Graduating from university is a significant milestone in a student's life, marking the culmination of years of hard work and dedication. At the University of Pittsburgh, ensuring that students can smoothly transition from students to alumni is a critical task. This blog post highlights the innovative approach taken by the University of Pittsburgh's Academic Records Office in collaboration with Pitt Digital to streamline the graduation process.
The Problem with Paper
In the past, the graduation process was heavily reliant on paper files. Each student's academic career was meticulously documented in these files, which were then used to verify their eligibility for graduation. However, this manual process was time-consuming and prone to errors. As one team member recalls, "Once we had moved away from the paper into the PDFs, the Registrar's Office would pull a batch report for us, but still, the moment they pulled that, at least one record had changed in the process which could throw off someone's graduation."
Enter the Dashboard
Recognizing the inefficiencies and potential for errors in the existing system, the Academic Records Office and Pitt Digital came together to develop a more efficient solution: an interactive graduation dashboard. This dashboard leverages real-time data to provide an up-to-date, accurate picture of each student's progress towards graduation.
"I loved working on the dashboard," says one of the team members. "We were able to point to the data that lives under those PDF reports to really produce an interactive dashboard." The result is a tool that has drastically reduced the time required to transition students from their final term to alumni status.
Benefits of the Dashboard
The graduation dashboard offers several key benefits:
- Real-Time Data: The dashboard is based on the most current information available, ensuring that decisions made using this data are accurate and up-to-date.
- Efficiency: The dashboard has halved the time required to process graduation applications. As one team member puts it, "The graduation dashboard helps me get students from last term to alumni in half the time."
- Collaboration: The dashboard has fostered better collaboration between different offices on campus, such as the Registrar's Office and Pitt Digital. This improved cooperation has streamlined the graduation process and enhanced the overall student experience.
- Focus on Students: By reducing the time spent on administrative tasks, advisors can now focus more on individual student interactions. "Before, it was a lot of time digging into documents and as advisors, we would much rather be working one-on-one with the students and making that connection."
A Bright Future with Pitt Digital
The success of the graduation dashboard is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation. As one team member enthusiastically shares, "Pitt Digital is my favorite new partner on campus. I love working with them, I look forward to it. I joke around about how they can't shake me."
At Pitt Digital, the goal is to build tools that allow university staff to focus on what truly matters: the students. This collaborative effort has not only improved the graduation process but also strengthened the sense of community and shared mission across the University of Pittsburgh.
In conclusion, the development of the graduation dashboard is a shining example of how technology can be harnessed to enhance administrative processes and improve the student experience. The collaboration between the Academic Records Office and Pitt Digital has paved the way for a more efficient, accurate, and student-focused approach to graduation, ensuring that every student's journey from the classroom to the commencement stage is as smooth as possible.
I hope this captures the essence of the video well! If you have any specific points or details you'd like to add or change, feel free to let me know.
