by Jo Moss

The photocopier in the University of Calgary’s admissions office is getting a lot less use since the office implemented an electronic document management system.

The new system has cut paper use drastically and streamlined the whole admissions process, making it faster and much more efficient.

Despite incorporating an online application process and other web-based procedures over the years, the admissions process was still very paper-intensive. “We deal with universities and colleges all over the world and we share that information with people across campus,” explains Fred Rosmanitz, associate registrar.

The electronic document management system not only improves work flow, it allows the office to offer better customer service, he says. “Now when people call with a question, their file is available instantly online. We can give them an answer right away instead of having to search for the paper documents.”

It has also radically transformed the way that staff do their work. “People find it has made their jobs a lot easier,” Rosmanitz says.

The project team worked with an Ontario-based company, Microdea Inc., to tailor and install the system which had to integrate with existing Student Information System software, and be compatible with a new commercial system that the U of C will likely adopt in the next two or three years. The collaborative project involved the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Office of the Registrar, and U of C Information Technologies.

The new system went live last November when scanning stations were set up in the Registrar’s Office and specialized software was installed in 65 offices across campus. Staff stopped creating paper files and began storing data electronically.

Phase two upgrades were completed in May this year when a scanning station was installed in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the web browser version of the software was implemented. Immediately, 180 additional authorised users had the ability to pull up and view student files online.

Rosmanitz says the system complies with the University’s strict confidentiality policy for student information. Each document is logged separately and access to information is appropriately denied or granted to authorised users.

The success of the new electronic document management system demonstrates the potential for similar systems elsewhere on campus, Rosmanitz says. “It has tremendous implications for streamlining other processes.”