Supplier Showcases
The Supplier Showcase sessions take place on Thursday morning, see the programme for details of times
Agresso launches Curriculum Management - A unique management information system designed to create, control, monitor and review programme approvals
Nick Gibson, HE Strategic Sales Director and Colin Colegate, HE Account Manager
The unique Agresso Curriculum Management System provides a single, shared, browser based information repository and tools for managing the content of the taught curriculum, adapting easily to support either centralised or devolved models for quality management and assurance. It also addresses the issues around combining individual units into programmes of study for nationally recognised awards ? for example, the rules for credit accumulation and identifying the proportions of modules required at each level of study.
Designed in collaboration and consultation with a number of UK and Australian Universities, it has been specifically developed to support (and demonstrate compliance with) the UK Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) guidelines and code of practice, including:
robust workflow and audit to deliver consistent, streamlined processes around the design, approval and continual review of study programmes and easy to verify quality standards;
accurate, up to date and complete curriculum records, including details for QA functions, such as validations, professional body accreditations, internal subject review and QAA review visits/institutional audits.
It handles the widest possible range of curriculum patterns, subject/course combinations and credit accumulation, conforming to the credit guidelines for HE qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as prepared by CQFW, NUCCAT and SEEC. The information repository’s well structured data also enables automated hard copy or online document production (e.g. course/student handbooks, prospectus entries, web based curriculum catalogues etc).
UNIT-e developments at Thames Valley University
Andrew Howard, Student Records and Data Manager, Deputy Head of Registry Services, Thames Valley University and George Layfield, UK Sales Manager, Capita
This session will look at the products and services offered by Capita Further and Higher Education and how UNIT-e, the comprehensive Student Record system which provides core functionality for the management of HE admissions and statutory returns, is complemented by powerful and flexible toolsets enabling universities to extend the solution to meet individual needs.
The following developments at Thames Valley University will be presented:
Academic advice online is a system enabling academics to record the advice given to a student who has been referred for academic advice by the Board. Further actions can be taken based on this advice, for example, if take resit is selected, the academic can retrieve and revise module enrolments, on submission the system then creates or deletes the enrolments and sends the student an email to confirm the advice given.
Online graduation registration provides an automated process which monitors progress and creates graduation and potential ceremony events once the student is eligible. Through the MyTVU self-service portal students can confirm, choose a ceremony and provide additional information such as guest details, this triggers the collection of payments providing a complete end to end ceremonies solution fully integrated into the core student record system.
Today’s decision affects tomorrow’s outcome
Russell Allen, eStrategic Project Manager, University of Bradford
Join Russell Allen, eStrategy Project Manager at the University of Bradford, for a first hand account of how the University chose their entire new finance system by using a competitive dialogue process. This process could be used across any large IT project and by using best practice, understand how working with your potential suppliers in this way can lead to a better requirements fit. Learn how the chosen supplier, COA Solutions, worked closely with the University to understand the business and responded to the needs, with some tips from the University of Bradford if you are starting a project soon.
COA Solutions have more than 60 higher and further educations clients in the UK and is the leading supplier of integrated business management and information systems to the UK mid- market service sector. COA Solutions' award-winning Smart Business Suite combines core financial management, procurement, human resource and payroll systems, integrated with a range of collaborative, document management and business intelligence solutions.
Improve student engagement for a more intelligent campus
Graham Spicer, CEO, SolStonePlus and David Sowerby, Systems Development Manager, University of Bedfordshire
A student interacts with the University in many different ways, a number of which are recorded in various systems. This could include swiping their ID card through an access gate, logging into the network, eVision or BREO for example, or submitting an assignment.
Each of these could be considered a positive sign of engagement. However, there is no clear indication of disengagement, only the absence of engagement, until such time as an assignment becomes overdue. It may then be too late to intervene and reengage with them.
Join SolStonePlus and their long standing customer, the University of Bedfordshire for their presentation which focuses on the University's innovative Student Engagement system – an extremely valuable and cost effective Business Intelligence (BI) solution which gives them the ability to identify a drop in engagement level before it becomes critical, thus allowing a member of staff to intervene positively, and hopefully encourage the student to reengage
Looking at the factors which ultimately drove the University of Bedfordshire’s decision to implement such a profitable BI solution, as well as providing a complete overview of the solution itself, we discuss how the solution is delivering an immediate return on investment for the University of Bedfordshire, as well as providing them with that all important competitive edge.
Effective customer support with the Tribal Enterprise Service Desk
Ken Barrett, Enterprise Service Desk Team Leader, Tribal and John Howell, Assistant Director, University of Bath
As higher education institutions strive for a customer focused approach to education delivery, there has been an increased emphasis on providing effective, high quality customer service. The Tribal Enterprise Service Desk Suite has been developed with this approach in mind. This suite of web based tools offers institutions the ability to effectively manage customer support across multiple departments, teams and functions.
An online enquiry can be created by any of an institution’s stakeholders such as applicants, students, alumni, academics or administrators. The enquiry will be allocated automatically to the correct team. The customer has the ability to track each communication.
Where a central helpdesk team is employed, they are able log enquiries, book a diary appointment with a counsellor or direct a student to information in the knowledge base. Staff can create events online and customers are able to view and register for each event.
Multiple enquiry centres can be created for any support area and service level agreements ensure enquiries are handled within specified timescales. Management reports allow continuous monitoring and can track service improvement.
The Enterprise Service Desk Suite comprises the following components:
- Help Desk
- Knowledge Base
- Diary Management
- Case Management
- Event Management
