FAQ
MAUI is an acronym for Made At University of Iowa. Project MAUI is the new student information system implementation project that will replace our existing system. A complete glossary of terms can be found at http://provost.uiowa.edu/maui/glossary.htm.
The original intent was to replace our existing Student Information System with a vendor product, Matrix, from SungardSCT Higher Education. The Matrix (MAUI 1.0) project ended in February 2006 with full consensus of the members of the University of Iowa implementation team. Although there was a delay, the same project group has begun a new effort to build a Student Information System, which has been named MAUI 2.0. From this point forward, Project MAUI refers to MAUI 2.0.
The Admissions' phase began summer 2006 and the Registrar's Office began developing their module in early 2007. We are working on a five-year timeline with a projected completion date in 2011. Using a phased approach, various functionality will be implemented throughout that time span.
SIS is an acronym for Student Information System. A complete glossary of terms can be found at http://provost.uiowa.edu/maui/glossary.htm.
While there is still a great deal of satisfaction in the current records system, there are fundamental problems and limitations. In particular:
- siloing of business process and data in the Office of the Provost Functional Units
- data constraints fragmentation, disparate data sources, duplication
- reliance on Social Security Number as a primary identifier and key identifier
- no standard application architecture
- limited use of contemporary technologies for user interfaces, security, reporting and support for non-traditional data
A new Student Information System is being developed to address the significant problems and limitations of the current system, to improve business processes, to provide new functionality, and to serve as the foundation for future development.
The present University of Iowa student information system is about 30 years old. It was originally implemented as a classic data processing system where data was input through batch processes, aggregated, and printed reports generated. While we call it a student information system it is really a collection of individual systems that support the specific administrative processes of the individual Office of the Provost units. The present home grown student information system can be characterized as functionally advanced but technically and architecturally constrained. The system lacks the flexibility which makes newer systems easier to manipulate, configure, and extend.
The goals of the new student information system are to:
- provide a rich experience for students, parents, faculty and staff
- address current functional and technical system limitations
- provide enhanced features and functionality
- provide flexibility, extensibility and the ability to integrate with other systems
- create a unified relational data repository for all student information system data
- leverage the currently available technologies and contemporary user interfaces
- better integration of collegiate systems, processes, and data
The new system will consist of real-time, automated workflow-enabled integrated processes. It will provide the essentials of a student relationship management system along with the core functionality of a student records system. This will increase operational efficiencies across the University through business process improvement and the automation of routine and manual processes. Specifically the system will provide real-time alerts and notification for faculty and students; automated co/pre-requisite checking and wait listing; advanced reporting, analytics, and data mining; support for student initiated academic planning; flexible course scheduling and fractional credits; and advanced eRecruiting and marketing. To achieve the project vision and goals, we will use as the foundation the features and functionality of ISIS, the existing student self-service portal, and OSIRIS, the administrative portal.
Project MAUI the current admissions, student records and registration, financial aid, advising, continuing education functionality. As part of the project we will also upgrade to DARwin for transfer course articulation and degree auditing.
Major enterprise system implementation projects are complex. The current plan is to implement Project MAUI over a five year period, which started in the fall of 2006. Functionality will be delivered throughout the duration of the project. This provides value to campus constituents early and lessens the impact of change. To accomplish this plan, we will take an incremental and iterative approach to developing the new student information system. We will use short planning horizons and development cycles to break the project down into manageable components. This is very similar to the methodology employed during the implementation of MARS, ISIS, and OSIRIS. Summary and detailed project maps can be found at http://provost.uiowa.edu/maui/ntimeline.htm.
Major enterprise system implementation projects require a significant investment of University resources. Project costs include existing functional and technical staffing along with capital expenses for hardware, database licenses, software, and backfill staffing. The total out of pocket cost is expected to be about 5 million dollars over the life of the 5 year project.
