUNSELLING/OTHER SUPPORTSERVICES LIBRARYMEMBERSHIP SPORTSFACILITY MEMBERSHIP STUDENTUNION MEMBERSHIP

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 60

STAGEOFTHE

STUDENTLIFECYCLE

NAMEOF SYSTEM CURRENTLYIN USE

PRODUCER/ SOFTWARE HOUSE

Canthe system exchange datawith other systems?

LENGTH OFTIME INUSE

USABILITY* PLEASE RATE15 (seeabove)

SATISFACTION# PLEASE RATE15 (seeabove)

WHENDOYOUPLANTO REPLACETHISSYSTEM?

NAMEOF REPLACE MENT 1218 ABOUT ABOUT SYSTEM MONTHS 5YEARS 10YEARS (IF TIME TIME TIME KNOWN)

GRADUATION PROCESSES EVENTMANAGEMENT POSTGRADUATION ACTIVITIES eg.Alumnimanagement Donormanagement Postgraduation marketingactivities OTHER

Anyotherfunctionsor activitiesundertaken otherwisenotmentioned

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 61

FURTHERCOMMENTS Pleaseprovideuswithanyfurthercommentsaboutwhetherthesystemsinusemeettheoverallrequirementsofyourinstitution.Forexample,some systemsmightworkverywellforaparticularbusinessprocess,butnotexchangedatawiththesubsequentprocess,therebyrequiringadditionaldataentry andsocompromisingefficiencyanddataquality.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 62

APPENDIX2

LearnerJourneysBrainstorm,15May2008
Attendees:DelythChambers(DC),CliveChurch(CC),AlisonHalstead(AH),MandyIngleby(MI),Alan Paull(AP),CharliePaull(CP),MarkStubbs(MS). LISTOFLEARNERJOURNEYSANDTYPESOFLEARNER Aspiring Primaryschoolsaspirationraising individualhelpinsomecases SecondaryKS3;(corebusinessofmanyHEIandFEIs) Supportandguidancefromschool Diplomastudents(Aston=Engineering) Sponsorshipofacademies Employedpeople FEcommunity TraditionalAlevels Diplomas Workbasedlearning Mature(access) Supportissue Internationalstudents EU;NonEU;targetedcountries;ERASMUS;exchangestudents. Alumni CPD Staffoftheinstitution Distancelearners Disabledlearners Ethnicminorities Age Gender Studentswholive athome oncampus regional Returningstudents betweenyears postgrad Credittransfer;APL/APEL Advancedentry Parttime Foundationdegrees FudgedUCASentry HEandFEjourneysmoreformalisedinscotland

PRIORITISATION
Corebusiness:standardschool/collegeleaver Thesehavealreadygotsupport Growthofstudentnumberswillbeinworkbasedlearning(WBL),especiallynontraditionalWBL Extentofsupportrequired HEinFE 2+2 Accreditationofpriorlearning NationalStudentSurvey(NSS)dissatisfiedstudents? Decidedon: 1 Standardschool/collegeleaver 2 APL 3 Peopleinfulltimeemployment(e.g.doingFoundationDegreesorCPD) 4 NonEUstudents 5 Adultlearners,particularlythroughAccessroute 6 FEtoHEinthesame,orcloselyrelated,institution AimHighergroupslikethis: School/college WBL Adult

SCENARIOS 1.Schoolleaver
Keytransitionpoints:WhenmightanHEIloseapotentialstudent?

Awareness/Aspiration raising stage

otheragencies,AimHigher(trackingforevaluationofinitiatives);LLN(progression emphasis) Connexions schoolsliaison,masterclasses,etc addressespupils,teachersandparents Recruitmentdatabases HEIengageswithpupils,parentsandteachers(primarypupils) Recordingschoolactivitiesbutnotindividuals Mentoring Starttocaptureindividualinformation,butnotmainemphasis;thisisraisingawarenessand aspiration;involvespartnership/collaborationwithotherHEIs. Possiblyasmallamountofaccreditingofactivityisdone. WideningParticipationactivities;egsummerschools.

Allthisactivityisnotdirectlyforrecruitment.ItsraisingaspirationsaboutHEingeneral,butalso leavingawarmfeelingtowardstheHEIdoingtheactivity(MS) Lifelonglearningprogressionagreements

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 64

Recruitment and sales

Startofarelationship Recordingbeginsatindividuallevelnotjustschoollevel Triggeredby: Opendays SummerschoolstargetingWPlearners Enquiries HEfairs

Application
ApplicationthroughUCAS Plagiarismissuepersonalstatements IAG Local,informalinformationfromHEIadmissionstutors Knowledgebase(e.g.AskJeeves) Whathappensbetweenacceptanceandregistration? WebPortal Preentryementoring DifferentHEIsuseUCASsystemtocommunicateindifferentways

Enrolment
Accessibilityissuese.g.disabled Enrolmentinadvancethroughwebportal Bookingaccommodation Payingfees

Induction
Registerformodules Induction Identificationoflearnersupport Peermentoring

Teaching and Learning

Learnersupport Individuallearnerplans Attendancerecords eLearningenvironment Assignments Feedbackonassignments Pastoralcare Useofmobilesforrelationshipmanagement Relationshipduringworkplacement Studentvolunteers Studentworking Societies&sports ePortfolios Library Communityengagement SeeHEFCE/HESAwebsitesfordataonstudenttransfers/dropouts JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 65

Graduation
Graduationceremonies Finalassessment Careersguidance

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 66

APPENDIX3
FOCUSGROUPWITHSTUDENTSTOASCERTAINVIEWSONRELATIONSHIPMANAGEMENT FOCUSGROUPQUESTIONINGGUIDE

Collectgeneraldataon: a. Studentagegroup b. Programme c. Qualificationsonentry

1. Whenwereyoufirstawareoftheinstitution? 2. Whatsourcesofinformationdidyouuse? 3. Whenandhowdidyouchooseyourprogrammeofstudy?(Whatpeopleinsideor outsidetheUniversityhelpedorhinderedyou?Whatkindsofinformationdidyouuse?) 4. Howdidyoumakeyourfirstcontactwiththeinstitution?(Didyouinitiateit,orwas contactmadeonyourbehalf?) 5. Whatwasthenatureofthiscontact?(eg.Telephone,requestforliteratureoverthe internet,attendanceofaneventoncampus,visitbyuniversitystafftoyourschoolor college,other) 6. Whatdidyoufeelaboutthewayinwhichyourfirstcontactwashandled? 7. Howdidtheuniversityhandle:a.theapplicationprocess,b.theregistrationprocess? (informationprovided,easeofaccesstoinformation,toneofcommunications,methods ofcommunicating) 8. Nowthatyouareastudent,howdoestheuniversitycommunicatewithyou?(egemail, viastudentportal,letter,noticeboards) 9. WhatdoestheUniversitycommunicatewithyouabout?(egmoduleregistrations, text/examresults,timetables,socialactivities) 10. Pleaseprovideyourviewson: a. Thefrequencyofcommunications b. Theusefulnessofcommunications c. Methodsofcommunicating d. Qualityofcommunications 11. HowwelldoyoufeelthattheUniversityismanagingitsrelationshipwithyou? 12. Howcoulditbebetter?

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 67

APPENDIX4
JISC Landscape Study of Student Lifecycle Relationship Management ASTON UNIVERSITY CASE STUDY Outline case study in respect of student retention methods, student recruitment and post graduation activities. Description of methods used for retention, recruitment and alumni activities; high level view of the processes involved in communicating with students; what type of information is recorded and what type of information is given to students; approximately how many interactions (electronically) are there; what is quality of the interactions - rough time spent, perception of staff and students.

