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Copyright Jill M. Forrester 2007. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.
Winning the Paper War:Tales from a Document Imaging
Implementation
Educause 2007 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
Jill M. Forrester
Director, Institutional Systems
Dickinson College
Library and Information Services
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Overview
• About Dickinson College
• About the Admissions Imaging Project
• Lessons Learned
• What’s Next
• Questions
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About Dickinson College
• 4-year, private liberal arts college in Carlisle, PA
• Admissions Staff12 Counseling9 Operational1 Technical Support
• Over 5,000 applications received per year
• Recruitment Plus client since 2001
About the Admissions Imaging Project
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About the Project: Why the Admissions Office?
• The Great Paper Chase80,000+ documents5,000+ applicant files25 staff members spread
over 4 floors
• ImpactMissing applicant files and filing delaysRecruitment Plus missing items out of synchCounseling staff filing instead of reviewing applicant
materials
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About the Project: Our Goals
• Provide more accurate and timely record of applicant’s submitted materials
• Provide electronic availability of applicant materials for both counseling and operational staff
• Provide better information security
• Utilize the availability of electronic application and supplement submissions through Common App Online
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About the Project: Our Timeline2004 2005 2006
•Vendor Selection (NolijWeb)
•Configuration of software and hardware
•Development of integration components
•System testing•Staff training
•Process improvement meeting
•Development of bar code module
•Development of Common App Online integration
•System testing•Staff training
•Process improvement meeting
•Refine Common App Online integration
•Staff training
Nov 1, 2004 –
Go Live for Fall 2005 Applications
Oct 1, 2005 –
Version 2 released for Fall 2006 Applications
Aug 15, 2006 –
Version 3 released for Fall 2007 Applications
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About the Project: Our Difficulties
• Underestimated time and effort required for scanning and indexing Scanning equipment Manual indexing Lack of quality control
• Staff adjustment to new processes All new workflow and process for operational staff Adjustment to reviewing electronic documents Trusting the system accuracy
• Off-campus access
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About the Project: Our Accomplishments
•Developed integration with Common App Online (CAO) Over 65% of applications and supplement forms are
submitted through CAO Reduced paper consumption by approximately 40,000
pages Increased data entry and review efficiency
• Paper: 10+ minutes per application
• Electronic: <1 minute per application
Result: All applications and supplements submitted through CAO are imported, indexed, and reviewed within 24 hours of submission.
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About the Project: Our Accomplishments
•Developed bar code based scanning and indexing application
Automates image indexing• Utilizes bar coded cover sheets for each document type and
applicant
Provides image quality control• User must verify quality of scanned images before they are
imported
Result: Efficiency of indexing process as well as the quality and accuracy of scanned images has greatly increased.
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About the Project: Our Accomplishments
•Purchased better quality scanners Original equipment: Kodak i65
• Slow throughput• Poor reliability (pulled multiple pages)
New equipment: Canon DR 9080C• Greater throughput and reliability
Result: Scanning quality has improved which has resulted in increased staff trust in system accuracy.
Lessons Learned
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Lessons Learned
• Understand the business process
• Involve the office staff
• Allow time for new processes to “sink-in”
• Provide feed-back sessions
• Have a back-up plan
• Provide just-in-time training
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Lessons Learned
• Keep an open relationship with your vendors
• Don’t underestimate the effort to properly scan
• Take advantage of electronic data and images
• Think creatively
• Celebrate your accomplishments as a team
Next Steps
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Next Steps
• Integrating additional electronic documents as they become available through Common App Online
• Continued implementation of NolijWeb in other administrative offices
Registrar’s Office – Summer 2007 Financial Aid - TBD Human Resources – TBD Accounts Receivable - TBD
Questions
Jill M. Forrester
Director, Institutional Systems
Dickinson College
Library and Information Services
