Overview

Background

This paper is the Project Brief for DTI044, which was established to replace DTI011 (suspended) and SAS002 (closed), following a re-scoping of those projects’ funding, scope, timescales and milestones.

The User-Centred Portal (UCP) work is currently composed of projects separately funded by Service Excellence (SE) and Digital Transformation (DTI).  So far, these projects have done valuable research work, technical investigations, and trials of content in MyEd. Challenges regarding business readiness have caused the scope of delivery to be restricted.

References

• Original project plan, written by Marissa Warner-Wu and Martin Morrey
• DTI011 service architecture (in progress), written by Mairi Fraser
• DTI011 page on Projects website
• SAS002 page on Projects website

This project retains the overall objectives of the DTI011 plan/brief, using the same goals of improvements to the student experience and the technical framework.

The key pieces of work will be divided into two strands:

Infrastructure/Configuration:

• Develop and configure a uPortal 5 instance to provide a basis for the new MyEd, implementing improvements in administering uPortal 5 that we have identified in our technical research
• Develop and implement a migration strategy for moving content in current MyEd over to the new instance

UI/UX:

• Design a new user interface (UI), using student feedback on incremental changes to current MyEd (in progress by Service team) as evidence for our design
• Develop the interface using our new de-coupled front-end approach, MyEd Progressive, supported by the new uPortal 5 back-end and including top priority content for students.

Scope

In Scope

• For Student content only:

  • Review of existing research and data to determine priority areas
  • Trial of improvements to content within current MyEd, assessed using student feedback
  • Improvements implemented in new MyEd using the MyEd Progressive approach
• Delivery to Live of a new MyEd interface (UI), for all users
• Delivery to Live of the new uPortal 5 framework and required infrastructure, for all users
• Audit and migration of MyEd content
• Deliver sustainability plan for ongoing development of MyEd

Out of Scope

• All student content or non-student content re-presented using MyEd Progressive approach
• Development of new content, including enhancing existing content where changes to business processes or new data sources (e.g. APIs) would be required

Objectives

Project High-Level Objectives

1. To deliver an improved user experience in MyEd, centred around student needs.
2. To deliver an enhanced technical framework (uPortal5 back-end/React front-end), which improves service delivery and user experience.

Provide an improved experience for students which supports them in their studies

• Improvements to student layout and content based on feedback
• Language which is descriptive and easily understandable
• Content relevant to their particular context (e.g. course/programme, time of year, year of study)

• Enable users to access MyEd wherever they are, and on all devices

  • Faster loading and reduced data use for low-bandwidth devices and mobiles
  • Caching to allow offline access
• Optimise platform aligning to best practice allowing continuous service improvement
  • Faster response time to user needs and changes in service provision
  • Less management overhead and specialised technical knowledge required, making us more flexible
  • Robust technical implementation which is not reliant on bespoke code
  • Reduced support enquiries amongst services accessed through MyEd
  • Reduced duplication between services, with the possibility of decommissioning unneeded applications

Deliverables

Proposed Key Deliverables

1. uPortal5 Instance – by end July 2018 - Develop and configure a uPortal 5 instance to provide a basis for the enhanced framework
2. User Access Beta-UCP – end September 2018 – Selected user group access to new instance with demonstration/testing content, based on initial UI redesign. Increment content and layout deployments until wider Beta access for all users. Analytics to be available to project team;
3. Content Migration – Audit existing content within MyEd and create migration plan (end August 2018), then migrate content over to the new instance, re-factoring as required for new instance. Migration completion date to be set in August Checkpoint Review;
4. Enhanced user interface – Iteratively improve UI design, using user feedback. Enhancements in current MyEd will inform this work, as well as provide short-term user benefits. For example, redesign would group related content (such as course information) into a single portlet focused around a user task, e.g. “Browse course information”. Date for full user access to be set in September Checkpoint Review (UI/UX). Develop a roadmap of future work (e.g. improvements to framework, further content for students and other users, support features).

