Pilot UAT Plan

The user acceptance testing (UAT) process and objectives for the CCCApply Noncredit Application Pilot project are listed below. 

  • UAT Objectives & Success Criteria
  • Required Documentation 
  • Getting to the Pilot Application 
  • IT Implementation Steps
  • Data Fields & Downloads
  • Admin Configuration 
  • Reports
  • Feedback & Support Processes

See Noncredit Application UAT Plan Slide Deck

UAT ObjectiveSuccess Criteria
IT Implementation Steps & Testing
  • College navigates successfully to Noncredit Application path using college-specific URL
  • College submits new Noncredit Application using new workflow feature / URL 
  • College can identify an In-progress and submitted Noncredit application based on the new confirmation number prefix for Noncredit path in the My Applications page 

Find your Noncredit Application PILOT URL

Data Fields & Downloads Configuration Testing
  • New and revised Noncredit app data fields have been added to their existing CCCApply Standard Application Format Definition XML and ran a successful job in Pilot
  • Download Client for the Pilot Standard Application has been updated with latest version of the "transfer-client.jar" file in Pilot environment
  • Colleges have tested downloads successfully using the Download Client
  • Colleges have modified and successfully exported new data set to Glue for Apply staging table 
  • College can see new residency status field value <res_status = N> for NC residency-exempt status in download file
  • College can see new residency Areas A-D default value = 9 (for NC applications = nonCredit=True
  • College can identify a Noncredit status application based on Flag 81 in the Integrity Flags Table
  • College can identify that a Noncredit application was submitted based on Null / blank values appearing in all fields hidden in the Noncredit App workflow 
MVP Admin Configuration (Optional) Testing
  • College creates new Email Rule using the Noncredit Status field in Standard Application in Administrator
  • College staff receives Rule email based on new Noncredit status field
Modifying & Running Noncredit App Reports Testing
  • College can successfully look-up a submitted Noncredit application using new Noncredit Confirmation number using the Standard Full Application Look-Up modal in the Report Center
  • College confirms new Noncredit Status data field and Integrity Flag 81 flags appear on the Standard Full Application report for a Noncredit application
  • College can view and add new Noncredit data fields into a new report using the Submitted Application - Noncredit Topic (domain).
Using the Pilot Feedback & Support Process
  • Pilot college can submit an S1 critical issue to Support Services using Pilot Feedback & Resolution process (using the Support Email: staffsupportccctc@openccc.zendesk.com)
  • Pilot college can submit an S5 high-priority change requirement using the Pilot Change Requirement template (using the Support Email: staffsupportccctc@openccc.zendesk.com)
  • Pilot college can successfully post a comment or question on the CCCApply category page in Get Satisfaction site: CCCTechnology.info 


The Noncredit Application workflow path feature is an optional special implementation in the CCCApply Standard Application - All Changes Are Backwards Compatible - No Actions Required: All the front-end changes deployed in the Noncredit Application path within CCCApply Standard Application (user interface changes, hidden pages and questions, disabling of web services, etc.) should NOT AFFECT YOUR STANDARD APPLICATION. All Noncredit Application back-end changes are optional and not mandatory for colleges to implement. Admissions, Financial Aid, and IT staff can rest assured there are no action REQUIRED by colleges that do not wish to implement the Noncredit Application.




Getting to the Pilot Environment

Pilot colleges can begin previewing and testing the new Noncredit Application feature after the CCCApply 6.4.0 pilot release on February 19, 2019.  



Noncredit Application URL

Accessing the Noncredit application workflow path within the Standard Application requires a separate, college-specific URL. This unique, college-specific URL is one of the key characteristics that partitions the noncredit workflow path within the Standard Application, as well as distinguishes the submitted applications that started from the Noncredit URL from those started from the original Standard Application URL.

See here for the list of College Noncredit Application URLs.

When a user starts and submits a Noncredit Application (using the college-specific URL) the new Noncredit Status flag is set to True, which is appended at the end of the URL. 



