Enterprise Information Systems News

Advisors see new features in Howdy

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:25:55 CST

Based on feedback from Compass users, grades are now listed in the Howdy Class Roster even when we are not in the grading period.

Also, the order of campuses has been changed for term selection. When you are asked to select a term, College Station will now be the default selection, with Galveston and Qatar being the second and third option.

Earlier enhancements include the “Graphic Schedule” and “Graduation Status Check” links available on the Instructor/Advisor tab.

Compass Student Information System October 2009 Update

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:40:55 CST

Howdy users now able to subscribe to tabs

Texas A&M University employees who would like to view the information students see on the MyRecord, Applicant, Student Life and Grad Student tabs are now able to subscribe to these tabs. When you subscribe to a tab, however, you will only see the layout and links of that tab but not be able to perform transactions on the tab.

To learn more, see the “Subscribing to Tabs” Quick Guide on the home page after you login at https://howdy.tamu.edu.

University purchases Enrollment Management software

The University has purchased the SunGard Higher Education (HE) Enrollment Management software, which will assist the university in its recruitment efforts. This product is integrated with the Compass system and will be implemented over the next year. More information on the enrollment management product is available on the SunGard HE website.

Online pilot program for Introductory Compass Navigation available

In an effort to streamline the Compass training process, EIS is currently offering a partial online version of the Introductory Compass Navigation class. The advantage of this class is that after taking the online portion of the class, classroom training is reduced from three hours to one.

After the online training is completed, you will need to register for the one-hour classroom training at the Division of Finance employee training site in order to complete the process. The next pilot class is scheduled for December 7 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. The results of pilot program will determine if the online version is offered in the future.

Additional faculty-focused Howdy Demonstrations scheduled

Demonstrations of the Howdy portal geared toward the faculty utilizing the Class Roster including grading will be held on Friday, November 20 at 10:30 – 11:30 a.m., and Thursday, December 10 at 9 – 10 a.m. Both sessions will be held in Assembly Room A of the General Services Complex, located at 750 Agronomy Road. The demonstration is free; however, registration is required. No administrative fee will be assessed for cancelation. Visit the Employee & Organizational Development web site for online registration and additional information at https://training.tamu.edu/schedule.php#HWDDEMO. Or, call 979.845.8430 or send an email to talk-training@tamu.edu.

Compass Student Information System September 2009 Update

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:02:01 CST

Mid-term Grading opens October 12

The mid-term grading period will open Monday, October 12 at 8 a.m. and run through Monday, October 19 at noon. This fall marks the first time that grades will be submitted online in Howdy. A grading guide is available on the Instructor/Advisor tab in Howdy, and a video will be available soon.

Faculty Senate Forum information

Responses are provided below for two of the questions raised at the Faculty Senate Forum held September 25. A more detailed list of questions and answers that were discussed at the forum will be provided as soon as possible.

Question: It was possible in SIMS to check if a Grad Student had accepted another job on campus. Can this also be done in Compass?

Answer: The form that is equivalent to SIMS screen 396 where this could be checked is RJASEAR (Student Employment Authorization). Access to this form is through the G_FAID_WORK_STUDY_VIEW group.

Question: What is the advisor group, and who is in the group?

Answer: The Compass Advisor User Group is comprised of end users involved in advising students with their registration and academic career. The group meets periodically to discuss new features available in Compass and provide client feedback to EIS.

Members of the Advisor’s Compass User Group are: Amanda Brinlee, International Programs Office; Brady Dennis, Biomedical Sciences; Brenda Thomas, Office of Graduate Studies; Christine Farris, Biology; Clarice Fulton, Agricultural Leadership and Development; Erin Porter, Financial Aid; Jeannie Barrett, Accounting; Jon Kotinek, Honors; Kim Moses, Engineering; Kriss Boyd, General Academic Programs; Lisa Tauferner, Study Abroad; Mike Balog, Political Science; P.J. Miller, Kinesiology; Pam Vernon, Agricultural Economics; Richard K. Anderson, Economics; Robert Knight, Rangeland Ecology & Management; Roxanna Russell, Geosciences; Sam Murdock, Plant Pathology and Microbiology; and Vida Wilhelm, College of Education.

If you would like to nominate additional members, please forward their name, email address, phone number and department to Pat Schaub at pschaub@tamu.edu. Nominations will be reviewed and approved by the EIS Steering Committee.

New way available to download the Howdy Class Roster to Excel

Based on feedback from users, there is now an easier way to download the Class Roster data in Howdy into an Excel spreadsheet. Once in the Class Roster of the desired section, scroll to the bottom of the first screen and click on the “Import Entire Roster into Spreadsheet.” There will be several lines that will appear in the first two rows that are generated by the program. These rows can be deleted.

Conversion of summer grades into Compass

Summer grades were converted from SIMS to Compass on September 8. Compass now contains the entire official student record.

MyRecord tab to reflect changes

Beginning Monday, October 5, the MyRecord (FALL 09) tab will be renamed to MyRecord. Access to the MyRecord (SUMMER 09) tab is no longer available.

Compass Student Information System August 2009 Update

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:59:43 CST

Compass link to be available in Howdy tomorrow

The Compass icon and Compass Reports (ePrint) link will be added this evening and be available for use again in Howdy beginning tomorrow morning, September 5. Since late Monday afternoon, we have been supporting all desired logins in Howdy. The exact cause of the problems on Monday morning is still being determined with the assistance of technical experts from SunGard Higher Education.

Final SIMS to Compass conversion

The final conversion of data from SIMS to Compass, including summer grades, will occur on September 7. As previously announced, SIMS will no longer be available to the general user community after Saturday, September 5. Compass will then contain the official student record, and SIMS data will no longer be accurate.

