SAP Item #6B: Legacy Transfer Units in MAXT Course Exclusions

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for Maximum Attempted Units Test

UAT Kick-Off Session

Session Date/Time: 10am to 11:30am on 10/31/2023

Webex UAT Session Recording: https://sbctc.webex.com/webappng/sites/sbctc/recording/3899b39e5a3d103ca6f2d289e29a95ca/playback

Slide Deck:

Key UAT Dates

UAT Testing Period: 10/31 to 11/13

UAT Sign-Off: Due by 7pm on 11/13/2023

UAT Sign-Off Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WKMPWG6
Please ensure only one response is submitted per college that participated in testing.

Target Implementation: 11/28/2023

Testing Environment

Link to PQA Environment: https://pt-pqa.peoplesoft-nonprod-aws.ctclink.sbctc.edu/ptpqa/signon.html

Last Refresh Date: 10/19/2023

Username: Your EMPLID

Password: [shared with testers after the session]

Questions?

Email Amanda Hoover ([email protected]) and CC Ana Ybarra ([email protected])

Trouble Logging In?

Email Caitlin Stein ([email protected])

Need to Report an Issue?

Submit a ticket to the Service Desk and provide as many details as possible, including screenshots, IDs used, and steps taken to produce the issue or error.

Link to ticketing system: https://servicedesk.sbctc.edu/

Request Type: ctcLink Support > Testing

Subject: UAT – FA SAP Legacy Data in MAXT – [description of issue]

SAP Process Overview

Eight tests are used to determine a Satisfactory Academic Status (SAP) status. Depending on the tests a college has activated, one or more tests will be executed when the SAP Process is run for an individual student or batch of students.  The possible tests are:

  • Academic Standing
  • Maximum Attempted Units*
  • Maximum Attempted Terms
  • Minimum Current GPA
  • Minimum Cumulative GPA
  • Current Earned Units
  • Cumulative Earned Units
  • Two Year GPA

* The focus of this testing activity is isolated to the Maximum Attempted Units Test.

While there are other areas in the SAP program reported as having issues, they are being handled separately through enhancements being addressed through the larger FA SAP Maintenance Item list from FAST.

Maximum Attempted Units Test Functionality

Maximum Attempted Units Test Configuration

  • References the Maximum Attempted Units Test configurations on the Criteria 1 tab of the SAP Define Set Up page, and calculates based on the configurations on the Course Exclusions page.
  • Calculates the total Maximum Attempted Units value and assigns a SAP Status for the test based on unit ranges defined in the college's local configuration.

Image: Maximum Attempted Units configuration on SAP Define Set Up Criteria 1 page

Navigation: Set Up SACR > Product Related > Financial Aid > Satisfactory Academic Progress > Define Set Up Criteria >> Criteria 1 tab

Screenshot of Maximum Attempted Units configuration on SAP Define Set Up Criteria 1 page

Course Exclusions Configuration

  • College-specific list of all courses that should be excluded from the total Maximum Attempted Units value and designate them as “Remedial” or “ESL” Course Types
  • Option to define a maximum number of units that can be excluded for “Remedial” and/or “ESL” Course Types
  • This configuration is only utilized by the Maximum Attempted Units Test

Image: Course Exclusions configuration for the Maximum Attempted Units Test on Exclusions page

Navigation: Set Up SACR > Product Related > Financial Aid > Satisfactory Academic Progress > Define Set Up Criteria >> Exclusions tab

Screenshot of Course Exclusions configuration for the Maximum Attempted Units Test on Exclusions page. The "Use Course Exclusions" checkbox activates the use of Course Exclusions (used in the Maximum Attempted Units Test only). The Max Units to Exclude section defines the maximum number of units that can be excluded from the total Maximum Attempted Units value, based on Course Type in the configuration below. (Blank means no limit.) The 3rd and 4th columns on the Course Exclusions section are the list of Courses to be excluded from the total Maximum Attempted Units value and categorized by Course Type. The "Course Type" column contains the Course Type options (Remedial or ESL). These correspond to the Max Units to Exclude configurations. In the header row of the "Course Exclusions" section is a grid icon, which allows you to export a list of Course Exclusions to spreadsheet for review.

Colleges should maintain the Course Exclusions list as Remedial and/or ESL courses are added at the college. You can export the Course Exclusions list to a spreadsheet and compare against a list provided by your college's Registrar to identify any courses that may need to be added or adjusted.

