PROJECT

NUMBER:
MONASH UNIVERSITY
CeLTS/INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES PROJECT OFFICE USE ONLY

Project Concept

PROJECT NAME FLEXIBLE LEARNING SUPPORT SYSTEMS REDEVELOPMENT

PROJECT ID
EXECUTIVE SPONSOR Professor Alan Lindsay, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic & Planning)
PROJECT DIRECTORS John Harris, Director, CeLTS/Jeremy Du Ve, Director, ITS Applications, ITS
(SPONSORS)
PROJECT MANAGER Elizabeth Veno, Manager, Production and Distribution Administration Unit,
CeLTS
INFORMATION PROVIDED John Harris, Elizabeth Veno,
BY
DATE 14 June 2002

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
To redevelop the four computerised systems which support distributed learning and other forms of flexible
learning, (including open learning, VCE Enhancement, Block mode (on-campus and off-campus)) to operate on
up-to-date software and hardware, and to meet at least the present and predictable (ie 3 – 5 years) future needs of
the University’s distributed learning and other flexible learning programs. (This project relates to Issue 10 in
Section 6.7, ‘University-wide Applications Systems’ of the ITS Strategic Plan. The project was included in the
2001 Programme Portfolio as project LT11, but was ranked at Priority 3).

BACKGROUND
CeLTS operates four university-wide systems which support approximately 12,000 students undertaking Monash
courses/units by off-campus learning and other forms of flexible learning. The systems concerned are:
- Production Administration System (PAS)
- Despatch and Inventory System (DIS) which includes the video tracking system
- Assignment Tracking System (ATS)
- Course Inquiries System (CIS)
Appendix 1 summarises the purpose and importance of the four systems
As originally constructed, these systems were completely integrated with the Student Data System (SDS) of
Gippsland Institute. The initial development of the systems was fully or partially undertaken by the
Administration Data Processing (ADP) Section of the Computer Centre of Gippsland Institute of Advanced
Education/Monash University College Gippsland. Responsibility was later transferred to ITS via amalgamation of
ADP with AMIS.
Integration with MUSIS involved Monash staff (for DIS, ATS, CIS) and a former ADP staff member acting as an
outside contractor (for PAS). Integration of the four systems with the Callista student-database system initially
involved the same outside contractor under IAS supervision, but IAS has since assumed responsibility for all four
systems. The introduction of Callista has required quite extensive and ongoing programming work to integrate the
distributed learning systems into the Callista environment. Some previous functionality has been lost and is not
yet restored. One IAS staff member is available on a full-time basis under supervision to provide system
maintenance and trouble-shooting. No significant development work is able to be undertaken at present.It has
been apparent for some time that the systems require redevelopment of:
- their functionality, to support changes in off-campus learning delivery;

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- their hardware system (currently DEC Alpha 4);

- their software systems (currently RDB and Powerhouse).
Major risks are associated with the continued use of out-of-date hardware and software, for which expert staff
support is very limited, and redevelopment of the systems was first requested in March 1998, when the adoption of
Callista was under consideration. The IAS project did not include any funding for this redevelopment, although
some staff then in IAS believed that SAP or Callista would include capabilities which might make the distributed
learning systems redundant, eg SAP Manufacturing and Distribution system. When this proved not to be the case,
discussions were initiated with Deakin University and Callista Software Services (CSS) regarding the possibility
of a joint Monash/Deakin project to redevelop the systems for common use. Two reports by CSS supported the
joint project concept but staff changes at Deakin University caused this to lapse. (The CSS reports are available
for reference and will provide useful background for the current project).
With the adoption of the policy that the University will focus on student-centred flexible learning, the high rate of
increase in the numbers of off-campus students (100% growth from 1991 to 1999) is likely to be maintained or
increased. The numbers of students in on-campus flexible learning programs, increasingly supported by these
systems, are also growing.
Although the use of the WWW is increasing, it is clear that this has not, and will not in the foreseeable future,
make these systems redundant. The need for systems capable of supporting a mix of media and technologies, in
study materials delivery, in communications, in assignment delivery and in student support will grow rather than
decline as Monash’s student clientele becomes more global. At the same time, the systems must be redeveloped to
become more intelligent, via the use of, for example XML-based repository systems for learning materials, and
multiple, student-selectable, assignment submission and return media and enrolment media.