To obtain a Compass account, employees must first complete the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) training, submit a Compass Account Request Form signed by their Primary Authorizing Agent (PAA) and attend an Introductory Compass Navigation class. More details on obtaining a Compass account can be found on the EIS Compass Training web page.

ApplyTexas 2010-2011

During the first week of August, applications for admission from ApplyTexas for the summer and fall of 2010 began loading into Compass. This was a significant milestone, since the process began a month earlier than the previous year.

In addition, several changes in the applications for the 2010 – 2011 application cycle were incorporated into Compass. These changes include the federally mandated new ethnicity and race designations, additional family income levels and the new residency determination and reason codes.

The campus community should take note of the new ethnicity and race designations, which will be present for applicants beginning with the summer 2010 term. The new ethnicity and race designations are present in Compass on the Biographical tab of the SPAIDEN form. The new ethnicity dropdown is located in the main block of the Biographical tab, while the race fields are located in the Race block. Also, please note that an applicant may select multiple racial designations.

For more information about the ApplyTexas applications for the 2010-2011 application cycle, please email Compass-Admissions@tamu.edu.

Update on Processing Electronic College Transcripts

Admissions has successfully redesigned and implemented a new process to load electronic college transcripts. This new process minimizes the time that existing coursework from another institution will be unrolled from academic history which will, in turn, minimize the impact on advising, registration, financial aid and billing activities.

This is accomplished by loading the electronic transcript and unrolling the existing academic history on a transcript-by-transcript basis. Once the electronic transcript is loaded to the Compass forms and the existing coursework is unrolled from academic history, the transcript is immediately evaluated and rolled back into academic history. This minimizes the time that the existing coursework is removed from academic history, and it minimizes the impact to key university business processes.

For more information on the redesigned electronic college transcript load process, please email Compass-Admissions@tamu.edu.

New dates set for Financial Aid training

Scholarships & Financial Aid is pleased to announce additional training dates for Entering Department/College Scholarships and Fellowships in Compass. The following dates are available:

09/24/09                             1:30 p.m.
10/26/09                             10:00 a.m.
11/19/09                             2:00 p.m.
12/03/09                             10:00 a.m.

To register for classroom training, please visit the Division of Finance employee training registration area. If you have not registered for training through the Division of Finance previously, you will be prompted to create an account.

Please remember that the prerequisites for this course (online or classroom) include requesting a Compass account, competing online FERPA training, and completing an Introductory Compass Navigation Training class.

To access Financial Aid training online:

Login to Howdy at https://howdy.tamu.edu/ using your NetID and password
Click on the Employee tab
Find the Compass User Training channel (located on the right-hand side of the page)
Click to expand the Financial Aid folder
Click to expand the Scholarship Processing folder
Click to expand the College and Departments folder
Click on Online Training: Entering Dept/College Scholarships and Fellowships(first link)

Upon completion of the online training module, users will be prompted to complete and print a certificate. This certificate must be submitted to Susie Banks in Scholarships & Financial
Aid in order to gain access to enter awards. Certificates may be sent via campus mail to 1252 TAMU. Please allow 3-5 business days for processing time.

December degree candidates

The Office of the Registrar has received 2,004 applications for December graduation from College Station students, four from Qatar and five from Galveston.

The deadline to apply for December graduation without a $50 late fee is September 11. Students should go to the MyRecord (FALL 09) tab in Howdy and click on the Application for Graduation link in the “Degree Evaluation” channel. The final deadline for application is November 27 due to the printing of the commencement program.

Compass support

Please remember, if you have questions regarding Compass access, please email eis-security@tamu.edu. Information on functional area support can be found on the Tips for Requesting Compass Helpdesk Support page on the EIS web site.

Compass Student Information System July 2009 Update

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:06:26 CST

AR go-live update

The final conversion of SIMS Student Accounts data to Compass for both the College Station and Galveston campuses was completed the weekend of August 1-3. Additional work in relation to the conversion is still ongoing. Expectations are that tuition, fees and other charges for fall will be calculated and online statements will be made available to students late in the week of August 3, or the week of August 10. ONPAR modifications for Compass are under way and will be available to departments as soon as possible, with August 10 - 17 being the time frame targeted for release. TSAMASS, which is used by departments to post miscellaneous departmental charges, and TSICSRV, which is used by university faculty and staff to view student account information are now available. The training required to access those forms will soon be available on the employee tab of Howdy.

Apply for Graduation available August 19

Students will be able to begin their application for graduation process beginning August 19. The application is available in the Degree Evaluation channel on the MyRecord (FALL 09) tab in Howdy. Please direct questions about the Graduation Application to Compass-DegreeAudit@tamu.edu.

Reminder - Records Training is ongoing

Records Training classes are currently being conducted on topics including how to find and interpret information, directory hold/FERPA information, full/part time status, Q-drop and withdrawal, determining degree candidate status and grades.

The Office of the Registrar places their training schedule on the Division of Finance employee training site.

Lexicon of Compass terms now available

A lexicon of common Compass terms has been compiled and placed in Howdy on the Employee tab under the Compass User Training channel. This lexicon provides information on terms used by and in documentation about the Compass Student Information System.

Subscribe to EIS LISTSERV

Our goal is to keep you informed as we go continue with the transition to and sole use of the Compass Student Information System. Please encourage all Compass users in your area to join the EIS-Project-Information Listserv so they can receive the published information directly. They can do so by going to http://eis.tamu.edu. On the right navigation bar on the home page, select LISTSERV under the News heading. This will take them to the LISTSERV page, where they can click on the link to the EIS-Project –Information page in the LISTSERV web pages. Click on the “Join or Leave the List” link, and fill out the information and click on “Join.”

