Reducing stacks of paper forms and email threads is only a part of the work being achieved with the On-Course Applications project. For postgraduate research students looking to complete course milestones or change their thesis title, the process could require an unnecessary amount of administrative work – printing forms, finding which office to take them to and figuring out who to contact about the application. With so many manual steps, managing one form could be an arduous task with lengthy turnaround times.
Back in January 2020, Phase 1 of the On-Course Applications project replaced 10 paper Graduate Studies Office (GSO) forms with online forms, digitised approvals and workflows in eVision. Phase 2 was established in 2023 as part of Oxford’s Digital Transformation to tackle the remaining forms, with two further forms, the ‘Transfer of Status’ and ‘Confirmation of Status’ forms, being digitised in May 2024. By consolidating these forms onto eVision, applications and the data within them can be kept neatly in one place, rather than different desktops or pigeonholes, and can be accessed and approved from anywhere. These vital improvements make the lives of students, academics and administrators much easier by providing a simplified process with less risk of data breach.
With the next forms planned to go live on eVision in Michaelmas term 2024, it’s important to understand how this will affect colleagues and students across the University.
How will this benefit students?
- Repetitive manual detail filling is reduced as relevant personal and course details are pre-populated
- Students can track application progress within the system – no more wondering which desk their form is sat on
- More consistent, intuitive digital experience and faster turnaround times
- Assurance that their personal data is kept safe on one system
How will this benefit staff?
- Forms will no longer need to be managed by email as academic and administrative staff can view and action applications within eVision
- All newly digitised applications can be viewed in the same place with easy tracking to see which needs action
- A faster simplified process, saving staff time during busy application seasons
- Improved data visibility, quality and reporting capability
The On-Course Applications project is just one of the initiatives the Digital Transformation team are enabling across the University which will improve staff and student experience. As more processes move from paper to platform, the University broadens its accessibility to the global community and reduces its paper printing impact.
If you have any queries about this project, please contact the project team by email at oca@it.ox.ac.uk.
