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Post by westender on Sept 26, 2011 2:38:55 GMT -1
www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/enrolment-chaos-for-thousands-at-glasgow-university-1.1125769New puter system (brought in at cost of millions to replace previous adequately functioning system) not ready and not functioning properly, surprise surprise... new students expecting to be handheld and spoonfed fail to show up at lectures because they can't work the unworkable system and let themselves be dictated to, that "computer says no"... If they'd any sense or brains at all, they'd simply ignore the puter furore and ensure they attend the bloody lectures they're there to attend! Unbelievable.
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Post by ozneil on Sept 26, 2011 8:12:50 GMT -1
Well you know what they say! to err is human for a really big fuck-up you need a computer.
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Post by notanimby on Sept 26, 2011 9:29:53 GMT -1
computers don't make mistooks!
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Post by ozneil on Sept 26, 2011 10:51:23 GMT -1
computers don't make mistooks! Yeah GIGO |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2011 23:05:09 GMT -1
Overtime for some within the Uni as MyCampus reeked havoc caused by the technical glitches. The Herald article pretty well sums it up and worse still is the fact that it is causing chaos beyond belief, some administrative depts are on top of it others a falling way behind.
Does seem strange to introduce a system that will eventually phase out the need for human contact - as registry, etc are pale shadows of their former self (if at all they do actually exist). It seems to me that Glasgow Yooni is copying everyone else in the academic world, instead of playing to the strenghts of customer contact.
I would guess that in years to come, the Uni will revert back to Faculties and find the need to bring 'people' back to front line enquiries....
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2011 18:19:13 GMT -1
Overtime for some within the Uni as MyCampus reeked havoc caused by the technical glitches. The Herald article pretty well sums it up and worse still is the fact that it is causing chaos beyond belief, some administrative depts are on top of it others a falling way behind. Does seem strange to introduce a system that will eventually phase out the need for human contact - as registry, etc are pale shadows of their former self (if at all they do actually exist). It seems to me that Glasgow Yooni is copying everyone else in the academic world, instead of playing to the strenghts of customer contact. I would guess that in years to come, the Uni will revert back to Faculties and find the need to bring 'people' back to front line enquiries.... You'd hope so. The wean had a few days of upset as she couldn't log on properly and fill in the registration forms, including the one that verifies Scottish residence and therefore non-payment of tuition fees. I advised her to contact her Adviser of Studies, which she did, and he met with her the very next day to register her on her courses as well as dealing with the SAAS forms. I can't believe MyCampus wasn't routinely tested for robustness before they opened it. I felt for 17/18 year olds who'd just arrived in Glasgow from all over and didn't know where or how to get help when they couldn't register. Needless grief and upset.  |
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Post by westender on Sept 30, 2011 22:49:52 GMT -1
I can't believe MyCampus wasn't routinely tested for robustness before they opened it. I most certainly can. As a regular reader of Private Eye, I am all too aware of the amount of fuckedupness, countless millions and incalculable wastes of time and money and man hours, are new computer systems. 99% of them are introduced to replace something that didn't need replacing and was perfectly adequate for the job it was supposed to be doing. NOTHING is tested properly, and nothing is tested by people who know what the parameters of the testings are. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2011 15:05:11 GMT -1
How long before some new whizz kid comes and changes it all back again?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2011 22:20:48 GMT -1
I may not have had my specs on when I read a news report that MyCampus cost £16 million earth pounds to implement.
For a database and website? In the name of the wee man, how can that BE? Nota, any clues?
Even paying out one hundredth of that, you'd be being ripped off IMHO.
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Post by notanimby on Oct 6, 2011 6:17:20 GMT -1
I may not have had my specs on when I read a news report that MyCampus cost £16 million earth pounds to implement. For a database and website? In the name of the wee man, how can that BE? Nota, any clues? Even paying out one hundredth of that, you'd be being ripped off IMHO. It does seem a tad excessive (but it is public sector efter all) I would need some info on whut it is before offfering a decent opinion. Poor project management will be partly to blame, no doubt about that whatsoever. I once worked at a large public sector body - when ma boss and me started, it was to implement a large data storage area plus other stuff, the purchasing bit was already under way for the hardware involved. One quote which was being in the process of having a PO raised was checked by us against the prices on the supplier's website (this was the price list available to the general public, not the discounted price available to the public sector organisation. Anyways our "discounted" price was more than £10,000 above the general public price?  ? FFS When we complained they apologised (OOOOPS) an drepresented said quote, this time it was only £2000 above the general public price - Not an eyelid was batted when this was pointed out to teh powers that be -they wurnae interested |
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Post by bormes on Oct 6, 2011 6:50:11 GMT -1
Happens at Glw Dist Cooncil all the time!!