Compass not compatible with IE 8

The Compass Student Information System usually will not work properly if you are using Internet Explorer 8 (IE8). The Banner Software provided by SunGard Higher Education does not support IE8 as one of the browsers used to run the system. Internet Explorer 6 and 7 are supported. Please report any issues to eis-security@tamu.edu.

New Compass groups available

New STAR (Student Accounts Receivable) Groups are available for Compass Access Request after August 3, 2009:

Groups designed for specific areas, and only approved for users in those areas:

G_STAR_24_Staff_Payroll_Taxes
G_STAR_29_Staff_FAID_Admin
G_STAR_30_Staff_FAID_General
G_STAR_31_Staff_REGI_General
G_STAR_32_Staff_Housing_Admin
G_STAR_33_Staff_Housing_Rooms
G_STAR_34_Staff_Housing_Fees
G_STAR_35_Staff_FMO_Q
G_STAR_36_Staff_SSP_Q

Groups provide access to college/department-specific AR reports, such graduate assistantship posting reports, and access will only be approved for users in those areas:

G_STAR_37_VPAX_Rpts_Administra
G_STAR_38_CLAG_Rpts_Agricultur
G_STAR_39_CLAR_Rpts_Architectu
G_STAR_40_CLBA_Rpts_Business
G_STAR_41_COFD_Rpts_Coun_Deans
G_STAR_42_CLED_Rpts_Education
G_STAR_43_CLEN_Rpts_Engineerng
G_STAR_44_BUSH_Rpts_Geo Bush
G_STAR_45_CLGE_Rpts_Geoscience
G_STAR_46_CLGR_Rpts_Grad_Stud
G_STAR_47_GACD_GADM_GVGR_Rpts
G_STAR_48_CLLA_Rpts_Lib_ Art
G_STAR_49_ANTH_Rpts_Lib_ Art
G_STAR_50_COMM_Rpts_Lib_ Art
G_STAR_51_ECON_Rpts_Lib_ Art
G_STAR_52_ENGL_Rpts_Lib_ Art
G_STAR_53_HISP_Rpts_Lib_ Art
G_STAR_54_HIST_Rpts_Lib_ Art
G_STAR_55_PHUM_Rpts_Lib_ Art
G_STAR_56_POLS_Rpts_Lib_ Art
G_STAR_57_PSYC_Rpts_Lib_ Art
G_STAR_58_SOCI_Rpts_Lib_ Art
G_STAR_59_CLMD_Rpts_Medicine
G_STAR_60_QATR_Rpts_Qatar
G_STAR_61_CLSC_Rpts_Science
G_STAR_62_CLVM_Rpts_Vet Medici

New Financial Aid Groups are also available:

G_FAID_AR_REPORTS
G_FAID_WORK_STUDY_VIEW

All of these groups will be listed on the Compass Account Request Form available in Howdy.

New email functions now available in Howdy

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:54:55 CST

New email functions have been added to the Class Roster at howdy.tamu.edu on the Instructor/Advisor tab. Now you are able to send email to the entire roster of a class or individual students within a class roster. In addition, you can email all students in multiple classes you are teaching.

Specialized lists will still be maintained in TAMU Direct. For example, you can email all students in a specific major in your class using TAMU Direct.
Instructions on how to email an entire roster are listed below. For additional instructions, see the training guide posted in Howdy in the Learn About the Instructor/Advisor Tab channel.
______

Email Entire Roster

Once you have logged into Howdy, go to the Instructor/Advisor tab and click on the “Class Roster” link in the Instructor Self Service channel.

Choose the term by clicking on the “Select Term” drop down and then clicking on “Submit.” You will see all the classes you are scheduled to teach.

Select “View” next to the class you wish to send an email message, and you will see the roster for that class.

Then, click on the “Email Entire Roster” link at the top of the screen.

Before the message is sent, you will receive a confirmation email from Sympa, the mailing list manager. Once you have submitted your approval for the message, your email will be sent.

Compass Student Information System June 2009 Update

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:30:17 CST

Compass to be used exclusively as of September 6

SIMS will be shut down for the general user community as of September 6. Any employee who currently uses SIMS and will need similar access in Compass needs to request an account as soon as possible.

Compass currently contains student records through spring 2009. Summer 2009 grades and degrees will be loaded into Compass during the weekend of September 5-6. Compass will then contain the official student record including any transcript material previously contained in SIMS and any official test scores received.

To obtain a Compass account, employees must first complete the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) training, submit a Compass Account Request Form signed by their Primary Authorizing Agent (PAA) and attend an introductory Compass Navigation class. More details on obtaining a Compass account can be found on the EIS Compass Training web page.

Processing College Transcripts in Compass

Several offices have reported transfer coursework being present in Compass one day and gone the next. Fortunately, these courses have not disappeared.

In Compass, when a transcript is received electronically from a transfer institution, any coursework already in academic history from that institution is removed or unrolled from academic history and placed in the transfer articulation module of Compass. Once this occurs, transfer work that existed on the Compass forms, SHATRNS and SHATERM, will no longer be present. This process is different from SIMS and will require the campus community to take into account the rolling and unrolling of transfer work into and out of academic history.

In the transfer articulation module of Compass, the Admission Office must verify and enter transfer courses, build equivalencies for courses, articulate/determine the TAMU equivalents for transfer work, and finally, move or roll the TAMU equivalents back into the academic history module of Compass.

When transfer coursework is removed from academic history, this is known to affect student classification on SGASTDN, financial aid processing, and billing. EIS and the Admissions Office will continue to evaluate and improve the processing of college transcripts as Compass is implemented across campus.

If you have questions or concerns about transcript processing, please email Compass-Admissions@tamu.edu.

