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Release Scope  

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Release Summary & Strategy

Release 6.3.0 is a minor release scheduled for the purpose of deploying the new Race & Ethnicity section changes in CCCApply (Standard & International). This change, which includes an updated layout and an expansion to the ethnicity/ancestry data currently collected in CCCApply, is an important initiative supported by the Chancellor's Office based on over two years of research by the Student Equity Planning workgroup in collaboration with dozens of systemwide stakeholders across all 115 colleges. Although the new design is effectively an expansion to the overall data currently collected in the Race & Ethnicity section now, it has been designed specifically to give colleges the both the new data, in a new data field, while purposely maintaining the existing data fields and formats currently downloaded now and used for MIS reporting.

Also included in this release is an overall upgrade to the user interface styling across OpenCCC and the CCCApply applications, effectively aligning the look and feel of CCCApply to the CCCMyPath portal. 

Finally, we will be deploying the 2019-2020 CC Promise Grant Application, which will be active on January 1, 2019.

Pilot Preview 

Due to the compressed timeline of this release, the Pilot preview period - the time during which the two external facing environments are not in synch for the purpose of giving colleges user preview and implementation support prior to an upcoming production release - will begin Monday, November 19 through December 7, 2018. The CCCApply Support Services team will be monitoring feedback on the CCCTechnology.info support site and additional online support documentation and training will be available.

Release Schedule & Timeline

• November 19 - 9:00AM - 4:00PM (Note the Pilot Site will be down during this release).
• December 7 - 6:00PM - 11:00PM - Production Maintenance Window

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Pilot User Acceptance Testing

UAT and implementation support in the Pilot Environment will commence as early as the evening of November 19, following the Pilot release scheduled for morning.

The objectives for the user testing include:  

• Ensure colleges are able to get race group, hispanic, and race ethnicity data in a format consistent with their legacy format when they add the new data field to their downloads or not
• Ensure colleges are able to get the legacy data formats if they do nothing - if they don't add the new field and they don't run the jar file
• Colleges are able to get the legacy R&E data format in addition to the new Full R&E data if they add the new field and run the jar file

Summary

The new Race & Ethnicity Implementation 2018 is a revision to the highly regulated, Race & Ethnicity section in CCCApply which is protected by federal law and the Office of Civil Rights and aligns to MIS reporting requirements (SB29). The new implementation will be in place before the MIS requirements, which will align closely to these changes but will not be instituted until Fall 2019. Therefore our goal for this roll-out is twofold: 1) implement the new layout, race groups and extensive ethnicity values so that researchers can start collecting data in this area; and 2) but provide colleges with a smooth transition relative to data collection by giving them the same download formats they are getting now in addition to the new data, by way of a new data field (race_ethnic_full). 

Colleges that want to collect the new data should add the new data field to their download files and update the download jar file.

Participating Colleges

User acceptance testing will be performed across the three main SIS systems, as well as one or more custom systems. 

Colleges are being solicited to volunteer for this effort.

Pilot Success Criteria

For the new Race & Ethnicity changes, our goals for pre-release implementation testing are:

• Colleges can continue to download the original (legacy) race and ethnicity data field formats for:
  • hispanic
  • race_group
  • race_ethnic    (CCCApply)
  • race_ethnicity (International only) 
• Colleges are able to add the new data field to their Format XML files, update the transfer-client.jar file (v.6.3.0), and download the new expanded data:
  • race_ethnic_full
• Colleges are able to get the legacy data fields and formats AND the new field/data 
• Colleges can still comply with MIS data requirements successfully with the new Race & Ethnicity implementation in place

UAT Instructions to Colleges

• Use the updated specs for each repurposed and new data field and make necessary changes specified in the CCCApply & International Data Dictionary (v.6.3.0)
• Update your Pilot Standard App & International App Format Definition XML files - as detailed below:
  • Add the new race & ethnicity FULL data field to the Format XML
    
