ASSIST Next Generation Questions — CIAC Conference 2014

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1. Will advanced placement (AP) be part of ASSIST? Please try to get as many UC/CSU to add their AP exams into majors.
   At launch of ASSIST Next Generation, test credit articulation will not be included. There is no policy or technology barrier to including this information. Instead, it is a workload issue regarding who would maintain the data. The inclusion of any test credit articulation data would require system collaboration with private organizations such as the College Board. Further consideration will have to be made in evaluating whether the inclusion of the resulting data would be balanced with the effort and system resources required for implementation.


2. The "datafying" of the information does not need to come at the expense of rendering ASSIST a less useful advising tool than it is now.
   We agree. One of the goals of ASSIST Next Generation has always been to provide accurate and more useful data extracts to downstream systems which help facilitate student transfer, retention and graduation. Every effort has been made to replicate, as well as enhance, current system features while still aligning with the previously stated goal.


3. Why would we re-create the 2014-2015 agreements in the new system, rather than starting on the 2015-2016 agreements in February as part of our regular schedule? What year do we start with when creating in ASSIST?
   Major agreements from 2014-15 will be created in ASSIST Next Generation within the new parameters. The current project plan is to convert 2014-15 course-to-course articulation agreements into ASSIST Next Generation without text. Universities will need to carefully review the course-to-course agreements and make changes/add attributes as needed. Course-to-course and major agreements prior to 2014-15 will be transferred into ASSIST Next Generation in an un-editable PDF format with the text unchanged.


4. We don't have a great course outline database. Can we use ASSIST as a database for all our course outline of record (CORs)? (Even non-transferable.)
   ASSIST is not designed to replace a campus curriculum management system.


5. Should all course outlines (typically articulated) be entered into OSCAR? If they are in CID, will those be transferred to ASSIST?
   The plan is to convert data from OSCAR into ASSIST Next Generation. There are no plans for converting outlines submitted to C-ID into ASSIST Next Generation. When Next Generation is launched, users will be able to initiate a C-ID designation request from within ASSIST, and the course outline will be forwarded from ASSIST to C-ID along with the request.


6. You mentioned that publishing the timeline will be subject to policy. How will that be determined & by whom? Can/do campuses have any flexibility on deadlines?
   Legacy business processes will influence rollout of ASSIST Next Generation. We will look into how ASSIST Next Generation can adhere to current processes where required and where we can introduce additional flexibility. We will consult with the field as new business rules are developed.


7. Will course outlines be available to public?
   Currently, course outlines will not be available to the public in ASSIST Next Generation.


8. During the transition time and after legacy ASSIST is shut down, will the existing/current data extract files still be available to campuses that are using them now?
   Legacy data cannot be updated after the system is shut down and the data is frozen (December 2014). Users can continue to receive legacy data extracts until ASSIST Next Generation goes live but they will only be current up to the time of data conversion into Next Generation. Development with regard to web services (and the exchange of data with other systems) has not yet begun. We anticipate having more information regarding how data extracts will be managed for ASSIST Next Generation in late August or early September 2014.


9. Will we have the ability to make corrections to data/PDF documents (i.e. error corrections)?
   It will not be possible to make changes to the historical PDF documents once they are created and uploaded to ASSIST Next Generation. Agreements created from within ASSIST Next Generation will be maintainable.


10. How far back will legacy agreements be archived? We need information back to 1989.
    All legacy agreements currently available on legacy ASSIST will be converted to PDFs and available in ASSIST Next Generation.


11. Will all current agreements be available for reference & if so to whom will it be available & for how long?
    Until ASSIST Next Generation goes live to the public in approximately June 2015, all users (public and articulation officers) will be able to access both course-to-course and major agreements on legacy ASSIST. However, no updates to the agreements in legacy ASSIST will be possible after data is converted into ASSIST Next Generation (December 2014). In June 2015, the legacy ASSIST system will shut down (both public and maintenance areas) and all course-to-course and major agreements up to and including 2013-14 will be available on the ASSIST Next Generation site in PDF format with no further access available to legacy ASSIST.


12. As AOs, are we the people responsible for training counselors, other staff, and students?
    We have no expectation that articulation officers will be responsible for training counselors, other staff or students. Ample training opportunities via a variety of methods (in-person, webinar, tutorials, manuals) will be made available for ASSIST users other than just articulation officers. However, we do appreciate that you are the ASSIST main point of contact on your campus and we may request your assistance with outreach to these groups.


13. On the timeline, January 2015 states we can start building agreements, but then it is stated again in February 2015. Is this an error or please clarify?
    ASSIST Next Generation will go on-line at the end of January for use only by articulation officers and your support staff. It will not be available to the public until approximately June of 2015. Realistically, this means you can access training and start building agreements at the beginning of February 2015.