CAPP Go-Live

On Monday, July 6th, the Curriculum, Advising, and Program Planning (CAPP) module in Compass will go live. This module contains the information currently associated with the 600-level degree audit screens in SIMS, including substitutions, waivers, degree plans, and curriculum detail.

CAPP Training has been ongoing this summer, and additional training sessions are scheduled for July 1, 14 and 30th. These training sessions will be separated into graduate and undergraduate material.

Records Training

On July 16 and 29, training is scheduled for Hold Functions, Registration Procedures and Class Schedule Information. These sessions are for individuals who need to apply or remove holds, process change of major (change of curriculum), perform course registration and locate building/room information in Compass for room schedulers.

Additional Records Training classes are scheduled to begin on August 3rd. Topics to be included are how to find and interpret information, directory hold/FERPA information, full/part time status, Q-drop and withdrawal, determining degree candidate status and grades.

The Office of the Registrar places their training schedule on the Division of Finance employee training site.

Directory hold conversion

On July 10, student directory hold information (aka "FERPA info") will be converted from SIMS to Compass. After this date, all updates to directory hold information will occur in Compass instead of SIMS. Compass users can view a student’s directory hold information on the SWAINFO form. Students will be able to update their own directory hold preferences in Howdy on the “MyRecord Through Fall09” tab.

New Student Conference update

New Student Conferences (NSC) continue to be held on campus. Reports from the Admissions offices indicate they are going well. As a reminder, the advisement forms and test score reports for NSC are now available in Compass Reports.

To obtain access to the NSC rosters and reports, Compass users on the TAMU campus in College Station need to submit a Compass Account Request Form that requests the addition of the group, G_ADMI_239_REPORTS_CS_NSC. The Compass Account Request form is available on Howdy, under the Employee Tab, in the Compass User Training channel, under Compass Forms.

For more information on getting access to the NSC rosters and reports, please email Compass-Admissions@tamu.edu.

AR changes

The fall 2009 fee assessment and Accounts Receivable (AR) posting is scheduled to begin in Compass the first week of August. At the same time, all SIMS access to AR 4** screens will be discontinued for the university at large. All current AR information in SIMS will be converted into Compass beginning July 31. Access to view (query) charges or payments on 4th year Vet students’ accounts in Compass has been available since May. Beginning the first week in August update (maintenance) will also be available for all other students. Access is granted by submitting a PAA-approved Compass Account Request.

Specific training for maintenance access to AR forms and to add graduate assistantship waivers to students’ accounts in Compass will be required before access is granted. Departments were trained on the graduate assistantship waivers process in June. Online training for the most commonly used Accounts Receivable forms can be found by logging on to Howdy and clicking on the Employee tab. The required training for AR form maintenance will be available in Howdy beginning July 7. In Howdy on the Employee tab, select the Compass User Training channel on the right, select Student Accounts Receivable, and then click on the link associated with TSAMASS.

Maintenance access will be restricted to two users per department. These users will automatically be granted maintenance access after August 1. All users should have their Compass account requests and certificate generated by completing the online TSAMASS training submitted by July 25.

EIS is coordinating with both the College Station and Galveston campuses on housing assignments. Access to Location Management forms is limited to Records, Housing and Student Business Services staff. Student housing assignments for fall 2009 will be loaded into Compass in July. Fee assessment for fall 2009 housing assignments will occur the first week in August. Addresses associated with student housing assignments will be available on Compass form SPAIDEN, as designated by address type “SL.”

Student Business Services will add new security access groups in August for Compass users who work in the AR area.

Compass 90-minute inactivity timeout

If you are automatically logged out of Compass due to ninety minutes of inactivity, you should close the blank Internet Explorer window titled “Administrative Compass - PROD - Windows Internet Explorer” and then click on the Compass icon in Howdy to restart the session. If you do not close the window, you may not be able to log into Howdy again.

Compass Student Information System May 2009 Update

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:28:12 CST

Compass time-out to be enabled

Effective May 29, 2009, if a Compass user is logged on but does not conduct any activity, the account will be logged out after 90 minutes. This time period may have to be adjusted at a later date. If you are logged out, you will need to close the Compass window and click on the Compass icon in Howdy to restart your session. Then, you will need to navigate back to the form in which you were working.

Also, it is not recommended that users have Howdy as a home page for their browser. If Howdy is the home page, each time a browser window is opened, another Howdy session is started. This will cause the first session to close out.

Compass support emails

New email addresses for Compass support are now available for users who have questions or feedback for the specific functional areas. An automated ticket that can be tracked will be generated when an email is sent to any of the email addresses below:

Compass-Admissions@tamu.edu

Compass-Records@tamu.edu

Compass-DegreeAudit@tamu.edu

Compass-FinancialAid@tamu.edu

Compass-StudentAccounts@tamu.edu

Compass-GraduateStudies@tamu.edu

In addition, any other issues or problems with Compass can be directed to EIS-Security@tamu.edu

Faculty to begin using Howdy in the fall

Beginning this fall, Texas A&M faculty will use Howdy for grade entry. Faculty members were notified in May of this and other features being made available to them on the Instructor Tab in Howdy. The full message to the faculty can be found at http://eis.tamu.edu/News.php?id=92.

Spring grade conversion to occur June 8

This conversion of data from SIMS to Compass will include all courses registered and grades received for spring 2009, as well as degrees awarded in May.

Compass Account Group Description

There is a new Compass Account Group Description spreadsheet in Howdy under the Employee tab on the Compass User Training Channel under Documentation. While not a form-to-screen comparison, it relates which Compass Account groups correspond to SIMS screens for the more widely used groups and screens. In addition, a "Commonly Used Compass Forms" that only contains information from Records is also available in the same location.

