Bowie State University, Bowie, MD
Task 1: BSU Student Registration and Payment Reporting System (Automated Data Charting Application): Modifications to the current beta application and deliver a newly compiled application to Mark for deployment to the server.
Task 2: Development of an Automated Cohort Analysis Tool: The CAT application is a data analysis tool designed to import and analyze a cohort spreadsheet developed from the BSU PeopleSoft database. The application shall import a user selected Excel spreadsheet into a local
database for data analysis. Any existing data in the database will be overwritten with conflicting information in the imported spreadsheet to ensure data is current and accurate. After data is imported to a local database, the desktop application will provide dynamic data grids to display compiled enrollment data on a per-cohort-year basis. The data may be viewed in the application, or exported to PDF or Excel format for further analysis. Further, the local database may be imported/exported for sharing with other application instances.
Task 3: Development of an Academic Performance Analysis Tool: The original CAT application is a data analysis tool designed to import and analyze cohort spreadsheets exported from the BSU PeopleSoft database. This workflow very closely matches the planned process for Academic Performance Analysis, so it has been determined that the two functions will be best suited to coexist as modular functionality in a single “Data Analysis” application. As such, the previously developed CAT desktop application will be modified to incorporate Academic Performance Analysis data, including additions to the database architecture and application interface.
Task 4: Plan & Initiate Development of the BSU IT DR Plan: (a) Developed a BSU IT DR Plan that will help the University meet its audit requirements in May 2011, and (b) Developed a BSU IT DR Plan that will help the University recover from an IT disaster more quickly than if such a Plan were not in place.
Task 5: BSU Course Catalog Management System (CCMS): Documented Requirements, System Design, Interface, Hardware, Software, Work Plan, Schedule, Budget and Developing Video Presentation for the Development & Deployment of the proposed BSU Course Catalog Management System (CCMS). The BSU Course Catalog Management System is envisioned as a Web-based application that streamlines the process used by faculty, staff and students for developing, modifying, approving, publishing and using (search, view, print, and download) the university’s course catalog.
Task 6: USM/USNWR Data Analysis: Documented Requirements, Interface and Design for USM/USNWR Data Analysis for Bowie State University. The purpose of the USM Dashboard project is to develop a tool that will facilitate an analysis of key performance indicator (KPI) data about Bowie State University maintained by the University System of Maryland (USM). This data is received annually in a spreadsheet by Bowie State from USM. Analysis of key performance indicator data is important because it includes information on graduation and retention rates that are used in a Funding Formula that impacts State funding received by Bowie State University.
Task 7: Discovery of Issues in Active Directory/Live.edu Synchronization: Investigated and developed a “Discovery of Issues in Active Directory/Live.edu Synchronization at Bowie State University” document with issues and recommendations. It is anticipated that the recommendations we make will result in BSU’s PeopleSoft administrator(s) needing to modify their PeopleSoft file exporting script to: (a) Surround fields with quotation marks to accommodate last names that have a comma; and to (b) Implement file locking when exporting CSV data from PeopleSoft to prevent reading of exported file before it has been written completely.