IT Services Newsletter #20

The degree ceremonies are finishing today and some of us have taken part in various capacities. They are a great reminder of why we are all here, and the one’s that I have attended have been really memorable occasions. Our Chancellor, Imran Khan, has attended all of them this year – no doubt the added encouragement of an international test match at Headingley has contributed to his enthusiasm. For those who are about to have a couple of weeks annual leave over the Summer – enjoy – it is well deserved after a very busy year. Hopefully you will already have seen the DRAFT annual report for the last session. Both this report and our preliminary submission to the investment planning process are available along with all the other papers for Information Systems Committee here.

IT Support and Telecoms Team

Preparations for Clearing and Enrolment
Work is ongoing to ensure that we are ready for this period in mid August. There is a working group that meets regularly to oversee this which we are involved with. We are anticipating an extremely busy clearing period even though the number of places available may be much reduced this year.
IT Services Monthly Customer Survey continues
We continue to provide a mechanism for the users of our services to provide feedback both as a result of specific “logged jobs” and also through the general feedback forms. In the last month we have had a bit of a sort out of jobs that needed clearing down – some of them from 2009 - which has had an impact on the stats in June. We are continuing to including customer comments on our services which fairly reflect the feedback we receive both good and not so good, in the monthly IT servicedesk reports which can be found here. I have personally followed up with a number of our customers who were less than satisfied to see what we could do differently next time.

Systems Team

eFile - the new name for ePository
eFile is the name of the University’s document management system. Previously known as ePository, it has had a major overhaul.
The basic service is available to all staff and students on-campus, with extended permissions you are also able to access further features. Key features are;
1) Students can access Past Exam papers
2) Staff can store documents electronically, such as Word/Excel direct from the PC. The documents are
checked-in, viewed but only changed under version-control. This allows sharing of documents, but also protecting them from unauthorised changes.
3) With extra software staff can scan paper documents into eFile.
4) With extra software staff can transfer emailed documents into eFile without opening or scanning the document.
The eFile system can be made to link directly into other software applications. For example, there is a link into SAINT which allows a student’s record to connect to the supporting documents. Over the coming months we’ll be rolling-out new features which will make use of this powerful software. We intend to set up a showcase event during the next academic session, allowing University staff to have a say in which features are developed next.
Reports for Boards of Examiners
We have completed a suite of 10 separate reports, each of which is available in two distinct formats and with multiple selection criteria. This provides a flexible structure for a wide range of awards to be viewed on-screen.
HESA universe
We have also been developing a Business Objects universe to allow reporting against HESA screens on SAINT. Vital for reporting on key information sets prior to our HESA return which impacts upon funding.
Marketing Products
We have also developed a Marketing Research Tool which allows staff making bid proposals to insert data into the document to support their case. The Microsoft Word document has a large XML datablock hidden behind it which can be queried and the results embedded in the document. A Marketing Tracker has also been developed which allows the MCC staff to log and monitor their work in a more efficient way using a Microsoft Access database.

Infrastructure Team

Electrical Service Interruption – an update
The Summer power down is to facilitate the new Combined Heat and Power facility for the University. This is a major project. The latest information is that the shutdown will only affect services to the Richmond Building, and the new date is the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Green Impact initiatives
Following on from our success in Green Impact, we have now completed an initial campus-wide energy audit for IT equipment. This audit and the subsequent action plan were needed for our application to join a consortium of Yorkshire and Humberside Universities in an EUAC project (The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges). We now have a better understanding of the CO2 and energy costs relating to IT at Bradford. The action plan has been posted on the “Green Notice Board” in the wide corridor in JBP Building (Level 01) if you are interested next time you pass that way.