June 26, 2024

Minutes

Attendance

Call for New Projects or Initiatives

• Heather mentioned that an ad hoc group may be needed to address the Department of Education’s expanded definition a third-party servicer under the Third-Party Servicer (TPS) Rule.
  • The definition has expanded to include any software products and services that relate to the provision of educational content and instructions (among other things).
  • The group may need to inventory and assess what technology would now be included in the scope of TPS requirements.
  • It will be important to include someone from Academic Affairs (i.e., faculty, dean) in this group.

• ZogoTech Data Dictionary
  • Kirsten informed the group that IE would like to complete the ZogoTech data dictionary.
  • The Registrar’s Office and other areas may need to assist to be sure that all definitions are accurate and up-to-date.

Standing Updates

• ZogoTech Outstanding Ticket/Enhancement Cleanup + HEIRS Data Element Additions   
  • No updates at this time.

• IT Directory Cleanup
  • This project is related to the HR project, so Patty provided the group with a brief update. Jared Cazmay did some work to clean up former employees and their emails before he left. The HR clean-up has aided IT in deactivating old accounts.

• SoftDocs Implementation
  • Michelle said that the project is moving forward. IT hopes to have it implemented by the fall semester.

• Financial Value Transparency & Gainful Employment Act (FVT GE Act)
  • Heather informed the group that the FVT GE Act reporting is due to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) on October 1st of this year.
  • The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) will assist schools with some of the reporting.
  • NECC will be using the transitional reporting period which requires the last two years of program and student level data and then estimates for the four prior years.
  • There is some national pushback to this requirement and associations are lobbying to have the deadline extended. NECC will continue to proceed using the information that is currently available.
  • The cross-functional team focused on this reporting has been meeting regularly with the next meeting in July.

• LLL EE (Formerly Destiny One)/Noncredit Update
  • KB informed the group that the Essex County Sherriff’s Department (ECSD) courses will now be entered into LLL EE. This means that the student and course data will be accessible in Banner and ZogoTech.
  • Linda shared that CCCE has contracted a health check, a.k.a. “reboot,” with Modern Campus, the LLL EE platform developers. Many current staff were not at NECC at implementation. This reboot will be helpful for understanding system features and exploring what is capable.
  • KB spoke about the need for a noncredit grading policy. There needs to be a process for entering grades and then determining how they should look on a transcript. There are thousands of grades (over many years) in Banner that display as ‘In Progress’ on a student’s transcript. This represents the default for when no grade is assigned. KB will lead an ad hoc group that can begin to tackle the Banner clean-up and develop a policy.

Ad-Hoc Group Updates

• HR Data Cleanup 
  • Patty informed the group that this project is close to completion.

• Pre-requisite Cleanup
  • Kirsten shared some information about this paused group that was originally initiated by Audrey. The intent was to have pre-requisites populate in Navigate.
  • The project ended up being an enormous amount of work, and policy changes around pre-requisites and proficiencies created challenges.
  • Kirsten mentioned that additional representatives from Academic Affairs are needed for this group. Tom Greene and Jodi Carson were suggested as possible prospects. Joan will also need to be involved.
  • Kirsten will reach out to all in the fall with a plan to reconvene.

• Secure Data Sharing and Transfer Practices/Policy
  • Lindsay mentioned that there was still some unknowns around whether this will ultimately become a policy or protocol.
  • Heather questioned whether this might exist as an internal policy, similar to Karen Rooney’s Grant Policy.
  • Lindsay mentioned that Danny seemed to indicate that it should be a policy, and had suggested it could possibly become part of the annual cybersecurity training.
  • Kirsten suggested that it should be treated as a protocol for now and shared with leadership so that they have a chance to review it and provide input.
  • More conversations with Danny and Heather may be needed.

• Survey Protocol
  • Stella let the group know that the protocol is complete and ready to be shared with leadership. The hope is to be able to share it with faculty and others before the fall semester.

• Texting Communication Protocol/Best Practices for Faculty and Staff reaching out to students
  • Stella mentioned that the protocol is written, but they are waiting to share it with leadership until certain decisions are made.
  • PACE uses a separate system for texting and their contract is ending soon. There have been conversations about whether PACE can use Navigate for texting so that there can be one system.

• Texting Regulations and Policies related to multiple systems and opt-outs
  • Heather mentioned that she and Danny are working together on this initiative. There is a possibility that this issue could result in an IT policy.

• Veteran Affairs Data Cleanup
  • Angela was unable to attend the meeting. Kirsten mentioned that this group was started some time ago but put on pause because of staffing changes. Angela would like to reinstate the group.
  • Mike mentioned that there are several places in Banner where Veterans data is stored. He has to rely on multiple spreadsheets for reporting, and finds the data unreliable.
  • Joan shared that there is a place in Banner that is populated when students self-identify as Veterans. That information is then verified.
  • Maria mentioned that Angela’s office only reports on Veterans who are using their benefits or receiving services.

Miscellaneous

• Kirsten will be sending out the schedule of Data Governance meetings for the new fiscal year. The meetings will follow the current schedule with a mix of in-person and Zoom.
  • There will be no meeting in July. The group will reconvene at the end of August before the start of the new academic year.

• Michael Noonan discussed some of the challenges he faces with data entry. CAE is undergoing a state data audit and the state will likely request remediation actions as a result.
  • Michael is the only CAE staff member who inputs data into LACES (DESE database). Other CAE staff duplicate the data entry into LLL EE. Students’ names are sometimes entered differently in both systems due to how the name is captured, and what fields are available.
  • Maria offered to meet with Michael to share some tips that she has found helpful for communicating with international students. International students may have more than one name, and depending on the context of how they are asked, they may give an answer that is not consistent with their legal identification.
  • Sandy mentioned that CAE is planning to start requiring an ID at intake to ensure names are accurate.

• Stella relayed a message from Sue Martin regarding the information that is stored in Navigate.
  • She warned the group to be mindful not to enter any personal health or disability information into Navigate.
  • If there is a concern for, or about a student, the Care and Concern form should be filled out.
  • Health and disability information should also not be stored in Banner (i.e., SPACMT).
  • Heather recently hosted a workshop with SOAR focused on what student information is okay for sharing.
  • Kirsten suggested that a best practices document be drafted for faculty for the fall.