ASA: DARS/CAS Project(s) – CAS Request Import Interface and DARS/CAS Project and Production Support
DARS/CAS Production Support
The DARS/CAS Team keeps a running list of requested enhancements, reports of needed bug fixes, and outstanding identified project activities. [Note: This task list will be physically attached to the formal written copy of this business case and will be sent as an attachment when this business case is sent via email.]
This list is reviewed with the DARS/CAS User Group http://www.dars.mntransfer.org/usergroup/usergroup.html and priorities are set based on criteria such as: complexity of completing request, how many institutions/students it will positively impact and how critically it is needed.
Since June of 2005, we have accomplished two enhancements. Because the list is now very long and technical resources have not been available to accomplish much on the list, users are reluctant to add to that list with their requests. That means we have a project that is currently not as responsive to its customers.
Historically, beginning in the first full year of the project (2000) we were able to respond quickly with fulfilling enhancement requests in a priority order. That stopped in June 2005 when our dedicated technical support person was assigned to another project.
Except for two bugs identified since March of this year, we have been able to respond to and fix all the reported bugs.
CAS Request Import Interface
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, in conjunction with the University of Minnesota, began working on the Course Applicability System (CAS) project in 1999. By December 31, 2004, all 37 MnSCU institutions and the 4 campuses of the University of Minnesota were live and in production on the Minnesota CAS server.
One of the main student functions of the CAS website is to allow students to enter their planned and completed college coursework and save it in a portfolio of coursework. These courses may then be used to run a Planning Guide in CAS. The Planning Guide function allows a student to choose the school to which they may wish to transfer these courses, as well as selecting the major program they are interested in pursuing at that transfer institution. Based on the DARS encoding the receiving institution has done, the student should find out exactly how the transfer courses that are in their CAS portfolio will meet requirements of the major program they are interested in.
Current technical functionality on the MnCAS server allows students to enter their portfolio of planned or previously taken coursework two ways. The first way is free-form entry and the second way is to select courses from a course bank. This course bank of active courses is loaded to the CAS server from ISRS on an annual basis. The functionality of the CAS software has always allowed the addition of a third way for students to enter their previously taken coursework – The Request Import interface. This interface allows a student, with authentication, to retrieve their coursework directly from the student information system (ISRS).