Follow the steps below to setup the Noncredit Application workflow feature to conduct user acceptance testing: 

  1. Paste your college-custom Noncredit App URL for the Pilot environment into a new Chrome browser window and navigate to the CCCApply sign-in page 
    1. If you have a Pilot OpenCCC test account, click "Sign In".  Landing in your My Applications page, click on "Start a New Application"
    2. If you don't have a Pilot OpenCCC test account, click on "Create an Account" and follow the three page account creation process

  2. From your My Applications page, click on "Start a New Application".
    1. Land on the Enrollment page and complete the required fields: 
      1. Select a Term, Education Goal
      2. Select a Major Category and Major/Program of Study
  3. Complete the required pages in the Noncredit app workflow  
    1. Complete the Enrollment page
    2. Complete the Account Information/Mailing page
    3. Complete the Education page
    4. Complete the Needs & Interests page (optional)
    5. Complete the Demographic Information page (optional)

  4. Complete all remaining required portions of the application and submit the application 
    1. Review your application responses on the Submission page (optional)
    2. Complete the Consent to Release Information checkboxes (required)
    3. Complete the Submission requirements (required)
    4. After submission, note the application's Confirmation number (Noncredit apps start with "NC-") and your CCCID.

  5. Review the confirmation screen and note your confirmation number for the Noncredit application version you just submitted:
    1. Note that the Confirmation number begins with a "NC-" preview
  6. Continue to the Student Satisfaction Survey and complete the survey (optional)
  7. Continue down the page and review the Special Links & Opportunities for your application
  8. Click "Finish & Sign-Out" or if MyPath college, click "Finish and continue to MyPath" (confirm)

  9. Return to the My Applications page and locate your submitted Noncredit application in the submitted applications Table
    1. Note the confirmation number begins with a "NC-" prefix
    2. Sign out of My Applications

  10. Add new Noncredit App data fields to existing CCCApply Standard Application Pilot download files
    1. Add the new data fields to your existing Standard Application Format Definition XML file for the Pilot environment:
      1. Noncredit Status = <non_credit>
      2. Integrity Flag 81 = <integrity_fg_81>
    2. Review all data field changes (new values, formats, logic, etc.) shown in the New & Changed Data Fields Table below.
      Note: All changes are also detailed in the Change Log of the CCCApply Standard Application Data Dictionary v.2019.1 
    3. Review data dictionary specification information for these fields
    4. For help updating your Format Definition file, see the CCCApply Download Client User Guide

  11. Update your existing Download Client Jar File with version 6.4.0 or higher (v.6.4.0 for Pilot release)
    1. Find and replace the "transfer-client.jar" file in your CCCApply Download Client with the latest version for this release (v.6.4.0).
      1. transfer-client.V6.4.jar
      2. NOTE: The 'transfer-client.jar" file has the same as the download client jar file 
      3. Refer to the latest version of the Download Client User Guide v.2019.1
      4. 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.

  12. Optional Admin Configuration Changes for Noncredit Application
    1. Navigate to the Pilot CCC Administrator (CAP) and login using existing user account credentials
    2. Select "CCCApply Administrator" from the Applications menu on the homepage
    3. From the CCCApply Administrator home page, select "CCCApply" from the Applications menu 
    4. Select your college from the College selection menu bar
    5. Select "Messages" from the Modules menu bar
      1. Click on Add new Message and create a custom Message using the new CCCApply Noncredit Status field <non_credit>
      2. Save Message
    6. Select "Rules" from the Modules menu bar
      1. Click on Add New Rule button and create a custom rule using the new <non_credit> = True field in the code editor
      2. Reference the new Message created in the Messages module that includes the new noncredit status merge field
    7. Select the Majors module from the Modules menu bar
      1. Click on Add New Major button and complete a new test Major, populating the following fields:
        1. Major Code
        2. Major Name
        3. Major Start Date
        4. Major End Date (or select No End Date)
        5. Major Category = create new category called "Noncredit Programs" and enable the tag for this new Major
        6. Save New Major
      2. From the Majors Summary Table, select a test major row and click "Edit Major"
        1. In the Major Category field, add "Noncredit Programs" for this test major
        2. Repeat the process for 1-3 addition test Majors 
    8. Repeat steps 1 - 4 - start a new Noncredit application and navigate to the Enrollment page
      1. Complete the Term field
      2. Select an Education Goal
      3. In the Major Category menu, confirm that "Noncredit Programs" is a category in the list, and select that category
      4. In the Intended Major/Program of Student field menu, confirm that only the majors tagged with the Noncredit Program tag are displaying in the Major Category filter/menu
        1. Select one of the majors tagged as a Noncredit Programs  
  13. Ensure the new Noncredit Application data fields are appearing as reportable fields in the CCC Report Center
    1. Navigate to the CCC Report Center and login with your existing Pilot user account
    2. Navigate to "Create New Ad Hoc View" from the main menu on the homepage
    3. running reports Status Flag
  14. Repeat the process for the Production environment.



