Overview:
Client Profile:
Based in Essex, Havering Sixth Form College (HSFC) offers full and part time course
for 16-19 year olds. The college provides programmes in 12 sector subject areas.
It accepts learners from these schools regardless of their level of prior attainment.
Client Situation:
HSFC has over 2200 students plus 250 staff , with over 1000 new enrolments every
year, so maintaining academic and administrative records has historically been onerous
and labour-intensive – particularly as there were several systems in use each with
separate databases.
Solution:
HSFC is using Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, which incorporates Active Directory
for directory services and authentication. Parabola developed an Active Directory
(AD) synchronisation tool that enabled data held on the college Database, SharePoint
server, Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange to be automatically synchronised
and kept up to date.
Benefits:
- Data only has to be entered once
- ‘My Site’ personalised web sites automatically
created
- SharePoint can be used as a college staff directory.
- SharePoint
administration is simplified as AD groups can be used
- Leavers removal is automated
Case Study: Havering Sixth Form College streamlines administration by integrating
Active Directory with UNIT-e
Background
Based in Essex, Havering Sixth Form College (HSFC) offers full and part time course
for 16-19 year olds. The college provides programmes in 12 sector subject areas
with a strong focus on level 3 courses, in particular General Certificate of Education
(GCE) AS levels and A levels. HSFC acts as an open access sixth form college for
its 13 partner schools and a further five schools with sixth forms. It accepts learners
from these schools regardless of their level of prior attainment.
HSFC has over 2200 students plus 250 staff , with over 1000 new enrolments every
year, so maintaining academic and administrative records has historically been onerous
and labour-intensive – particularly as there were several systems in use each with
separate databases.
The Requirement
HSFC asked Parabola to ensure that Student, staff and course enrolment details was
managed in UNIT-e only and other systems would then be automatically kept in line
with this database
HSFC’s objective was to significantly reduce the five days worth of manual keying
needed to enter student enrolment and leaver’s records, in addition to entering
changes in staff details, and courses that occur during each academic year.
Havering wanted to automate the creation and updating of:
- Active Directory accounts
- Email addresses in Exchange
- My Documents folders on roaming profiles
- Security groups in AD
- SharePoint My Sites
- SharePoint profiles
The Solution
Parabola’s approach was to design a solution to ensure that student information
is entered only once in the College database and is then automatically synchronised
with AD, SharePoint and Exchange.
HSFC is using Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, which incorporates Active Directory
for directory services and authentication. After carefully analysing HSFC’s needs
and drawing on its extensive experience working in SharePoint Environments, Parabola
developed an Active Directory (AD) synchronisation process that enabled data held
on the college Database, SharePoint server, Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange
to be automatically synchronised and kept up to date.
Richard Gray explains Parabola’s approach: “We recommended AD Sync to HSFC because
SharePoint is dependant upon an accurate and up-to-date Active Directory as this
manages the user login details for the network and therefore SharePoint. SharePoint
also relies on Active Directory to hold details of user groups – such as all the
students on a particular course, enabling information to be targeted to a specific
group. It’s vital that all the information is recorded and maintained in one place
because it is updated frequently”
At HSFC, AD Sync takes data from UNIT-e (provided by Capita) and automatically updates
Active Directory with each users account details and group membership. E.g. membership
of a class will be update if a student enrols on a course.
Key benefits
- Data such as student record information only has to be entered once by staff, saving
significant administrative resources
- Data quality is significantly improved is keying errors are reduced
- ‘My Site’ personalised web sites are automatically created for each user in SharePoint,
providing a central location where students and staff can manage and store documents,
content, links, and contacts and enabling teachers and pupils to work together more
collaboratively
- Error Reporting enable errors to be identified quickly and be rectified.
- Active Directory can be used to deliver services such as a college staff directory.
- SharePoint administration is simplified as AD groups can be used
- Accounts maintenance can be scheduled, so, for example, the accounts of leavers
can be disabled at the end of the summer break. If a student needs to return to
college, then the account can simply be reactivated.
Andrew Acreman the CIS Manager at HSFC commented:
“there are other benefits ; by
keeping AD up-to-date in this way, we are able to use AD as an additional common
data source for many other third-part products that the College operates. Furthermore,
it provides an ongoing check that our UNIT-e HR records are always correct”
The new system has delivered improved accuracy and consistency of information as
well as efficiency savings.
Result
HSFC estimates that the new system saves the equivalent of around five working man
days a year by removing the need to re-key information into multiple systems.
Management, teaching staff and students can also rely on the information as they
know that it will be consistent and up to date.
Technology overview
- Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
- Active Directory
- Exchange 2007
- .NET 3.5
References/Links
Further Information
For further details and a quote based upon your particular requirements, please
contact:
Adam McCarthy on +44 (0) 208 399 5853 or
enquiries@parabolasoft.co.uk