Amanda Ingleby, Strategic Adviser Learning Enhancement, CLIPP

a.ingleby@aston.ac.uk, 0121 204 4756, July 2008

1. STUDENT RECRUITMENT The Universitys Entry requirements and admissions policy is available to prospective students on the Universitys website. The principal aim of Astons Admissions Policy is to offer admission to and admit students who offer the greatest potential to contribute towards the Universitys mission, To be an international centre of excellence in teaching, research and consultancy. Aston is focussed on subjects of professional and vocational relevance in the sciences, engineering, business and the humanities. To that purpose admissions staff seek to recruit students who demonstrate the best talent towards successfully completing their chosen studies, in view of specific recruitment targets, without bias on grounds of social, racial, gender, disability or religious considerations. The Universitys admissions practice acts in accordance with the Universities Corporate Plan, Equal Opportunities policies, Widening Participation Strategy and various codes of practice for example QAA Code of practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in higher education: Admissions to higher education and the requirements of accrediting professional bodies where relevant. Admissions Policy is driven and monitored by the Universitys Admissions Forum serviced By Registry and Planning. The Schools and Colleges Liaison Office exists to help prospective and careers advisers looking for information on all aspects Education in general. It aims to give applicants and their informed choice about their Higher Education options. The Schools and Colleges Liaison Office offers a range of support and activities for Students, Teachers and Careers Advisers, including: Open Days - Open days provide presentations on the Universitys various degree programmes, student life, graduate employment, student finance and offer campus/accommodation tours. Visits to the University Talks/Presentations in Schools and Colleges - SCL visits over 100 schools and colleges across the Midlands and beyond. Talks include:

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 68

 Applying through UCAS and Choosing a Course

HETalkstoYear12inductionsessions WhatAdmissionsTutorslookfor,UCASpersonalstatementsetc StudentLifeandFinance WhyGotoUniversity?TrendsinGraduateEmploymentetc IssuesforParents

Aimhigher Activities - events for year 9 to year 13 students aiming to broaden awareness and understanding of Higher Education and help raise students aspirations. These include Masterclasses, Sixth Form Subject Conferences, University Visit Days, Subject Taster Days, Workshops, Raising Aspirations & Team Building, and Business Games. Excellence Hub Gifted and Talented Events As the lead institution of the West Midlands Excellence Hub, the University offers a wide range of activities designed to enrich and enhance the education of gifted and talented students across the country. The Excellence Hub initiative is part of the national Young, Gifted and Talented Programme managed by CfBT Education Trust on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Activities include: Experts in Aston Lectures for students aged 14 to 19, Interactive subject residentials and on-line debates for students of all ages in French and German. Birmingham HE Convention, Events for Teachers/Careers Advisers - SCL regularly hosts events for teachers and careers advisers, to update them on current issues relating to Higher Education in general as well as Aston University. Bespoke programmes are provided on campus for Careers Companies and groups of School/College teachers.

2. INDUCTION/ORIENTATION The University has undertaken a comprehensive review of the Induction process and the programme is currently being developed for the new academic year. The Review Group considered induction to start at the point at which the student confirmed an offer and technically lasting for the duration of their course, but in practice focussed on the point from confirmation of the offer to the first few weeks of arriving at the University. Once a student confirms an offer they will be able to access the My Aston Portal (MAP) and will have an email address. They will receive electronic postcards to advise them of action they should have taken or processes they need to complete prior to arrival. International student orientation and Freshers Week will be known as 'Aston Welcome' and a broader programme of events will be offered during the orientation week. Students can, for example, check the programme in advance through the portal, sign up for specific activities, book transfers to the University from Birmingham airport. The traditional 'Freshers move in weekend' will have a sense of celebration with a jazz band by the Lake and a quartet by low rise. Roving entertainers will be used if queues form anywhere. Catering outlets will be open. The Vice-Chancellor and senior staff will host tea in the Lakeside Conference Centre on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons to meet students and parents. There will be information stands. A parents overnight 'accommodation package' will be offered in the Nelson Building. A personalised programme for the week (Schools activity and social events) will be available to each student through the portal and again some opportunity to pre-book activities. There will be help desks throughout the 2 weeks as well as helpers once term starts. A mini-induction will be offered to students starting at other times of the year and induction will be seen not as a oneoff but other sessions will be offered throughout the year such as cultural awareness (for all students) and other workshops and activities, appropriate to that stage of their University career.

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3. STUDENT RETENTION The following are examples of student retention and progression initiatives, a number of which have been commended as part of the Universitys internal quality review process: Personal tutoring system and quality of support from academic and support staff for example: staff considered by students to be professional, very approachable and caring. Students are assigned a Personal Tutor at induction and meetings are organised in Freshers Week (Sociology) University-wide Peer mentoring programme. The programme offers mentoring for students by students on a one-to-one basis, providing a flexible and confidential service. Whilst aiming to provide support for students from non-traditional backgrounds mature students, local students, students living off campus and those who are the first in their family to go into HE the programme is open to, and of benefit to, all students. Peer Mentoring is supported by Schools across the University. Maths Drop-In Centre. This WP-funded intervention was first introduced to support students with non-traditional qualifications in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The intervention was commended in the Internal Review report with positive feedback from both staff and students. Learning and Skills Centre (LSC). The LSC was opened in the Library in October 2006, building upon the success of the Maths Drop-in Centre. The LSC brings together appropriate highly skilled staff to provide coordinated learning development for Aston students, including maths, study skills, academic writing and assistive technology. The Centre helps all students to achieve their full potential and meet the high academic standards required by the University, by providing individual and group learning opportunities. The Programming Support Office, based in Computer Science, provides targeted support to undergraduate students requiring computer programming skills, particularly to those with nontraditional entry qualifications, supporting the retention and progression of students. This service was commended by students as part of the Internal quality review of Computer Science. Foundation programmes such as the Engineering Foundation Year and Science Foundation Year in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences gives students who do not have the required entry qualifications the opportunity to gain the necessary knowledge and experience to progress to their chosen field of study students, progressing to the main BSc/BEng degree programmes and then Honours degrees. DANU and Assistive Technology Officer. DANU provides an advice, guidance and information service to applicants, inquirers and current students with disabilities (physical, sensory, mental health issues, Specific Learning Difficulties SpLDs and other medical conditions). The Unit also advises and trains staff about how to support and work with disabled students and help in developing University policies and procedures concerning disability issues. The Assistive Technology (AT) Officer provides of AT services to students and staff with disabilities/additional needs and to staff working with students with disabilities/additional needs. Fostering learning communities. For example extra-curricular activities such as the Film Club to encourage students to develop a greater sense of identity with the School (Sociology, January 06); role of staff in creating and fostering a supportive learning community for IBML which is appreciated by students (International Business with a Modern Language) Early formative assessment for example revised first year programmes which include formative assessment in languages modules earlier in the year which allow for identification of individual or group problems (French and German) First Year Perspectives module. This module run by Psychology was commended as a model of best practice. The module which engages students personal tutors in assessing a series of their students work. (Psychology).

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 70

4. POST GRADUATION - ALUMNI The University communicates with its alumni via the Universitys website, the APEX magazine, email, telephone, social networking sites and specific alumni events. Alumni are also encouraged to get involved in a number of projects and initiatives to harness their support across the university. The Apex magazine is for all graduates of the University. It provides the latest news from Schools, including information on the latest research and developments, and provides news about fellow students. LINK is written by the Alumni & Development Office for current Aston University students. It provides the latest news from Astons thriving alumni population and details about our work and current projects. Each edition contains a feature about one of Astons graduates, as well as information on forthcoming Network Lectures and events we think may be of interest to you. The Alumni Group enables alumni to keep in touch. Alumni can update their details on-line, the Intouch service helps alumni to find lost friends. Astons alumni community is located all across the globe. The Department provides a variety of services and contacts to help alumni to keep in touch through International branches and groups. The University organises a Network Lecture Series which brings together Aston graduates and Aston students in an exciting discussion forum. Aston graduates are invited back to their alma mater to address an invited audience of professionals and undergraduates interested in their particular area of expertise. Current students can gain a valuable insight into the real world of their chosen careers. They can make that important business contact or discuss issues related to their studies at Aston. 5. COMMUNICATING WITH STUDENTS 5. 1 TYPES OF INFORMATION RECORDED Most student information collected is recorded on SITS. The type of student information recorded on SITS is as follows: 1. Admissions Personal information, (e.g. name, age, address details, nationality, ethnicity, qualifications), name of course, year of entry, offers made, decisions (CF, UF, etc.) 2. Students Personal information (e.g. name, age, address details, nationality, ethnicity, qualifications), course, stage of study, mode of attendance, end of year progression decisions, placement details (if appropriate), disabilities, last school attended, finance, sponsors. 3. Credit Accumulation Personal information (e.g. name, age, address details, nationality, ethnicity, qualifications), programme of study, stage of study, mode of attendance, Student Module taking and module results records including marks, attempts, re-assessment details, intended award, actual award, award calculations, coursework submission dates, examination scheduling, module details including credits, titles, module tutors. The main tables in SITs include:

