See at a glance how the new SIS will affect you. We will add or modify entries in this guide as needed to keep you abreast of the coming changes. A detailed training schedule that includes class descriptions, intended audiences and dates will be available in early March.
If you do not find the answers to your questions in this guide, please let us know at rufus.initiative@ohio.edu or 740-597-8387.
Advisors | Instructors | Employees with administrative access to student data | Students
ENHANCEMENT | 
NO CHANGE | 
MINOR CHANGE | 
MODERATE CHANGE | 
MAJOR CHANGE
Everyone:
Expanded operating hours
ENHANCEMENT - The new SIS will provide near real time updates to student data and will be available during a much wider period of time each day compared to our current system.
Different maintenance windows
MODERATE CHANGE - All computer systems require down time for maintenance. The new SIS will not require nightly "batch processing" time; however, it will require a few hours each week for system updates.
My OHIO Portal
ENHANCEMENT, MAJOR CHANGE - My OHIO is a secure, personalized, customizable web site that consolidates important academic and administrative tasks in a single place. Once you log in, you will see your university inbox and your academic information. You also will be able to click through to useful sites like Blackboard and the new PeopleSoft Student Center. My OHIO is in constant development/improvement, so you can expect to see more and more personalized information on the site as time goes by.
Oak ID gets a new name - OHIO ID
MINOR CHANGE - "Oak ID," will be renamed to "OHIO ID." Your actual username will not change - just the name you see when systems ask you to log in. Instead of prompting you for your Oak ID, systems will prompt you to enter your OHIO ID. You'll still use the same username you've always used.
ENHANCEMENT | NO CHANGE | MINOR CHANGE | MODERATE CHANGE | MAJOR CHANGE
Advisors:
Enhanced services, some important policy and procedure changes
If you currently do not log into SIS itself and only use web tools like Advisee Lists and Course Offerings, then the transition to our new SIS should be fairly simple. All of the current web tools will be updated to work with the new system and consolidated into a standard look and feel, but the functions you are used to performing online will not change.
You will need to be aware of some important academic and advising policy changes, including Full Time Status, Probation, Repeat/Retake, and RAC. These are detailed below.
Academic Policies
Full time status
MAJOR CHANGE – 12 hours will be the new minimum for being considered a full time undergradate student; however, the comprehensive fee threshold will remain at 11 hours. Graduate and medical school policies remain unchanged.
Probation
MAJOR CHANGE - A new undergraduate probation policy that does not use deficiency points will become effective summer 2011. (see undergraduate catalog for details). Graduate and medical school policies remain unchanged.
Repeat/Retake
MAJOR CHANGE - A new undergraduate repeat/retake policy will become effective summer 2011. (see undergraduate catalog for details). Graduate and medical school policies remain unchanged.
Advisee Lists
User interface
MINOR CHANGE, ENHANCEMENT -The Advisee Lists web tool will look slightly different from the current version and will include more data, but the basic functions will not change. Advisors still will be able to look up their advisees, e-mail selected advisees, and view DARS reports. Current links to the web tool will redirect automatically to the new tool once it goes into production. Advisors also will be able to access the tool from the MyOHIO portal. For those who both teach and advise, the new interface will share many features with the new Class Lists tool.
Delegated access
ENHANCEMENT - Departments will be able to specify an individual or individuals who are authorized to access the Advisee Lists tool on behalf of an advisor who is unavailable.
Course Offerings
Timeliness of data
ENHANCEMENT - course offerings info will be updated more frequently.
User interface
MINOR CHANGE - information in search results may be formatted slightly differently.
DARS
Web interface
MINOR CHANGE - ability to print a two-column DARS via Web advisee lists.
Delegated access
ENHANCEMENT - Departments will be able to specify an individual or individuals who are authorized to access student DARS reports on behalf of an advisor who is unavailable via the new Advisee Lists tool.
