1. Implementing state-wide electronic transcript exchange using xml and PESC
Frankie Baker
Manager, Administrative Technology Support

2. Agenda Business challenges with transcripts The Tower of Babel
Higher ed.’s “Tower of Babel’
Bridging the “language” barrier
The Universal Translator
A “Universal Translator” for transcripts?
Technologies
Ohio’s “Universal Translator”
ATC business challenges
ATC walk-through
Future

3. Business challenges with transcripts
Avoiding paper transcripts
Avoiding lag time
US Mail
Transcript evaluation
Manual input to SIS
Avoiding manual input errors
Improving service to students
Removing barriers to transfer

4. The Tower of Babel Biblical story City of Babel – One language
Tower built to “redeem the successes of mankind”
God punished all by giving everyone different languages and spreading them across the world
No longer communicate
Tower was never finished

5. Higher ed.’s “Tower of Babel”
Different platforms
Linux, Mac, IBM, UNIX, Windows, others
Different databases
Oracle, SQL Server, UniData, DB2, Informix, others
Few standards across SIS’s
Data formats
Different tables (files) and columns (fields)
Varying technical expertise
others…

6. Bridging the “language” barrier
One state-wide higher education SIS?
All institutions use the same SIS?
1 standard transcript across the state (country)

7. The Universal Translator
Sci-fi device to translate one language into another
Home-land security developing a real universal translator
A real-life universal translator for transcripts?

8. A “Universal Translator” for transcripts?
PESC: Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council
Established in 1997
PESC's mission is to lead the establishment and adoption of data exchange standards in education.
PESC’s first xml standard approved in July, 2004

9. Technologies: Why xml?
Traditional data file
Traditional data files have no “intelligence” built in
Must have a user document to manually validate the file
xml data files have built in “intelligence”
Self documenting, to some extent
Standard for data exchange on web
xml equivalent

10. Technologies: What is PESC?
National standard
A schema (definition/validation file) that is used to validate an xml document in an automated fashion
Schema defines required and optional fields
Defines possible data values
Example: SessionType

11. Technologies: What is PESC? (samples)
View PESC xml transcript
View PESC xml schema

12. Ohio’s “Universal Translator”
Ohio Board of Regents
Articulation and Transfer Clearinghouse project (ATC)
Central clearinghouse
Public first; private down-the-road
Strong support from state and Chancellor
Implement PESC

13. ATC Business Challenges
Central Clearinghouse
All institutions send and receive thru clearinghouse; not to each other
Stores demographic/contact info. for institutions

14. ATC Business Challenges (cont.)
OBR funds development of 4 SIS Interfaces
Banner, Datatel, Jenzabar, PeopleSoft
4 institutions received grant $ to develop SIS interfaces
SIS interfaces installed and configured on participating institutions servers

15. ATC Business Challenges (cont.)
Respect institution specific business rules
PESC Schema is open; general agreement of standard data
GPA
“Pure” GPA
“Forgiveness”
Repeat courses

16. ATC walk-through: Transcript flow
Step 1
Step 2
Step 4
Step 3

17. ATC walk-through: Demonstration

18. Future
High schools
State-wide; nation-wide

19. Implementing state-wide electronic transcript exchange using xml and PESC
Frankie Baker
Manager, Administrative Technology Support