A Student Information System, or SIS, is a powerful way to not only manage data, but use that data in a meaningful way. As Darby and Hughes (2006) stated districts have a deep “desire for anytime, anywhere access to data” (para. 1). This new frontier of data sharing has brought forth a variety of systems to help manage that data. My current district TEAMS by Prologic and Eduphoria to offer a suite of functions to help not only manage student information but also manage district operations as well.
I conducted four interviews by email to determine how the system works and how the district uses these systems to help manage that massive data demand for each system. One of the things that I discovered was how fractured the data was in the district, as well as the rift between both the administrative technology personnel and the end level users. The four interviews consisted of; Matt Flood, Technology Director; Karen Smithson, Principal; Michael Samuelson TEAMS support; and Keisha Vicks director of food services.
My interview with Matt Flood director of technology functioned as a way for me to understand the systems that were in place and the overall cost of the software. Floods shared with me the complete functionality of TEAMS was available to the district, but not all the modules were being used. When I asked other users including Keisha Vicks, and Michael Samuelson they confirmed that both the food service and financial departments did not use the TEAMS suite of software. Either person did not share the reason for this. Vicks said that her system interfaces with TEAMS to get data on users, but operates independently. The reason for this may be as simple as finding a solution that works and then applying it to work with the new architecture. TEAMS was implemented my first year of teaching in 2009. Electronic management of the food services division happened well before that. The Purchasing department is currently managing a changeover to the TEAMS system using the business modules from TEAMS. Districts have to evaluate the effectiveness of options like TEAMS and the cost of changing over systems that currently are working. This process is one that is very delicate. Costs have to include migration of data to a new system. The older the system that is in place the harder this transition becomes.
Slowly, the district is aggregating the data into one source. Human resources uses Eduphoria for forms and basic functions, they are also using it to help manage professional development. My first year the district used Escworks to manage professional development, but Eduphoria offered a lot more functionality including online learning modules. This transition for district resources to Eduphoria has taken 4 years from when we were first showed Eduphoria in 2010.
The user experience is really important. Districts have to manage the cost of SIS with the user friendliness of the interface. There are all levels of users. Karen Smithson, the principal that I interviewed, has used TEAMS at different districts. This user experience for TEAMS is extremely complicated. Karen walked me through how the management process worked for her. She describes the entire experience as complicated and extremely extraneous. She says that she has to make 5 different selections for each job she does in TEAMS, and for each of the four modules that she uses she has to remember the tricks for each one. My own experience with TEAMS suggests that while the functionality is there, it is extremely laborious to do certain tasks in TEAMS. Due to the laborious nature of these tasks, Smithson said that often principals have forms printed out for approval. This seems to be counterintuitive, as printing out and using a paper-based system goes against using the digital resources in the first place. A dashboard and some updates to the system would be a great start to improving the overall experience.
Eduphoria is fairly easy to use, and does not suffer from a lot of the same problems as TEAMS. The end user experience is still fairly limited as access to other functions and reports are locked down on a campus level. Eduphoria’s largest problem is that each system is separate from the others. While they can talk to each other you cannot access multiple features from one page. This means that you have to compartmentalize tasks. Eduphoria does not have a dashboard for many of their modules, but does have one for their home module that is customizable. The home module allows you to click and go to the module that you need to help streamline the work process. There is less overall frustration with this toolset, and a little more flexibility in the way that teachers and administrators can access data.
Costs are an overwhelming concern, but so are finding the right data management tools. Goose Creek CISD has a lot of money that is tied up in management, but as appetites change for data analysis there is an increasing movement to brining the data to more manageable levels. Users have been spoiled with the ease of use of technology and the ability to customize features in their own lives. This becomes an extremely important feature moving forward. The district of the future needs to balance user flexibility with cost, and provide an environment that is both robust and easy to navigate.
References:
Darby, R., & Hughes, T. (2005, October 1). The evolution of student information systems. THE Journal. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2005/10/01/The-Evolution-of-Student-Information-Systems.aspx?Page=3 f
I conducted four interviews by email to determine how the system works and how the district uses these systems to help manage that massive data demand for each system. One of the things that I discovered was how fractured the data was in the district, as well as the rift between both the administrative technology personnel and the end level users. The four interviews consisted of; Matt Flood, Technology Director; Karen Smithson, Principal; Michael Samuelson TEAMS support; and Keisha Vicks director of food services.
My interview with Matt Flood director of technology functioned as a way for me to understand the systems that were in place and the overall cost of the software. Floods shared with me the complete functionality of TEAMS was available to the district, but not all the modules were being used. When I asked other users including Keisha Vicks, and Michael Samuelson they confirmed that both the food service and financial departments did not use the TEAMS suite of software. Either person did not share the reason for this. Vicks said that her system interfaces with TEAMS to get data on users, but operates independently. The reason for this may be as simple as finding a solution that works and then applying it to work with the new architecture. TEAMS was implemented my first year of teaching in 2009. Electronic management of the food services division happened well before that. The Purchasing department is currently managing a changeover to the TEAMS system using the business modules from TEAMS. Districts have to evaluate the effectiveness of options like TEAMS and the cost of changing over systems that currently are working. This process is one that is very delicate. Costs have to include migration of data to a new system. The older the system that is in place the harder this transition becomes.
Slowly, the district is aggregating the data into one source. Human resources uses Eduphoria for forms and basic functions, they are also using it to help manage professional development. My first year the district used Escworks to manage professional development, but Eduphoria offered a lot more functionality including online learning modules. This transition for district resources to Eduphoria has taken 4 years from when we were first showed Eduphoria in 2010.
The user experience is really important. Districts have to manage the cost of SIS with the user friendliness of the interface. There are all levels of users. Karen Smithson, the principal that I interviewed, has used TEAMS at different districts. This user experience for TEAMS is extremely complicated. Karen walked me through how the management process worked for her. She describes the entire experience as complicated and extremely extraneous. She says that she has to make 5 different selections for each job she does in TEAMS, and for each of the four modules that she uses she has to remember the tricks for each one. My own experience with TEAMS suggests that while the functionality is there, it is extremely laborious to do certain tasks in TEAMS. Due to the laborious nature of these tasks, Smithson said that often principals have forms printed out for approval. This seems to be counterintuitive, as printing out and using a paper-based system goes against using the digital resources in the first place. A dashboard and some updates to the system would be a great start to improving the overall experience.
Eduphoria is fairly easy to use, and does not suffer from a lot of the same problems as TEAMS. The end user experience is still fairly limited as access to other functions and reports are locked down on a campus level. Eduphoria’s largest problem is that each system is separate from the others. While they can talk to each other you cannot access multiple features from one page. This means that you have to compartmentalize tasks. Eduphoria does not have a dashboard for many of their modules, but does have one for their home module that is customizable. The home module allows you to click and go to the module that you need to help streamline the work process. There is less overall frustration with this toolset, and a little more flexibility in the way that teachers and administrators can access data.
Costs are an overwhelming concern, but so are finding the right data management tools. Goose Creek CISD has a lot of money that is tied up in management, but as appetites change for data analysis there is an increasing movement to brining the data to more manageable levels. Users have been spoiled with the ease of use of technology and the ability to customize features in their own lives. This becomes an extremely important feature moving forward. The district of the future needs to balance user flexibility with cost, and provide an environment that is both robust and easy to navigate.
References:
Darby, R., & Hughes, T. (2005, October 1). The evolution of student information systems. THE Journal. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2005/10/01/The-Evolution-of-Student-Information-Systems.aspx?Page=3 f