The following data fields have been added or changed in the CCCApply Noncredit applications. For updated data specification documents, please see the CCCApply Data Dictionaries and User Guides space.

Update Your Download XML Files: In order to download new or revised data fields, they must first be added or updated in the CCCApply Format Definitions XML file(s) and the download client jar file must also be updated with the latest version = transfer-client.V6.4.jar 

For more information, please see the CCCApply Download Client User Guide >  User Guides

New & Changed Data Fields

The table below provides an overview of the new or changed data fields in CCCApply for the Noncredit Application.

For detailed data specifications, see the CCCApply Standard Application Data Dictionary V.2019.1 in the Data Dictionaries space.


Description

Data Element

TypeValue / Response Options

Format / Length

Allows NullRequired

Notes

Noncredit Status<non_credit>New Field

1 = True

0 = False

Boolean, 1

Yes

NoOptional; Value set to "True" if applicant applies using the new Noncredit Application URL; otherwise it is "False"
Confirmation Number<confirmation>Changed Value

IF non_credit=True then
<confirmation> has prefix = "NC-"

StringNoSystemIF an application is submitted using the Noncredit URL then the value for <confirmation> = "NC-"
Integrity Flag 81<integrity_fg_81>New Field

1 = True

Null

Boolean, 1YesNo

Flag triggered if applicant applies with the new Noncredit Application URL; otherwise it is blank.

NOTE - this is consistent with how we have all the other integrity flags structured. 

Residency Status<res_status>

New Value

New NC default value = N

1 = resident
2 = possible resident
3 = non-resident
N = noncredit / exempt

bpchar, 1No
Residency status is calculated at submission for Standard Application only. 
For the new Noncredit Application path (in the Standard Application) if applicant applies using the new Noncredit URL then:
<non_credit> status is set =True   and
<res_status> status is set ="N"
Residency Area A<res_area_a>New Value

New NC default value = 9

Boolean, 1No
Residency area status defaults to "9" when (non_credit =True)
Residency Area B<res_area_b>New ValueNew NC default value = 9Boolean, 1No
Residency area status defaults to "9" when (non_credit =True)
Residency Area C<res_area_c>New Value

New NC default value = 9

Boolean, 1No
Residency area status defaults to "9" when (non_credit =True)
Residency Area D<res_area_d>New ValueNew NC default value = 9Boolean, 1No
Residency area status defaults to "9" when (non_credit =True)
Declared Residency Outside California for Taxes<ca_outside_tax>

Default values = False / Null 

Values = True / False / Null

1 = True

0 = False

Null

Boolean, 1YesNo

IF the question is displayed:

  • IF checkbox is NOT empty, value = True
  • IF checkbox IS EMPTY, then value = False

IF question is hidden:

  • Set value = Null

NOTE: IF hidden, such as in the Noncredit application, then default to NULL

For a standard application, it will default to False, unless the user checks the checkbox.