Please remember to always add an effective dated row to your SAP setup prior to making any changes, even if it is just to change the Course Type on a course on the Exclusions tab.

Maximum Attempted Units on the Student SAP Page

  • Located in the SAP Calculation Results section of the Maintain Student SAP Data page
  • Displays the total Maximum Attempted Units value up to the term being evaluated
  • Course Exclusions apply to this value, per local college configurations
  • Displays information in the “Rule Range” fields if the student matches a Max Attempted Units Rule

Image: Maximum Attempted Units test results on Maintain Student SAP Data page

Navigation: Financial Aid > Satisfactory Academic Progress > Maintain Student SAP Data

Screenshot of the Maximum Attempted Units test results in the SAP Calculation Results section on the Maintain Student SAP Data page

Maximum Attempted Units Test - Delivered Logic Flow

The Maximum Attempted Units Test configurations work in tandem with the Course Exclusions setup, so long as both are enabled. This test calculates the Maximum Attempted Units value following the logic as outlined below.

  1. Check that the Maximum Attempted Units Test is enabled
    1. If it is enabled, then proceed
    2. If it is not enabled, then skip test
  2. Retrieve the Total Enrolled Attempted Units from Student Enrollment (STDNT_ENRL)
  3. Determine total units from Student Enrollment in courses that are listed in the Course Exclusions of SAP setup
  4. Compare the total Enrolled ESL Units against the Max ESL Units to Exclude value, if Course Exclusions is enabled
    1. If the total Enrolled ESL Units is greater than the Max ESL Units to Exclude value,
      then the ESL units to exclude is equal to the Max ESL Units to Exclude value
    2. If the total Enrolled ESL Units is less than the Max ESL Units to Exclude value,
      then the ESL units to exclude is equal to the sum of all Enrolled ESL Units from the Course Exclusions list
    3. If the Max ESL Units to Exclude value is blank,
      then the Enrolled ESL units to exclude is equal to the sum of all Enrolled ESL Units from the Course Exclusions list
  5. Compare the total Remedial Units against the Max Remedial Units to Exclude value, if Course Exclusions is enabled
    1. If the total Enrolled Remedial Units is greater than the Max Remedial Units to Exclude value,
      then the Enrolled Remedial units to exclude is equal to the Max Remedial Units to Exclude value
    2. If the total Enrolled Remedial Units is less than the Max Remedial Units to Exclude value,
      then the Enrolled Remedial units to exclude is equal to the sum of all Enrolled Remedial Units from the Course Exclusions list
    3. If the Max Remedial Units to Exclude value is blank,
      then the Enrolled Remedial units to exclude is equal to the sum of all Enrolled Remedial Units from the Course Exclusions list
  6. Calculate the Maximum Attempted Units:
  7. Total Enrolled Attempted Units (step 2) minus Enrolled ESL Units to Exclude (step 4) minus Enrolled Remedial Units to Exclude (step 5)
  8. Calculate the total Transfer Units per the local configuration of the Maximum Attempted Transfer Unit Criteria
    1. If the Towards GPA box is checked
      then add the total Towards GPA Transfer Units from Student Term History (STDNT_CAR_TERM)
    2. If the No GPA box is checked
      then add the total No GPA Transfer Units from Student Term History (STDNT_CAR_TERM)
    3. If the Course Credit box is checked
      then add the total Course Credit Transfer Units from Student Term History (STDNT_CAR_TERM)
    4. If the Test Credit box is checked
      then add the total Test Credit Transfer Units from Student Term History (STDNT_CAR_TERM)
    5. If the Other Credit box is checked
      then add the total Other Credit Transfer Units from Student Term History (STDNT_CAR_TERM)
    6. If the TC Units Adjust box is checked
      then subtract the total TC Units Adjust Transfer Units from Student Term History (STDNT_CAR_TERM)
  9. Calculate the final Maximum Attempted Units value by adding the Total Transfer Units from step 7 to the Enrolled Attempted Units in step 6
  10. Compare the student’s Maximum Attempted Units value against the ranges specified in the locally configured Max Attempted Units Rules
    1. If the student data matches one of the rules,
      then assign the corresponding SAP Status, per the local configuration, for the Maximum Attempted Units Test
    2. If the student data does not match one of the rules,
      then assign the Career Pass Default Status (configured on the Setup tab of the Define Set Up Criteria page) for the Maximum Attempted Units Test

