Students will be able to make the request from any location from which he or she can get access, and the process time can be reduced with less human interaction. Human Contact Not Lost in Re-designed Process During the team's discussions it was frequently noted that the most important elements of human contact could be lost if the University depends too much on automated online systems. Since the re-designed process will make greater use of current technologies, the report made strong reference to the value of human interaction between students and student services staff at the University. The report emphasized that human contact and advising would remain integral to the overall student services function of the University. Security and PINs One of the big challenges for the team was to ensure that the new SRS maintain strict confidentiality and security of student information.
Security is an integral component of the new system.
There will be levels of security for various users of the system. In accordance with existing University policy, access by a staff member to particular pieces of information is granted only when the information is relevant to that staff member's role. The current STS system and web service utilize the concept of a PIN to provide verification for the person signing into the system. The report places strong emphasis on the benefits in providing students with better access to their records. This will allow the applicant to access an electronic system to check on his or her application status.