SCOPE
These systems support nearly 9,000 students in over 170 off-campus learning programs in Australia and over 50
countries overseas, over 3,000 students in open learning units. They are also being increasing used to support on-
campus and off-campus students in other forms of flexible learning e.g. block mode, VCE Enhancement.
The scope of the project is to redevelop the four systems:
- to operate on contemporary software and hardware (All systems)
- to administer job registration, scheduling, monitoring of production, storage and distribution of learning
materials and materials components in a wide range of digital and analogue media for delivery online or on
physical media (PAS, DIS)
- to manage assignments which use physical media for submission and return, those using electronic media for
submission and return, and those using a mix of physical and electronic media (ATS)
- to provide the capability for comprehensive analysis, reporting and follow-up of prospective student inquiries
regarding Monash distributed learning courses (CIS)
- to provide a web-based interface to enable input and extraction of appropriate data/reports for faculty staff and
students as well as financial uploading of job costs into SAP (All systems)
- to provide an interface to enable input and extraction of appropriate data/reports between CeLTS Units
(Educational Design Group, Production & Distribution Administration Unit, Print & web Publishing Unit,
Audio Visual Production Unit etc) – for example, proposed FilemakerPro database systems for EDG and for
cross-Unit production data.

OBJECTIVES
• To increase the efficiency, usefulness and reliability of the four systems, to support the continuing expansion
of distributed learning and other forms of flexible learning, on-campus and off-campus;
• To make the systems and the data they contain more accessible to users within faculties and within CeLTS;

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• To increase student access to control of flexible learning support services, via the my.monash portal and
WebCT;
• To maintain and improve the quality of CeLTS production and production administration services;
• To design the systems in ways that will make them compatible with XML-based content management systems
which publish automatically to multiple media, and will enable management of assignments involving
multiple media.

STAKEHOLDERS / CLIENTS
CeLTS Production Administration and Distribution Unit staff and staff of CeLTS Production Units
CeLTS Student Support Unit staff
Faculty Course Coordinators and Course Administrators for distributed learning and other flexible mode courses
Students in distributed learning mode and other flexible modes (enhancement, block mode)

BENEFITS
• Reduced risk to the University, and saving of staff time in Student & Staff Services Division.
• Support for enhanced quality of learning via systems support for full range of media (learning materials on
web, CD-ROM, streaming media); assignment submission and return in mixed media.
• Improved service to unit and course coordinators/course administrators in faculties (via web-based access to
data, increased ease of use, reports available for administrative and financial purposes (e.g. SCM)).
• Labour savings for CeLTS in responding to phone queries from staff and students.
• Improved efficiency of operation.
• Reduced time demand on CeLTS staff in operating and trouble-shooting current out-of-date systems (estimate
$45,000 savings pa), enabling shift of staff resources to high-volume tasks and the support of larger student
numbers in flexible learning modes.

PERSONNEL RESOURCES
Phase 1: Requirements Analysis

CeLTS: Kim Randall, Production Officer – 4 months, full-time

Elizabeth Veno, Manager, Production and Distribution Administration Unit – 3 months, 0.2 time
fraction.
Production Unit Managers – 5 days x 3

ITS:

PHASE 2: FUNCTIONAL DESIGN ??

CeLTS:
ITS:

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PHASE 3: INTEGRATION PROCESSES ??

CeLTS:
ITS:

PHASE 4: BUILD ??
CeLTS:
ITS:

Note: The following budget estimates need to cover the development and on-going support costs for a 3 year period.

PROJECT COST ESTIMATE

ITS: Initial estimate $600K (may alter when Requirements Analysis completed).
CeLTS: $90,000
Salaries: Project Officer $45,000; Project Manager $20,000; Time release, Production Managers $10,000
Training $3,000; Travel $8,000; Hardware/Software $4,000.

PRODUCTION COST ESTIMATE

[An initial estimate of recurrent operational costs (eg. support costs, equipment lease, etc.) – Jeremy Du Ve to
provide]

CeLTS
• System debugging, redesign to accommodate changes to SAP, Callista etc and continued development
- (0.2 EFT Production Officer; 0.05 EFT Manager, PDAU) x 3 years - $60,000
• CeLTS desktop computer and peripherals upgrades - $10,000

SOURCE(S) OF FUNDING ??
University funds: 100% [Professor Alan Lindsay to comment]
Note: CeLTS has no access to capital funds

PROJECT APPROACH
This will be a phased approach.
Phase 1, Requirements Analysis is proceeding in 2002 using available resources
Phases 2-4: Pending

WORK PLAN
Project start date: January 2002
Phase 1: Start date May 2002 End date: September 2002
Phase 2: Start date January 2003 End date:

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Phase 3: Start date: End date:

Phase 4: Start date: End date:

CONSTRAINTS
Time availability for Manager, Production and Distribution Administration is limited at particular times of year by
the requirement to maintain normal CeLTS operations ( Time allocation to be reviewed).

RISKS
The risk of not proceeding, or of significant delays primarily increases the danger of the current systems becoming
unsustainable, due to unsupported out-of-date hardware and software, and/or departure of the single ITS staff
member maintaining the system. This will affect services to students and damage the University’s reputation.
Inability to make available sufficient time of relevant CeLTS staff could cause delays in progress.