14. Please provide a tutorial on how to upload an outline from CurricUNET to ASSIST Next Generation.
    We will work with Governet to ensure they provide documentation on this process and facilitate uploads from existing versions of CurricUNET to ASSIST Next Generation. Please note that Governet has also committed to providing a mechanism for non-CurricUNET users to upload their course outlines into the new system. We would anticipate having additional technical information regarding this mechanism in late August or early September 2014. The end goal is to have a user-friendly and efficient process for the submission of course outlines for all users, regardless of the type of curriculum management system utilized. Once we have more specific technical details in late summer/early fall, we will provide written documentation which will guide you in the process and can be provided to your IT departments.


15. For CCC can we print all major agreements for a certain major for all CSU/UC together or separate? This would be great for students.
    You can pin as many agreements as desired to the Pinboard within ASSIST Next Generation and print those agreements from there.


16. The "compare by major" report may be confusing to the students if it doesn't display the entire lower-division preparation for all campuses being compared. I'm not certain how that functionality could be used and how it would be helpful.
    The Compare by Major is meant as a quick view; it shows all the articulation entered into the system. However, it does not show the text that is entered on top of the major agreement. To view the full agreement including text, users can click on the document icon from this view. Finally, a disclaimer indicates to users that this view does not show a full agreement. It was suggested at the conference that any comparisons selected for printing include a copy of this disclaimer on the printed hard copy.


17. When are published agreements available and public?
    Published agreements will be available immediately after using the Publish function in ASSIST Next Generation.


18. When building articulation it is good to be able to check how it will look in public view. How do we do that?
    Review screens built-in to ASSIST Next Generation will allow users to preview agreements exactly as they will appear to the public.


19. Instead of transferring CORs from OSCAR to Next Generation, would it be possible to have them transferred from CurricUNET for those schools that have CurricUNET? This would provide the most current COR info especially if an interface can be built between CurricUNET & Next Generation. This interface would also facilitate the articulation of course with 4-year universities, IGETC, CSUGE, UCTCA, and hopefully C-ID.
    The course outlines in legacy ASSIST will be converted to ASSIST Next Generation. Additional conversion from CurricUNET may be possible. We will work with Governet, who is committed to making this as smooth a transition as possible, to see what may be possible in this regard. As stated in a previous answer, the end goal is to have a user-friendly and efficient process for the submission of course outlines for all users, regardless of the type of curriculum management system utilized.


20. Will I be putting my new outlines into Next Gen?
    Yes, new outlines should go into ASSIST Next Generation.


21. Will the Course Outline be available to faculty?
    Faculty involved in the review process would be able to review the Course Outline of Record (COR) as part of the workflow process.


22. What does it mean that the Department organization is voluntary?
    Articulation officers will be able to indicate in their college/university profile if they want their courses to be associated with a department. This is not a mandatory component within ASSIST Next Generation but is a voluntary organizational tool based on institutional preference. This will have further value within the Articulation Maintenance System (AMS).


23. In Legacy ASSIST course numbering was limited in particular if a CCC uses leading zeroes in their courses. Will this be possible in Next Generation?
    ASSIST Next Generation is capable of including leading zeroes within course numbering.


24. After the presentation my understanding is that OSCAR is no longer a component in ASSIST?
    The functionality of OSCAR will be built into the course maintenance functionality in ASSIST Next Generation. It will no longer be a separate system as it is with legacy ASSIST.


25. Will UCOP qualifiers & limitations of credit be codified? The time spent evaluating duplicate / limited credit from CCCs is enormous. If Next Generation data is intended to be stored in such a way to be able to feed other academic systems that evaluate a student's work for satisfaction of the academic goal it is desirable for the database to include UCOP limitations of credit within data.
    We are including the ability to enter UCTCA footnotes into ASSIST Next Generation by using the attributes functionality. The footnotes will be stored in a data-table format, allowing for use by downstream systems.


26. If you are able to update Courses at any time will the courses still reflect effective dates per universities?
    The ASSIST Next Generation history function will capture revision dates whenever courses are changed or updated in the system.


27. If Legacy ASSIST agreements are archived as PDFs in Next Generation in December, and we make further changes to our articulation agreements in January (which the timeline says we can do) will those PDFs in Next Generation be updated? (or perhaps you are saying we can only look at the maintenance system in January, not update it).
    Major agreements from 2014-15 will be created in ASSIST Next Generation within the new parameters. The current project plan is to convert 2014-15 course-to-course articulation agreements into ASSIST Next Generation without text. Universities will need to carefully review the course-to-course agreements and make changes/add attributes as needed. Course-to-course and major agreements prior to 2014-15 will be transferred into ASSIST Next Generation in an un-editable PDF format with the text unchanged.