RAC
New process for allowing students to register
MAJOR CHANGE – Instead of distributing RACs via printed DARS report, advisors or their designates will use the Advisee List tool to indicate which of their undergraduate advisees are permitted to register each quarter. Students can be cleared to register individually or collectively, and academic areas will be able to determine their own policies as far as who actually clears the "permission to register" service indicator.
ENHANCEMENT | NO CHANGE | MINOR CHANGE | MODERATE CHANGE | MAJOR CHANGE
Instructors
Enhanced services, but only minor changes
If you currently do not log into SIS itself and only use web tools like Class Lists, Grading, and Course Offerings, then the transition to our new SIS should be fairly simple. All of the current web tools will be updated to work with the new system and consolidated into a standard look and feel, but the functions you are used to performing online will not change.
Class Lists
User interface
MINOR CHANGE - The Class Lists web tool will look slightly different from the current version and will include more data, but the basic functions will not change. Instructors still will be able to look up their students by class section, e-mail selected students, and view photos. Current links to the web tool will redirect automatically to the new tool once it goes into production. Instructors also will be able to access the tool from the My OHIO portal. For those who both teach and advise, the new interface will share many features with the new Advisee Lists tool.
Delegated access
NO CHANGE - Departments will be able to specify an individual or individuals who are authorized to access the Class Lists tool on behalf of an instructor who is unavailable.
Class Permission Slips
Same method
NO CHANGE - Permission slips will continue to use the current, paper-based process.
Grade Submission
User interface
MINOR CHANGE – The online grading system will look slightly different, but the basic functions will remain the same. The new interface will feel similar to the new Class Lists and Advisee Lists tools.
Textbook
User interface
NO CHANGE - The online tool for entering textbook publisher and pricing information will not change.
ENHANCEMENT | NO CHANGE | MINOR CHANGE | MODERATE CHANGE | MAJOR CHANGE
Employees with administrative access to student data
Completely new system, major changes
If you currently log into SIS to either view or update student data, then you will notice major changes in the coming months. The new SIS is Web-based instead of using mainframe terminal screens, it stores its data in different locations from where you are used to looking, and it uses different terminology. Once you learn to navigate in the new system, however, you will find a number of enhancements.
Effective dating of records
Ability to better track changes
ENHANCEMENT - Effective dating of records will allow more tracking of changes on a student's record.
Financial Aid
Consolidated access
ENHANCEMENT - Being in the same system as the other core services will reduce the number of "applications and systems" that financial aid staff will need to log into each day and will assist with troubleshooting.
New system
MAJOR CHANGE - All Financial Aid, including the College of Osteopathic Medicine, will be in PeopleSoft along with Admissions, Student Records, and the Bursar. Financial aid employees will need to learn to use the web-based PeopleSoft interface and will need to adjust to the fact that specific items which might once have been on the same screen may now be located in different places.
Locating, Viewing and Updating Student Data
Different data layout
MAJOR CHANGE – the new SIS stores its data quite differently from our current mainframe systems. Items that once were located on the same screen may now be located in different places in the new system. Searches and queries are constructed differently, and results will be formatted differently.
Placing charges on student financial accounts
Procedure change
MODERATE CHANGE – There will be a new procedure for offices that wish to have charges posted to a student account.
Revenue details
New tool
ENHANCEMENT – A new reporting tool will help departments and colleges view the details of revenue posting to their general ledger accounts via PeopleSoft.
Web Interface
New system
MAJOR CHANGE - PeopleSoft is a web based system that makes heavy use of tabs, drop down menus, and context-sensitive buttons and icons. Individuals used to working in keyboard-intensive mainframe terminal windows will need to adjust to navigating in PeopleSoft.
New terminology
MODERATE CHANGE - PeopleSoft uses different terminology to describe the University's academic structure. Some words appear in both our current SIS and in PeopleSoft, but they mean different things. These new meanings can be confusing to a first time user, but they quickly become second nature once an individual starts using the new system regularly.