Declared Residency at a College Outside California<ca_outside_college>

Default values = False / Null 

Values = True / False / Null

1 = True

0 = False

Null

Boolean, 1YesNoSame as Above.
Registered to Vote Outside California<ca_outside_voted>

Default values = False / Null 

Values = True / False / Null

1 = True

0 = False

Null

Boolean, 1YesNoSame as Above.
Lawsuit Filed Outside California<ca_outside_lawsuit>

Default values = False / Null 

Values = True / False / Null

1 = True

0 = False

Null

Boolean, 1YesNoSame as Above.
Public School Employee

<ca_school_employee>

Default value = Null

Values = True / False / Null

1 = True

0 = False

Null

Boolean, 1YesRequired response If appears onscreen
State College Employee<ca_college_employee>

Default value = Null


Values = True / False / Null

1 = True

0 = False

Null

Boolean, 1YesRequired response If appears onscreen
Seasonal Agricultural Worker

<ca_seasonal_ag>

Default value = Null

Values = True / False / Null

1 = True

0 = False

Null

Boolean, 1YesRequired response If appears onscreen
Citizenship Status<citizenship>New Value

Default to value = X when (non_credit = True)

character(1)No

Required to have non-null value in DB.

In the new Noncredit Application workflow, the Citizenship status question is hidden; value stored = "X"
Military Status<military_status>New Value

New NC default value = X

Default to value = X when (non_credit = True)

character(1)No

Required to have non-null value in DB.

In the new Noncredit Application workflow, the Military status question is hidden; value stored = "X"

Comfortable with Englishcomfortable_englishAllow Null NC default value = nullBoolean, 1YesNoIn the new Noncredit Application workflow this question is hidden; value stored = Null
Financial Assistancefinancial_assistanceAllow NullNC default value = nullBoolean, 1YesNoIn the new Noncredit Application workflow this question is hidden; value stored = Null
TANF-SSI-GAtanf_ssi_gaAllow NullNC default value = nullBoolean, 1YesNoIn the new Noncredit Application workflow this question is hidden; value stored = Null
Athletic Interest: Intramuralathletic_intramuralAllow NullNC default value = nullBoolean, 1YesRequired response If appears onscreenIn the new Noncredit Application workflow this question is hidden; value stored = Null
Athletic Interest: Intercollegiateathletic_intercollegiateAllow NullNC default value = nullBoolean, 1YesRequired response If appears onscreenIn the new Noncredit Application workflow this question is hidden; value stored = Null
Athletic Interest: Noathletic_not_interestedAllow NullNC default value = nullBoolean, 1YesRequired response If appears onscreenIn the new Noncredit Application workflow this question is hidden; value stored = Null


Noncredit Application - Full Data Set in Glue for Apply 

The new Noncredit Application data values will be included in this release, passed directly to colleges using the Glue for Apply feature. 



Updating Your Existing Download Files

To download the new Noncredit Application data fields and new values in existing CCCApply download files, you must add the new fields to your CCCApply Standard Application Format Definition XML and update the (transfer-client.jar) file for the Noncredit v.1.0 Pilot release.  

Please be sure to backup your files before downloading new ones.


Update the Pilot Download Client Jar File

We recommend adding the new Noncredit Application path data fields and updating your Download Client Transfer file in the Pilot environment whether you plan to implement the Noncredit application path or not. The Pilot DLC jar file should be updated first, then repeat the process for your Production downloads. 

In your installed Pilot Download Client directory, replace the following files:

Follow the instructions in the Pilot CCCApply Download Client User Guide.


Update the Download Client Jar File

To update your Download Client Transfer file for the Production environment, the process is the same as the Pilot environment update. The same jar file is used for both environments. 

In your installed Production Download Client directory, replace the following files:

Follow the instructions in the CCCApply Download Client User Guide.



The new CCCApply Noncredit Application data set values can be passed directly to colleges using the College Adapter for SuperGlue.  For more information, please contact CCCTC Enabling Services or Support Services at ccctcstaffsupport@openccc.zendesk.com



During the Pilot Project (see pilot schedule above), pilot colleges will meet bi-weekly to provide feedback and discuss pilot objectives with the Pilot committee and CCCApply product manager.  Non-critical bugs, change requirements, and change enhancements will be reviewed and prioritized during each meeting. 


Severity Levels

S1 - Application / service is unavailable.  

