In the fall of 2023, OIT partnered with the Cox School of Business to onboard 500 new students, aiming to help them achieve Microsoft Certification for the 2023-2024 academic year. This effort was part of the Business Leaders Institute (BLI) course for first-year students. In response, IT Training & Communications expanded its certification offerings by adding ten additional class sections, totaling 564 certifications, on top of its existing commitment of 43 class sections. These sections cover certifications in Microsoft Office programs, which are widely utilized across most schools on campus, with Excel and Excel Expert required for Cox students and PowerPoint and Word for students in Meadows’ Corporate Communications and Public Affairs.
Recognizing that managing 500 additional students presented significant resource challenges, the team reviewed strategies to meet the increased demand. They extended testing times and added proctor resources to assist with physical resource limitations. Additionally, they examined the efficiency of data handling and grade reporting processes.
When the program launched seven years ago, grade collection was manual. Due to growth and increased interest from both faculty and students, the team implemented reporting methods using ETL processes (Extract, Transform, and Load) to automate data collection into SharePoint. However, as the program continued expanding, SharePoint struggled with the growing data volume, resulting in performance issues. After nearly four years of managing data in SharePoint, the team collaborated again to further streamline processes. Lane Duncan, Director of Integration Services, suggested we might improve efficiency by moving from SharePoint to Webframe.SMU.
“Building tables in Webframe was straightforward and efficient,” Lane explained. “It allowed us to revisit some original design choices, simplifying and enhancing the process. In a nutshell, Webframe handles larger datasets more responsively. One of the biggest advantages is the ability to update and correct data in bulk. With the previous cloud-based system, addressing data issues was time-consuming and challenging. Now, with the data in our on-premises data center, we can make updates using SQL commands. We also gained flexibility in data presentation and user interface options, offering control and customization that we lacked before.”
The Webframe platform is built using Lowcoder, a developing product whose team frequently updates it. This progress has improved the platform, especially in authentication, but has occasionally introduced bugs and required adjustments to authentication flows.
“Our changes have also significantly impacted business processes for both the OIT Training team and instructors,” Lane added. “While most changes have been positive, they’ve required flexibility from everyone involved, and we’re grateful for their adaptability.”
Valeska Fahey, the MOS program coordinator, shared, “Webframe is much more efficient, with improved data filtering, a streamlined interface, and a better user experience for grading. The team integrated Power BI for faculty dashboards. Previously, I had to manually enter exam results for students pursuing certifications independently for professional development. Now that this data collection is automated, managing these records is much easier. Students recognize the value of certification. And, when they learn that Microsoft reports 97% of hiring managers see credential holders as having an advantage it means something to them. We often see increased certifications for professional development when students begin internship searches.”
In addition to grading improvements, the application team automated other manual processes. They now capture student IDs by cross-referencing SMU emails on the Certiport certification roster. Chad Madding, System Administrator for the Integration Services team also introduced a new Power BI dashboard. This customized dashboard provides faculty with real-time pass/fail statistics for exams.
Grading with Webframe launched this fall, aligning with additional BLI class sections that support all first-year Cox students in achieving Excel certification. BLI student Vasantha Eedara reached out to share her certification experience: “As a finance major, proficiency in basic Excel functions is essential for my career… I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned in analyzing financial data, creating reports, and building visual models in future courses or internships.”
As undergraduate enrollment continues to grow, the team is committed to finding further ways to streamline data collection and delivery. If you have questions about adding certification to your course, please contact IT Training at ittraining@smu.edu.
