Microsoft Bookings Q&A
Bookings is a great way to manage office hours, reserve University resources and create appointments for writing and research labs. Join us for this one hour session on different Bookings use cases. The majority of the hour will be dedicated to answering questions from session attendees.
Resources
ROSI, ACORN and changes to delivery mode codes for 2020-21
To: Registrars
From: Student Information Systems
Re: ROSI, ACORN and changes to delivery mode codes for 2020-21
Dear Registrarial colleagues,
By now you are aware that new delivery modes are to be used for meeting sections for the 2020 Fall and 2021 Winter sessions. These new codes are now available in ROSI and will soon be visible to students in ACORN. Here is how ROSI, ACORN and other applications are being altered to support their use. Please read carefully as some implementation steps and requests are embedded in the descriptions.
ROSI
In Person (INPER), Online Synchronous (SYNC) and Online Asynchronous (ASYNC) are the only valid delivery modes for the coming academic period. In Class, Online and Hybrid should not be used and where already in place, should be replaced. To support this:
- An end session has been added to the support table that lists delivery mode choices for meeting sections on the Maintain Activity Meeting Sections screen (1BAC)
- Data entry of delivery mode will be validated against the date. It will not be possible to add any of the older codes when creating or modifying a meeting section for the coming year
- The field is required. ROSI will no longer enter a default value (previously In Class) if the field is left blank. Instead, an error will be returned.
B. This will have an effect on the rollover process. If your division still needs to perform an academic activity rollover for the Fall and Winter, please alert us ASAP. - For divisions that use the Room Reservation System uploads and downloads, the delivery mode field is being added to all three. This will change the format required. Please make sure you account for this in your formatting and be sure to include the appropriate, valid code. Please check with us, before running the process to be sure we have implemented the changes.
- If you have access to the QA environment, you may want to test your upload before running it in production.
- If you are using the uploads to change existing meeting sections, remember that some processes may change the enrolment quantity value in your enrolment control lines to match the maximum enrolment quantity on the meeting section overall. This is not new behaviour but could have a larger impact this year.
- If you are using the uploads to create new meeting sections, remember only the default generic wildcard enrolment control line will be created.
- If your division has already created all meeting sections, you will likely need to change the delivery modes. If you have too many to manage manually, we may be able to assist. Please contact us to see if you have enough to make an update query worthwhile. If you require a list of all your meeting sections with the delivery mode, please let us know.
ACORN
Students have been able to see the Hybrid and Online delivery methods in ACORN for several years. Development work is underway to ensure students will see the three new codes in the course lookup, the course planner and in their personal timetables. A description of the particular delivery mode will be available in a tool tip in the course lookup. The description will also include a statement that the student can find details at their divisional website. We will provide a link from that statement to a website for the division that is the primary org on the course. ASAP, please provide us with a link that we can attach to your courses. Ideally this would be the page where your divisional timetable is published, or your general statements about course delivery. Preferably the url will be one that can be used over multiple sessions. For example, you should provide us the landing page where all your timetables are linked rather than the Fall and Winter Timetable specifically. Please send your url to Kelly Jay (kelly.jay@utoronto.ca)
Course Finder
Delivery mode is already displaying in Course Finder. We will add a general statement to the main page indicating the details for specific meeting sections may be found on the divisional website. This statement will not include a link.
Some of these changes will require us to make further adjustments later in the year. For example, the activity rollover procedure will need to be adjusted so that newly invalid delivery mode options do not cause failures. We will advise you as we make these changes.
If you have questions about any of this, please contact Kelly Jay or me.
___________________________________________________
Rodney Branch
Manager, Client Services and Process Integration
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI & NGSIS)
University of Toronto
ROSI and other student systems maintenance Friday, June 19
To: ROSI Users
From: Student Information Systems
Re: ROSI and other student systems maintenance Friday, June 19
Dear ROSI users,
We will need to take ROSI and all associated student information systems offline 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., on Friday, June 19 to perform quarterly maintenance on the database. We will return the systems to service sooner if the work is completed earlier than 9 p.m. The following systems will be affected:
ACORN
Degree Explorer (Student and Admin)
ACORN Grant Application
ROSI
ROSI Express
Course Information System
Timetable Builder
Varsity Blues Registration System
Safety Abroad Student Registry
eMarks
Exam photo invigilation
Elections
MyRes
Web services
A notice will be posted on the ACORN launchpad so that students are aware of the outage.
Thank you for your patience as we make these improvements.
