USF Banner Information and Feedback Page for Faculty and Staff

April 24th, 2008

We have now used the new Banner system for one year. Given that we have more experience with the system it is time again to provide constructive feedback to ITS regarding issues we face with Banner. Many of you have sent me helpful comments and suggestions regarding Banner. In preparation for another formal presentation I plan to make to the ITS/Banner implementation team, I would like to get more feedback from faculty and staff.

When sending me feedback please be concise and specific. With specific usage problems I can recreate them and make them clear in my presentation to ITS. However, don't feel that you need to spend a lot time on written feedback; even if there is one thing that you find problematic, go ahead and send me a message.

My goal is to collect feedback, organize it, and provide concrete suggestions for improvement. This worked well last year.

Specifically, please send me comments on the following:

* SSB (Self-Service Banner) This is the main web interface that most of us use for advising and looking up course information.

* INB (Internet-Native Banner) Some of you need to used the more sophisticated features provided by INB. If you use INB, please let me know the specific tasks for which you use it. Also, let me know about any problems you have encountered. I would like to get an idea of the type of "workflows" used in INB.

Please send me (benson@usfca.edu) your feedback by Friday, May 2, 2008.

March 5th, 2007

UPDATE : Thank you for your feedback. I put together a presentation based on written feedback, discussions with faculty, and comments made during the demo sessions. Here is the presentation:

http://www.cs.usfca.edu/benson/usf/banner/bannerfeedback-20070305.pdf

The Banner Implmentation team was very receptive to the feedback. Now, we need to see how many of the issues can be addressed through configuration and programming. The process is ongoing, so if you have additional feedback, please forward it to me and I can pass it on the the Banner team.

Greg Benson (benson@cs.usfca.edu)

February 21, 2007

This page contains information and links regarding the new Banner web/information system (by Sungard) currently in implementation at USF. The purpose of this page is to provide faculty and staff with resources to better understand this new system and to help collect feedback that can be given to the USF Banner implementation team (led by Archie Porter).

Banner is a piece of software that can be configured to some degree. In addition, if deemed necessary more significant modifications can be made. You can learn more about the USF Banner Implementation effort here:

http://www.usfca.edu/its/projects/erp/index.html

The main Sungard site: http://www.sungardhe.com/

Sungard Banner product information: http://www.sungardhe.com/default.aspx?id=94

Note that the faculty and student advising web interface is only one part of the larger, so called, ERP, project. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is an information technology term that refers to the entire university computer-based operations (e.g., finance, admissions, advancement, etc.).

We need faculty input:

Please meet with your colleagues and come up with items in the following categories:

  1. Features in student information system (SIS) or the current Web for Students Interface that you like
  2. Features not in SIS or the current Web interface that you would like
  3. Any comments on what you have seen in the new Banner web-based interface. If you did not attend the demo sessions last December, you can download videos of the demos or watch a screencast (see below).

Please send your responses to Greg Benson (benson@cs.usfca.edu) by Friday March 2, 2007. I will collect and organize the responses. On Monday, March 5th, Greg will present the responses to the Banner implementation team.

Banner Demo Sessions (December 2006)

In December 2006 two Banner demo sessions were held. Below are links to recorded video of these sessions. In addition, "screencasts" are available that contain just the computer presentation output and the session audio. The video is available in two different formats: Windows (wmv for Windows Media Player) and Mac (mp4 for QuickTime). The files are approximately 700MB in size. You should download them through the campus network or from a DSL/Broadband connection off campus. On the campus network, they will take approximately 15 minutes to download.

If you want to focus on the new Banner interface, you should watch the December 7th screencast. If you want to hear and see faculty questions, you should watch the December 6th video.

Screencasts:

The December 7th screencast is a straight run-through with fewer questions. These screencast are hosted by ITS:

http://acadserv.usfca.edu/elearning/

Videos:

If you have questions please contact Greg Benson (benson@cs.usfca.edu).