msacroa conference: serve and save: create a homegrown online catalog

Do you want to serve your entire institution and save a significant amount of money at the same time? This session will explain how Gettysburg College developed an online course catalog. We will discuss the detailed process from start to finish and provide tips and suggestions as to how you may be able toimplement a similar project at your institution.

Jim Duffy – RegistrarPaul Redfern – Director of Web Communications & Marketing

Serve and Save: Create a Homegrown Online Catalog

• Why? What triggered the decision to move to an online catalog

• How? The steps taken to kick off the process

• What? The actual process

• Action! Executing the process, moving to implementation

• Benefits: Expected and unexpected

• Tips and Suggestions

Setting the Stage

• Academic Division

• Registrar

• Academic Advising

• Off Campus Studies

• Library

• Academic Departments

Organization• Enrollment Division

• Admissions

• Athletics

• Financial Aid

• Institutional Research

• Communications

• Web Communications

• Budgetary Decision

• Enrollment Education Services

• President’s Council

Why Create a Homegrown Online Catalog?

November 2008 EES Divisional budget reduction beginning with 2009-10 version

Spring 2009 Begin developing new Department websites and the need for a connection to the

catalogJuly 2009

*Small group addresses policy questions - need for counselSeptember 2009

Small group reviewed counsel recommendations and recommended general directionOctober 2009

Small group reviewed concept mock-ups and affirmed policy directionShared with President’s Council, Faculty Chairs, and campus

*Small group included Jay White, Julie Ramsey, Barbara Fritze, 3 Registrars, Rhonda Good, Jeff Foster, Keira Kant, and Paul Redfern

How? Time Line, Expectations, etc.

Assumptions• Maintain the current updating process for faculty via the Registrar

• Limit changes to the updating process for administrative staff

• PDF (archive) version will be made on April 1 each year

• Take advantage of the new department sites www.gettysburg.edu/academics/biology

Current Print Version

Action Items TimelineNovember 2

Registrar will send update information to department chairsDecember 1

Require information to be sent back to Registrar February 1

Communications will have reviewed all changes to dept description/req and policies and Registrar will send back to departmentsMarch 1

Require final information to be sent back to Registrar April 1

New online catalog launched

• Implementation

• Most of the technical structure is in place with department project

• Front end development• Content review

Next Steps

• Communications To

• President’s Council

• Faculty Chairs

• Campus Community

• Organization of information

• Four categories

• Programs of Study (course descriptions)

• Policies (academic and administrative)

• Degree Requirements

• Faculty Registry

• Delivery of information – How do we obtain the information?

• Request for action – What do we need administrators/faculty to do?

• Meeting with departments, working through the process

• Double Check – Sent out a “preview version” requesting final edits

Prep for the Technical Process

• PeopleSoft – course descriptions entered

• CNAV – homegrown portal allows additional control of what can or

cannot be seen on the web (active courses)

• Content Management System

• Download to PDF – proven paper saver - print only what you need

• Data flows to both academic pages and the catalog (web content

consistency)

• Registrar’s/Web Communications/Campus responsibilities

The Technical Process

Data Flow

• Registrar is notified of course description changes

• Any changes outside of course descriptions are made by web

communications – consultation with Office of the Registrar

• Catalog is updated in “real time”

• Working catalog is the most up to date version

• Archived the same time each year – April 1st (historically used)

• Archivist in the library very pleased with archival process

Actual Process Today

• Cost Savings

• Accuracy

• Updates can be entered in “real time”

• Content consistent throughout the website

• Efficiency – entire process completed “in house” – no need for a

3rd party vendor

• Change in one area is reflected in all other appropriate areas

Expected Benefits

• Streamlined editing process

• Complete course/catalog “clean up”

• Improved accuracy of information

• Overall College awareness

• Database accuracy – errors revealed

• Reduction of department specific materials (handbook for majors)

• Educational: perfect timing vs. worst possible time

Unexpected Benefits

Happy Faculty

• Have a Plan

• Take Your Time

• Communicate and Collaborate

• Be patient

• Create “buy in”

• Keep at it

Tips

Jim Duffy

Registrar

jpduffy@gettysburg.edu

Paul Redfern

Director of Web Communications & Marketing

predfern@gettysburg.edu

Questions & Discussionwww.gettysburg.edu/catalog