EASI – Student Information Systems
Improved VoIP Reporting and Automated Billing Launches Today
To: Business Officers and Telecomm Administrators
From: F.A.S.T., Financial Services Department and Telecommunications Department
Re: Improved VoIP Reporting and Automated Billing Launches Today
To all Business Officers and Telecomm Administrators,
This is a reminder that as of today U of T will be moving to an automated billing process with custom SAP Reports to increase efficiency and provide more transparency, including complete costs for line charges, hardware, long distance and the details of each charge.
Since early 2017, U of T has been transitioning over 12,000 faculty and staff from a Bell phone system to VoIP. Now that this massive initiative is almost complete, Financial Services and Information Technology Services are excited to improve reporting and billing for end users – with the VoIP Billing Project.
What changes will you notice after June 15?
- You will see two new reports – VoIP Recurring and Hardware Charges, and VoIP Long Distance
- Billing transactions will be posted using an automated billing program
- May 2020 VoIP charges will be posted on June 15 with Billing Period 202005
- June 2020 VoIP charges will be billed before month end with Billing Period 202006
Interested in learning more? Attend our upcoming online information sessions (Microsoft Teams):
Project Benefits:
- Transparent process that shows accurate and complete charges in two new reports
- Increased efficiency with reports that span multiple billing months or a range of months
- Faster reconciling and reporting with improved filtering, and ability to view sub-totals and totals
- Increased efficiency and flexibility by using the default report layout or creating custom report layouts
- Improved reporting and transparency on rejected charges, allowing staff to be more proactive in managing budgets
- Increased data integrity with automated process
For questions related to the VoIP billing reports, please contact your FAST Team Faculty Representative
For questions related to VoIP billing charges, please contact telecom.services@utoronto.ca
Read more about the project in this article.
Sincerely,
Chris Dimitriadis – Manager, F.A.S.T., Financial Services Department
Tony Danas – Manager, Telecommunications Department
U of T streamlines VoIP reporting, automated billing
Since early 2017, U of T has been transitioning over 12,000 faculty and staff from a Bell phone system to VoIP. Now that this massive initiative is almost complete, Financial Services and Information Technology Services are excited to improve reporting and billing for end users – with the VoIP Billing Project.
On June 15, U of T will be moving to an automated billing process with custom SAP Reports to increase efficiency and provide more transparency, including complete costs for line charges, hardware, long distance and the details of each charge.
“In the past, Business Officers and Telecomm Administrators would receive multi-page reports that outlined long distance, voicemail and other charges,” says Chris Dimitriadis, manager of F.A.S.T, Financial Services Department. “But these multi-page reports excluded the basic line charges, which were the biggest component of billing. Now staff will be able to see details of all charges clearly using the new SAP reports.”
After June 15, billing transactions will be posted using automated billing and users will have access to the two new reports – ZVC2 – VoIP Recurring and Hardware Charges, and ZVC3 – VoIP Long Distance.
“We’re offering staff increased efficiency with reports that span multiple billing months or a range of months,” says Tony Danas, manager of the Telecommunications Department. “We’re also improving the user experience with faster reconciling and reporting with improved filtering and the ability to view sub-totals and totals.”
In addition to the details of all posted charges, staff will also be able to easily see any rejected charges they may have, allowing them to be more proactive in managing their budgets.
The transition to improved reporting and automated billing is the final phase of a university-wide project to transition from a Bell phone system to VoIP. VoIP is more cost effective and offers a 50 per cent reduction in departmental bills, depending on what service options are selected. It also provides enhanced communications features that allow users to access voice messages via email, make teleconference and videoconference calls, and gives users mobile access. Beyond these benefits, VoIP integrates with U of T’s Campus Police so they can access callers’ locations and respond quickly.
“We’ve spent many years improving our system by switching to VoIP, and the results have been impressive. Now we’re further improving the process so staff can easily see accurate and complete charges,” says Danas. “We’re excited to transition to more streamlined business operations, improve the user experience and help our staff save time.”
For questions related to the VoIP billing reports, please contact your FAST Team Faculty Representative
For questions related to VoIP billing charges, please contact telecom.services@utoronto.ca
U of T to launch new accommodated testing services platform
Since 2010, U of T has seen a 146 per cent increase in accommodated test bookings – from quizzes to tests and final exams. To deal with the growing demand and success of the program, Accommodated Testing Services (ATS) is creating a new streamlined process for students, instructors and staff.
Starting in March 2019, ATS and Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) began designing a system to ease instructors’ and administrative work loads and support students on their academic journey – creating an efficient process from beginning to end.
“The existing processes and technology supporting accommodated tests were implemented in 2010 when we received less than 9,000 accommodation requests per year. Today, we receive nearly 22,000 requests per year with a steady increase each year,” says Steven Bailey, director of Academic and Campus Events. “We’re moving from an outdated, email-based process to a system that will help us deal with the complexities of coordinating tens of thousands of unique bookings.”
