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Development Summary

Release date:  03-27-2015

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Contents
Contents
Contents

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Steering Committee Change Requests

 

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standard
standard
Standard Application
 

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new-fields
new-fields
New Data Fields

The CCCApply Steering Committee approved three new data fields to the Standard, BOG, and International applications. All of them are optional and none of them will appear on screen to the applicant. Colleges can add these fields to their Format Definitions XML files and start downloading them right away. To learn more about adding download fields and updating the Download Client transfer jar file in the Downloads section of the Online User Guide.
  

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capture-ip
capture-ip
IP Address Capture Field

In an effort to protect our colleges against the threat of student financial aid fraud, Steering has approved a request by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Education to capture the IP address of each submitted application through an updated web service and store the data in the submitted_applications tables. A disclosure has been added to the OpenCCCApply Privacy Policy stating that the CCC Technology Center will be collecting this data when the student gives consent at the time of submission. The new data element, ip_address, will be stored in the following db tables:   

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campaign-fields
campaign-fields
Enrollment Campaign Tracking Field 

Enhancements were made to all three applications to allow colleges to track enrollment campaigns. Up to three unique URL key/value pairs can be integrated into each application using: campaign1=x, campaign2=y, and campaign3=z (where x, y, and z are set to the name of your specific campaign). For example, when you provide an application URL link that includes the campaign value such as this one: https://www.opencccapply.net/cccapply-welcome?cccMisCode=231&user1=x&user2=y&user3=z, the "x,y,z" values are stored in the submitted_applications database and downloaded through your job and format XML files. The data dictionaries and the Download Client have been updated to include the new <campaign1>, <campaign2>, and <campaign3> (hidden) fields. 
 

Info
titleUnder-Development

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URL-redirect
URL-redirect
Re-Direct URL

A new configurable redirect URL feature is under-development that - upon submission of a CCCApply Standard application only - opens a new browser tab to a specified URL. The redirect URL feature will allow colleges to:

  • Provide a seamless student application experience within the college context
  • Capture the student applicant's encrypted CCCID, which can then be decrypted for upload into the SIS

To support the redirect URL feature, the following onscreen display changes have been made:

  • During the application submission process, the Confirmation page now displays a "Continue" button instead of "Finish"
  • The Special Links and Opportunities page now displays a "Sign Out & Finish" text button instead of "Sign Out"

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Bugs
Bugs
Bugs & Fixes

Session Timeout & Screen Readers
Session Timeout Pop-Up: The session timeout message that displays after a certain period of inactivity during OpenCCC Account Creation, or during the Standard, BOG, or International application process has been refactored to work correctly with the following screen reader/OS:web browser combinations:

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Info
titleNeed to submit a bug?

If you identify a bug in the OpenCCC Account system, in the BOG Fee Waiver, or the CCCApply admissions application, we now have a designated support email address and Issue Tracking System to capture and respond to college or staff issues. In an effort to manage support issues more effectively, we are moving away from using the CCCApply Users Listserv for reporting bugs and issues. For fastest response, please contact College Support via cccapply@openccc.zendesk.com during business hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:00pm PST.

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hover-help
hover-help
Hover Help Text Changes

The following changes addressed missing or incorrect hover help in the Standard application.

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Fix Validation for Visa Type "Other" in Visa Types Table - Logic Fix
The eligibility status for the Visa type "Other" was changed from No to Yes in the Visa Types (Table F), which will set Class A2 and flag 51 in Step 6 of the Area A residency logic. Flag 51 will alert Admissions that the applicant's Visa Type may or may not establish residency and that futher proof, beyond self-reported data, is required. 

From Visa Types Table (Table F)  

Db ValueVisa
Type
Residency?Description

OTHR

Other

No

 

May or may not be allowed to establish residency. Requires documentation
(proof beyond self-reported data).

From Area A Residency Logic: Step 6

StepEvaluation StatementArea A Logic"If Yes""If No"

6

Does the student have a visa that
allows residency to be established?

visa_type has YES in 'Residency?’
column of Table F.

Class A2
set flag 51

Class A0
and set flag 48
if visaType = B, 
B1, or B2

 

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foster
foster
Issues Fixed in Residency Area B Logic - Out of State Indicators & Foster Youth 
Fixed bug in Step 1 of the logic. New logic: If answer is "If No", then set B0 and continue to Step 2.
Fixed bug in Step 4 of the logic. New logic: If answer is "If No", then set B0 and end logic. The status for that area would be B0. If answer is "If Yes",
then set Class B2 and go to step 5.

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Under-13
Under-13
Fix Error Message for the Under Age 13 Restriction in OpenCCC Account Creation
Per federal privacy laws (COPPA) it is unlawful for persons under the age of 13 to create an online account and submit/ provide personal information online. The OpenCCC Account creation is set up to prevent applicants under the age of 13 from creating an account, but the existing error message is we were using was ambiguous, and according to one college "opens the door for dishonesty by the applicant to get past the question and continue on....the language of the error message should be revised for clarity and should cite federal privacy legislation."  No change was made to the validation itself was made, however the error message itself text was revised to the followingread as follows: "We found some problems with the information you submitted: Federal privacy laws restrict applicants age 13 years and younger from creating an online account and applying to college using an online application. Please contact the college Admissions & Records office for assistance."

