CCFIT > Working Groups > CCFIT GRAD SMAART Workgroup

CCFIT GRAD SMAART Workgroup

This workgroup was established on May 1, 2007.

The Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) has developed an initiative to integrate the latest information technology into business operations related to graduate students. Grad SMAART -- Graduate System for Management of Admission, Alumni & Records Tracking -- is structured around four system components:

1. Application: a new online admission and fellowship application system;
2. Review: an electronic admission review database;
3. Student tracking: a student tracking database; and
4. Alumni tracking: an alumni tracking database. 

Phase One includes the first two components, pertaining to admissions/fellowship applications and review.  This phase of the project will capture all required applicant information online, provide a letters of recommendation Web site, create electronic files, and allow for database development with reporting features. 

In June 2005, the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) created an advisory committee to document user information requirements, assess the preferences for system architecture, and identify workflow issues.  That advisory committee met eight times from June 2005 through October 2005 and included graduate program staff, OGS staff and technical specialists.  In addition, Information and Educational Technology (IET) provided design suggestions, technical specification documents, and proposals that addressed part of the online admissions and faculty review components. 
 
As a result of the advisory committee’s work, the Office of Graduate Studies put out an RFP in April 2006 and created a review committee that included staff from IET, OGS, and Purchasing to review the three vendors who responded to the RFP.  In December 2006, an agreement was signed with Embark as the vendor to develop the online admission and fellowship application system.  The Office of Graduate Studies is developing the electronic admission review database. 

Charge to the CCFIT GRAD SMAART Workgroup
The charge to the Grad SMAART Workgroup is twofold.

First, the workgroup is charged with providing advice and guidance to the Office of Graduate Studies on the development of the first phase of this project by:

1. Reviewing proposed designs of the new online admission/fellowship application system and the electronic admission review database;
2. Providing feedback on the components’ functionality and operation, including interactions with other campus systems;
3. Making recommendations for improvements;
   
4. Soliciting additional feedback from the user community (faculty, staff, and applicants);
5. Assisting with testing of the new admission and review components; and
6. Making recommendations for roll-out scheduling and communications

Second, the workgroup is charged with providing regular (at least quarterly) project updates (to be posted on the CCFIT Web site at http://ccfit.ucdavis.edu). In addition, the workgroup will report activities, findings and recommendations to CCFIT and to the Vice Provost-IET in an annual report in June.

Administrative support for this workgroup is provided by the Office of Graduate Studies.