April 2020 IT Projects

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Brightspace LMS

The Brightspace Organization Structure plan has been finalized and migration of course content from Blackboard to Brightspace is underway, with Summer and Fall 2019 semester content migration complete. Instructors are being automatically enrolled into their imported courses in Brightspace, and there will likely be some “cleanup” required (fixing links to Kaltura or other LTI options, modifying assignments to use new tools, formatting, etc.) Migration of additional semesters’ course content from Blackboard will continue in the coming weeks. 

A Brightspace Virtual Symposium is planned for May 14 and 15, which will include guest speakers, hands-on training, and more.  If you are interested in attending, please Click Here to Register. Additionally, the project and campus teaching and learning teams continue to plan and prepare for expanded Summer pilots. 


Classrooms for the Future

This project involves ongoing bond funding renovations to existing classrooms across the entire UMS. Most recently, a $500,000 RUS grant was awarded to convert video conferencing and instructional television 20th century distance education systems to a new 21st century web conferencing solution at 62 sites. The annual RUS grant Performance report was completed and submitted to the USDA. The equipment list for the RUS grant upgrades is almost complete. The next step is to prepare a change order for USDA approval so work can begin this summer.


Dell Desktop Services Implementation

This project involves the onboarding of Dell standard computer models and integration of the Dell Premiere page with the MaineStreet Marketplace. The core team has met with Dell representatives and Procurement to discuss streamlining the Dell Marketplace approval process. Standard equipment and standard upgrades have been submitted to Dell for inclusion on the Dell Premier page. Default shipping addresses have been gathered. The technical team is completing discovery and is ready to begin Dell Tech Direct training.


Enterprise Pay for Print

The project team is working on a system-wide pay for print service that will allow students to print anywhere using their “bucks”.  The core team met this month to begin project planning and layout a rough timeline.


Jaggaer Contract Compliance Tracker

This project will allow for storage of contracts and associated metadata (contract start, end, renewal dates, etc) as part of the Jaggaer delivered MaineStreet Marketplace platform. The project kick-off meeting took place on April 24, 2020, and weekly configuration planning meetings will commence starting April 28th.


Liferay DXP Upgrade

This project will upgrade the myCampus portal to the most current version of Liferay. The project team has conducted meetings with many of the site administrators and will continue to schedule appointments with the remaining administrators over the new few weeks. Internal and external developers are working on upgrading components of the site.


MaineStreet UX Enhancements

This project will acquire and deploy a 3rd party PeopleSoft User-Interface Platform to streamline and improve usability, navigability, and utility of the MaineStreet environment. A fit/gap analysis of the Campus Experience module has been completed, along with resulting configuration changes and issue remediation. A limited student pilot is currently underway, with testing and feedback being collected. Analysis of student input will help inform next steps with regard to additional configurations and planning. 


Perceptive Document Retention

This project will implement the Retention Policy Manager add-on for Perceptive Content, which allows for the creation of rules around document destruction, including approval workflows and automated timed processes. A contract has been signed with a consultant to provide training and guidance on setting up retention rules.



Peoplesoft Financials AR/Billing for Miscellaneous Receivables

This project will implement the PeopleSoft Financials AR/Billing modules to support non-student miscellaneous billing. Project scope is limited to those departments that are currently utilizing the MAS90 legacy system. It was recently decided that UMA and UMaine will both start processing billing on a limited basis via PeopleSoft AR/Billing in production following the Financials PeopleTools upgrade and transition to the Linux environment. Decisions about when to introduce the system to departmental users will be made after an assessment period.


UMF Medicat Implementation

UMF has made significant progress in its implementation of Medicat, an electronic health record solution.  Remaining items for implementation are the Immunization Compliance Manager, Medicat Patient Portal and finalization of Physician’s Billing setup. This work will resume upon returning to campus.


UMS Wireless Infrastructure

This project involves ongoing bond funding upgrades to outdated wireless and related equipment in and around learning and student environments, providing high-speed connectivity and improvements in the wiring infrastructure to support future advancements and technologies. Currently, work has resumed at USM’s Corthell and Russell Halls with additional health and safety precautions in place.  Work is substantially complete on all other campuses.


Zoom Video Conference Integration

The project has transitioned to the closeout phase. UMA has been the primary campus continuing to use TMS in the Spring 2020 semester. Since video conferencing classes are on hold as students and most faculty and staff continue work remotely (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), full transition to Zoom VC will not occur until VC classes are back in session. The project team will identify outstanding activities in the closeout report.