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OpenCCC Account Security Question Fix: "What was your childhood phone number?"
A bug was fixed fix was made to one of the security questions in the OpenCCC Account creation process for the security question: "What was your childhood phone number including area code?" The issue has been addressed and students can now enter a phone number with punctuation without error.
 

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titleUnder-Development

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confirmation
confirmation
OpenCCC Account Creation Confirmation Email

In an effort to support the CCC Help Desk with OpenCCC account recovery, development is underway to implement a system auto-generated confirmation email for each new OpenCCC account created. The email will be sent to the email address provided during account creation and confirms the student's CCCID (California Community College Identification Number) and provides links to the CCC Help Desk for account recovery. This new feature will be implemented after it passes final accessibility review. *Note: This email is designed to confirm OpenCCC Account creation only, and will not confirm any submitted applications.

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titleUnder-Development

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2015-16BOG
2015-16BOG
2015 - 2016 BOG Application

The CCCTC CCC Technology Center received the new 2015-16 BOG application from the Chancellor's Office on February 21, 2015; change requirements changes were identified and requirements groomed for development, which began on March 17. Development sprints are three weeks in length; final testing and accessibility review may required require additional time to complete. We anticipate the 2015-2016 BOG application to be completed and released by the second week of April 2015. Changes include a new Method B Income Table (logic changes) and several text / language changes.

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International
International
International Application

The International Application Development of the CCCApply International admissions application has been on development hiatus since August 2014; however any changes made in this Release release that apply to all applications were also made to the International application. 
 

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titleUnder-Development

International Application Development Resumes

Development work on the International Application has resumed will resume in April and colleges are invited to participate in defining the remaining business requirements needed to release the first iteration in the late-April / May time frameThe remaining requirements and subsequent testing will follow the Agile development process, which means that progress happens through an ongoing series of 3 week development "sprints". During each sprint the development team works on specific tasks and requirements and at the end of the sprint, the team presents their results for feedback to the pilot colleges. This means that ongoing smaller changes and resets can be made to refine the application so that it meets the requirements and accessibility standards by the end of the process. 

The testing process will also follow the Agile methodology of: development sprint, test changes, undo or revise changes, and preview to colleges. Testing will require assistance from the pilot colleges. For more information about the pilothow you can participate, please contact Patty Donohue, Project Manager, donohuepa@cccnext.net

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titleSetting Up

Upgrade to a District-level User
To upgrade an existing account to District-level Authorization:

  1. A user with 'Add User' authority can log into the CCC Administrator tool and select "Report Center" from the Application drop-down menu and . Select your college from the College drop down menu. The User tab will appear.
  2. Place a check mark next to the user account to be edited and it will appear in the add user field on the left.
  3. Change the college to the District from the College menu (District MIS codes end in "0").
  4. Click on "update" button.
  5. Navigate to the CCC Report Center and log in. District users will now be able to see reports and data from all colleges in that district. 

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CCCApply is currently undergoing a routine 508 Compliance Audit by the State of California. Early results have allowed us to expedite a series of fixes to several key issues identified when using specific browser + screen reader combinations. To address these issues, we have defined browser/operating systems + screen reader combinations that we support and recommend will be supported and recommended for the best user experience.
 

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titleSupported Browsers & Screen Readers

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supported
supported
For the best user experience, the CCC Technology Center recommends using the following browser/operating system + screen reader combinations when creating an OpenCCC Account and or applying to a California Community College using the CCCApply admissions applications (Standard , BOG and International online admissions applications) or the BOG Fee Waiver application:

 

Operation SystemBrowser + Screen Reader Combination
WindowsFire Fox / JAWS
OSXSafari + VoiceOver
WindowsChrome + NVDA (Open-source)

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The logic around the Session Time-Out functionality has been enhanced to ensure that students using a screen reader for the OpenCCC Account creation and the CCCApply applications to create or edit an OpenCCC Account, or to apply to a CCC using the CCCApply admissions applications, have a clear understanding of when the Session Time-Out has begun and can very easily continue in their session or opt to sign out.

 

New logic was introduced for Error Validation Pop-Up Readability with Screen Readers
Screen readers now read all error validations and help pop-ups that appear during the application.


Ease of Use in the School Finder Tool with Screen Readers
New development was implemented to enhance the use of the High School and College School Finder tool to ensure the student has a seamless experience if using a screen reader.

 

Navigation Tab Indicators (Green Check Marks) in the Standard, BOG and International applications CCCApply admissions applications and the BOG Fee Waiver application are now consistently picked up and read by screen readers.