There are many anticipated benefits of Project MAUI. These range from resolving current system limitations, improving business processes and integration, and providing new features and functionality. We look for Project MAUI to correct problems and provide functions which aren't possible with the current system, such as:
- Support for multiple majors, minors, programs, certificates, specialties, academic plans, and advisors
- Real-time alerts and notifications for faculty and students
- Real-time degree evaluations and "what if" scenarios
- Multiple student relationship support for application of academic policies and procedures (e.g. GPA calculations, transcript processing, reasonable academic progress)
- Better integration with Guided Independent Study system
- Better integration with other operational systems (e.g. course management systems, classroom scheduling, SEVIS, imaging)
- Enhanced security, identity management, and FERPA compliance
Through our review of the existing system we found several opportunities where business process could be re-engineered and optimized. These opportunities include:
- Integrated customer relationship and correspondence management
- Workflow enabled Add/Drop processing
- Enhanced web-based reporting, analytics, and data mining environment through a central relational data repository
- Co- and Prerequisite checking
- Automated course wait-listing
Project MAUI will provide a flexible architecture so that we can address the changing administrative needs and support the new and dynamic functional unit requirements. New features and functionality that are currently planned are:
- Advanced eRecruiting and Marketing functionality
- Ability to store and track additional student information relating to family, work, activities, interests, test scores, certificates, licensure, continuing education units (CEU)
- Multiple grade point calculation and grading schemes
- Support for an electronic student folder
- Support for student-initiated academic planning and a registration "shopping cart"
- Support for lottery and course bidding registration systems
- Support for fractional course credits
- Support for flexible and modular course scheduling
From a technology perspective we will use a variety of contemporary web development platforms and environments to implement Project MAUI. The technology stack will include both open and industry standard technologies. The core of which will be an Oracle relational database from which we will develop business processes using a Java development environment. A rich self-service user experience will be provided via standard web browsers. These are technologies that are familiar and proven on campus. A diagram of the overall technical architecture can be found at http://provost.uiowa.edu/maui/docs/MAUI%20Architecture-summary.pdf. A more detailed diagram can be found at http://provost.uiowa.edu/maui/docs/MAUI%20Architecture-detail.pdf.
DARwin is the latest and greatest version of Miami University's DARS software. We implemented the DARS software in the fall of 1990 to provide Degree Evaluations at The University of Iowa. This software "engine" on the mainframe accepts input from our current student information datastores and creates the UI Degree Evaluation (DELI) for viewing on ISIS. Upgrading to DARwin, the newer windows-versioned administrative client, provides us with the all the improvements Miami staff have made since we last upgraded in 1995. Upgrading also provides us with more "Transfer Course Articulation" functionality than currently exists in our own transfer course equivalency system. Most students, faculty, and advisors will only see the user interface improvements provided via the ISIS and OSIRIS web displays. We expect to provide point-and-click expanding and collapsing of requirements allowing users to focus on those items which remain to be completed as a student makes progress toward completing his or her degree.
Project MAUI will maintain student self-service (ISIS) and administrative web interfaces (OSIRIS). The goal of the new student information system is create a richer user interface both in the form of more features/functionality and in ease of use. We expect to maintain the ISIS branding for Student self-service but will likely merge OSIRIS and Infobank into the MAUI application as we develop more administrative functionality.
Data will be accessible through a variety of methods. Data will be available directly through the MAUI application via its user interface screens and generated reports. Student Information System data will also be published directly to an operation data store and a data warehouse for advanced reporting and analytics.
We've made great progress on course renumbering, developing prerequisite and co-requisite designations, and definitions of academic entities and programs. These are critical components of the new student records system, especially the course database. Although the original target date of Fall 2007 was optimistic, we still need these efforts accomplished as soon as possible as we begin the design and development of the new course database.
The original intent was to replace our existing Student Information System with a vendor product, Matrix, from SungardSCT Higher Education. Through the first five months of implementing Matrix, we encountered some significant issues with the product and the vendor. We discussed these with the vendor but were unable to resolve the issues. The Executive Sponsors, Executive Steering Committee, and Project Leadership Team thought that the institutional risk for the University was too great to continue with the Matrix implementation. In November 2006, Sungard SCT announced that there would be no new development of the Matrix product. Maintenance agreements with existing clients would be honored through 2014.
Please send any additional question and/or suggestions to the Project Co-Directors at maui@uiowa.edu.