IT Highlights

PAGE CONTENT

Academic Technology Update

Summer 2024 will be a very busy one for the Classroom Technology team.  The team has roughly 100 classroom technology upgrades and installations currently scheduled throughout the UMS.  The projects range from simple presentation systems to replacing complex Active Learning systems.  In addition, the team is working with the UMS Capital Planning team on several major Building projects.  The team will also complete the installations for the 2020 USDA Distance Learning and Telehealth RUS Grant.

 

(Content for this article was provided by Angela Cook, Director of Academic Technology)

Brightspace Compliance Training

A cross-functional team is currently engaged in implementing Brightspace as the new training platform for UMS Academy, replacing the current solution, Infobase. Starting August 2024, employees will access the essential UMS Compliance Training modules in Brightspace. Although the environment will bear similarities to the academic aspect of Brightspace, it is distinctly separate. Users will still encounter the recognizable UMS Academy logo, making it easy to identify their current environment at any point. Stay tuned to your inbox this Summer for further announcements and details regarding this exciting transition.

 

(Content for this article was provided by the Brightspace Compliance Training Implementation Team)


UMS Campus Card Services Update

UMS Card Services is working on the following initiatives:

Security Camera Service

Card Services has experienced an increased demand for our security camera service.  With this in mind, we have been focused on making the service more cost-effective and the installation process more efficient.  We have partnered with UM Auxiliary for a new “one-stop shopping” webpage. The webpage will provide guidance,  required forms for university employees interested in this service,  and the opportunity for approved end users to view existing camera feeds. 

Online Photo Submission

We have improved the process for new students to submit their pictures for University credentials.  Rather than sending a unique link via email, it will be delivered to the students’ activity list in MaineStreet.  The goal is to add the photo submission process to other essential student tasks and mitigate confusion over whether students received their links through email.

Mobile Credentials

We are engaging with Transact, our University credentials vendor, for a site readiness evaluation for mobile credentials.  Mobile credentialing is currently being used on the UMaine campus, and our goal is to provide this service to students on other campuses as well. If granted permission through Apple, the next step would be to pilot this program with one of the campuses we support. 

 

(Content for this article was provided by Mike Ferguson, Manager, UMS Campus Card and Cellular Services)

Repaving MaineStreet

Reminder – What is the Repaving MaineStreet Initiative?

Repaving MaineStreet includes projects to migrate the MaineStreet PeopleSoft® HCM (Human Resources) application to Oracle Cloud HCM and the PeopleSoft® Financials application to Oracle Cloud ERP, and a reimplementation of MaineStreet PeopleSoft® Campus Solutions (CS), the student information system. The initiative’s overarching goals are to provide:

  • An improved MaineStreet Experience for all
  • Expanded opportunities for collaboration between campuses
  • Enhanced consistency to support process improvements and data consistency

The current project timeline is available here.

Upcoming Oracle Cloud Phase One Recruiting Sneak Peeks & Milestones

During Phase One of the Oracle Cloud project, we will implement the HCM Recruiting module, replacing Hiretouch, the current UMS employee applicant tracking system. 

Sneak Peeks at Oracle Cloud Recruiting are available here. 

Upcoming Milestones:

What’s Happened Since the Last Update?

Oracle Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM) HR project 

The team is reviewing and finalizing cloud application configurations and data conversions in preparation for the Phase 1 Recruiting User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and the July 1 Go-live. Efforts are also underway to prepare for the Phase 2 Application Reviews.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Finance project

In March, the ERP (Finance) project team completed the second round of Application Review and Self-guided Review sessions for the Accounts Receivable, General Ledger, and Cash Management modules. The team is now focused on updating configurations and converting data based on the Application Review results in preparation for the third round of Application Reviews planned for late May through early June.

MaineStreet Campus Solutions (CS) Reimplementation project 

The teams are reviewing and making decisions regarding low-to-medium-effort recommendations for optimizing the Campus Solutions system while evaluating and prototyping several medium-to-high-effort recommendations. This includes exploring the utilization of CommGen (Communications Generation) functionality in the Admissions and Financial Aid functional areas, planning for necessary updates to the Financial Chart of Accounts, and devising a solution to identify programs in Campus Solutions that lead to licensure. Recommendations already approved for implementation in our current environment are in progress, with the first recommendation completing the comprehensive proposal, approval, and implementation process in early April.

The technical team is closely collaborating with the functional area and ERP Analysts teams during the build-out of the PeopleTools 8.6 environment, which is scheduled to move into production in early June. This will provide the required functionality to proceed with the planning, development, and implementation of additional recommendations.

What’s Next?

  • April – May: HCM Recruiting, Onboarding, and Core HR SIT and UAT
  • May – June: End User Training
  • June: PeopleTools 8.6 Upgrade for Campus Solutions 

What Can You Do?

  • Visit the project website for more information, including access to project presentations and recordings, FAQs, a project glossary, project timelines, etc.

Submit questions and input about the project via the project input form.

 

(Content for this article was provided by the Repaving MaineStreet Implementation teams )