Interventions | Staff Gateway

Here is a list of the interventions during the Foundation phase of Oxford's digital transformation. These interventions are fixing existing problems for staff and students and helping to lay foundations for more advanced changes in the future.

Intervention name	What is happening with this intervention?	Outcome	Key Contact
Canvas Enhancements & Inclusive Teaching Enhancements 2	Students and staff have identified that Oxford requires a Virtual Learning Environment that is robust, resilient, and scalable while meeting the expectations of a modern VLE. This intervention will identify and implement the required changes to the current VLE to align with the expectations of a modern VLE.	We will have developed Canvas to better meet the needs of departments and users. Improvements will include tools to enable more inclusive teaching, including integration of Canvas with a survey tool, supporting pronunciation tools, anonymous Q&A, improvements to Canvas accessibility, and support for preferred pronouns.	Natile Burrows
Facilities for in-person typed exams	There is demand from academic departments for in person, invigilated, typed exams. This intervention will identify a suitable location for 200 people to take such exams as well as implementing the infrastructure, sourcing the required equipment and designing the processes necessary to facilitate these exams. The intervention team will work with Student Registry to decide priorities for these exams and support the Exams Operations team to run the first set of exams in Trinity Term.	We will have created a fully supported service for enabling in-person typed exams in the Exam Schools in Trinity Term 2023. This means the University will be to regularly use a space in the Exam Schools or similar to deliver a 200-sitting typed, invigilated exams. Identify and document any issues that would need to be resolved before this capability could be scaled up further.	Simon Colling
Future Proofing the Networks (IPv6)	Internet Protocol (IP) identifies devices across the entire internet so they can be located. IPv6 is the latest version of IP, which will eventually be implemented by organisations across the globe. This intervention will design the implementation approach; deploy the necessary management tools; provide IPv6 network services alongside existing IPv4 services; and establish training and support for IT support staff throughout the collegiate University.	We will have agreed an approach for managing and migrating to IPv6 thus allowing future expansion of devices on the network and increased security and mobility across Oxford.	Liz O'Farrell
HR Data Quality & Assurance Phase 2 (HR Data Availability)	There has been a significant increase in the need for accurate, credible and accessible HR data. This Intervention will leverage existing technology to align HR with the University's requirements for data analytics, allowing for key stakeholders to access near real-time data. It will also provide PeopleXD users with access to Whatfix to help them get the data right at the point of entry.	We will have improved self-service access to HR data reports, a longer-term solution for payroll costing reports, a set of people data dashboards and the roll-out of a University-wide solution to time, leave, and absence monitoring in PeopleXD.	Lou Carson
Implementing Digital Skills Capability	This intervention will support users across Oxford in gaining the required digital skills. The project will evaluate the basic capability across all departments and services at the University to embed digital skills into their user journeys, and enable data collection about the development of digital skills at Oxford.	We will have partnered with a series of vendors to deliver new digital competencies to staff and students. We will subscribe to the JISC digital skills toolkit for staff and students to identify their level of knowledge and identify training needs. We will also have mapped out a holistic view of digital training across the University and identified gaps.	Blaine Roissetter
Improving Wireless (Phase 1)	To support Oxford's digital transformation a consistent and reliable wifi experience, is essential for all staff, students and visitors across the collegiate University. The Managed Wireless Service (MWS), which provides improved wireless coverage is now in use in UAS, the Bodleian libraries, as well as 84 departments and 3 colleges. MWS is currently an opt-in, annually paid for service, centrally managed by the Managed Network Services team in IT Services. This intervention aims to define the service organisation, governance, and funding model to rollout the MWS across the Collegiate University.	Having mapped out and understood the wireless inadequacies at the University, by Michaelmas Term 2023, we will be ready to implement University-wide improvements to equalise the wifi provision across Oxford.	Roger Coombs
People and Finance Dashboards	There is currently a significant amount of time spent reactively preparing data for management decisions with data coming from different sources often creating different results. This Intervention will identify, implement and pilot an approach to streamline the production of management information to allow more effective and informed decision-making.	We will have 'at a glance’ people and finance management information dashboards and customisable reporting. These dashboards will be comprehensive and staff will be able to adapt reporting to suit the needs of the different teams they work with.	Israel Essien
Research Costing/Pricing (X5)	X5 is the costing, pricing and approval tool used by Departments, Research Services, and Research Accounts to support the costing of externally funded research at the University of Oxford. This intervention will make essential improvements to the collaborative costing workflow.	We will have improved the collaborative costings workflow to avoid errors and help future proof the system against failure. And we will benefit from a more reliable and collaborative costings workflow that progresses research application activities in a timely way removing the current requirements of the the Service Desk.	Sam Bateman
Research Runway (Phase 1)	This intervention aims to build a coordinated process that handles the complexity around research compliance at the beginning of a project. This intervention will streamline the information collation for researchers so they can avoid entering the same information in multiple forms and recommend process changes to better coordinate the current systems.	We will provide researchers, seeking to initiate a project at Oxford with clearer guidance on what they need to do and better feedback on how their project is advancing through the initial compliance steps.	Chris Maidlow
SIEM For All	A Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system across all constituents is a key requirement for all large organisations running IT systems at scale. This intervention will bring the University closer to current standard practice. The SIEM system will help the university, and all constituencies, to achieve compliance and address vulnerabilities.	The entire estate will benefit from a step change in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) resulting in the fast mitigation of risks and reducing the risk of significant loss, financial implications and legal issues if a breach were to occur.	Drew Faulkner