28. Can course-to-course agreements be systematically converted?
    Course-to-course agreements prior to and including 2013-14 will be converted into ASSIST Next Generation in an un-editable PDF format. We are converting 2014-15 course-to-course articulation but it will not include any free text currently in legacy ASSIST and will require further review with the potential addition of Attributes prior to the publication of those agreements


29. Do course attributes stay with the course or can you have different attributes for different majors or GE or can the attribute be suppressed depending on the agreement?
    Attributes added to an articulation will appear in all locations that articulation is used. Attributes added to majors will appear on the agreements for that major only. This also applies to GE agreements. Attributes are not attached to courses.


30. What other selection is in the list that was showing Course Articulation?
    GE and Requirement are the other choices on this screen.


31. Will the Articulation Attribute lists be limited to those used by the logged-in user's university?
    Articulation attributes are not limited based on the logged-in user. Users can save and access a set of favorite attributes if they chose.


32. You say we will have access in December - when during December? Beginning or end of the month?
    Articulation officer access to ASSIST Next Generation will begin in February 2015.


33. Are our 13-14 agreements still going to be active in Next Generation?
    Course-to-course and major agreements published prior to and including 2013-14 will be converted into ASSIST Next Generation as un-editable PDFs.


34. Once articulation is published and set for the year, can I count on what I published to be set for that entire year and not auto-adjust by ongoing updates that take place throughout the year?
    This topic requires further policy and planning discussions with the articulation community in terms of publishing. However, 4-year institutions will be notified of any course changes which might affect articulation.


35. If we have finished 14-15 in Legacy, we can choose to focus ahead and work on 15-16 as the first year in Next Generation versus doing double work, right?
    No. Since Next Generation includes effective dating for courses and course relationships, building and verifying 2014-15 data will be the first step for CSU and UC articulation officers. Once the 2014-15 data is updated and verified, work on any changes for 2015-16 would be prudent.


36. If we are to substantially minimize or eliminate free text in articulation by 15-16, we will need to do reforming/clean up and that will take a lot of time, so it makes sense to not duplicate 14-15.
    Agreements from 2014-15 will be created in ASSIST Next Generation within the new parameters. Agreements prior to 2014-15 will be transferred into ASSIST Next Generation in a PDF format with the text unchanged.


37. I have course outlines in 5 different locations (CurricUNET, C-ID, OSCAR, Chancellor's Office, ASSIST) - is there a tool to have all of these bodies share information?
    We are very mindful of the multiple locations in which curriculum data and articulation exist. Phase 3 of the Next Generation project is intended to identify reporting and data file needs as well as opportunities for the use of web services across the three segments. It is hoped that from these efforts, there will be opportunities to eliminate course outline redundancies.


38. Of the 96 colleges that have CurricUNET, 40-50 have moved to the Meta version. What if my college doesn't have the funds to make the switch to the new version?
    Governet will follow-up on this and work with those institutions to provide a solution. The end goal is to have a user-friendly and efficient process for the submission of course outlines for all users, regardless of the type of curriculum management system utilized.


39. Are there any limitations on the # of courses that can show in agreements? Sometimes nursing has a long list of options, for example.
    There is no limit on the number of courses that can show in agreements.


40. Where does it show that "students who haven't completed entire series must meet with a counselor prior to progressing?
    This may become available as an attribute. Otherwise, articulation officers can place this type of information within the general, free-text agreement header which precedes the course articulation area.


41. When students look at ASSIST, they may be confused when different institutions use different documentation. My concern is that they will be confused when there isn't consistency in articulation from one institution to the next
    Again, one of the big advantages of the data-table-driven agreements is that it will bring more consistency to how articulation is displayed. However, because of the variation in college catalogs, it is difficult to generate consistent articulation among institutions. It might be helpful to advise students when using ASSIST that institutions may have unique articulation characteristics because the articulation is aligned with the institutions catalog.


42. Can we do focus groups to determine the wording to minimize disconnect in what different attributes may suggest (example of: if 1 college marks all courses with attribute of requiring C or better, and a student doesn't see this attribute on another college's agreements, they may assume that a D is acceptable.)
    We will be consulting with community members as we develop initial course attributes and continue to develop new ones. Whether this is through focus groups or another means has not yet been determined. Currently, staff from the ASSIST Coordination Site have already begun to analyze the various text descriptors being used within major agreements and headers in ASSIST. From this initial analysis, we anticipate using a workgroup of articulation officers, counselors and transfer center directors to help norm commonly used terms or phrases.