 

New Hover Help Implemented to Help with Easability for Accessibility Purposes
We implemented the following hover help changes for students using screen readers:

  • Revised hover help messages were added to the College/University and High School /Homeschool School Finder tools to provide clarity and ease-of-use.
  • Hover help messages were added in the “Needs & Interest Interests Page"
  • The Financial Assistance hover help was enhanced to ensure instructions are clear and easily understood to users utilizing a screen reader.
     
New logic was introduced for Error Validation Pop-Up Readability with Screen Readers
Screen readers now read all error validations and help pop-ups that appear during the application
  • a screen reader.

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infrastructure
System Infrastructure


Over the past six months, the number of colleges Live on the new CCCApply has doubled, meaning twice as many users are now accessing the servers and submitting applications. To manage this increase efficiently and prepare for the remaining colleges to come on board, we've made some upgrades to our system infrastructure to balance the higher traffic and ensure that our system is always stable and accessible throughout the year.

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Support
Support
New College Support Email 

To better support Colleges Live on the CCCApply applications, a new college support technician and designated IT support email address have been implemented to track issues and back up our Xerox Help Desk, Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:00pm. Exclusively for college staff to report access issues, submit bugs, or request help for students using OpenCCC and CCCApply applications, the new services will take affect immediately. Incoming requests will be responded to within one business day, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00am - 4:00pm PST. 

CCApply College Support Email:  cccapply@openccc.zendesk.com 

 
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titleUnder-Development

New Get Satisfaction Site - 24/7 Online Support Community for California Community Colleges

Similar to the student support community, CCCHelp.info, a new online self-help community is being developed for CCC colleges and staff. The site will be pre- populated with approved technical official FAQs designed to answer commonly frequently asked questions as well as provide a venue for colleges to receive systems maintenance alerts, submit bugs and change requests, and obtain get work-arounds for known issues relative to the OpenCCC Account system and the CCCApply online admissions applications. .

Stay tuned for an update on CCCTechnology.info - coming soon!

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change-requests
Steering Committee Change Requests

 The following list of change requests represents only the requests that have been approved or deferred over the past year. I full list of change requests (declined or deferred long-term to be integrated into the uPortal (Student Services Portal) environment will be made available in the CCCApply Annual Development Report on June 30, 2015.

CR StatusDESCRIPTIONRELEASE DATETYPE
Approved2014-06: Restrict Concurrent Enrollment Status for Applicants Over Age 22MARCH 2015Error Validation
Approved2014-06: Remove HS Completion Date Fields for Concurrent HS/College Enrollment & HS Ed LevelsMARCH 2015Error Validation
Approved2014-40: OpenCCC Message to Student About UnSubmitted In-progress ApplicationUnder-developmentSystem-generated
Deferred*2014-48 Residency Issue with DACA Worker Status - XapWork-aroundSupplemental Question
Approved2014-52: Enrollment Campaign TrackingMARCHNew Data Field
Deferred - uPortal2014-53: Auto-population for Standard App / uPortalUnder-development 
Approved2014-56: Capture IP Address on Submitted ApplicationsMARCHNew Data Field
Approved2014-60: Revise Error Message Language: Under 13 Age RestrictionMARCHText / Language
Approved2014-62: Add CapTel Field for Hearing Impaired - Disability ComplianceUnder-developmentNew Data Field
Approved2014-64: Create New App-Look Up Report for DOB12/5/2014 
Approved2014-65: Revise Error Checking in Date Stay Begin in CAMARCHError Validation
Deferred - uPortal2014-67: Add Social Media Connections to OpenCCC Account Creation  
Approved2014-71: Foster Youth Error in Area B Logic Not EndingMARCHLogic
Deferred - uPortal2014-74: Add Link Between OpenCCC and My Applications  
Approved2014-75: CCCID On The My Applications Page (Header Upper Right Next to Student Name)Under-development 
Approved2014-77: Spanish Hover Help Missing from OpenCCC Account CreationMARCHText / Language
Approved2014-78: Add Currency Formatter to BOG App Download FormatUnder-developmentDownloads
Approved2014-79: Add validation for High School Completion Date fieldMARCHError Validation
Approved2015-01: OpenCCC Account Creation Confirmation EmailUnder-developmentSystem-generated
Deferred2015-02: Create a Compliant Paper ApplicationMay 2015Text / Language
Approved2015-03: Submitted Application Confirmation EmailUnder-developmentSystem-generated
Approved2015-04: Add System Requirements & Support Browsers Info to Accessibility PageUnder-developmentText / Language
NEW2015-05: Add AS-T and AA-T to the Award Types Field  
NEW2015-06: Revise Foster Youth Language in Apply per MIS/Legislature  
NEW2014-76: Add Alternate (Preferred) Name Field to OpenCCC Account for Transgender  
NEW2014-80: Add Transgender to Gender Field  
NEW2014-81: Develop Generic Financial Aid Online Application  
ApprovedCustom Re-direct URL After Submission  
NEWAdd "No First Name" field available in the Rules section of the Administrator  
NEWAdd language to the Alien Reg field to include USCIS as interchangeable  
NEWAsk Steering - How are single-name students (Cher, Madonna) handled relative to MIS reporting?  

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