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 71

Module Assessment Body Assessment details of a module Module Assessment Pattern Module Assessment Patterns define how modules are assessed. Typically, each module has a unique assessment pattern Module Availability The year and teaching period that a module is available. Module Details on modules, module availability and module assessment. Re-Assessments The point of data entry for students in re-assessment. Student Addresses by Course Provides details on student addresses, telephone nos. and email address by year and degree programme. Student Assessments Log This records continuous assessment received. Student Annual Progression This will record the overall decision on a students annual progression e.g. proceed, fail/repeat etc. Student Course Enrolment Records the enrolment details of a student Student Course Enrolment List Useful table for producing class lists Student Detail by Course Allows retrieval of data by course Student Module Taking Record details on the modules a student is taking for the current year Student Module Result Status This provides data on the overall module result. Super Student Module Result More detailed data on a students module result(s)

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 72

Full Student Details This table defines the characteristics and details of a student. The record is intended for use throughout a student's career from enquirer to applicant to student. Student Programme Route Details of students on degree programmes, personal tutor data, modules attached to a student and module results etc. Full Student Details This table primarily details personal information on a student. e.g. home and term-time addresses, qualifications, DoB etc. ENROLMENT The following information is collected at enrolment: gender, ethnicity, disability, Date of Birth, Home Address, Country of Domicile, Nationality, Term-Time Address, Term-Time Accommodation Type, Programme details, Predominant source of finance for fees, Home/Overseas fee payer, Previous institution/school/college attended, Qualifications including tariff points where applicable, and whether parents/guardians have HE qualification. MAP My Aston Portal My Aston Portal (MAP) is a new web based system at Aston University that will become a single point of contact for many of the services you use at the University as a student. MAP gives students access to student information, including personalised teaching timetables; module enrolment lists; access to Blackboard and WebCT and allows them to keep the University up to date with addresses and personal details. Future developments will also allow the viewing of accommodation and finance details directly through MAP. New students will be able to log into MAP once they have completed enrolment and have received their University computer account details. MAP for Staff University staff are able to view and print students details by module/degree programme and look up the basic details on students, as follows:

Module/Degree Programme Lists Student lists for modules and programmes. Links to student e-mail addresses. Links to group e-mail addresses. Re-assessed students highlighted. View/print student photographs. Module assessment details.

Student Look-up Home/contact addresses. Current degree programme details. Examination and Teaching timetables. Provisional assessment marks. List of modules being taken. Previous Aston degree programme details.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 73

Major developments for 2008-09 include results and Transcripts on-line, enrolment on-line and integration of placement activities.

5. 2 INFORMATION GIVEN TO STUDENTS Various forms of communication are deployed to engage with students, including email, post, the University website, and Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) platforms. SITs has a facility whereby students can be grouped together and contacted via email or by standard letters. The student portal is a relatively new form of communication with students which is currently proving popular with students. 5. 3 SCALE AND QUALITY OF ELECTRONIC INTERACTIONS MAP for Students Usage Table 1: Students Usage of MAP 2007-08 (3 September 16 May 2008) showing number of Hits per Task

Total number of student logins to MAP Check and/or update home and contact addresses View their own provisional assessment marks Check and/or update Next of Kin information Check current degree programme details Register for their Graduation Ceremony Re-enrolment for returning students

645,403 8,753 90,842 3,404 9,522 2,279 6,726

A survey has been recently conducted gathering feedback from students and staff on the use of MAP. Findings are currently being analysed.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 74

APPENDIX5
ManchesterMetropolitanUniversityCaseStudy:Buildingthestudentrelationshipfrompre registrationonwards Introduction Thiscasestudydescribestherangeofinnovationsthathavebeenimplementedorareplannedto takeplaceatManchesterMetropolitanUniversitytosupportanddevelopthestudentrelationship priortoandduringtheregistrationperiod,ininduction,andonwardthroughthedesignofteaching, learningandassessment. Identifyingtheissues TheShockAbsorberprojectisathreeyearHEAfundedproject,basedatMMUandrunin partnershipwithTheUniversityofLiverpoolandStockportCollege,lookingatwaystoeasethe shockoftransitionintouniversity.Itaimstoputtinginplaceactivitiesandinterventionsthatwill aidtheprocess,frompreregistrationtothefirstassignmentandproduceatoolkitforstaffto improvethefirstyearexperience.Thefirstyearofthisprojectconcentratedoncarryingoutresearch intothestudentexperience,throughtheuseofasurvey,whichwasundertakenbystudentsinthree MMUundergraduateprogrammesaswellasatbothofthepartnerinstitutions. Thequestionnairewasgiventostudentsattheendoftheirfirsttermandreceivednearly400 responses.Itexaminedstudentsbackgrounds,informationreceivedpriortoregistration,induction andhowtheywerefeelingatthatstage,theirexpectationsbeforecomingtouniversityandhow theyhadbeenmet,aswellasmoregeneralquestionsrelatingtotheirexperienceintheearlyweeks ofyearone.Analysisofthedatahighlightedarangeofissueswiththestudenttransitioninto universityoverthisperiod.Theseincluded:theimportanceofappropriateandtimelypreentry information;thedesignofinductiontoensurethatstudentscanmakethemostofthatperiod;the importanceofsocialisationduringinduction;adesireforearlyfeedbackonassessment;adesire amongstudentsformoregroupworkandtutorialsandforimprovementsinlibraryinduction.. Inaseparatepieceofresearch,aMastersstudycarriedoutbyamemberofstaffinthe Physiotherapydepartmentalsorevealedthatmanystudentsinthatdepartmentwerecoming straightfromschoollackingthecorelearningskillsthattheyrequiredtosuccessfullyundertakethe course.Studentsweredroppingoutbecausetheyfeltoverwhelmedbytheamountthattheyhadto learnatthestartofthecourse. Anumberofinterventionsareinplace,orplanned,throughouttheinstitutionaimedataddressing theissuesidentifiedhereandbuildingthestudentrelationship.Figure1belowshowssomeofthe maininterventionsatvariouspointsoftheacademicyear. Preregistration ThesecondyearoftheShockAbsorberprojectinvolvesworkingwiththethreeprogrammeswithin MMUtoexperimentwithdifferentmechanismsforengagingstudentsintheearlystagesoftheir programme.ThesewillbeevaluatedandrefinedandwillformthebasisoftheShockAbsorber JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 75

Toolkit.Arangeoftrialsofnewpreregistrationactivitiesareplannedintheprogrammes( biomedicalsciences,lawandphotography)tohelptoensurethatstudentsengagewiththeir coursespriortoregistration. Issueswerehighlightedwithmanystudentsnotrecognisingtheimportanceofthepreregistration informationthattheyhadreceivedorbeingoverwhelmedwiththevolumeofinformation,anditis plannedtoreducetheamountofpaperbasedinformationsentoutpriortoregistration,andto ensurethattheinformationreceivedbystudentsislimitedtothatwhichisessentialatthattime.In biomedicalsciencesanonlinecoursewillalsobemadeavailabletostudentsbeforeregistration aboutwhattoexpectfromuniversityandwhatitmeanstostudyonline.Thiscourseaimstoenable studentstobemoreawareofwhatuniversitystudyisgoingtoinvolve,allowthemtoundertake selfdiagnosticactivitiesandpreparethemselvesforstudyingatuniversity.

