MyU Preview: My Finances Tab

MyU Preview is a series giving a peek into pages within the new MyU. Keep in mind MyU content is still in development and some things will be updated between now and Go Live.

If you’re a student, after the Upgrade goes live, you’ll perform many of the tasks you currently complete at the One Stop website in the new MyU. These tasks include registration, applying for financial aid and paying bills. The My Finances tab shown here is your entry point to information about your student account and financial aid. Click the image to enlarge.

Previously:

• MyU Homepage (revised)
• Research Tab
• Faculty Career Tab
• Academics Tab 
• Purchasing Tab
• Reporting Center

Questions? Contact esup@umn.edu.

How to Prepare for The Upgrade

Training & education

As The Upgrade nears, you will receive emails about training relevant to your role. Most training emails will be sent in January. You are encouraged to take training close to when you receive the emails.

All training information is accessible via the Upgrade Education page, some of which is available now. Since most training will be online, you can revisit it and retake it as many times as you want. (Training could not be developed until after the system was built and tested, so courses are still in development, prioritized by need and timing.)

Here are two trainings that many people will need to take:

• Time and absence training will be available in early January. Employees who submit or approve hours or absences on paper must learn how to do these activities online.
• People who use student systems (Campus Solutions) should take the Student Systems Upgrade Overview course, available now.

If you want to take additional training, consider your primary job responsibilities and, if needed, talk to your supervisor.

Know your support network

During The Upgrade, additional support will be provided to call centers/help desks. Plus, you can reach out to your Advance Team, “voice on the ground” personnel with advance tools and information who have graciously offered to support their areas during The Upgrade. 

Embrace change

Big systems implementations like these usually face technical issues and natural human resistance. Prepare for changes, be flexible, and exercise patience with your colleagues and the system. (See this TED Talk video on change.)

MyU Preview: Academics Tab

MyU Preview is a series giving a peek into pages within the new MyU. Keep in mind MyU content is still in development and some things will be updated between now and Go Live.

If you’re a student, after the Upgrade goes live, you’ll do many of the tasks you currently complete at the One Stop website in the new MyU. These tasks include things like registration, applying for financial aid and paying bills. The Academics tab shown here is your entry point to information about your degree, registration, classes, and grades. Click on the images to enlarge.

Previously:

• MyU Homepage (revised)
• Research Tab
• Faculty Career Tab
• Purchasing Tab
• Reporting Center

Questions? Contact esup@umn.edu.

Faculty Features in the New MyU

Watch a walkthrough of some of the features and changes for faculty in the new MyU, including easier access to teaching and advising information, consolidated grade entry, the Reporting Center, and MyU tabs for research and faculty career information.

[If you receive an error using Firefox, click OK and then hit the play button at the bottom of the page. Content should play normally.]

Take a closer look at some of the MyU screens here:

• MyU Preview: Homepage
• MyU Preview: Research Tab
• MyU Preview: Faculty Career Tab
• MyU Preview: Purchasing Tab
• MyU Preview: Reporting Center 

Questions? Email us at esup@umn.edu

After The Upgrade: Reports

A PeopleSoft upgrade plans to go live in April 2015*. It will usher in a new Reporting Center that consolidates UM Reports, UM Analytics, and PeopleSoft reports.

The Reporting Center provides a single window into commonly used reports from multiple reporting tools. Features include: Improved search function, real-time data, ability to "like" favorite reports,  links to the data warehouse web query tool, HRMS query viewer, and EDMS. 

Here is some important information for people who use reports:

• Some reports will have different names and content.
• UM Reports favorites and bookmarks will not transfer, so save a list in order to find them after The Upgrade
• If you have created and saved ad-hoc queries in the Data Warehouse, they may need to change due to business process changes.
• During the one to two-week system cutover period in April, most UM Reports will be view-only with static data.
• Find out details about reporting changes.
• Watch a short video to prepare for the new Reporting Center.

*This article was updated on 02/04/2015 to reflect the most recent timing information.

Enhanced Support for The Upgrade

To support staff, faculty, and students through the PeopleSoft systems upgrade, we are developing easy-to-use Enhanced Support for existing structures and processes. So, the help contacts you use today are the same ones you will use after The Upgrade.

Here are some essential support groups:

• Advance Teams are “voice on the ground” teams comprised of workplace personnel supporting colleagues throughout The Upgrade.
• The Call Centers / Help Desks team prepares all centers with training and resources for a consistent user experience, ensuring issue tracking and resolution.
• The Training Teams provide educational resources and learning opportunities to support university-wide understanding of how to use the new systems.
• The Communication Teams share information with the University community through an array of channels before, during, and after The Upgrade.
• The Command Center will provide internal support to the call centers and help desks, analyze themes and trends, and will help prioritize issues across the Program.

Since upgrades this big usually have hiccups along the way, these teams are essential as we work through technical glitches, process confusion, and user dissatisfaction. Everyone will need to leverage their skills in flexibility, empathy, and patience!

MyU Preview: Purchasing Tab

MyU Preview is a series giving a peek into pages within the new MyU. Keep in mind MyU content is still in development and some things will be updated between now and Go Live.

After the new MyU launches, faculty and staff will see a Purchasing tab. Not everyone has purchasing authority, but now everyone can see the information on how to appropriately buy things, in case they need it. This tab provides easy access to procedures, tools, and contract (best overall) pricing, making the purchasing process more transparent for everyone. Click the image to view more detail.

Previously:

• MyU Homepage (revised)
• Research Tab
• Faculty Career Tab
• Reporting Center

Questions? Contact esup@umn.edu.

A farewell to the final grading application

As the semester comes to a close and the PeopleSoft Upgrade prepares for a scheduled launch in April 2015*, many current systems will be used for the last time. For example, this fall will be the last time that faculty, instructors, and their proxies use the current final grading system. When The Upgrade goes live, grade entry (mid-term grades, final grades, and grade changes) will change. Here are some highlights:

• All grade entry will be consolidated and accessible in the new Faculty Center
• A new administrative mark, “NR,” will be posted to transcripts when grades have not been assigned by the grading deadline.
• In addition to direct entry, there will two ways to import grades into the grade roster:
• Uploading from a file
• Importing from Moodle
• After importing from an external source, grades will need to be reviewed in the Faculty Center and then submitted before they are posted to students’ records.

More information and resources will be provided to faculty and instructors closer to the final grading periods for spring semester.

*This article was updated on 02/04/2015 to reflect the most recent timing information.