PENN PRINTOUT
The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine

PENN PRINTOUT April 1992 - Volume 8:7

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The evolution of a service: Streamlining access to Student Financial Information

By Regina Koch

Last fall Student Financial Services embarked on a project to decentralize computer access for entering and updating student financial information, putting more control in the hands of those directly responsible for the management and integrity of such data. The project is known as SFS EASI: Student Financial Services Enhanced Access to Student Information. While the main objective of SFS EASI is to streamline interactions between SFS, students, and other offices on campus, the end result should yield significant productivity benefits for the entire University community.


The first step: consolidated services

The Office of Student Financial Services (SFS) was formed in December 1988, combining all services previously offered by the Office of Student Financial Aid, the Bursar's Office, the Penn Plan Agency, and the Collections Office. The primary goals of this consolidation were to provide one-stop financial shopping for students, reduce duplication of effort, and improve service to students, families, and University administration. A key feature of the reorganization was the creation of the Student Financial Information Center, staffed with service representatives to provide assistance across the broad range of interdependent SFS systems.

Though SFS offices and services were merged during reorganization, the underlying computer systems remained separate, with different databases and vendors, and limited online access. In 1990 SFS, in conjunction with University Management Information Services (UMIS), prepared a needs statement to address the revamping of these cumbersome systems. However, the project was put on hold pending development of the new financial system and Penn's decisions on strategic architecture for administrative systems.


The next step: SFS EASI

In October 1991 SFS and UMIS developed an "interim" plan for systems development which would upgrade and affect SFS systems strictly at the point of user interface, without requiring significant changes to the underlying databases. This strategy will enable new levels of service and productivity to evolve within a relatively short time.

Key to this approach is the development of a decentralized online capability enabling individuals with jurisdictional responsibility/ownership of specific SFS data elements to maintain them directly, thus embellishing the original "one-stop-shopping" concept with the broader convenience of a "shop-at-home" network. In this manner, SFS hopes to develop partnerships not only to provide better service, but also to make the associated work processes faster and easier. SFS EASI includes a number of phases, to be implemented over the next 18 months:

Decentralized Update of Departmental Grants will enable departmental administrators to enter, update, and track grants for their students online, eliminating the current need to submit TR-1 forms manually to SFS. Training and access for this capability is scheduled for early June 1992.

Online Entry of Student Account Adjustments will enable authorized entry and review of adjustments for tuition and fees, housing and dining, etc., eliminating the current need for submitting manual adjustment forms to SFS. This upgrade should reduce the turnaround time for an adjustment from one week to approximately one night, and will become available in the fall of 1992.

Composite Screens will integrate information from the Billing/Bursar system, Financial Aid, Student Loans, and Penn Plan into a single system image (i.e., make it look as though it comes from a single system). The new screens will eliminate time-consuming navigation between systems and provide a better overall picture of a student's financial and billing status. A great deal of effort has been directed to presenting highly complex and interdependent student financial information in a simplified, consolidated manner.

In the context of Composite Screens, UMIS has been analyzing the feasibility of navigation across administrative systems, for example, going directly to and from the Student Records System (SRS). Significant research has also been directed toward potential use of graphical user interfaces in conjunction with both Composite Screens and other Penn systems in the future. Composite Screens will become available in the spring of 1993, pending completion of required training and security authorization.

Enhanced Student Access will be addressed later this year, beginning with analysis of the feasibility and benefit of utilizing either Voice Response or PC-Kiosks, with the goal of providing students with convenient, self-activated access to the most frequently referenced elements of student financial information. For example, a student could dial up and obtain information on her or his student account, how to apply for financial aid, the status of a Penn Plan application, when to pick up a loan check, etc. By expanding access to information and services, SFS hopes to be better synchronized with the lifestyles of students, whose needs often extend beyond the typical 9-to-5 business hours. Implementation should occur in the fall of 1993.

A Redesigned Student Bill will be implemented this fall and will present billing information in a clearer, term-based format. The current bill format was initiated in the spring of 1979 and originally contained a limited number of transactions, including tuition, housing, dining, financial aid, and cash payments. Over the years the University has progressively centralized billing for additional services, and student bills now include charges from Penntrex, Wharton Reprographics, and the Library. The new bill design should provide a more organized structure for presentation of these transactions as a "statement of account."


The visionary leap

SFS EASI reflects a commitment to the University's goals of improved personal productivity, use of advanced technology, and increased collaboration and coordination. Although it does not address some shortcomings of the current SFS systems, SFS EASI will provide a streamlined interface for both staff and student access and lay some groundwork for future computing at Penn.

SFS is constantly striving to provide innovative improvements in both service and productivity. While the scope of the SFS EASI project is limited, it does move closer to SFS long-term objectives for Student Systems at Penn. Here are some highlights of that "vision":

  • Integrated, interactive student systems designed around a core Student Account, which immediately reflects new actions and transactions
  • Expansion of the Student Account to provide a "debit" balance capability, to be used with the Penn Card for cashless purchases on campus
  • Increased online services for administrative staff (e.g., entry of work-study job descriptions, job appointments, and timesheet information) and students (e.g., direct access to search databases for jobs, grants, and scholarships)
  • Image processing to reduce requirements for document storage, tracking, and data entry

Partners in progress

The definition and development of SFS EASI has been no simple task. SFS and UMIS have sought involvement and acceptance from the field since the onset of the project. Earlier this year, SFS conducted a survey of current SFS field contacts to determine both current and future requirements for SFS information. Some of these key contacts were assembled into both student and field review committees with which SFS staff have been working closely during project definition, design, and testing to ensure that the end product will satisfy a broad range of needs. In the end, SFS EASI should go a long way in helping to make life a little EASI-er for us all!

REGINA KOCH is Director of Systems Development, Student Financial Services.