An Open Source Student System: It is coming

Transcription

1 An Open Source Student System: It is coming Richard Spencer Acting CIO & AVP, University of BC AACRAO March 25,

2 Agenda Why now? The vision Functional design and scope Technical architecture Development approach Where we are and where we re going Community source Opportunities to contribute to Kuali Student 2

3 Why Now? Many student systems don t meet current needs Vendor solutions may not be the answer Development of in-house systems is challenging Increasingly complex technology requires specialist resources Competing for scarce IT resources in a constrained market User requirements and expectations increasing rapidly Budgets and funding are constrained We can build systems that do more for users Collaboration and open source systems development works 3

4 Student system history BC paper based processes information silos in separate departments the customer had to help us run the institution SRS on-line records, flat files, reports SIS support for core processes in core departments often more work & time for other users we began to help the customer 4

5 Vision: Functional Objectives Support end users by anticipating their needs and simplifying (or eliminating) administrative tasks. Support a wide range of learners and learning activities. Support a wide range of business processes, including those that cross department and system boundaries. Make it easier to change business processes to meet institution needs and allow process improvement, using rules and workflow, configurable systems, and flexible data models. Reduce time staff spend on routine tasks, so they can do more to directly support students and faculty. 5

6 Vision: Sustainability Ensure Founding Institutions implement the core services of Kuali Student. Promote adoption and implementation by other institutions in North America and internationally. Build a community of interest that will sustain future maintenance, enhancement and development. Define product development and support processes that will help implementation and operational support. Facilitate participation by vendors and service providers Evolve the technology and architecture of Kuali Student to keep up with new standards, tools, and trends. 6

7 Vision: Technical Objectives Develop a next generation architecture based on Service-orientation, implemented using Web Services. Publish service contract specifications. This will allow a large community to work on the system. Produce a software product based on a set of services. Define and publish standards for development that can be used by others to develop services that are outside the scope of the core product. 7

8 High level entities person; time; learning units Concierge Functional design: Elements use what we know to help people achieve their goals Rules engines, work flow rules and logic are not in the code Modular, configurable system your processes, not someone else s best practices Managed access to information people can see what they should be able to see Internationalization language, characters, currencies, systems 8

9 Entity: Person Kuali Student s use of identity management: People are entities anyone can create an online identity authorization will vary as roles change roles can be created by people and applications authority is easily delegated when appropriate tools are available for role and group management information about people is in multiple systems Identity management enables relationship management and communication 9

10 Entity: Learning units A learning unit can represent: a course; a single lecture in a course; a 15 minute student presentation in a course participation in community service a year of study a degree program any non-credit, continuing studies, or other activity A learning unit number is like a SKU... We can also have: learning results learning plans learning resources 10

11 Functional Design: Concierge We should use: Institutional Information Personal Information Requirements Information about the experiences of others Possibilities Goals to support users 11

12 requirement to pay fees triggered by completing registration Concierge sees student complete registration Concierge checks student info, rules & financial aid opportunities and guides student through process process ends when fees are paid Concierge Concierge sits looking and listening for changes in a person s state, institution rules, peoples experiences, etc. Uses Information Rules engine Workflow 12

13 Functional Scope Tier 1 Functionality Curriculum Development Customer contact Configuration application Enrolment Degree Audit and Academic Evaluation Student Financials Concierge limited Application connectors Tier 2 Functionality Admissions Scheduling Awards and Financial Aid Concierge 13

14 Out of Scope Functionality Tier 3 Out of scope for Founders Recruitment Event Management Housing Athletics Alumni Family Financial Planning Elections Student Life Out of Scope Learning Management System Student Portfolio Financial (FMIS) system Campus Calendar Facilities Management Library Parking 14

15 Functional Scope and Timeline 15

16 Technical architecture: Guiding principles Service Oriented Architecture SOA methodology Web services Standards based (WS and industry standards) Separate governance process for service contracts Component Abstraction Abstraction of business processes and business rules Abstraction of presentation layer via a portal Abstraction of the data layer Leverage Open Source Technology Use an open source software stack Infrastructure built from open source products Java as the language of choice 16