Pre-registration
critical information on paper social networking social activities and events small group work

teaching and learning

extended induction just-in-time access to core skills

access to VLE studying online course

alternate reality games treasure hunts

individual tutorials

student mentors

induction

Figure 1: Interventions taking place at MMU to support the building of the student relationship

Inthelawdepartmentstepsarealsobeingmadetoimproveandrationalisethepreentry informationmadeavailabletostudents,providingtheessentialsonpaper(forexampleanindicative timetable,readinglist,andmap)andalsosomeonline.Therewillalsobeanonlinewebquestfor studentstofamiliarisethemselveswiththelawschoolandwithManchester,andstudentswillbe encouraged(butnotobliged)tojoinasocialnetworkinggroup. TheShockAbsorberprojectalsoplanstousesocialnetworkingsites,suchasFacebookand MySpace,andtheSecondLifemultiuservirtualenvironmenttoenablestudentstomeetone anotheronlinebeforethestartofthecourseandtobegintoestablishsocialrelationshipswiththeir peersandtutors. Inphysiotherapy,anotherHEAfundedprojectistakingplace,whichaimstoimprovethestudent inductionprocessfrompreregistrationintothefirstyear.Thisprojectisprovidingonlinematerials JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 76

tostudentspriortoentryviatheuniversitysvirtuallearningplatform.Itisalsotogivestudents accesstotheuniversitysvirtuallearningenvironmentbeforeenrolment,fromthetimethatthey areofferedaplaceonacourse,sothattheycanfamiliarisethemselveswiththeenvironmentin advance.Inaddition,theStudentInductionandTransmission(SIT)projectisaninternalinitiative aimingtoimprovethepreentryandinductionperiod,lookinginparticularattheinformation providedtostudentsduringthisperiod,waysofeffectivelymanagingtheinformationdeliveryand bestpracticefromotherinstitutions. Induction Arangeofinterventionsandinnovationsarealsobeingintroducedtoimprovetheinductionprocess anddevelopthestudentrelationshipsatthistime. Inthelawschool,theinductionperiodhasbeenrevisedtoincludemuchmoreinformationon assignments,settingexpectationsaboutwhatwillhavetobedoneandprovidinglearningskills informationonhowtotacklethem.Therewillalsobemoreemphasisonstudentsgettingtoknow eachother,outsidethepubenvironment,whichisbecomingincreasinglyunsuitableforsocial eventswhenstudentscomefromavarietyofbackgroundsandcultures.Forexample,aquizsession socialeventisplannedwithamixtureoflawandgeneralknowledgequestions,informationfromthe preentrypacks,toactasateambuildingandsocialisationevent. Itisalsoplannedforstudentstobeingtoworkintheirtutorgroupsduringtheinductionperiodso thattheycangettoknowtheirpeers,andforcourserelatedactivitiestobeprovidedforgroupsto manageintheirowntime.Otheractivities,suchasreconstructionsoflawrelatedinteractionsfor studentstowatchandstartgettingexposedtowhatthelawisaboutandatreasurehuntaroundthe lawschool,toexposethestudentstothephysicalenvironment,arealsoplanned. Inbiomedicalsciencestherearechangesplannedtothelibraryinduction,whichwaspreviously online,buthasnowbecomeafacetofaceeventbecausestudentsspecificallyaskedtohavehands onlibraryinductionandtobeshownaroundthephysicalenvironment.Itisalsoplannedto introducesocialeventsthatareassociatedwithanassignmentrelatedactivity.Inphysiotherapy,the firstweekinductionschedulehasalsobeenalteredtoincludemoresocialelementsandsmallgroup work,whichgivethestudentstheopportunitytomeetoneanotherinapurposefulbutinformal environment. TheAlternateRealityGamesforOrientation,SocialisationandInduction(ARGOSI)project,isaJISC fundedprojectrunincollaborationwiththeUniversityofBolton,andplanstoaddresssomeofthese issuesusinganalternaterealitygametosupportthestudentinductionprocessandprovidean engagingalternativetotraditionalmethodsofintroducingstudentstouniversitylife.Itwillconsistof aseriesofchallenges,anunderlyingnarrative,andacollaborativecommunity,andwhileallthree elementswillbefacilitatedonline,manychallengestakeplaceintherealworld,andmaybe collaborativeorindividual.Theongoingstoryprovidescoherencetothechallenges,andthe collaborativecommunityprovidesaforumforstudentstoshareinformation,providehintsforeach otherandworktogether.Aswellasprovidingaforumforstudentstomeeteachotherandgetto knowthecity,thispilotalsofocusesonthedevelopmentoflibraryandinformationskills. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 77

 MMUisalsoundertakinguniversitywideinitiativestoprovideasocialsupportstructureforstudents duringinduction.Thisbuildsonthestudentambassadorschemetoprovideadviceandsupportfor newstudentsfromopendaysonwards,andarangeofactivitieshasbeenorganisedbytheStudents Union,particularlyfocussingoneventsinhallsofresidences. Teachingandlearning Aswellasimprovingthestudentexperiencepriortoregistrationandduringinduction,effortsare alsobeingmadetosupportstudentsthroughredesignofteaching,learningandassessmentwith moreformativeanddiagnosticassessment.TheShockAbsorberprojectaimstosupportstudentsto thepointoftheirfirstassignmentand,forexample,inthelawschoolassessmenthasbeen redesignedsothattherearemoreshortassignmentstoenablestudentstogetusedtowhatis expectedinassignmentsandtoallowformativefeedbacktobeprovidedatanearlystage. TheDepartmentofEngineeringandTechnologyhaveadoptedaninnovativeapproachtosupporting studentstogetstartedbyembeddingteachingandlearningwithinanextendedinductionprocess fortheirundergraduatestudents.Onegroupofapproximately50mechanicalengineeringstudents tookpartinatwoweekextendedinduction,workingonateambasedprojectaroundbuildinga racingcar,withsupportinglabsandworkshops,whichfinishedwitharaceandasocialevent.A secondgroupofaround100mediatechnology,informationtechnologyandcomputerandnetwork technologystudentstookpartinafiveweekextendedinduction,whichincludedthreeconsecutive groupbasedprojectsthatcapturedthemainthemesofthecourse(forexample,makingvideos, gettingarobottosolveamaze,buildingacomputer),supportedbytutorials. Theseextendedinductionsenabledstudentstogettoknowstaffandstudentsbyseeingthesame threeorfourmembersofstaffandworkinginthesameteamthroughout.Itmeantthatstaffcould gettoknowstudentsatamuchmorebasiclevel,haveahigherdegreeofinformalcommunication withthem,andhaveagreaterawarenessoftheirproblemsandconcerns.Theextendedinductions alsoprovidedamechanismtocontextualiseinitialactivities,providingpurposeandsettingstudent expectations.Theprojectsenabledthestudentstomakeastrongstartandtokeepupastrong momentum,withanearlycycleofassessmentandfeedback,andretentionrateshaveincreasedasa consequence.Repeatingstudentswereparticularlykeenontheextendedinductionbecauseit allowedthemtosettleinimmediatelywiththenewsetofstudents,andstaffreportthatthe atmosphereintheclassesisdifferent,withattendanceup,disruptiondecreased,andamoreequal relationshipbetweenstaffandstudents.Avarietyofmechanismswereusedtosupportthe extendedinduction,includingawebsitewithadministrationmaterials,timetablessentoutin advance,weeklyfacetofacebriefingsandinvitedspeakers(e.g.fromtheCareersservice),andthe useoftelephonetextmessagesandemailtokeepincontactwithstudentsduringthisperiod. Inthephysiotherapydepartmentthelevelonecurriculumhasbeentrackedtokeylearning outcomesassociatedwithcoreacademicskills,andajustintimeapproachhasbeenadoptedso thatstudentsareabletoaccesstheinformationandlearningmaterialsrequiredtolearntheseskills asandwhentheyneeditthroughouttheyear.So,ratherthanfrontloadingtheseskillsinto JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 78