Faculty to begin using Howdy for grade entry; other features available

Fri, 22 May 2009 09:25:02 CST

Beginning this fall, Texas A&M faculty will use Howdy for grade entry. Scantron grade sheets will no longer be used to submit grades as all grades will be entered online. Rosters also will be available online, and faculty will not need to rely on getting that information from the Registrar’s office. You can accomplish these tasks in the Instructor/Advisor tab in Howdy. You do not need a Compass account to enter grades.

New features faculty will see in Howdy include a teaching assignment schedule view and a class schedule view that is similar to the one students see. EIS and Instructional Technology Services are working on allowing faculty to enter grades using a spreadsheet in the Blackboard Vista learning management system. This will be available by spring 2010 if not sooner.

Training regarding Howdy and grade entry will begin in early fall. You will be notified of the schedule prior to that time. In addition, online guides and training videos will be available in Howdy, and help sessions will be held during both the mid-term and final grading periods.

Compass Student Information System April 2009 Update

Fri, 01 May 2009 13:49:36 CST

New class schedule view available for Instructors/Advisors

Based on requests EIS has received, we have created a new class search function in the Instructor/Advisor tab to allow for easier viewing of the class schedule. The new view of the schedule is easier to scan and is more compact so more information can be viewed at one time. Items that will be on the new view include the course, title, instructor, location, time, and enrollment and class limit information. This view is closer to what a student sees when they are looking up classes for registration.

Training guides for learning more about the functions available on the Instructor/Advisor tab can be found on the "Learn About the Instructor/Advisor Tab" channel in Howdy.

Compass class roster available in Excel form

The Class Roster SFASLST form in Compass can now be extracted in an Excel file. When in SFASLST, select a "Term" and "CRN," and then go to the next block. Select "Help" from the menu bar and then move the cursor to "Extract Data." "Extract Data with Key" will include the Term, CRN and student data in the Excel spreadsheet. "Extract Data without Key" only includes the student data. When prompted, choose "Open with – Microsoft Office Excel (default)" and select "OK." An Excel spreadsheet opens with the data. You may need to disable your pop-up blocker for this function.

Coming Soon in Compass: Curriculum, Advising and Program Planning (CAPP)

On July 6, the Curriculum, Advising and Program Planning module in Compass will go live. This module contains the information currently associated with the 600-level audit screens in SIMS, including substitutions, waivers, degree plans and curriculum detail. Training for the CAPP module will begin May 18. The conversion of degree audit data form SIMS to Compass will take place on June 22.

When the CAPP module goes live, summer 2009 academic data will not yet exist in Compass. Therefore, degree evaluations will not be complete for students enrolled for summer at that time. Users will be able to audit a student’s progress based on all course work through spring 2009 and preregistered courses in fall 2009. CAPP will be fully functional after the final academic history conversion takes place on September 5. More CAPP information pertaining to both Undergraduate and Graduate Advisors can be found on the EIS web site.

Accounts Receivable Announcements

The Accounts Receivable (AR) module is scheduled to go live the first week in August. At that time, Compass users who work with fee assessment and AR posting will begin using Compass for these functions. An additional message will follow with more details on these functions and scheduled training in this area.

Fall 2009 Registration in Howdy

Registration for fall 2009 classes commenced April 16. The Office of Admissions and Records reports 25,591 students have registered in College Station and 1,016 students have registered in Galveston as of April 30. Qatar has 226 students registered for fall.

Instructor/Advisor tab available in Howdy

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:40:02 CST

All Texas A&M personnel who are identified as Instructors and Advisors now have the Instructor/Advisor tab in Howdy. This is in addition to the "Faculty" and "Employee" tabs that have been available. The Instructor/Advisor tab gives those assisting students a quick and easy way to view certain student information.

Currently instructors will only see two links in their Instructor Self-Service channel. As modules are launched, more links will be added. Instructor Self-Service will allow access to class rosters, teaching schedules, and online grade entry.

Employees who have requested the Compass access group "G_REGI_CAPP_DEG_AUDIT_VIEW" will have access to the Advisor Self-Service channel. Advisor Self-Service lets you see information about a student, access the current class schedule, and search for catalog course entries.

Employees who have been identified as both an Instructor and an Advisor will have access to both Self-Service channels within the Instructor/Advisor tab. In addition to the Self-Service channels, both Instructors and Advisors will have a "Learn About the Instructor/Advisor Tab" channel containing training guides that will assist in utilizing the tab.

Compass Student Information System March 2009 Update

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:46:42 CST

ePrint name changed to Compass Reports:

ePrint is the report repository for Compass users who receive data reports. ePrint is being renamed to Compass Reports effective April 3, and the ePrint link in Howdy will be changed to Compass Reports.

As a reminder, a work request will need to be made in order for departments to continue receiving the special request data reports currently generated from SIMS. These Compass Work Requests must be sent to EIS as soon as possible for the reports to be created and tested prior to the completed transition from SIMS to Compass in early fall. The Compass Work Request Form can be found at http://eis.tamu.edu/Home/Compass/Compass_Work_Requests.php.

Compass Training updates:

Enterprise Information Systems has updated the Training section of their web site at http://eis.tamu.edu/Home/Compass.php. Soon, Compass users will be able to register online for all available Compass training.

In addition, a new section titled, "Compass Training News," appears on the right navigation section of the EIS web pages. Any future Compass training updates will be posted as they occur.

