Scribin’ in Style Developing a Scribe Style Manual for Your Scribers

Session Rules of Etiquette Please turn off your cell phone/pager If you must leave the session early, please do so as discreetly as possible Please avoid side conversation during the session Thank you for your cooperation! 2

University of Alabama Quick Facts Official Fall 2012 Enrollment: 34,852 –Undergraduates: 29,443 –Graduates and Professional: 5,409 Number of College/Schools: 12 Number of Distinct, Currently Active Degree Codes: –Undergraduate: 27 –Graduate: 31 Number of Distinct, Currently Active Major Codes: –Undergraduate: 157 –Graduate: 101 Number of Currently Active Minor Codes: 87 3

Introduction Personnel –Are you the only one scribing? –Multiple scribers? –Multiple offices? Training –Trained at the same time? –Trained by the same person? 4

Introduction Consistency –Consistent user experience Advisors Students –Consistent Maintenance Current scribers Future scribers 5

Consistency.

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Both are valid scribe code Produce different displays to students and advisors 9

Considerations.

Can’t cover every eventuality –Must leave some things up to the discretion of the scriber Deceptive similarity –Two seemingly similar requirements require different code Input –Consult stakeholders –Consensus 11

Considerations Lower Division 12

Considerations “Lower Division” Built for reporting 13

Examples.

General Education Requirements Usually “University-Wide” Good starting point for consistency Still allow colleges flexibility in their requirements 15

General Education Requirements Template 16

General Education Requirements Variation 17

General Education Requirements Considerations –Do you have one block or one per college? Size –Leeway of colleges to determine requirements –Proxy Advice –Rule Jumps 18

Ancillary Requirements Started in Arts & Sciences –Specific Definition Courses required by the major that do not count in major GPA 19

Another College Not called that in the catalog Consistent experience for student Advisors can be consistent 20

Cataloging Point of Contention at UA Previous “rule” –Every catalog meant a new block –Way to keep track of what blocks had been updated –No Catalog Management System to help deal with changes 21

Cataloging New Rules When to catalog –When a course requirement has changed: EX: Art History required 2 Literatures; Now they require one Procedure: –Change Stop Catalog Year on current block to previous end of catalog –Copy requirements into new block and Start Catalog Year is the next catalog 22

Cataloging When to change requirements in current/previous blocks –When course requirements have changed due to: Course renumbering Course deletion Changes that are retroactive to previous catalogs 23

Major/Concentration Blocks Major point of contention with departments and with scribers Can lead to confusion –No common definition of what a concentration is University-Wide –College definitions and curriculum 24

Major/Concentration Blocks Two concentrations in same major 25

Major/Concentration Blocks 26

Major/Concentration Blocks Designing of Required Concentrations –Where a major has multiple concentrations: Scribe all courses common to all concentrations in the major block Call the concentration block from the major block Scribe courses unique to that concentration in the concentration block All courses for the major and all concentrations not used in major GPA calculation are scribed in one block with a name “Ancillary Courses in [MAJOR]” 27

Group Rules Graduate School No Concentrations Using group rules 28

Group Rules 29

Group Rules Common Courses for each concentration pulled out Consistent with block format Helps with “Picking” 30

Summary.

Consistency –Consistent Code –Consistent Display –Consistent Experience Don’t Strangle –Allow some flexibility Functionality over Form Input from all stakeholders 32

Questions & Answers 33

Thank You! Kurt Morton © 2014 Ellucian. All rights reserved. 34