induction,whentheyarenotcontextualisedandmorelikelytobeforgotten,thisenablesstudents toacquireandapplythesekeyskillswhentheyneedthem. TheRetentionandStudentSuccessprojectisacrossuniversityinitiativetoimproveretention.Each FacultyhasaRetentionStrategyGroupandthereisalsoaCentralRSGforsupportandservicesstaff. TheProjectiscurrentlyfocussingonthreemainareas:monitoringandtrackingstudentengagement andprogress;theroleoftheindividualtutorialwithintheinstitution;andastudentmentoring scheme. Conclusions FromtheinterventionstakingplaceatManchesterMetropolitanUniversitydescribedinthisreport itisclearthatagreatdealistakingplacetoaidthestudenttransitionintouniversityandbuildthe relationshipwithstudents.Therangeofapproachesofferedwillbebetterabletocaterforthe needsofagrowinglydiverserangeofstudentsandincreasestudentchoice. Settingstudentexpectationsatthestartoftheiruniversitycareerswillbeacrucialfactorintheir success,asistheimportanceofbuildingontherelationshipwithstudentsthroughouttheirtimein academia,notjustduringthefirstweeksormonths.Theneedtointroduceformativeassessment andfeedbackearly,andensurethatstudentshaveclearexpectationsinthisareaisalsocrucial. Evaluationandreviewoftheseinnovationswillbeimportantforconsideringtheeffectivenessof theseactivities,andtheinvolvementofstudentsthroughouttheseprojects,throughthestudents union,bothpaidstaffandelectedrepresentatives,andthroughresearchwithstudentsandstudent ambassadors,aimstohelptoensuretheirongoingsuccess.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 79

APPENDIX6
StudentEngagementwithFEColleges FurtherEducationCollegesfundinghasbeenfarmoredrivenbyretentionofenrolledstudentsand theirlevelsofachievementthanuniversitiesinschools.Existingandfuturefundingmodels(anew oneisnowbeingintroducedforthecomingacademicyear)arecomplexandincludenotonlyfactors concerningpreviousstudentachievementdatabutalsotheextentofdeprivationofareaswithin whichstudentsliveandthelevelofadditionalsupportthatwillberequiredfordifferentlearning challengesfacedbystudents. Thefinancialsuccessofcollegesdependsonnotonlyhavingtightinformationsystemsthatrecord studentattendanceandresultsbutalsoapplicationsthatfacilitatetheoptimisationofincomefrom theleveloflocaldeprivationandthespecialneedsofthestudents. Computerbasedmanagementinformationsystemscollectmuchofthisdataatenrolmentandalso provideongoingrealtimeinformationtomanagersandtutorsastostudentsattendanceand achievementssothatproblemscanbequicklyaddressed. SuchdataalthoughvitalforfundingisalsoimportanttoprovideinformationforOFSTEDinspections Allcollegeshavetheirownsystemsforapplications,induction,attendanceandassessmentof necessarylearningsupportandinformationandguidance. Thedegreethateachsystemisappliedvariesonthetypeofstudent.Afulltimestudentofage16 willhaveafarhigherengagementwiththesesystemsthanastudentonaparttimeemployer sponsoredprogrammewhointurnwillhavemoreengagementthanaretiredadultona30hour shortcourse.(Departurebeforecoursecompletion)ofafulltimestudentwillcostacollegefarmore thanthelossoftheretiredadult). Unlikemanyuniversitiesbutlikeschoolsthefocusofdaytodaymonitoringandsupportofstudents isthecoursetutor.Thetutorisgenerallythefirstpointofcontactfordealingwithproblemsthata studenthas.Ifproblemsareofaseverenatureandareconsideredoutsidetheexperienceofthe tutorthenspecialistsupportstaffwillbeinvolved.Forminors,supportwillofteninclude engagementwithparentsorguardians.Suchsupportisnotjustofanacademicnature.Formany studentsnonacademicissuessuchaspersonalhygieneandaccesstoadditionalgrantshavetobe addressed. Thetutorhastoinvestigatelapsesinattendanceandperformanceandidentifyremedies.Regular tutorialswillprovideopportunitiesforIndividualLearningPlans(includingactionplanning)tobe addressed.Althoughcareeradvicewilloftenbedelegatedtoprofessional(includingConnexionsfor theunder19s)itwillbethetutorwhowillprovidereferencessuchasrequiredbyUCAS. FewITbasedsystemssupporttheworkofthetutoralthoughinitiativessuchasNottinghamsschool basedPassportfoliosystemswithelectronicallybasedapplicationsandstudentactionplansand plannednationalsystemssuchasConnectpoint(forrecordingagenciesthathavebeeninvolvedina JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 80

childsschoollife)couldwellprovidecatalystsformoreuseofcomputerbaseddataforpastoral supportforyoungfulltimestudentswithinthecollegesinthefuture. LibrariesarelittleusedbythebulkofFEstudentsandmanyhavebeenintegratedwithcomputer basedlearningcentres.Aswithsecuritysystems(manyinnercitycollegeshavecardcontrolled gates)datatosupportlibrarymembershipwillbefedfromthecollegesMISsystem. Itcanthereforebeseenthatatthemomentinmostcollegethereisastrongcontrastbetween thosestudentengagementsystemssuchasenrolmentandattendancemonitoringthatinfluencethe leveloffundingforcollegesandthosethatprovidestudentsupport.Theformerareheavily computerbased,thelatteraregenerallypaperbasedandlocallyadjustedbythetutorsinvolved. From2010thecurrentfundingforfurthereducationwillchange.TheLearningandSkillsCouncilwill nolongerbethemainsourceoffundsforcolleges.Thelocalauthoritieswillfun1419yearolds,the SkillsFundingAgencywillfundadultsexceptforthosestudyinghighereducationprogrammeswhich willbesponsoredbyHEFCE. ItisunlikelythoughthatthecultureofFEwillchange.Systems(andthestudentsnecessary engagement)tooptimisefundingandtheresultsfrominspectionswillbekey.Alongsidethose systems,thoughwillbealargenumberoflocalised,personalandinformalmechanismsthathelp largenumbersofstudentsgainqualificationsthatenhancetheirlives.

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APPENDIX7

Softsystemsanalysis
System1
Theme:Improvingthequalityoftheinformationusedbystaffwhointeractwithstudents SystemDefinition:Asystemtoimprovetheaccuracy,relevanceandaccessibilityofinformation communicatedtostudentsbyuniversitystaffatkeypointsinthestudentlifecycle,forexample enrolment. Systemattributes: Customers Actors Staffwhointeractwithstudents(academic,admin,managers,IAG,etc) ITdeptand/orvendorsofsoftware

Transformation Improvinginformationaccuracy,relevanceandaccessibility Weltanschauung Thecurrentsystemisa"bigmessypileofdata",whichneedstobemadeuseful. Owners Environment Seniormanagement Students,UCAS,SLC,Govtinitiatives,sizeofinstitution,JISC,fundingbodies, experiencesofotherinstitutionsathomeandabroad.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 82

Logicalmodel:
Logical Model A system to improve the accuracy, relevance and accessibility of information communicated to students by university staff at key points in the student lifecycle, for example enrolment.

D
know student state know where information is

E
assess what information is relevant

B F
choose retrieval method know current accuracy and timeliness of the information

L
design retrieval systems

C
measures to improve accuracy and timeliness

H K
staff feedback Student feedback

G
access the information

J I
information received by student transmit the information to student

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 83

Comparisonwiththerealworld(quotesarefromtherichpictureexercise): A: Individualmembersofstaffknowwheresomeoftheinformationis.Thesumofthese individualsprobablyknowswhereitallis.Justbecausetheinformationandstaffare broughttogether,itdoesn'tmeanthatallmembersofstaffhaveaccesstoit. Stafftrainingissue:knowingwheretogettheinformation;beinginformedbythedata owners. ITissue:holdingtheinformationinapredictableplace. "95%ofdataisnotused" Notdone,orelse,itisknownthatitisinaccurateorinsomecases,accurate.Certain softwarepackagesgiveconfidence. Buyingabetterpackage.Training.Inhouseconfiguration.Validation(andtracking?). Timelinessissue:regardlessofpackage.Processimprovementissue.Standards(dataentry; quality). Traditionalstudentstatesareusuallyknown.Othersaremorechallenging;don'tfitwith "standard"processes.Dependsonlifecyclestageandtypeofstudent. Needthestudentrecordquicklywhencontacted. Known,aslongastherightstaffarecontacted. "Idon'tseemyteacherveryoften;it'snotlikeschool" "Disabledstudentswhoarenothappytodisclose[informationabouttheirdisability]" Triggeredbystateorbystudentenquiry.Thesetriggereditemsmaybetooblanket,sosome studentsreceiveirrelevantcommunicationsorsomeirrelevantmaterialmixedinwiththe relevant. "Nobodytoldmetherewasadeadline." "WhatamIsupposedtoknow?""Idon'tknowwhatIdon'tknow""WhatamIsupposedto dowiththis?[pointingataVLE] Individualslookatstufforgivepointerstoportals,etc.Signpostingeitherelectronicallyor manually(e.g.toanotherstaffmemberorportal). Useinformationsystemstheyhaveaccessto. Problemswithsomekindsofinformation. Interfaceproblemse.g.morethanonesystem,eachwithadifferentinterface.New systemsandinadequatetraining.Poorinterfaces. Notstructured,oractedupon. Conduits: email***toomuch! portals**theylikethis;canbeimprovedeasily;canchooserelevantthings;givesstudent control. Mobilephone* direct* written NationalStudentSurvey.Ownsurveysarecommonnowamongstpeoplewe'vecontacted. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 84