FERPA training documentation changes

Beginning in April, most employees who request a Compass account will no longer be required to provide a hard copy transcript showing FERPA training has been completed. FERPA training is still required, however, and anyone needing a Compass account should access HR Connect and complete the training prior to submitting a Compass Account Request Form to EIS. When EIS receives the form, the TrainTraq database will be accessed to confirm the user has completed the FERPA training. If it has been completed, EIS will send the employee an e-mail containing the website address where they may log on and sign up for an Introductory Compass Navigation class. If the training has not been completed, EIS will send an e-mail to the user and copy the Primary Authorizing Agent, telling that person that the FERPA training must be completed in order to enroll in an Introductory Compass Navigation class.

The FERPA training documentation will still be required to be attached to the Compass Account Request Form for any employee who cannot access HR Connect.

Records News - fall preregistration begins April 16:

Fall preregistration will take place April 16 through May 1 and will occur at http://howdy.tamu.edu. During the first week of April, students will receive an email detailing fall preregistration start dates/times that will post under the MyRecord (FALL 09) tab in Howdy, along with the fall online schedule of courses.

In the MyRecord (FALL 09) tab, students will be able to:

Look up online schedule of classes

View registration tutorials

View preregistration start date/time

View registration holds/blocks

In addition, advisors will be able to access Self Service Compass at Howdy on the employee tab beginning April 16. Training guides for the advisor tab will be posted on Howdy prior to that date. Video tutorials will be posted as soon as possible.

Financial Aid News:

Packaging for incoming College Station freshmen for fall 2009 has been completed. Award letters for the approximately 6,300 incoming freshmen were sent April 1.

Compass software upgraded to Banner 8.1:

EIS successfully installed the Banner 8.1 software upgrade over Spring Break. This upgrade includes the addition of NCAA data and was tailored by SunGard Higher Education for Texas A&M. The added functions from the upgrade will allow for certification of athletes for academic eligibility.

Compass Student Information System February 2009 Update

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:44:31 CST

Go-Live Schedules

Financial Aid reports the successful go-live of processing for the 2009-10 academic year that occurred mid-month. Students are now able to access their 2009-10 information in the Financial Aid portal at http://howdy.tamu.edu.

The Records go-live for preregistration in April is on schedule. Students have been notified by the Office of the Registrar of upcoming changes to the summer and fall preregistration process and the transition to Howdy. Information sessions and training for the students will begin later this spring.

EIS has completed the Records data conversion that began February 5. All academic history through the fall semester of 2008 and all student term attributes from SIMS screens 111/138/141/142 for currently enrolled students were moved to Compass. Spring 2009 term attributes will determine which students are eligible to register for the fall 2009 semester under the new registration module in Compass

This information will be maintained in both systems until the final data conversion takes place on September 5 and SIMS functionality is no longer available.

Reports

A Compass work request will need to be made in order for departments to continue receiving the special data reports currently generated from SIMS. These requests must be sent as soon as possible for the reports to be created and tested prior to the completed transition from SIMS to Compass in early fall. The Compass Work Request Form can be found at http://eis.tamu.edu/Home/Compass/Compass_Work_Requests.php.

Training

Compass users can access online training videos and guides at http://howdy.tamu.edu. Once at Howdy, click the Employee tab and then the “Compass User Training” channel. Admissions and Financial Aid currently have a listing of training available, with Records and Accounts Receivable to be available after their respective go-live dates. In addition, a refresher Introductory Compass Navigation video is also available.

Student Self-Service training videos are scheduled to be in Howdy by the end of March. These videos will assist students in registering for fall classes and managing their academic activities from fall 2009 and beyond. Students who register for fall 2009 classes will access them in Howdy beginning in April. Current students are able to access their summer 2009 information from the MyRecord tab in Howdy or through the http://MyRecord.tamu.edu web site, but all fall 2009, activity must occur through Howdy.

For more information on the Compass Student Information System, go to http://eis.tamu.edu/Home/Compass.php.

EIS schedules Banner Enrollment Management Suite demonstration

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:57:54 CST

SunGard Higher Education will provide a demonstration of the Banner Enrollment Management Suite Wednesday, February 25, 2009, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the General Services Complex Assembly Room A. This system aids with recruiting, retention and development of prospective students, parents, alumni and others. The system also contains reports and analytics designed to monitor a program’s performance and outcome. The full description of this SunGard product can be found at http://www.sungardhe.com/em.

The demonstration will take up to three hours, with a general overview of the system planned for the first hour. A more detailed demonstration will begin after the overview. Parking is available in the southeastern corner of PA 88 with any valid TAMU parking permit. Bus number 6 also provides connections from Wehner and the MSC to the General Services Complex.

It is not necessary to RSVP for this event. If you have questions, please contact us at eisinfo@tamu.edu or 845-6458.

Compass Student Information System Janaury 2009 Update

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:50:08 CST

Academic History Conversion Migration Schedule

With the conversion from SIMS to the Compass student information system moving forward this spring semester, there are several dates which users need to be aware in order to maintain a continual work flow.

The initial Academic History Conversion will begin on February 5. The conversion is expected to be completed the week of February 9, at which time the academic history data through the fall semester of 2008 will be available in Compass. In addition, departments will no longer be able to update student program data for the spring 2009 semester.

Throughout the spring, various groups of data normally found in SIMS will be migrated to the Compass system. A detailed time line for these changes can be found at http://eis.tamu.edu/CompassAcademicHistoryTimelineFinal.pdf. One particular date to note is April 16, when the fall 2009 preregistration in Compass will begin.

Over the following months, additional academic history conversions will occur, and more functions normally performed in SIMS will move to the Compass system. A short time after the fall semester begins, no further activity will occur in SIMS, and online grade submissions will begin in Compass.

As additional Compass functional training is held, more detailed information will be available.