Benefits

Expected High-Level Benefits

• Provide a personalised experience which supports students in their studies, restricted to the current user attributes available to MyEd, for:

  • Content relevant to their particular context (e.g. course/programme, time of year, year of study) and which is structured around their needs
  • Language which is descriptive and easily understandable
• Enable users to access MyEd wherever they are, and on all devices (particularly beneficial for ODLs, international, and Widening Participation students)
  • Faster loading and reduced data use for low-bandwidth devices and mobiles
  • Caching to allow offline access
• Optimise platform aligning to best practice allowing continuous service improvement
  • Faster response time to user needs and changes in service provision
  • Less management overhead and specialised technical knowledge required, making us more flexible
  • Robust technical implementation which is not reliant on bespoke code
  • Reduced support enquiries
• Create potential to decommission applications within other UoE systems once functionality available within MyEd.

Short term

• Improved presentation of content, including improvements to language and support information, using student feedback and UX process
• Increased understanding of our services, leading to reduced support from staff and better communication between staff and students
• Reduced service turnaround time to responding to student needs

• Technical improvements which are of particular benefit to ODLs, international, and Widening Participation students
• Small improvements and trials of content targeted at a student’s particular context

• Increased engagement with student population

Long term

• Further improvements and content personalised to the student’s context, making it more useful and relevant to them (the “helping hand”)
• Putting in place our student engagement and UX process for the MyEd service
• Laying the technical groundwork to deliver further content as business readiness and data becomes available

Success Criteria

At the close of the project, all users should be on the new MyEd. As part of project reviews, a decision will be taken as to whether parallel production instance (opt-in beta) maintained beyond that point for ongoing development post-project

• Students will have a significantly improved experience
• The experience for non-student users will also be slightly improved, as they will be on the upgraded platform

Future MyEd work will focus on continuing to develop new content, and improve the experience for all users. It should be noted that, at the moment, MyEd is only resourced at a level for KSR maintenance, and cannot support transformative improvement. Outside the scope of this project, the service are reviewing their structure and resource requirements.

Project Milestones

The following milestones for new project are provisional based on the Resourcing Assumptions, and current knowledge of tasks and estimates.  Unavailability of resources is recorded as a risk in the risk log.

Target Date	Title
30-Mar-2018	Project initiated
04-May-2018	Infrastructure Design Documented (D4.02)
11-May-2018	Planning Completed
29-Jun-2018	Infrastructure Built (D4.06)
27-Jul-2018	Production uPortal5 Installed (D5.03)
03-Aug-2018	MyEd Progressive Framework Design (MyEd Deployed to Dev) Created (D3.01) (Review Date)
03-Aug-2018	Content Migration Strategy (Process and Technical) Documented (D6.05)
03-Aug-2018	Initial User Access UI Agreed (D7.05)
03-Aug-2018	Iteration 1 August 2018 Checkpoint (D9.01)
07-Sep-2018	MyEd v4.3 New Content Freeze (D8.04) (Review Date)
07-Sep-2018	Iteration 2 September 2018 Checkpoint (D9.02)
05-Oct-2018	Iteration 3 October 2018 Checkpoint (D9.03)
02-Nov-2018	Iteration 4 November 2018 Checkpoint (D9.04)
09-Nov-2018	MyEd Progressive Framework Design (Final) Created (D3.04) (Review Date)
09-Nov-2018	All MyEd 4.3 Content Actioned (D8.7) (Review Date)
07-Dec-2018	All UoE Users Transferred to MyEd Progressive (D10.04) (Release to Live)
07-Dec-2018	MyEd v4.3 Decommission (D10.05) (Review Date)
07-Dec-2018	Iteration 5 December 2018 Checkpoint (D9.05)
18-Jan-2019	Iteration 6 January 2019 Checkpoint (Deployment Review)
22-Feb-2019	Project Closure (D11.01)

The dates included above are based on the following assumptions:

1. The project will be managed using an Agile development approach.
2. Required technical and business resources are available and on time.
3. There will be close co-operation between SE and DTI which will be fully supported.
4. The dates marked as "Review Date" are not the final deliverable due date, but thesearliest date that is expected to be known.