S2 - Required business process is prevented from being used.  No workaround is available

S3 - Less important business process is impacted and/or workaround is available.

S4 - Low impact or cosmetic issue


Below is a breakdown of the pilot support and change management process and response times.

Severity
Level
Issue TypeDescriptionOperations PriorityFeedback Process
S1Application / service is unavailable.  Pilot college cannot access the Noncredit application in the Pilot environment using their custom URL24-48 hr response 
Hot Fix resolution TBD
Email details to College Support Services: staffsupportccctc@openccc.zendesk.com
S1Application / service is unavailable.  Pilot college cannot access the Noncredit application due to error message24-48 hr response
Hot Fix resolution TBD
Email details to College Support Services: staffsupportccctc@openccc.zendesk.com
S2Required business process is prevented from being used.  No workaround is available.Pilot college identifies a critical bug in the Noncredit app user interface or backend systems that prevents implementation or testing 24 - 72 hr response
Set priority level TBD
Email bug information to College Support Services: staffsupportccctc@openccc.zendesk.com 
S3Less important business process is impacted and/or workaround is available.Pilot college identifies a non-critical bug in the Noncredit app user interface or backend that does not prevent implementation or testing 1 week response
Set priority level TBD
Email bug information to College Support Services: staffsupportccctc@openccc.zendesk.com 
S2

Must Have Requirement

Required business process is prevented from being used.  No workaround is available.

Pilot college identifies a missing IT or business requirement per state, federal or local mandate (example: AB 3101)1 week response
Set priority TBD

Use Change Requirement template

Pilot college documents requirement(s) via Change Requirement form template; sends as link or attachment to Pilot Project Manager to be prioritized for bi-weekly meeting agenda.
Email:  pdonohue@ccctechcenter.org 

S4

Nice to Have Request

Low impact or cosmetic issue

Pilot college identifies a med/high-priority change enhancement to the MVP application 2 week response
Set priority TBD

Use Change Request template

Pilot college submits change requirement(s) using Change Request form template; send as link or attachment to Pilot Project Manager to be prioritized for bi-weekly meeting agenda.
Email:  pdonohue@ccctechcenter.org 

S4

Delighter Enhancement

Low impact or cosmetic issue

Pilot college identifies an enhancement to the user interface or backend service(s) that includes unauthorized feature development (Out of FY scope)

2 - 4 week response
Set priority TBD

Use Change Request template

Pilot college submits change request(s) using Change Req form template; send as link or attachment to Pilot Project Manager to be prioritized for committee review.
Email:  pdonohue@ccctechcenter.org 


Request for Implementation SupportPilot college requests advice and/or general support for IT implementation, operations, best practices, and/or additional help from Product management, support services, other college pilots, or general colleges - in support of the new project.

24 - 48 hr response

Depending on item; TBD

Pilot college should review existing community discussions for self-serve support, or post new question or topic in any CCCApply or System Alerts category on the CCCTechnology.info support site:  CCCTechnology.info

Issue Resolution During Pilot Project

  • Feedback will be categorized as bugs, MVP requirements, or change enhancements. Only Severity 1 issues (issues that prevent critical business functions from being accomplished) will be considered as release blockers.
  • Pilot colleges should include the following information in the support request email:
    • Identification of issue
  • 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


BUG Prioritization Levels

Priority - Value set by the Product manager with project team to identify when issue should be fixed.

P1 - Issue must be addressed as soon as possible as it affects the application / service severely and cannot be used until fixed.

P2 - Issue should be resolved as soon as possible during normal course of development activities.  It can wait until the next scheduled release.

P3 - Consider with future work during normal road-mapping and release planning processes.

P4 - Lower priority.  Will be addressed as capacity is available after addressing higher priority issues.



Critical bugs and incidents encountered during IT implementation should be reported directly to College Support Services via the Staff Support email:  staffsupportccctc@openccc.zendesk.com

Pilot college participants should also copy Pilot Project Manager, Patty Donohue, pdonohue@ccctechcenter.org on critical or high priority issues.

Change Request Form Templates

  • High-Priority Change Requirement Form
  • Change Request Form