SIMS to Compass History

A PowerPoint presentation is available in the Howdy Portal at http://howdy.tamu.edu, which covers the history of the conversion from SIMS to Compass. The project team, Howdy Portal, project time line and additional project information are included in the presentation entitled Compass Student Information System Overview in the Compass Training Channel on the Employee tab.

Go-Live Schedules

With the go-live in January, transfer admissions are now being loaded into the Compass system.

The data load for Financial Aid was successful this week, and we are working toward the full go-live scheduled for February 16.

Training notes:

FERPA training confirmation must accompany any request for a new Compass account. If the form is not included with the Compass Account Request Form, a note is sent to the PAA asking for the FERPA form. The request is not further processed until the documentation arrives, which can delay the process for several days. However, this documentation is not needed when additional access is being requested for an existing account.

FERPA training documentation can be either the TRAIN-TRAC automatic e-mail confirming successful completion or a copy of the user's TRAIN-TRAC transcript showing FERPA training is also acceptable. If you have questions or problems with completing the FERPA training, please call EIS at 845-9991.

Records training begins February 2. The schedule of the classes can be found at http://vpfnweb1.tamu.edu/twa/do/events/onsite/view?uid=2841. Users can register for these classes prior to taking both the FERPA and Basic Navigation classes; however, proof of actually going through the FERPA and Basic Navigation will be required before attending Records training.

On-line Refresher training available:

Compass Navigation Training Refresher courses and a Compass Navigation Guide can be found on the Howdy Portal in the Compass channel on the Employee Tab. The training refresher includes an introduction to Compass, how to access the system and reviews the fundamental information received in the Compass Basic Navigation course. The Navigation Guide is a visual reference to the Compass components, menu bars and tool bar.

Compass Student Information System December 2008 Update

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:33:55 CST

Pass it on:

Our goal is to keep you informed as we go forward with the transition to Compass. You will be receiving more email messages and bulletins in the coming months as we get closer to the go-live dates. If you are a Primary Authorizing Agent receiving these messages, please forward them to anyone in your area that would benefit from the information. In addition, please encourage these Compass users to join the EIS-Project-Information Listserv so they can receive the information directly. They can do that by going to: https://listserv.tamu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?REPORT&z=3#SUBSSUBSCRIBE and follow the "Subscribe" instructions.

Compass software upgraded:

EIS successfully installed the Banner 8 software update over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Users were able to begin working in the system again on Monday. The move to Banner 8 is beneficial for the rest of the functional areas that will go-live in the coming months. Planning has begun for the move to Banner 8.1. This version should be up and running for the go-lives scheduled for late spring or early summer. This upgrade will not be as extensive as the move to 8.0 and will most likely be completed over a weekend.

Admissions Go-Live:

On Monday (Sept. 1), the Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) project team successfully launched the Admissions module of the new Compass student information system. The Admissions users report it was overall a positive experience and that they are adjusting quickly to the new system. Of the current Admissions Processing staff, approximately 90% are working solely in Compass, with about 10% working in both systems.

In addition, Transfer Admissions will go live in January for processing for Academic Year 2009-10. Admissions staff members have attended training and will be ready to post the first applications in January.

Financial Aid Go-Live scheduled:

The next major go-live scheduled is Scholarships & Financial Aid on February 16th. The majority of the Financial Aid users have received introductory training to date. Training will continue through the summer as more Financial Aid modules go live. Departments outside of Scholarships & Financial Aid will begin training on entry of departmental scholarships beginning in February 2009. Departments will be notified of available training dates and times in the near future.

Compass Forums

EIS will be scheduling informational forums that will begin in late February for targeted functional updates and Q&A sessions. These forums will be approximately an hour in length. More information on the forums will be provided as they are scheduled.

Compass Student Information System Go-Live Dates and Training

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:01:12 CST

As the end of the Fall 2008 semester is quickly approaching, below are some important dates and other information pertaining to the Compass student information system of which users need to be aware.

The following is for Fall 2009 processing:

Functional Areas	Go-live date	Training Begins
Financial Aid	February 16, 2009	Currently ongoing
Class Scheduling and Registration	March/April 2009	February 2009
Departmental Scholarship entry	March/April 2009	February/March 2009
CAPP (degree audit)	July/August 2009	June 2009
Student Business Services (billing)	August 2009	April 2008
Online grade submission	Fall 2009	September 2009

Most faculty who are not advisors will begin accessing the Compass system in Fall 2009. Additional information will be provided prior to Fall 2009.

All other staff and faculty advisors who use the Compass system should complete training for specific functional areas. In order to do so, you will need to do the following:

Complete the online Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) training, which can be accessed through HR Connect, and
Attend Compass Basic Navigation training. In preparation for the Registration go-live, we expect to provide Compass Basic Navigation to more than 800 individuals in December and January, so please plan accordingly.

Please contact the SIMS/Compass Primary Authorizing Agent(s) in your college or staff department for more information about requesting your Compass account and attending training sessions.

In preparing for Compass training, some important tips include:

Get acquainted with the Howdy web portal at howdy.tamu.edu. You will use the Howdy portal to log into your live Compass account.
Know your NetID and NetID password. Again, this is how you will access Howdy and your Compass account.

Our goal is to keep you informed as we go forward with the transition to Compass. You will be receiving more email messages and bulletins in the coming months as we get closer to the go-live dates. We will also keep you informed of future training dates for the other Compass modules, including degree audit, curriculum maintenance, and online grade submission.