Image: High-level visual representation of the delivered Maximum Attempted Units Test calculation of the Maximum Attempted Units value

High-level visual representation of the delivered Maximum Attempted Units Test calculation of the Maximum Attempted Units value: Attempted Units minus Attempted ESL Units to Exclude minus Attempted Remedial Units to Exclude plus Transfer Units equals Maximum Attempted Units. Note: The Attempted ESL Units to Exclude and Attempted Remedial Units to Exclude values are subject to the Max Units to Exclude values in setup. Note: All items checked in the Maximum Attempted Transfer Unit Criteria configuration are considered by the SAP test as part of the Transfer Units value calculated here (Towards GPA, No GPA, Course Credit, Test Credit, Other Credit, and TC Units Adjust).

The Maximum Attempted Units Test was modified in the project SAP #3: MAXT with Developmental Credits over 45. That customization resolved a known Oracle bug that would cause the Cumulative Attempted Units value to be a negative number. It also resolved issues with the Maximum ESL Units to Exclude and Maximum Remedial Units to Exclude configurations.

The Problem

Non-converted legacy data is manually entered by the colleges as transfer credit. This legacy data is not stored in the student’s enrollment record. However, the Maximum Attempted Units Test is designed to exclude courses on the enrollment record; it does not exclude courses entered in as transfer credit. As a result, legacy courses at the college are not excluded from the final Maximum Attempted Units value, per the college's local configuration, which can cause students to inaccurately fail the Maximum Attempted Units Test, or at the very least have an inaccurate Maximum Attempted Units value.

The SAP program uses the following records in order to calculate the Maximum Attempted Units value:

  • Term History Cumulative Statistics (STDNT_CAR_TERM)  Used by the SAP program to count the total units for the Maximum Attempted Units Test.
  • Test Credit Extract View (TEST_EXTR2_VW)  Used by the SAP program to count the total units for the Maximum Attempted Units Test.
  • Other Credit Extract View (OTHR_EXTR2)  Used by the SAP program to count the total units for the Maximum Attempted Units Test.
  • Student Enrollment (STDNT_ENRL)  Used by the SAP program to determine the number of units to exclude based on the Course Exclusions configuration from the Cumulative Attempted Units value.

In the ctcLink system, Legacy units are manually entered as transfer units. However, transfer units do not exist on the Student Enrollment (STDNT_ENRL) record, which is used when determining courses to exclude. This means that if a student took courses at the college while the college was still using the legacy system, then all those units are counted against the student’s Cumulative Attempted Units; they are not compared against the college’s local Course Exclusions configuration.

The delivered functionality will not identify those units as having been attempted at the college, and therefore will not exclude them from the Maximum Attempted Units value as it has been configured for the college. This can cause students to meet their Maximum Attempted Units limit prematurely.

Student Example (The Problem)

In the unofficial transcript excerpts below for this student example, we can see a total of 8 attempted remedial units that should be excluded from the student's Maximum Attempted Units value. We can also see that these terms were prior to the college's conversion into ctcLink.

Screenshot of the example student's unofficial transcript for Summer 1992 and Fall 1992. Rows are highlighted for the three remedial courses that are not being excluded from the student's Maximum Attempted Units value. (READ 57, Individual Read Develop, 3.000 units) (WRIT 93, Paragraph/Essay Writing, 3.000 units) (READ 91, Study Skills Modules, 1.000 units)
Screenshot of the example student's unofficial transcript for Winter 1995. A row is highlighted for a remedial course that is not being excluded from the student's Maximum Attempted Units value. (MATH 82, Pre-Algebra, 1.000 unit)

We have confirmed that these courses were not converted, and were manually entered as transfer units by viewing the Academics tab on the Student Services Center.  Units are listed here as "From Transfer Credit".

Image: Academics tab of the Student Services Center (Student) page

Navigation: Campus Community > Student Services Ctr (Student) >> Academics tab

Screenshot of Summer 1992 on the Academics tab of the Student Services Center (Student) page. All units are listed under the "From Transfer Credit" column.

If you have access to the Course Credits - Manual page for transfer credit evaluations in the Records and Enrollment module, then you will also be able to see confirmation that this is in fact legacy data. The key component here is that these transfer credits are being transferred from the college to that same college, which is how these are manually entered in ctcLink to keep the record of a student's prior enrollment history at the college from the legacy data system.