ENHANCEMENT | NO CHANGE | MINOR CHANGE | MODERATE CHANGE | MAJOR CHANGE
Students
Enhanced services, major changes
If you are a current student at Ohio University, then you are familiar with the multitude of independent websites you must visit to complete important tasks like registering for classes, applying for financial aid, and paying bills. The new SIS will consolidate all of those services in a single location and make tasks like registering for classes available after 7 pm.
Academic Policies
Full time status
MAJOR CHANGE – 12 hours will be the new minimum for being considered a full time undergradate student; however, the comprehensive fee threshold will remain at 11 hours. Graduate and medical school policies remain unchanged.
Probation
MAJOR CHANGE - A new undergraduate probation policy that does not use deficiency points will become effective summer 2011. (see undergraduate catalog for details). Graduate and medical school policies remain unchanged.
Repeat/Retake
MAJOR CHANGE - A new undergraduate repeat/retake policy will become effective summer 2011. (see undergraduate catalog for details). Graduate and medical school policies remain unchanged.
Availability
New hours
ENHANCEMENT – Students will be able to register after 7pm.
Bills
Student Center instead of eBill
MAJOR CHANGE – eBills will no longer be issued. Instead, students will access their accounts via the Student Center in the My OHIO portal. Account details will include charges, payments, anticipated financial aid, due dates, payment plans, optional fee waivers, and direct deposit enrollment.
Course Offerings
Timeliness of data
ENHANCEMENT – course offerings info will be updated more frequently.
User interface
MINOR CHANGE - search results may be formatted slightly differently.
DARS
New web layout
ENHANCEMENT – online DARS may be viewed in a two-column landscape layout in addition to the long, one-column portrait layout.
RAC
MAJOR CHANGE - DARS will no longer include a RAC at the top of the report, since the new system will use a different method of authorizing students to register. Instead of needing to remember a 4 digit RAC, an undergraduate student simply meets with their advisor, and the advisor clears a service indicator in the new SIS that authorizes that student to register. Departments that currently do group advising sessions still will be able to do so, but there will be no need to keep track of multiple DARS printouts and RACs.
Student Center
New service
MAJOR CHANGE - The Student Center in the My OHIO portal will consolidate most student related information in one area. This will reduce the number of separate websites students need to visit when checking admission status, viewing bills, registering for classes, or accepting financial aid. Student Center will include automated To Do lists and reminders for important university requirements and deadlines.
Financial Aid
New system
MAJOR CHANGE – Students will access their financial aid information for 2011-12 and forward via the Student Center in the My OHIO portal. The Student Center will identify what documents are needed for processing financial aid, show awarded financial aid, and allow students to accept/reduce/decline financial aid.
Late Fees
New procedure
MAJOR CHANGE - In the current SIS, students with overdue balances are assessed a flat fee either once per quarter or monthly, depending on whether the student is on a quarterly or monthly payment plan. In the new system, a percentage of the overdue balance will be charged monthly, regardless of whether that student pays by the quarter or by the month.
My OHIO Portal
New service
MAJOR CHANGE, ENHANCEMENT - MyOHIO will provide personalized, customizable access to important online tasks and services at Ohio University. Students will be able to use the Student Center portion of My OHIO to register for classes, apply for/track/accept/decline/reduce financial aid, view account balances, and pay bills. MyOHIO also will include personalized access to university e-mail and many other online services.
RAC
New advising method
MAJOR CHANGE – RACs will no longer be required to register, but undergraduate students must still meet with their advisors and be cleared to register for classes. Instead of needing to remember a 4 digit RAC, a student simply meets with their advisor, and the advisor clears a service indicator in the new SIS that authorizes that student to register. Departments that currently do group advising sessions still will be able to do so, but there will be no need to keep track of multiple DARS printouts and RACs.
Registration
Expanded hours
ENHANCEMENT – Students will be able to register after 7 pm.
User Interface
MINOR CHANGE - The Web Registration interface will look different but provide the same basic functions.
To-do checklists
New capability
ENHANCEMENT – new feature will remind students of official tasks that need to be completed. These to-do lists are generated automatically and are based on specific university services like admissions applications, financial aid, registration and graduation dates.
