12 August 2010
The academic community dreams enthusiastically of a fully electronic classcard (eGrades) containing all the grades of a scholar and his general weighted average in the semester then-ended. This will soon be a reality as Microsoft Live@edu partners with the IT Center and the Supreme Student Council in laying down the steps to attain such an innovative dream.
The deans of colleges and their hand-picked faculty members joined Thursday the Core Group in the strategic and tactical planning meeting. The objective was to lay down the foundation for a gradual parallel test with a small pilot for the e-Classcards -- the latest innovation to characterize PLM’s continuing quest for better academic services.
Among those agreed at the end of a 2-hour discussion were the determination of maturity level parameters and indicators, the initial pilot as a controlled environment. The parameters include: all academic units participating through an assigned professor, the inputting of grades directly to the database of the OUR’s SIS section, the sending of said grades by the SIS section to pilot students, and the mass sending of electronic grades to nearly 9,000 scholars shortly after the end of a term. Additionally, a change management program will also be formulated to ensure a smooth pilot, including the continuation of the existing IT literacy training program to cover this new pilot project.
The participants have expressed their elation over the new direction of PLM in catching up with other schools through the use of technology. Faculty members who have likewise taught in other universities shared their experiences on the cutting-edge processes implemented by said schools.
Early on, the Core Group, as the development partner of the ITC, has initially met on 06 August 2010 at the TOP room to jumpstart the program. It is composed of the following major stakeholders:
OUR: as the Project Champion
OSDS: as the body that institutionalizes student development and services
Academic Employees Association of PLM: as among the Project Beneficiaries
SSC: as Project Proponent being the representation of the 9,000-strong scholars
Microsoft Team: as the sponsor and provider for this innovative service
The IT Center has been in constant discussion with the Microsoft Team since the project was conceptualized during the visit of Microsoft’s director for Asia-Pacific on 16 March 2010. The SSC, as the official representation of the students being the main beneficiaries of the pilot, has partnered with the ITC in the attainment of this innovation. PLM’s chief operating officer (EVP) and chief academic officer (VPAA) have both footed in their full support to this innovative project to push through as a legacy direction for the betterment of academic services in the campus. The eGrades project is designed to be of continuing nature and character with an escalating pilot.
In early 2009, PLM was among the few universities in the Philippines which had been accepted into the Live@edu program of Microsoft. After provisioning thousands of email accounts for the PLM community in October 2009, an institutional linkage or partnership was formally signed on 13 November 2009 at the University Activity Center to enable the provisioning of more services by Microsoft to PLM.
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