Transform and Streamline Technology Services, Solutions and Institutional Processes
Enhancing Operational Excellence through the transformation of the technology environment is a strategic priority of Spelman College. Due to the rapid pace of technological and digital advancements, the College is continually working to enhance technology resources to strengthen and secure the technology environment. Spelman Technology Services (STS) has led these efforts and leverages Title III resources to ensure that students, faculty, and staff have access to state-of-the-art technology and a robust network infrastructure that enables ubiquitous access to instructional technology.
STS has also spearheaded efforts to digitize, automate, and streamline institutional processes to enhance workflow efficiencies and service quality. The provision of computer technology and state-of-the-art audio/video equipment has enabled the creation of a Video Production Studio and Voiceover (Podcast) Booth. Enhanced computers and audio/video technology have also been enhanced in labs and classrooms to ensure optimal performance, reliability, and availability of computing resources for students and faculty.
To supplement the College’s efforts to quickly pivot to a remote learning environment at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, STS tapped Title III resources to procure faculty technology teaching resources. As the College returns to in-person learning, STS will continue to lead efforts to ensure that technology resources facilitate the delivery of excellent services and instruction for students and faculty who access technology tools and resources on campus or virtually.
Modernization efforts have enhanced communication with students, increased automation of processes to enhance data quality, and expanded Self-Service utilization in Banner. These efforts have enhanced processes in the offices of Admissions, Institutional Advancement, Financial Aid, Business and Financial Affairs, Registrar (Registration/Records), Human Resources, and Student Accounts.
A Title III funded project that we expect to solve a significant, ongoing obstacle is the cross-registration automation project. The AUC Consortium includes Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Morehouse School of Medicine. Students may take classes at partner institutions which helps them stay on schedule for graduation, and in some cases, allows students to take classes that are not offered on their home campus. Historically, cross-registration has been a cumbersome, time-consuming, and obscure process that did not enable the provision of managerial metrics regarding cross-registered students.
The College is developing a solution that will leverage the existing Student Information System (SIS) to provide a cross-registration experience that students will find similar to registering for classes at their home campus. The new solution will provide a high quality, repeatable process for students to cross-register, while providing faculty and administrators managerial reports that provide insights into the number of students who have cross registered, the classes they are taking, grades, and other key metrics. Once implemented, this solution will transform the cross-registration process and will make the power of the consortium more easily available to students at all participating campuses.
As this five-year grant culminates, STS will build upon modernization efforts as they move into the implementation of digital transformation initiatives. According to a recent article published in Inside HigherEd, entitled More Than a Lifeline, “Digital transformation (Dx) is a series of deep and coordinated culture, workforce, and technology shifts that enable new educational and operating models and transform an institution’s operations, strategic directions, and value proposition”.
Along with modernization efforts, Title III support has supplemented the Spelman Technology Services (STS) efforts to do the following:
Migrate faculty and staff email from Lotus Notes to MS Office 365
Relocate Banner services to the cloud
Strengthen the College’s network infrastructure to ensure the availability of networks, servers, telecommunications, and database platforms
Implement cyber-security training, tools, and resources to support the detection, prevention, and mitigation of cyber risks to protect the College’s digital assets