B: C:

D: E:

F: G:

H: I:

K:

Immediacyoffeedback. "Formativefeedbackmentors!""Lessbutmoreeffectiveassessment.""Moretimely formativefeedback."

System2
Itcansometimesbeinsightfultoimagineandconstructsystemswhoseoutputsmightbenegative. Theme:Tensionsbetweencultures SystemDefinition:Asystemtocreateculturalbarriersbetweendifferentgroupsinahigher educationinstitution. Systemattributes: Customers Actors Specialistswhowanttogetonwiththejob. Peoplewhodonotcommunicatewellwithothergroups.

Transformation Creationofculturalbarriers. Weltanschauung We'retryingtodothebestwecanandnobodyunderstandsourwork. Owners Environment Everybodyintheinstitution ITsystems,workpracticesofgroups,organisationalstructure.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 85

Logicalmodel:

Comparisonwiththerealworld JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 86

AandB: C:

Inevitableinlargerorganisations.

Ourimpressionisthatthisdoeshappen,thoughit'snotinevitable;forinstanceadmin, academicsandITareseparategroups,whichliketodifferentiatethemselvesfromother groups.EmployersaredifferentiatedfromHEIstaffandfromstudents. ITdepartmentscanbeunengagedwithoperationalgroups;tendencytouseingroupjargon. WPstaffmayhavemadearrangements,butadmissionsmaynotknowofthem.Wehave alsoencounteredexampleswhereacademicsarenotdisengagedwithadmin. WPactivitiesnotknownaboutwidelywithinstaffincontactwithstudents.Insufficient trainingiscommon. Wehaventhadenoughtraininginthenewsystems."Whydowecollectdata.95%of datanotused,doesitmatter?""Whydoesn'tadmincomputingunitunderstandurgencyof changesrequested?"

D:

E:

F:

"Peoplewhodon'ttalktoeachother.""Systemsthatdon'tspeaktoeachother.""Admin waggingthetailoftheacademicactivitydog." Example:Softwaresystemsandadminstaffnotprogressingwell.Maynotbeageneral problem;needcasestudies."Newsystemtoodifficultforstafftounderstand;assumption: techy'stheway." TypicallyITsystemsgetblamed.Evidence?"Gatekeeperscontrolaccess.""Vendorstake over,onesystem." "Disabledstudentswhoarenothappytodisclose[informationabouttheirdisability]" "DisciplinaryBoards:dostudentsunderstand/soweenablethemtolearntheculturalrules!" "TugofwarbetweeninstitutionsandstudentsandHEFCE"?"attitudesofstafftoapplicants andstudentsnotalwaysappropriate;talkingdifferentlanguages.Whyisaccommodation officesounhelpfultoprospectivestudents.""Preentrystudentsmisinformedbyfirstyear studentsthroughsocialsoftware."

G:

H:

I: J:

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 87

System3
Theme:PersonalisationvstheBigSystem SystemDefinition:Asystemtorelatethevariedandpossiblychangingcircumstancesofhighly diverseindividuallearnerstothestudentlifecycleacrossoneormoreHEIs. Systemattributes: Customers Actors Individuallearners StaffattheHEIs

Transformation MakeHEIprocessesfitwiththelearners'circumstances. Weltanschauung Wecelebratethediversityofourstudentsandwanttohelpthemgetthemost outofourcourses. Owners Environment SeniormanagementatHEIs Stafftraining,governmentWPinitiatives,ITsystems,credittransfersystems; internationalstudentsupport(e.g.NARIC);SKILL,NUS

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 88

Logicalmodel:

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 89

Comparisonwiththerealworld A: B: Fairnessstudyevidence. Currentlyverystandardisedinmanyinstitutions.Anditrelatestothetraditionalstudent.Is therequestioningofthenecessityofcollectingeachdataitem?HEImaywantmore informationfromanonstandardstudent. "Staff>students.Whatdoweknowaboutourstudents?Whatdowewanttoknow?" Oftennotcoherent,e.g.notcentralisedeffectively.Maybedifferentindifferent departments. "StudentspoorlyinformedbystaffwhoarenotuptodatewithUCASdevelopments." Goodevidenceforthis.Portalmayleadtooverrelianceonit????Diversifyingthemedia available,sothatthemainmethodischanging:paper>email>SMS>portal IsDuniversaloradaptingtoindividualcircumstances?Isthereanassumptionthatour studentsareDigitalNativesandwillcopewithwhateverwethrowatthem?DoHEIstake intoaccountthecircumstances? "Onehurdleafteranother" Done.Butisthereachangeofactivitiesinresponsetomonitoring. "DigitalduncevsIdon'tdoletters.""Disabledstudentsnothappytodiscloseinformation" Oftenbecauseofthewaytheyareasked.ParentalinvolvementinHEquestionesp. relevancetodecisionmaking. Generalinformationissentout.Butnotaboutadaptations.Oftentoomany communications,andtoomuchirrelevantcontent. "WhatdoIdoaftermyFoundationDegree?contrastwith'normal'undergradroutes." "Appropriatenessofassessmentintermsoftimelinessandformative/summative." "squarepeginaroundhole"

C:

D:

E:

F:

G:

H:

Issuesidentified
Staffwhoanswerenquiriesfromstudentsneedaccesstoalltherelevantinformationquickly.Some ofthisinformationisdetailedmaterialheldindatabases,someissofterinformationaboutthe institutionsservices. Issue:Stafftraining Issue:ITmakingalltherelevantinformationavailabletostaffandstudentsinapredictable place.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 90

Thequalityofdataaboutstudentsisquestioned,althoughcertainsoftwarepackageshaveahigher levelofconfidencethanothers.Isthedatarelevanttotheprocesses?Istoomuchdatacollected? Issue:Dataquality,includingaccuracy,timelinessandrelevanceofeachdataitem,especially inrelationtothedifferentcircumstancesofstudents. Issue:Areoursoftwarepackagestherightonesforourbusinessprocesses?Areour processesconfiguredtothesoftware,oristhesoftwareconfiguredtotheprocesses?

Institutionsarekeentocommunicatewithstudents.Thiscanleadtoexcessiveorinappropriate communication,leadingtoinformationoverloadforstudentsandpotentialcommunicationfailure. Issue:Howdoweprovidestudentswithtargetedcommunicationsrelevanttotheir individualcircumstancesthroughmediathatmeettheirindividualrequirements. Issue:Whichchannelsofcommunicationareappropriate,bearinginmindthatmany,but notall,studentsareDigitalNatives?

Studentswouldliketimelyrelevantformativefeedbackinteachingandlearning. Issue:Howtosatisfythisrequirementconsistently?

Institutionshaveprocessesinplacetocoverstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagement.However, manyoftheseprocessesmaybehistorical,mayuseinappropriatetechnologyandmaynotbe sufficientlyjoinedup. Issue:Howdowedeliverprocessimprovement? Issue:HowcanourITsystemssupportprocessimprovementstrategies? Issue:Canweimprovethecommunicationsbetweendifferentinterestgroupswithinthe university,allofwhomareengagedinstudentrelationshipmanagement?