    • CCCApply:  <race_ethnic_full>
    • International:  <race_ethnic_full>
  • Update the format spec for the existing <race_ethnic> fields in both applications:
    • remove spaces in the comma-delimited format
    • Note: the data field has a slightly different name in the International application:  <race_ethnicity>
• Update your custom Import file or process to absorb the changes and the new FULL data field - for Pilot & Production
• Update the Pilot Download Jar file with the latest version (v.6.3.0)
• Run a test download Job in the Pilot environment

UAT Steps for Colleges

Follow the steps below for successful user acceptance testing:  add the new Race & Ethnicity Full data field to your CCCApply Format Definitions XML file for both Pilot and Production environments.

1. Log in to your college /wiki/spaces/PD/pages/131465676 and start a new CCCApply Standard application from your My Applications page.
2. Complete the new application from the Enrollment page to the Needs & Interests page. Continue on to the Demographic Information page.
   1. Note: This includes the Account Information/Mailing, Education, Citizenship/Military, Residency pages.
   2. Complete the Gender/Transgender section;
   3. Complete the Parent/Guardian Education Level;
3. Review the new Race & Ethnicity layout changes and enter the following information:
   1. Hispanic/Latino question: Select the Yes radio button to expand the Hispanic/Latino sub-categories. Select one or more checkbox options.
   2. Race Group categories: Select one or more of the race group checkboxes to expand the corresponding ethnicity sub-categories.
   3. Click Continue to go to the last page;
4. Complete the remaining required portions of the application and submit the application 
   1. This includes the Submission page sections: Review App, Consent to Release Information, and Submission
   2. After submission, note the application's Confirmation number (App_id) and your CCCID.

1. Reference the CCCApply Standard Application Data Dictionary (v.2018.2) Pilot Version
   1. Jump to the Race & Ethnicity section from the Table of Contents (Race Group)
   2. Review the data element specifications for all four Race & Ethnicity section fields:
      1. Hispanic/Latino = <hispanic>
      2. Race Group = <race_group>
      3. Race Ethnicity = <race_ethnic>
      4. Race Ethnicity = <race_ethnicity>  (Note: This field has a different name in the International application) 
      5. NEW Race & Ethnicity Full = <race_ethnic_full>
         
         
2. Add the new Race & Ethnicity FULL field to your Pilot environment Format XML (CCCApply Standard & International files must be updated separately)
   
   1. Follow the data specs for <race_ethnic_full> in the updated DED (CCCApply Standard Data Dictionary (v.6.3.0)
   2. For CCCApply & International: The new data field has the same name for both application:  <race_ethnic_full>
   3. For help updating your Format Definition file, see the CCCApply Download Client User Guide
3. Update your existing Download Client Jar File with new version (v.6.3.0)
   1. Find and replace the "transfer-client.jar" file in your CCCApply Download Client with the latest version for this release (v.6.3.0).
      1. NOTE: The 'transfer-client.jar" file is the same as the Download Client Jar file.
      2. Refer to the Download Client User Guide for instructions on replacing and running the Jar file for each application in each environment (Pilot and Production).
   2. Run a test download Job in the Pilot environment.
4. Repeat this process for the Production release.

Feedback & Resolution Process 

• Feedback should be categorized as bugs and enhancements. Only Severity 1 issues (issues that prevent critical business functions from being accomplished) will be considered as release blockers.
• Reporting: User feedback should be noted in the result section. The following criteria should be followed and documented:
  • Any identified bugs with severity and priority 
  • Enhancement requests with priority identified

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Data Dictionaries & Release Documentation

The following links point to the most current versions of the CCCApply Data Dictionaries and User Guides.

Changes to the OpenCCC Account

The following changes were implemented in the 6.2.0 release. 

Changes to the CCCApply Standard & International Applications

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Changes to the Promise Grant Application (BOG)

The following changes were implemented in the 6.2.0 release code.

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Changes to the Download Client

The following fields have been added or have been revised in the database. Please see specific implementation steps to update your files and download client below.