University of Oslo UiO

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University of Oslo (UiO)
Syllabus Plus Reference site

• By Dagfinn Bergsager
• Technical Coordinator for installation of
  Syllabus Plus at UiO

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Dagfinn Bergsager

• University Center for Information technology at
  UiO (USIT)
• Student information systems in XML at UiO
  (StudInfo)
• Leader of UiOs support and operation centre
  (Houston)
• Project leader of difficult projects

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The implementation of S at UiO using data from
a student record system with SPDA
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This presentation

• The University of Oslo in numbers
• Key dates in the implementation of S
• The installation at UiO
• Success factors
• Future plans for UiO

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The University of Oslo in numbers

• Students 32 000
• Employees 4 700
• Programmes of Study 92
• Modules 2500
• No. of Sites 44 buildings, 5 campuses
• No. of Faculties 8
• Teaching staff 3500
• General teaching rooms 1000
• Student record system FS

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UiOs IT infrastructure

• Desktop computers win2k and winXP (8000) Linux
  (1000) and Mac (1000)
• Windows Terminal servers for some software (e.g.
  FS)
• Database Oracle
• User adm. System home-made system with a LDAP
  protocol
• User privileges UNIX file-group based
• Web Linux/UNIX Apache web servers

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Security

• Very important these days
• Not good enough in S
• The Terminal server is access-restricted for
  campus IP
• Members of 2 file groups can log in to the
  terminal server
• Only the terminal server (IP restricted) can
  access the database
• Own file-group to run the SPDA

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Key dates in the process

• December 2002 UiO decides to acquire a
  timetabling system
• Jan /Feb. 2003 tender written and sent out
• March contract written with Scientia
• April installation of S
• May /June scheduling
• July data back in FS
• 1st Aug published data on the web

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Syllabus installation at UiO
Oracle server

• Linux server
• Oracle database installed
• Scientias software built the database
• tables too small for first time transfer of data
• We manually extended a lot of the tables.
• Fixed now

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tempus.uio.no (linux)
tmplprdOracle db
SPlusdb fra Scientia
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Syllabus installation at UiO
Client computer

• Access restricted for campus Win2003 Terminal
  server
• Installed software Syllabus Plus and SPDA
• 2 file-groups control logon to Terminal server
• A access to login to terminal server and to
  start S
• B access to login to terminal server, to run
  SPDA and S
• (windows access control)
• Local users in Syllabus Plus user db (detailed
  access)
• No LDAP protocol yet
• Some problems/ challenges with installation on
  terminal server, but OK

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tempus.uio.no (linux)
tmplprdOracle db
SPlusdb fra Scientia
Oracle client
syllabus.uio.no (windows 2003 server)
Syllabus Plus
SPDA
SDBTCP
File group syllabus
File group syll-adm
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Syllabus installation at UiO
SPDA setup

• FS puts data into the interimsdatabase
• The SPDA reads and writes to the same database
• The SPDA is run manually from the terminal server

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tempus.uio.no (linux)
Britney.uio.no (linux)
tmplprdOracle db
fsprodOracle db
SPlusdb from Scientia
Interimdb from FS
Oracle client
FS db
syllabus.uio.no (windows 2003 server)
Syllabus Plus
SPDA
Oracle client
ODBC
SDBTCP
File group syllabus
File group syll-adm
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User (ca 200 persons)
Superuser (ca 15 persons)
StudInfo XML/web
2.
4.
6.
FS data owner
3.
5.
6.
Syllabus Plus Room Scheduling system
Uportal
1.
6.
6.
Locus Room booking
Classfronter and other systems getting data from
FS
Data transfer overview for Time scheduling system
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How was UiO able to implement S so quickly?

• The solution

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UiOs wishes for S

• All students have their own timetable
• All teaching staff have their own timetable
• All exams scheduled by S
• All rooms booked via web
• All activities scheduled by S

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Fulfilled

• All students have their own timetable -NO
• All teaching staff have their own timetable -NO
• All exams scheduled by S -NO
• All rooms booked via web -NO
• All activities scheduled by S -ca 80

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Take one step at a time
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Success factors

• UiO was chaotic and in change, due to the reform.
  The timing was perfect.
• S did not replace any system, just added one.
• We did not change any of our other systems we
  kept room booking in Locus and creation of
  activities in FS.
• All data from Locus and FS was reused. It was not
  necessary to duplicate anything manually.
• Everyone in the implementation project and
  managers at UiO supported the decision of using S

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Timing is everything
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Experiences

• Unused data is rotten
• Data used in a new way is rotten
• Old data is rotten
• Unstructured data is rotten

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The project team

• One technical coordinator
• One Oracle and one Windows developer
• One FS developer
• One Timetabler

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Have a dedicated person only for Coordinating
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Future plans

• Now we transfer data from FS ? S ? FS. We will
  check out the possibilities to start in S, and
  transfer all data in to FS and other systems
• Set up the Scientia web server and import
  timetables in UPortaL
• Start to use S for planning of students hand in
  of assignments
• Try to set up S to book chairs for students at
  the clinic at the Faculty of Odontology
• Continue developing the FS link

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Future plans (2)

• UiO is looking for a way to use S to schedule
  exams with fictitious students /student sets.
• Test Scientias web booking server
• LDAP/AD support
• Translate into Norwegian
• Book with Lotus Notes

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dagfinn.bergsager_at_usit.uio.no