Admissions Module of New Compass System Running Smoothly

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:39:16 CST

October 2008

The Admissions module of the new Compass student information system was launched Sept. 1, and university officials say it is running smoothly. Approximately 400 staff members, including some 150 from the Office of Admissions and Records, are adapting quickly to the web-based system. After one month, approximately 3,000 student applications for fall 2009 enrollment have been loaded, and enhancements and information updates are being added on an ongoing basis. Michelle Walker, Assistant Director of Admissions Processing, notes that Compass is intuitive, with clearly labeled drop-down lists allowing the end-user to easily determine how information is entered into fields. Delayne Nichols, Business Coordinator I in Fee Processing, likes the new reporting tools available in Compass. "I can access exactly which day and what information that I need to reconcile our money for deposit and our online payments. The format for the reports is great. Everything is arranged well and easy to read," she said. To learn more about Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) and Compass, visit http://eis.tamu.edu. To receive regular email updates, click LISTSERV and follow the steps.

Admissions Module of Compass Student Information System Launched This Week

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:57:28 CST

September 2008

On Monday Sept. 1, the Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) project team successfully launched the Admissions module of the new Compass student information system, which is set to replace SIMS, the current student information system. The Admissions module is the first of several modules set to go live over the next year, as the new Compass system is launched in stages.

Employees now using Compass include approximately 300 staff members who process or need access to student applicant information for fall 2009 enrollment. These employees received Compass training and accounts over the summer. Additional employees will be notified to receive Compass training this fall and next spring.

University employees who have Compass accounts can access the system through the Employee tab of the Howdy web portal. Non-university employees who have Compass accounts can access the system through the Home tab of the Howdy web portal.

Employees are being notified when the time is appropriate for them to receive Compass training and accounts. Several prerequisites are required, including knowing your NetID and password, acquainting yourself with the Howdy web portal, and completing FERPA training. Click Compass Training for steps on preparing for a Compass account.

To see a go-live schedule, click Resources. To receive regular email updates about EIS and the Compass project, click LISTSERV and follow the required steps.

Compass to be Name of New Student Information System

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:41:21 CST

July 2008

The Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) project team has been working to convert the current student information system, SIMS, to a new system that will be known as Compass. The new system is a SunGard Higher Education product that the team is implementing at Texas A&M.

The EIS web site was recently redesigned to include new information about Compass and the project, including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), a description of four affiliated committees, and an expanded Help section.

The new Compass system is being launched in phases, with Admissions as the first module set to “go live” with Compass on September 1. Employees who will use the Admissions module are currently receiving Compass training and will begin using the system to process new applicants for fall 2009 enrollment. Employees who will use other Compass modules, including Financial Aid and Records, will be notified when they are to receive Compass accounts and training.

To receive regular email updates about the EIS project and Compass, go to LISTSERV to follow the required steps.

Admissions Office Begins Training in New Compass Student Information System

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:49:45 CST

June 2008

Staff members in the Office of Admissions and Records began training recently in using the new Compass student information system (previously known as Banner) at Texas A&M University. The new system is being implemented in phases, and is scheduled to fully replace the current system, SIMS, in fall 2009. Admissions is the first office scheduled to go "live" in using the new Compass system this fall to enter and process new applicants for fall 2009 (and later) enrollment. SIMS will continue being used to process applicants and transfers for spring and summer 2009 enrollment. SIMS will also continue being used to process transfer students until January 2009, when Compass is scheduled to start being used to process transfers for fall 2009 enrollment.

Enterprise Information Systems Launches Howdy Web Portal

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:00:00 CST

April 2008

This week, the Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) project team launched Howdy, a milestone web portal for Texas A&M University, at https://howdy.tamu.edu. Howdy is the first application to go live as part of the new, web-based, Compass student information system set to replace the current system (SIMS). The Howdy web portal will be the front door for many Texas A&M web-based services, including Compass and the information it will provide for students and applicants, faculty and staff.

More than 40 project team members have been working over many months with representatives and administrators from campus departments to implement the Compass system in phases. Although Banner will require users to adapt to newer technology, the application, powered by an Oracle database management system, will provide the university more flexibility to integrate historical data and greater capacity to accommodate a growing student population. With its user-friendly forms (screens) organized in folders, Compass will offer other advantages, including robust reporting and analysis tools.

Eventually, information currently found on sites like https://myrecord.tamu.edu will be accessible only through the new Howdy web portal. The information in Howdy will be organized in user-friendly tabs and channels, but will be populated, behind-the-scenes, by information in the new Compass system. Employees who currently use SIMS also will use Howdy to access and update information in Compass.

The new Howdy web portal connects students, faculty and staff from the campuses in College Station, Galveston and Qatar to their personal A&M information and web resources. After logging in with their NetIDs, employees will find handy links to Texas A&M University Email (Neo), the libraries, eLearning (including Blackboard Vista), Single Sign On, and many campus sites. No additional login is required for most applications. Students also will find links to their information currently found on a variety of websites including MyRecord, MyFinancialAid and AggiEpay, but will only need to log in once to Howdy to access and update their information.

Several Quick Videos and printable Quick Guides are available at https://howdy.tamu.edu to help users get started in Howdy, as well as a one-minute, introductory video, "Welcome to Howdy." Howdy offers, among other features, a channel for Personal Announcements, where users can receive important announcements from the university tailored just for them. New features, including a useful tool called Howdy Groups, will be added to the site over the coming months before its official launch this fall.

Two free classroom demonstration sessions of Howdy will be offered for faculty and staff by the Center for Employee Education on April 28, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., and May 8, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Registration information will be announced in tomorrow's Aggie Hotline.

If you have questions about Howdy, contact Help Desk Central at 979.845.8300 or helpdesk@tamu.edu. If you have questions about Compass, email EIS at eisinfo@tamu.edu.

Luminis Campus Portal Project Begins

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:00:00 CST

March 2007

The Luminis Campus Portal project is scheduled to begin in April. Luminis IV software will be installed by SunGard consultants in May, allowing EIS team members to begin software configuration and development activities.