About CIS

Who are the CIS team?

• Heather Semmens – CIS Manager (ext. 6935)
• Barry Quade – CIS Officer (ext. 6926)
• Mohammed Ravat – CIS Officer (Learner Records)  (ext. 4635)
• Emily Dawkins – CIS Officer (Timetabling & Registers) (ext. 3354)
• Cedric John – CIS Developer (ext. 4634)
• Julia George – Examinations Officer (ext. 4609)
• Tina French – CIS Assistant (Exams) (ext. 3386)

 

What does the CIS team actually do?

• We provide the senior leadership team with business intelligence to inform decision making
• We are responsible for the delivery of the vision the senior management team have for improving the experience of learners at NewVIc
• We aim to improve business processes throughout the College
• We endeavour to provide managers, staff and learners with personalised information.

Individualised Learner Record (ILR)
We provide our funding agencies with data which is used to determine funding and performance.

CIS produces and submits a data return called the ILR five times a year for Learner Responsive (the majority of our provision) and we make monthly returns for our project work which at the moment is Personal Best and A Star.

The ILR contains a vast amount of information about every learner at NewVIc and about every qualification we deliver. This information is used to ensure the College has met funding and learner number targets. The information is also used so the government can compile statistics on learners and qualifications, inform future funding and to enable performance monitoring both internally and externally by the EFA (Education Funding Agency) and Ofsted.

Audit
External auditors will check to ensure we are claiming the correct amount of funding for each learner. Registers are really important as these are a legal document, and are our proof that learning has taken place. Auditors also check that where a learner is not attending that appropriate action has been taken, and that all the paperwork associated is present.

Analysis & Reports
The CIS team provides the College with lots of reports and data during the year and at key points. We also provide other agencies with data reports for example the EFA (Education Funding Agency), London Borough of Newham, Schools in the Borough and information on courses for websites supported by the government.

Exams
Julia George is the Examinations Officer and is responsible for all examinations held at NewVIc.

The main role of the examinations officer is to ensure the College complies with all awarding body rules and regulations.

Julia is the main point of contact between the College and the awarding bodies.

In short the Examination Officer’s role is to ensure that all the examination procedures are followed and that the learners have the best possible chance of being successful.

There are key dates for examinations during the academic year, and Julia will keep all staff informed. Please ensure that you meet any deadlines Julia sets as delays can jeopardise the timeliness of results and we may also be charged late fees.

Software
The main database used for learner records is called ProSolution.

Registers can be taken electronically at the time of the lessons, using ProSolution. If you do not know how to take a register, click here to read the instructions, or come and talk to CIS.

CIS are also responsible for implementing other key pieces of software around the College, for example ProMonitor, ProAchieve, IPR, Moodle and Mahara. If you require training or assistance with these systems please come and talk to us.

Data Quality
As we are submitting data to lots of different sources and this data is used for different purposes, from informing a learner when a course starts, to performance data, we need to ensure the data we hold is accurate. Therefore the CIS team spends a lot of time checking and testing the data for accuracy.

Because the CIS team are responsible for data, the team gets involved in lots of cross college projects and issues, for example enrolment planning, EMA payments, Learner Support Funds, Moodle, ProMonitor etc.

In order to make all of the above work, CIS works very closely with other teams across the college. In particular, with the Advice and Recruitment team, Marketing, LRC team, senior tutors and heads of school.

Q: The information provided by CIS does not match my own calculations. Why?

There could be several reasons for this but the most likely reasons are as follows:

Differing methods of calculation
In order to look at trends and to compare information, the data service use specific rules, for example, to calculate achievement percentages we use the number of learners remaining on the course at the end of the year. If you are calculating percentages based on the number of learners that sat the exam, your figures may be slightly different.

Delay in the information chain
The Information the College holds on learners is subject to audit therefore we have to ensure all paperwork is completed and signed off before we action changes to the data, this can inevitably cause delays.

Q: I have passed on the correct information so why is my class list or register still not correct?

When the CIS team receives information it must be verified, for example, a learner who is receiving fewer hours of learning as a result of dropping a class may not be eligible for the same amount of funding.

To ensure we are not submitting an incorrect funding claim, we therefore need to check all of the following:

• Register marks against the learner to check the last date of attendance is correct.
• Has the learner joined another class?
• Has the learner changed course?
• Has the learner changed tutor?
• Has the learner left college?
• Who has authorised the change and what reasons have been given?
• What implications do the changes have on funding for the learner? Is the correct paperwork filed for audit purposes?

For audit purposes, all changes need to be supported by paperwork.

Q: I don’t know how to use the electronic register system. How do I take my registers?

Accurate registers are absolutely essential for funding, they are the way we prove a learner actually attended a given class or course. That means the College must be able to show auditors completed and accurate registers for any learner or course they ask about. For this reason, electronic registers must be kept up to date at all times. CIS runs a report on attendance below 100% this is sent to Faculty Services.

Before you can take a register we need to give you access to ProSolution so either email CIS or come and see us in A1.

For help with your registers, please read the instructions. Your Programme Team Manager will also be able to offer assistance. If you are still having problems accessing or using the electronic registration system, you should contact a member of the CIS team.