ATS is responsible for coordinating quiz, term test, and final exam accommodations for students with documented disabilities who are registered with Accessibility Services on the St. George Campus. Working cooperatively with Accessibility Services and the institution’s faculty and staff, ATS plays a vital role in U of T’s commitment to accessibility.
Users will find the new process transparent, seamless and intuitive, providing easy online access to information through pre-existing U of T platforms.
“Students will be able to easily log in to ACORN to create bookings with a modern, user-friendly interface,” says Mark Johnston, a product manager with EASI. “The Course Information System will replace an email-based system for instructors and will provide secure online submission and storage of test details and documents. ATS staff will also use a newly designed application to coordinate and manage all requests.”
In addition to the new platform, ATS changed its name from Test and Exam Services in January 2020.
“We’re refocusing our service on the people rather than the process and figuring out what instructors, students and staff need while aligning our goals around a common purpose,” says Bailey. “Having that word ‘accommodated’ is a multi-dimensional word – accommodating community needs about academic integrity, efficient work, efficient use of technology and process flow.”
And accommodating different users during the pandemic has been a central focus for ATS.
“The pandemic is a perfect case in point for why we need to create an infrastructure that is agile enough and is able to pivot as new things emerge,” says Bailey. “New technology around accommodation, new approaches, new assessment and all of the work we’re doing is laying the foundation for us to incorporate this in the future.”
This project is part of the Next Generation Student Information Services (NGSIS) Program, which creates and deploys technological solutions that help students fully engage in rewarding learning experiences and achieve academic and personal success. It also helps to provide faculty and staff with a rich and supportive educational environment.
The evolution of this process has involved close consultations with a cross section of students, instructors, staff and senior leadership.
To date, the instructor module has been piloted with the Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and the Faculty of Arts & Science. Following these pilots, the project team plans to roll out the new online modules to all students and instructors on the St. George campus, and the new administrative system to ATS staff this summer. In the future, the platform could be extended to all three campuses.
“Our goal is to ensure that all U of T students have equal opportunity to write tests and exams,” says Bailey. “With the new platform, ATS will be well positioned to provide excellent service to students and their instructors. They’ll have modern tools and technology at their fingertips to anticipate and respond to any challenges that come their way.”
Improved VoIP Reporting and Automated Billing Launches June 15
To: Business Officers and Telecomm Administrators
From: F.A.S.T., Financial Services Department and Telecommunications Department
Re: Improved VoIP Reporting and Automated Billing Launches Today
To all Business Officers and Telecomm Administrators,
Since early 2017, U of T has been transitioning over 12,000 faculty and staff from a Bell phone system to VoIP. Now that this massive initiative is almost complete, Financial Services and Information Technology Services are excited to improve reporting and billing for end users – with the VoIP Billing Project.
On June 15, U of T will be moving to an automated billing process with custom SAP Reports to increase efficiency and provide more transparency, including complete costs for line charges, hardware, long distance and the details of each charge.
What changes will you notice after June 15?
- You will see two new reports – VoIP Recurring and Hardware Charges, and VoIP Long Distance
- Billing transactions will be posted using an automated billing program
- May 2020 VoIP charges will be posted on June 15 with Billing Period 202005
- June 2020 VoIP charges will be billed before month end with Billing Period 202006
Interested in learning more? Attend our upcoming online information sessions (Microsoft Teams):
Project Benefits:
- Transparent process that shows accurate and complete charges in two new reports
- Increased efficiency with reports that span multiple billing months or a range of months
- Faster reconciling and reporting with improved filtering, and ability to view sub-totals and totals
- Increased efficiency and flexibility by using the default report layout or creating custom report layouts
- Improved reporting and transparency on rejected charges, allowing staff to be more proactive in managing budgets
- Increased data integrity with automated process
For questions related to the VoIP billing reports, please contact your FAST Team Faculty Representative
For questions related to VoIP billing charges, please contact telecom.services@utoronto.ca
Sincerely,
Chris Dimitriadis – Manager, F.A.S.T., Financial Services Department
Tony Danas – Manager, Telecommunications Department
Introducing Microsoft Bookings
Join us for this introduction to Microsoft Bookings, a scheduling tool that allows you to keep track of appointments and clients. With Bookings, clients can easily access your Bookings page at any time to find the appointment slot and service that they need.
Resources
Microsoft StaffHub to be retired on June 30th, 2020
This is the final reminder that Microsoft StaffHub will be retired on June 30th, 2020.
Microsoft Teams is evolving to include a new set of capabilities that will simplify schedule management and help deliver the tools for every worker to get the job done. After June 30th, 2020 users that attempt to log in to StaffHub will be greeted with a message directing them to download Microsoft Teams.