Image: Example of legacy data manually entered on the transfer credits table

Navigation: Records and Enrollment > Transfer Credit Evaluation > Course Credits - Manual >> Transfer Course Entry tab

Screenshot of the Transfer Course Entry tab of the Course Credits - Manual page. The Academic Institution and the External Org ID are for the same college. These transfer credits are being transferred from the college to the same college, which is how these are manually entered in ctcLink to keep the record of a student's prior enrollment history at the college from the legacy data system. This example shows the 3.000 units for the READ 57 course in Summer 1992 on the transfer credit table that should be excluded from the student's Maximum Attempted Units.

When we look at this student's Maintain Student SAP Data page, we can see that they have failed the Maximum Attempted Units test, because their calculated Maximum Attempted Units value falls within the Max Attempted Units Rules range for this Academic Program/Academic Plan combination. As a result, their final SAP Status is 'MAXT', and they are no longer eligible for financial aid.

Upon further exploration, we learn that while 145.000 is their total attempted units, 8 of those units are considered remedial and should have been excluded from this number. However, these 8 units are on the transfer credit table as manually entered legacy data.

Image: Example student's inaccurate Maximum Attempted Units values prior to the customization

Navigation: Financial Aid > Satisfactory Academic Progress > Maintain Student SAP Data

Screenshot of the example student's current Maintain Student SAP Data page for Spring 2023. The student has failed the Maximum Attempted Units Test, and we can see that the current Maximum Attempted Units value is 145.000, when we would have expected it to be 137.000 due to 8 legacy remedial units that should be excluded.
The Solution

Create a custom view to identify legacy units and corresponding course information added manually in ctcLink. Clone the delivered PeopleSoft Financial Aid SAP Application Engine (AE) for the Maximum Attempted Units Test. Modify the copied code to compare the custom view against additional delivered enrollment tables to pull the data points necessary to compare these legacy transfer units to the Course Exclusions configuration. Update the SAP AE Process Setup configuration page for each institution to point to the custom code.

High-Level Diagram of Customized Maximum Attempted Units Calculation

Image: High-level visual representation of the customized Maximum Attempted Units Test calculation of the Maximum Attempted Units value

High-level visual representation of the customized Maximum Attempted Units Test calculation of the Maximum Attempted Units value. ESL Units to Exclude from enrollment and legacy ESL Units to Exclude from the transfer credit table will both be factored into the total Attempted ESL Units to Exclude value. Similarly, Remeidal Units to Exclude from enrollment and legacy Remedial Units to Exclude from the transfer credit table will both be factored into the total Attempted Remedial Units to Exclude value. Note: these values are still subject to the Max Units to Exclude values in setup.

Student Example (The Solution)

In the screenshot below, the same example student's SAP for Spring 2023 has been calculated again in an environment with the customization in place. The student is now meeting the Maximum Attempted Units Test, and as a result is also meeting SAP for the term. We can see that the Maximum Attempted Units value has updated to 137.000, as expected - the 8.000 legacy remedial units have been reduced from the 145.000 Maximum Attempted Units value.

Image: Example student’s new Maximum Attempted Units Test outcome with the customization in place

Navigation: Financial Aid > Satisfactory Academic Progress > Maintain Student SAP Data

Screenshot of the example student's Maintain Student SAP Data page after Spring 2023 has been recalculated in an environment with the customization. The student is now meeting the Maximum Attempted Units Test, and we can see that the Maximum Attempted Units value is now 137.000 (145.000 minus 8.000 legacy remedial units), as expected.
Security Matrix Mapping Information

The information below provides those completing the Security Matrix Mapping templates with the Menus, Pages and Role names needed to execute the User Acceptance Testing relevant to this UAT guide.

Running SAP via Batch Process:

  • MENU: Main Menu > Financial Aid > Satisfactory Academic Progress > Process SAP
  • ROLE NAMES: ZC FA Funct Analyst and ZZ FA SAP Prcs

Running SAP via Maintain Student SAP Data page:

  • MENU: Main Menu>Financial Aid>Satisfactory Academic Progress>Maintain Student SAP Data
  • ROLE NAMES: ZC FA Funct Analyst and ZZ FA SAP Prcs

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