ELECTRONIC DATA EXCHANGE (EDI)

 

What is EDI?

 

"Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is a technology used in administrative areas of education to move student and other data electronically between computer systems.  For over nine years AACRAO (American Association of College and University Registrars and Admissions Officers) has sponsored the development of standard data formats for use by colleges and universities and represented postsecondary interests in the North American standards-setting body, the American National Standards Institute Accredited Standards Committee X12.  EDI in Education is often referred to as SPEEDE/ExPRESS."  (Source: AARCRAO Web site- www.aacrao.com/)

 

Postsecondary and K-12 institutions in several states have developed and implemented the EDI approach to transmitting transcripts (e.g., Iowa, Texas, and Florida).  Postsecondary and K-12 institutions in other states, such as South Carolina, are working to implement an EDI network.

 

Benefits of EDI for postsecondary and K-12 institutions:

 

"EDI is a way to replace paper form with electronic delivery of information.  By making it possible to communicate, EDI trading partners realize the following benefits:

 

•           Time savings in getting information from the sender to the receiver

•           Increased accuracy of data

•           Improved privacy of confidential data

•           Cost savings as manual systems are replaced with electronic ones."

 

 (Source: AARCRAO Web site- www.aacrao.com/)

 

The State of Iowa EDI project team estimates that at the elementary and secondary level the cost of processing a transcript is $18 in staff time and material.

SPEEDE

 

What is SPEEDE?

 

The EDI project for electronically transmitting postsecondary transcripts is called SPEEDE,  Standardization of Postsecondary Education Electronic Data Exchange.  The Minnesota EDI Management Team has currently adopted this acronym for the postsecondary transcript of its EDI project.

 

What's happening in Minnesota?

 

Representatives of MnSCU, the University of Minnesota, the University of St. Thomas and the Department of Children, Families & Learning have formed a managment team to implement SPEEDE/ExPRESS.  To-date, the Minnesota EDI Management Team is using the SPEEDE/ExPRESS acronym for our project and has not developed a project name specific to Minnesota.

 

MnSCU and the University of Minnesota are currently implementing major new computer systems which of necessity have very high priority and have monopolized the efforts of many people in both higher education systems.  We are working as fast we can to implement SPEEDE/ExPRESS consistent with the need to insure that our computer systems are able to support the needs of our own students and are Y2K compliant.

 

The current plans for the SPEEDE aspect of the project calls for nine pilot institutions to begin transmitting and sending college and university transcripts electronically on June 6, 2000.  After the pilot project has been implemented, it will be relatively easy to add additional MnSCU institutions because of the centrally-developed computer system that will be used by all MnSCU institutions.  Additional institutions from the private college sector will be encouraged to join the Minnesota SPEEDE/ExPRESS effort.

 

The pilot project is open to any postsecondary and K-12 institution in Minnesota which wishes to join the project.  To-date, the following institutions have committed to be part of the pilot project:

 

•           The following MnSCU institutions-St. Cloud State University, Metropolitan State University, Century College & Hennepin Technical College.

•           The four campuses of the University of Minnesota

•           The University of St. Thomas will have a definite answer in a month and is very hopeful. 

•           TIES will be added to the pilot list.  CFL can only commit if its legislative request is funded.

 

 

ExPRESS

 

 

What is ExPRESS?

 

The EDI project for electronically transmitting high school transcripts is called ExPRESS.  The Minnesota EDI Management Team has currently adopted this acronym for the K-12 transcript aspect of its EDI project.

 

What's happening in Minnesota?

 

The Department of Children, Families and Learning (CFL) is represented on the SPEEDE/ ExPRESS Management Team by Carol Hokenson.  TIES, the computer services unit which serves many of the larger school districts in Minnesota, is represented by Janet Hennekens.

 

There is a strong interest among all of the institutional representatives on the SPEEDE/ ExPRESS Management Team to move to the electronic transmission of high school transcripts, both among K-12 school systems and to colleges and universities.  Although this effort is in the early planning stages, we are very optimistic that this will become a reality.

 

OTHER COOPERATIVE INITIATIVES

 

 

Another positive benefit of the Minnesota SPEEDE/ ExPRESS project is the enhancing of professional ties among operational-level staff at the various institutions of higher education and K-12 in the State of Minnesota.  This will facilitate the development of other statewide cooperative initiatives that will benefit all segments of education in Minnesota and the taxpayers of our state.

 

One example is DARS (degree audit records system developed and marketed by Miami University of Ohio).  This software has been installed at the University of Minnesota and is being installed at various institutions in the MnSCU system.  It is designed to facilitate transfer credit evaluation and the production of user-friendly degree audits.  The SPEEDE/ ExPRESS Management Team is not focusing on DARS, at this time, because we are concerned that SPEEDE/ ExPRESS itself is a major effort and we do not want to lose our focus on this project.  However, as SPEEDE/ ExPRESS is implemented, the Management Team will then focus on the issues of using technology to facilitate transfer articulation on a state-wide basis to better serve transfer students.