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Post by ozneil on Oct 6, 2011 20:36:25 GMT -1
Happens at Glw Dist Cooncil all the time!! Not just there  Our brilliant government decided to build new school buildings to boost the economy including a brand new school hall & canteen to a school with 8 pupils. |
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Post by westender on Oct 11, 2011 15:12:23 GMT -1
More on this story today in the Herald: "...In a letter to a meeting yesterday of the Glasgow University Senate, which represents academics, university secretary David Newall apologised for the problems – but said measures would be taken to avoid a repeat next year. “I am sorry the issues have caused frustrations for students and have added to the workload of many staff,” he said. “While implementation was always going to be a demanding task, and at a busy period of the year, we could have managed aspects of the implementation better. Some of the shortcomings this year related to migrated data, and that is a problem that will not recur. However, there have been deficiencies associated with training, software configuration, data input, and the set-up of programme and course information we must address in order to avoid a repeat of this year’s difficulties.” However, in an email to academics summarising the concerns of computer science experts, Paul Cockshot, [ ;D ;D ;D  ] a reader in computer science at the university, disputes Mr Newall’s statement. “It is a disgrace, in week two, so many students have yet to enrol. In years gone by this process would have been 100% completed by week one. Postgraduates are completely at sea, and it is disgraceful to treat our customers [ ] in this way,” the email states. “The plan of action for preventing a repeat enrolment disaster in 2012 does not address the core problem, which is the software is unfit for purpose. It is buggy, difficult to use and data rather than process driven.” The email states training offered to staff in recent weeks was too late while extending the enrolment period would only pile more pressure on staff trying to deal with the problems. And it pins the blame for the fiasco on the fact contributions and warnings of advisers and academics “have been ignored and scorned”.
“In summary, the quality of the software is the main issue behind the enrolment disaster. Hours and days have been spent fighting with the software. Despite the best attempts … we do not see how this can be alleviated for next year, or ever.” Ye couldnae make it up. And shame on you, Newall, ya clueless, lying, toadying arse. DAMNED computers!!! |
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Post by notanimby on Oct 11, 2011 15:41:29 GMT -1
More on this story today in the Herald: "...In a letter to a meeting yesterday of the Glasgow University Senate, which represents academics, university secretary David Newall apologised for the problems – but said measures would be taken to avoid a repeat next year. “I am sorry the issues have caused frustrations for students and have added to the workload of many staff,” he said. “While implementation was always going to be a demanding task, and at a busy period of the year, we could have managed aspects of the implementation better. Some of the shortcomings this year related to migrated data, and that is a problem that will not recur. However, there have been deficiencies associated with training, software configuration, data input, and the set-up of programme and course information we must address in order to avoid a repeat of this year’s difficulties.”However, in an email to academics summarising the concerns of computer science experts, Paul Cockshot, [ ;D ;D ;D ] a reader in computer science at the university, disputes Mr Newall’s statement. “It is a disgrace, in week two, so many students have yet to enrol. In years gone by this process would have been 100% completed by week one. Postgraduates are completely at sea, and it is disgraceful to treat our customers [ ] in this way,” the email states. “The plan of action for preventing a repeat enrolment disaster in 2012 does not address the core problem, which is the software is unfit for purpose. It is buggy, difficult to use and data rather than process driven.” The email states training offered to staff in recent weeks was too late while extending the enrolment period would only pile more pressure on staff trying to deal with the problems. And it pins the blame for the fiasco on the fact contributions and warnings of advisers and academics “have been ignored and scorned”.
“In summary, the quality of the software is the main issue behind the enrolment disaster. Hours and days have been spent fighting with the software. Despite the best attempts … we do not see how this can be alleviated for next year, or ever.” Ye couldnae make it up. And shame on you, Newall, ya clueless, lying, toadying arse. DAMNED computers!!! Fek all up wae ra computers - to really fuk things up you need human intervention - which in this case is easily spotted Some of the shortcomings this year related to migrated data, and that is a problem that will not recur. However, there have been deficiencies associated with training, software configuration, data input, and the set-up of programme and course information we must address in order to avoid a repeat of this year’s difficulties.”When it comes tae migrating systems, this is pretty basic stuff - it should have been considered and sorted well be fore go-live |
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Post by westender on Oct 11, 2011 17:23:31 GMT -1
Fek all up wae ra computers - to really fuk things up you need human intervention No. In order to ensure it gets done conscientiously and timeously, you need to go back to the days before computers were every bloody where. How did a uni founded in 1451, that fostered and sent some of the greatest human minds out into the world, manage before computers? Answer: a damn sight better than it manages now, evidently. There was nothing like any of today's hassles when I first arrived at uni in 1986. No computers. ALL the processes required to run the huge organisation smoothly, ran like clockwork and it went without saying that they could be relied upon to do so. The problem is EVERYTHING to do with the shortsighted and disastrously managed forced introduction of computers where they were unnecessary. They possibly would have been a boon if they HAD done as promised... but they never, ever have; and we're drowning in paper, financial mismanagement/disasters and eyepopping incompetence more now than ever solely because of the damned things. |
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? FFS
] a reader in computer science at the university, disputes Mr Newall’s statement.