17 Architecture User Applications Concierge Portal Contact Admission Registration Business Services Infrastructure Services Concierge Rules service Portal service Evaluation service Workflow service Enrolment service Identity service Information Learning plan Program requirements Program availability 17

18 Architecture Existing Applications Design in Progress Selection completed Aug-Dec 2007 Implementation in Progress: KIM 18

19 Development project structure Development Approach 5 year project starting July 2007 Well defined phases of approximately 4-6 months each Clear definition of deliverables at each stage Each phase delivers a tangible asset QA reviews and checkpoints at the end of each phase Sign off of phase deliverables as complete Review plans for the next phase at the end of each phase Separate implementation projects at each institution Kuali Student does NOT include implementation Product is configured for institution by a separate team dictionary; search; rules; BPEL; authorization Agility, phases, time boxing, reusability and iterations 19

20 Phased Modular Approach Functional Stream Technical Stream Adjust plans and repeat for Releases 2/3/4 Program Management & Communications Jul 2007 Sep 2008 Oct 2008 Apr 2009 Jun 2009 July 2009 Application Architecture - Process models - ER models - High Level Service Models - Domain Definitions Service Modeling R1 (Infrastructure & Curriculum Development) Contract Design R1 (Infrastructure & Curriculum Development) Service Modeling R2 (Domain 2) Contract Design R2 (Domain 2) Technical Architecture -Technology proofs -SOA standards Development Infrastructure - Developers workbench - Procedures - Standards Develop Configuration Application - Configuration Infrastructure -Proof of concept Pilot Software Design & Development R1 (Infrastructure & Domain 1) Release 1 & Implement Test Re-plan / Re-Architect / Implement & Transition to Support 20

21 Where are we today? Legal agreements between Founders Partnership with Kuali Foundation Project charter approved $2.5 M Mellon grant awarded Project launch workshop July 30, 2007 Technology architecture - recommendations completed Technology stack proof of concept completed Application architecture - recommendations completed Service modelling & contract design - began Feb 2008 Contributors program - being finalized 21

22 Founder & Partners Founders University of British Columbia University of California, Berkeley University of Maryland, College Park Florida State University San Joaquin Delta College Partners Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge University 22

23 Other Partners The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Supported by: AACRAO NITLE Advancing liberal education in the digital age 23

24 Why Community Source? General Benefits Shared resources means more efficient development Institutions share ideas and create innovative solutions, leveraging their user experiences Institutions have direct input into functions and features Sustainability a community that contributes to enhancements can ensure sustained development Support commercial partners are encouraged Kuali Student will Build a community of interest Establish procedures and standards for development Encourage commercial affiliates Share implementation experiences 24

25 Technology Business Analysis (SOA) Lack of Appropriate Skills Failure of the Partnership Size, Scope, and Complexity SOA Approach Change management challenges Standards Compliance SME Staff Availability Budget / Cost Estimates Funding Departure of Key Members (Board, Steering, other) Working with a distributed team Change management challenges Risks 25

26 Why join the Community? Provide specific input on product direction Access project documentation and artifacts as they are developed Have early access to software for testing and implementation Contribute enhancements to ensure the quality and suitability of the end product Help develop support processes and product release strategies. Contribute knowledge and experience to the community Implement some or all of Kuali Student sooner 26

27 Contribution Opportunities Founders substantial commitment in money and people Partners significant commitment to core product Contributors input into product, develop modules Adopters commitment to adopt some modules Supporters display the bumper sticker More information: Kuali Days VI, Chicago, May

28 Information or Google: Kuali Student 28

29 Kuali Student will... Support end users Support a wide range of learners and learning activities Support a wide range of business processes Make it easier to change processes Deliver a product based on services Be sustainable through community source development and adoption. 29

30 Contact information Richard Spencer Acting CIO and AVP Information Technology University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada 30