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 91

APPENDIX8

Listofissuesidentifiedduringtheresearch
Issue:howtoempoweroperationalmanagerstounderstandtheirownershipofthe operationanddata,andtoempowerISdepartmentstobecomemoreconsultativeintheir approachtosupportingthese. Issue:Howtoensurethatfirstcontactwithastudentispersonalisedandofhighquality throughouttheinstitution. Issue:Institutionandotherwebsitesareinfluentialinraisingawarenessofinstitutionsand programmes,andinpromptingstudentstomakethefirstcontactandseekfurther information.Theyareoftenthereforethefirstlinkinthechain,afterpersonal recommendation.Institutionsneedtoensuretheappropriatenessoftheirwebsiteinmeeting theinformationneedsofprospectivestudents,andensureitscurrency. Issue:ensuringthateverystudentreceivestheinformationthattheyneedpriorto registrationandinduction. Issue:Thereisatensionbetweentheneedformassapplicationandregistrationprocesses andtheneedforapersonaltouch. Issue:Portalsareperceivedasagoodmeansofcommunication,becausetheyrepresenta singlestartingpoint,andthestudentcanchoosewhentoaccessit.Thesystemcancarry largevolumesofstructuredinformation,fromwhichthestudentcanchoosetherelevant sections. Issue:Howtomakethehighqualityapproachmoregeneralthroughouttheinstitution. Issue:Howtocombinehighvolumecommunicationswithpersonalhumancontactanddo thiseverywhere. Issue:Perceptionsaremostlygood,buttherearegapsinrespectofsomeexperiencesand someareas;howdoesaninstitutionmakeallitsinteractionsuniformlygood? Issue:Ensuringthatinformationisappropriateandtimely. Thereareavarietyofmethodsofinteractionbetweeninstitutionsandtheirstudents. Electronicmethodsareavailableandusedwidely,butinstitutionsneedtoconsiderthetone andfrequencyofemailcontact,andthecontentofstudentportals.Studentsappreciatethe morepersonalisedapproach,andtheunderstandingofthedifferentcommunicationsneeds andmethodsofoffsiteadultlearnersprovideagoodexampleofhowthiscanbeachieved. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 92

Differenttypesofstudentshavedifferingcommunicationsneedsandalsohavedifferent channelsofcommunicationavailabletothem.Institutionswillbestmanagetheir relationshipswherethisisunderstood,andwheretheyhavetheabilitytopersonalise communications.However,thiswillrequirealevelofresourceinfirstidentifyinginformation needs,andthenindevelopingandusingthemostappropriatemethodsforeachstudent. Themostvaluablemethodofcommunicationisstillconsideredtobepersonalcontact, particularlyfacetoface,althoughdirectemailcontactwithanamedindividualwasalso valued.Thispreferencehowever,shouldnotdistractinstitutionsfromdevelopingcreative methodsofcontactandusingcosteffectivemethodsofcontact.Consideringcarefully informationneedsandensuringthatinformationchannelsarekeptcurrent,isvery important. Issue:Stafftraining Issue:ITmakingalltherelevantinformationavailabletostaffandstudentsinapredictable place. Issue:Staffwhoanswerenquiriesfromstudentsneedaccesstoalltherelevantinformation quickly.Someofthisinformationisdetailedmaterialheldindatabases,someissofter informationabouttheinstitutionsservices. Issue:Ensuringthequalityofinformationgiventostudents,includingaccuracy,timeliness andrelevanceofeachdataitem,especiallyinrelationtothedifferentcircumstancesof students. Thequalityofdataaboutstudentsisquestioned,althoughcertainsoftwarepackageshavea higherlevelofconfidencethanothers.Isthedatarelevanttotheprocesses?Istoomuch datacollected? Issue:Areoursoftwarepackagestherightonesforourbusinessprocesses?Areour processesconfiguredtothesoftware,oristhesoftwareconfiguredtotheprocesses? Issue:Howdoweprovidestudentswithtargetedcommunicationsrelevanttotheirindividual circumstancesthroughmediathatmeettheirindividualrequirements?Institutionsarekeen tocommunicatewithstudents.Thiscanleadtoexcessiveorinappropriatecommunication, leadingtoinformationoverload15forstudentsandpotentialcommunicationfailure. Issue:Whichchannelsofcommunicationareappropriate,bearinginmindthatmany,but notall,studentsareDigitalNatives? Issue:Studentswouldliketimelyrelevantformativefeedbackinteachingandlearning.How tosatisfythisrequirementconsistently? Issue:Howdowedeliverprocessimprovement?
15

SeeGlossary.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 93

Issue:HowcanourITsystemssupportprocessimprovementstrategies? Issue:Canweimprovethecommunicationsbetweendifferentinterestgroupswithinthe university,allofwhomareengagedinstudentrelationshipmanagement?Institutionshave processesinplacetocoverstudentlifecyclerelationshipmanagement.However,manyof theseprocessesmaybehistorical,mayuseinappropriatetechnologyandmaynotbe sufficientlyjoinedup. Issue:Studentrelationshipmanagementisonlyrarelyconsideredaholisticconcept,leading tocompartmentalisationoffunctions,processesandmethods.Thiscanleadtoafractured experienceforstudentswithveryvaryingcharacterandquality.Itcanalsomeanthatdata exchangebetweenprocessesisinefficientornonexistent. Issue:Monitoringofthestudentexperienceissimilarlycompartmentalised,makingit difficulttocoordinateprocessimprovement,togaineconomiesofscaleortoreportonitin aholisticfashion. Issue:Feedbackfromstudents. Itisimportanttoobtainandanalysesystematicfeedbackabouttherelationshipbetween studentsandtheinstitutionfromstudents.Thisshouldbethebasisofthedesign,planning andimplementationofchangedprocessesinresponsetothefeedback,takingintoaccount thestudentslifecyclestate,theinstitutionsapproachtostudentrelationshipmanagement andanylocalcontextinrelationtothepartoftheinstitutionthatisinvolved.Ourresearch hasshownthatfewinstitutionsarecarryingoutthistypeofchangeprocess. Issue:Informationprovidedtostudentsneedstobeappropriate,timelyandunderstood. Appropriatemeanstakingintoaccountindividualcircumstances,aswellaslifecyclestate. Ascomputersareprimarilygoodatroutine,highvolumeandrepeatableprocesses,some responseswillrequirepersonalattentionofstaff.Thereforesystemscontaininghumansand computersneedtobeabletoidentifywherethesehumaninterventionsarerequired.All interactionprocessesneedabackstopofaperson.Feedbackfromtherecipientisimportant, sothatstaffknowthattheinformationhasbeennotonlysent,butreceivedandunderstood. Thisfeedbackactsasaprocesscontrolmechanism. Issue:Informationcanberelevanttoall,orrelevanttoonlyoneindividual. Informationcanbehighvolume,relevanttoallstudents,ortolargegroups,orcanbevery specifictoindividualsortosmallgroupswithrelativelyrareneeds.Sometimesthe informationneedsaredeterminedbythestudentsthemselves.Thesedifferentneeds suggestamultichannelapproach,takingintoaccountinformationrequirementsand accessibilityissues.Channelsusedinourcasestudieshaveincluded,webportalsandother institutionwebsites,VLEs,socialnetworkingsoftware;virtualrealityenvironemtns,email, lettersnewslettersandmagazines,smstextmessaging,facetofacecontact,voice telephony,forums,surveys,physicallocations. Issue:Promotionofsocialinteractions. JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 94

