Overview
Background
Student Counselling Services (SCS) offer counselling to help students work through their difficulty, understand themselves better and find ways of managing their situation. Before arranging an appointment with a counsellor all students are asked to complete two forms: a Registration Form and a brief Pre-Initial Appointment Questionnaire. Currently the forms can be received either via email sent on their request by the SCS administrator or can be downloaded by a student from the SCS website but only when a device is connected to the university network. In both situations, when completed, forms are sent back to SCS via email. Since moving to the Main Library Building, numbers of students willing to use counselling services have increased by 89% what have caused a significant increase of received emails (forms requests and forms submissions).
Due to the above, SCS have asked for the enhancements that could satisfy their primary aim of having forms available online for the particular student groups (only valid/current martic. students;ODL and students having a year abroad) and accessible regardless of having connection to the university network. These enhancements would enable students to access the forms as soon as they make the decision to request an appointment rather than waiting for a response to their email request, and would help SCS to ensure that the forms are submitted by the eligible student.
Additionally, the enhacments would reduce email traffic what could reduces the workload for the administrators and decrease the margin for errors.
Scope
1. Establishing what technology is most suitable to meet requirement of delivery of channel for downloading and submitting SCS forms by the student groups:
a) only valid/current martic. Students
b) ODL
c) Students having a year abroad
2. Business analysis of what is needed to deliver project's benefits.
3. Make a decision on most suitable solution.
4. Develop online forms and upgrade SCS Database and SCS Application (depending on the decision made).
5. Moving the successful changes into the TEST versions of the systems listed above and undertaking UAT to test the upgraded functionality.
6. Obtaining user sign-off of the modified versions of the website, SCS database; SCS application.
7. Deploying the modified versions to LIVE.
8. Updating the Technical Architecture Document and any other relevant support documentation.
Objectives and Deliverables
O1 | To investigate and document the solutions that meet business requirement of easy access to forms by all user groups who are eligible to use Student counselling services. |
D1 | A set of business requirements that list the modifications to SCS website and other applications and databases depending on the recommended solution. |
O2 | To implement the listed changes in each relevant part of the information systems used by SCS and SCS website. |
D2 | SCS forms can be accessed online by particular student groups regardless of having connection to the univeristy network. |
O3 | To obtain sign-off that the changes made to the information systems and website used by SCS meet their agreed business requirements. |
D3 | Acceptance from the business area that any implemented changes meet the stated business requirements. |
Benefits
- Students experience improved due to better accessibility of SCS forms.
- Volume of emails received by SCS administrators reduced by 30%
- More effective use of the administrators working time
Success Criteria
The success of the project will be determined by the achievement (or not) of the above objectives and the deliverables.