RELATED PROJECTS/SYSTEMS
- Advancing Off-Campus Delivery (including GOLD)
- my.monash Portal
- WebCT
- Callista
- SAP

ASSUMPTIONS
Nil

PROJECT IMPACT ON CELTS AND ITS DEPARTMENTS

This Project Concept must be reviewed by the Directors and Managers of all ITS Departments / Sections and the
Heads/Managers of relevant CeLTS Units. A signature is required by an authorised staff member to confirm that
the information provided above adequately represents any impact of this project on their area.

ITS DEPARTMENTS
Administrative Services ………………………………………………
Applications Services ……………………………………….………
Client Services ……………………………………….………
FL&T ……………………………………….………
Infrastructure Services …………………………………….…………
Microcomputers ……………………………………………….
Communications & Networking ……………………………………………….
Production Facilities ……………………………………………….
Disaster Recovery Planning ……………………………………..…………

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IT Security ……………………………………..…………
Shared Systems ……………………………………..…………
Web & Internet Facilities ………………………………………………..

CELTS UNITS
Administration ……………………………………..…………
Audiovisual Production Unit ……………………………………..…………
Educational Design Group ……………………………………..…………
Multimedia Development Unit ……………………………………..…………
Print & Web Publishing Unit ……………………………………..…………
Production & Distribution Administration Unit ……………………………………..…………
Student Support Unit ……………………………………..…………

To be completed by the Programme Steering Committee / ITS Director’s Group:

APPROVED NOT APPROVED FURTHER INFORMATION REQUIRED

COMMENTS:

To be completed by the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic & Planning):

Approved/Not Approved: …………………………… Signature: ………………………..

Version Number: [Version number of this project concept document]

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Distribution: To ITS Project Office/Director, CeLTS

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APPENDIX 1: PURPOSE AND IMPORTANCE OF THE

DISTRIBUTED LEARNING COMPUTERISED SUPPORT
SYSTEMS

1. Overview

CeLTS operates four computerised systems which support distributed learning operations at Monash. These
systems have been designed to ensure:

- integrated, timely production management for learning materials;

- efficient inventory and despatch management for distributed learning materials;
- electronic and paper-based assignment management with full tracking capability;
- efficient and cost effective management of distributed learning course inquiries.

2. Systems

2.1 Production Administration System (PAS)

This system enables administration of approximately 3,000 learning materials production

jobs per annum, relating to 1200 units of study. These jobs are registered, tracked and
costed via the PAS system. The system has a wide range of features such as the ability to
register a job across multiple units, recording copies and distribution by unit, campus,
modes and other details; to have the job subdivided into separate parts; to allocate
production costs to multiple budget codes; to check current stock levels held and to notify
Despatch Section of out-of-date stock to be dumped; to extract costs into SAP for
automatic charging to relevant account codes and to produce a range of reports.

A comparative evaluation by Callista Software Services of the PAS and Deakin

University’s system recommended that redevelopment for both universities be based on
the PAS rather than the Deakin system.

2.2 Despatch and Inventory System (DIS)

Delivery of correct and complete learning materials, in a timely manner, is a major

University responsibility in conducting off-campus distributed learning programs. The
Despatch and Inventory System (DIS) is therefore central to quality assurance in
distributed learning delivery involving physical materials. Over 320,000 items are
distributed each year to over 10000 students in distributed learning (including open
learning). Each item despatched is recorded, with its despatch date, for each student
recipient, on the DIS. The system also handles inventory management for these items.

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2.3 Assignment Tracking System (ATS)

Assignment management is also of primary importance in quality assurance for distributed

learning. The Assignment Tracking System (ATS) provides a bar-coded coversheet for
each assignment submitted on physical media for each student (250 000 per annum). This
enables rapid and efficient recording of every assignment on arrival and return. The ATS
is linked to the WebFace electronic assignment system to ensure that records for electronic
assignments and paper-based assignments are held in an integrated manner.

On-going discussion is occurring with IT Services Division regarding a modification of

the system to enable efficient management of assignments submitted electronically but
marked and returned in paper form.

The ATS can provide reports on turnaround time for assignments if required.

2.4 Course Inquiries System (CIS)

This database system supports the Course Inquiries Centre, a section of the Student
Support Unit of CeLTS, which is the initial contact point for prospective student inquiries
(12 000 per annum) for the great majority of off-campus distributed learning programs.
The CIS software records inquirer information, including source of information about
Monash programs (for marketing analysis purposes), and produces address labels for
mailing of the Distributed Learning Courses Guide and any other material. Mailing lists
for follow-up letters can be produced, as can reports to assist in determining rates of
conversion of inquiries to applications, and effectiveness of advertising.

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