 Promotionofsocialinteractions(stafftostudents;studentstootherstudents)isvitalfor studentengagement,retention,social,academicandculturalunderstanding. Communicationwithinrelationshipmanagementconsistsofbothformalandinformal patterns,whichdeepentheassociationofthestudentwiththeinstitution.Computer systemscanbetoolsorfacilitatorsforthis,butdirectpersonalinteractionsareperceivedby bothstaffandstudentsinourresearchasveryimportantforcementingsocial,academicand culturalengagement. FurtherEducationinstitutionshavewelldevelopedelectronictoolstohelpcollectionand analysisofdataforthepurposesoffundingandattendance,gearedtoreportingtoLSCand OFSTED.Thesetoolsarelesswelldevelopedforstudentsupportfunctions. Issue:Interventionstendtoinvolvelesselectronictoolsasthelifecyclestateprogresses. Asthelifecyclemovesfromaddressingthemassofpotentiallearners(preapplication) throughgroups(cohortsapplyingandregisteringonspecificprogrammes)toindividuals (personalisedteachingandlearning;pastoralsupport),sointerventionsbecomemore specificandpersonalisedandhardertosupportbyallocatingfunctionstoimpersonal machines.Thisissuereflectstheeasewithwhichcomputerscancommunicatestandard messagesandlargevolumesofinformationverywidely.Institutionsareincreasingly recognisingtheneedtobeattunedtothedangerofinformationoverloadforstudents,which canbealleviatedbycarefulconsiderationofthewhen,howandhowmuchofeach communication. Issue:Asuitablestartingpointforcommunications. Studentsappreciateastable,singlestartingpointforinformationgatheringand communications,forexampleastudentportalthatallowsthestudenttocontrolwhen, whereandsometimeshowitisaccessed.Earlyexperienceofthesesystemspaysdividends, becausethestudentbecomesusedtothisasaculturalnorm,particularlyifitisviaasingle interfaceoraconsistentstyleofinterface.Whilethesesystemshavebeenavailableatthe teachingandlearningstage,forexamplethroughVLEs,theyarestillcomparativelyrareat otherstagesofthestudentlifecycle.However,feedbackonthequalitativeandquantitative benefitsofthesesystemsisstillneeded.Thereisalsoevidencefromourcasestudiesthat thesesystemsneedtobecoupledwithtargetedcommunicationstriggeredbychangesinthe studentslifecyclestateandgearedtoelicitingspecificactionsfromthestudent,forexample areplytoanofferofaplace,paymentoffees,submissionofpieceofworkforassessmentor agreementtoattendanalumnievent. Issue:Accessibility Accesstoindividualisedpersonalsupportisvitalforsomestudents,andtheseindividuals cannotbeidentifiedinadvance. Issue:Studentchoice Thereisapremiumonsystemsthatstudentscanchoosetouseornottouse.Therearefour principalimplicationsfromthisbroughtoutfromouranalysisofthecasestudies: JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 95

 .1 .2 .3 .4

Multichannelcommunicationsshouldbeused; Feedbackshouldbegathered Andchangesimplementedinresponse; Targetedsupportshouldbeavailablewhereneedshavebeenidentified.

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 96

APPENDIX9:

Glossary
Term ADoM Description JISCfundedAdmissionsDomainMapProjectledbyTheUniversityof Nottingham AssociationofHeadsofUniversityAdministration AcronymforpartoftheSoftSystemsMethodology,itidentifiesasystems Customers,Actors,Transformation,Weltanschauung,Ownersand Environment CustomerRelationshipManagement Astructuredcollectionofinformationaboutacourse,usuallypublishedon theUCASwebsite(http://www.ucas.com) Agroupofattributesusedtodifferentiatetheallocationoffunctionto humansormachines,particularlycomputers Fulltimeequivalentstudentnumbers Highereducationinstitution JISCfundedresearchstudyHighLevelDomainArchitectureforHE InformationSystems InformationTechnology Informationandcommunicationstechnology Stateinwhichanindividualreceivessomuchinformationthatitbecomes verydifficulttoperceivewhichpartsareimportantorrelevantandwhich arenot. JointInformationSystemsCommittee JISCOrganisationalSupportcommittee Thetrackaindividualorrepresentativeindividualtakesintoandthrough highereducation. Anabstractrepresentationofasystem,informationfloworprocess.

AHUA CATWOE

CRM EntryProfile

FittsList

FTEs HEI HILDA IS IT ICT Informationoverload

JISC JOS Learnerjourney

Logicalmodel

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 97

MIS MMU Multichannel communications Portal

Managementinformationsystem ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity Provisionofinformationthroughseveraldifferentmedia.

Websitewithaloginthatstudentscanusetoaccessinformationanduse universitysystems Adiagramtypedesignedtocaptureperceptions,feelings,andpersonal, subjectiveviewsaboutasituation,aswellasfacts. MMUprojectlookingatwaystoeasethetransitiontoHE.

RichPicture

ShockAbsorber Project SITS SoftSystems Methodology SPA SRM Systemdefinition Systemsfailures approach Systemsthinking

ProprietarysystemforstudentrelationshipmanagementofferedbyTribal AsetofsystemsthinkingtechniquesdevelopedbyPeterCheckland(etal) togaininsightsintounboundedmessyproblems. SupportingProfessionalisminAdmissionsproject Studentrelationshipmanagement Formaltextualdescriptionofthepurposeofasystem Asetofsystemsthinkingtechniquesdesignedtoaddressthereasonswhy systemsinvolvingpeopleandmachinesfailormightfailinthefuture. Anapproachtoproblemsolvingthattakesaholisticviewofthesituation, ratherthanareductionist(analytical)view. ThetimebetweenalearnerdecidingtoapplyforadmissiontoHEandthe endofinduction Organisationthatmanagesundergraduate(andsomeother)higher educationapplicationsonbehalfofmostHEIs UniversitiesandCollegesInformationSystemsAssociation Virtuallearningenvironment WideningParticipation

Transition

UCAS

UCISA VLE WP

JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 98

APPENDIX10
References Archer,L.(October2007)Diversity,equalityandHE:acriticalreflectionontheabusesofequity discoursewithinwideningparticipation,TeachinginHE AustralianGovernment(June2008)ReviewofHigherEducationDiscussionPaper http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/85826/200806181222/www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/06C65431 87914816ACB96F1FF9CA3042/22465/08_222_Review_AusHEd_Internals_100pp_FINAL_WEB.pdf Bignell,.VandFortune,J."UnderstandingSystemsFailures"ManchesterUniversityPressin associationwiththeOpenUniversity,ISBN0719009731 Checkland,P"SystemsThinking,SystemsPractice"(JohnWiley&Sons,ISBN0471279110) Eckel,P.andKing,J.(2004)AnoverviewofhighereducationintheUS:Diversity,Accessandtherole ofthemarketplaceAmericanCouncilonEducation SupportingProfessionalisminAdmissionsProjectwww.spa.ac.uk JISCfundedproject:AdmissionsDomainMap http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/eportfolio/ADoM/ JISCfundedproject:HighLevelDomainMapping http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/programme_jos/project_hilda.aspx JISC(2006)LXPStudentexperiencesoftechnologiesFinalreport http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearningpedagogy/lxpprojectfinalreportdec 06.pdf JISC(2008)GreatExpectationsofICT:howhighereducationinstitutionsaremeasuringup. http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2008/06/greatexpectations.aspx JISC(2007)StudyofCustomerRelationshipManagement(CRM)issuesinHigherEducation http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/themes/bce/crmstudyfinalreport20070817.pdf JISCscopingstudies: Goodpracticeintheprovisionoffeedbacktoapplicants http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearningcapital/fbstudy.pdf Studyonmechanismforassessingfairnessinadmissions http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearningcapital/fairnessstudyreport .doc Studyonsupportinglearnersthroughadmissions http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearningcapital/supportingapplicant s_report.pdf JISCLandscapeStudyofSRM 99

 Preentryimpacts;TheApplicantExperience(12February2008)PresentationfromJanetGraham, DirectoroftheSPAProgramme Price,E.A.C.(2008)FlexiLearning:ModeloftheLearner.FacultyofScienceandEngineering, ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity(unpublishedreport) Strivens,J.SurveyingepdpandeportfoliopracticeinUKHE,CentreforRecordingAchievement http://www.recordingachievement.org/ TheHorizonReport(2007edition)(NewMediaConsortiumandEducauseLearningInitiativeISBN0 976508745) UCISAComputerInformationSystemsSurvey2007 Wikipedia:Comparisonofstudentinformationsystems http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_student_information_systems 1994GroupPolicyReport(November2007):EnhancingtheStudentExperience

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