Thursday, June 27, 2002 TODAY

Loma Linda University news

• Financial aid application process goes online
  
  

Financial aid application process goes online

Student services--headed by Janelle Pyke, MA, director of university records; John Wical, director of university computing; and Verdell Schaefer, director of financial aid--started re-engineering the financial aid application process at the beginning of January, 2002. Their goal was to become virtually paperless with as many forms as possible being completed and processed electronically via the web. The new online process available at <http://www.llu.edu/ssweb/finaid/apply.htm> went live on February 1, 2002, with the financial aid application. As new components of the system were developed, they were tested and transitioned into the production site for student and staff usage.

"The changes financial aid has made on the web are dramatic," says Michael Connelly, programmer for University administrative systems. "Students can now fill out applications, sign promissory notes, and download PDF versions of completed forms online. Notifications that once went out by mail are now being sent via e-mail. None of this was possible just six months ago.

"With the experience we have gained and software upgrades planned for this summer," Mr. Connelly continues, "University administrative systems will be able to offer even more to financial aid and LLU students in 2002 to 2003."

Features of the new system include: real-time requirement generation and tracking, automated email notifications to students and staff, customized web-based forms, as well as printable and downloadable PDFs. Banner is used to collect, process, and review all of the data. So far, about 2,000 applications have been submitted online.

All of the financial aid forms for the 2002 - 2003 academic year are available for completion or as a print and sign PDF form. For the forms that require a physical signature, student services created interactive PDF forms that merge data from the database into the form so the student can print and sign them.

Project overview

• Project began in mid-January;
  
• Financial Aid Application went live on February 1, 2002;
  
• New components were added as they were developed and tested; and
  
• As of June 20, 1,971 applications have been received via the Web and 77 have been received using paper.

Project objectives

• Improve customer service to students;
  
• Increase accessibility to information, services, and forms;
  
• Use the web to streamline the application process;
  
• Decrease financial aid processing time;
  
• Use web-based electronic forms to move towards a paperless office;
  
• Store application and form information in Banner to increase accessibility, usability, and process automation.

Features of the new process

• Real-time requirement generation and tracking;
  
• Automated e-mail notifications to students and staff;
  
• Customized web-based forms;
  
• Printable PDF forms with the data merged into the forms;
  
• Banner is used to collect, process, and review application and forms data.

Online financial aid process (step-by-step)

1. Student uses their ID number and PIN to login to Student Services web.
   
   This system is web-based so it is available to students even during non-office hours. They can access their required forms and necessary information at their convenience on- or off-campus.
   
2. Student completes the student information form.
   
   On this form, the student is asked for their permanent and correspondence mailing address, as well as their program of study and preferred e-mail address. This information enables student services to customize, as well as automatically populate this information, on their required forms. After completing this form, the student is sent to the financial aid application.
   
3. Student completes and submits financial aid application.
   
   The financial aid application is customized to enable quick completion. The student’s requirements are automatically generated by their answers on this form. The data from this form, and all forms submitted via the web, is saved in Banner and is immediately accessible to financial aid staff in the client/server version of Banner. Students can access a printable copy of their application on the student requirements page.
   
4. Student is thanked and sent to the student requirements page.
   
   This page lists all of their requirements as either "outstanding" or "completed" and provides detailed status information for each requirement. By clicking on an outstanding requirement, the student can open and complete it.
   
5. Student opens and completes each requirement.
   
   By clicking on each outstanding requirement; the student can open and complete their required forms. Student information is automatically merged into these forms to make them quicker and easier to complete. Many of the forms can be completed online. For forms that require a physical signature, the required form opens as a PDF that can be printed and completed off line. After completing each form, the student is sent back to the student requirements page so they can complete their next requirement.
   
6. As the required forms are submitted, the requirements page is updated in real-time
   
   The data from each of these forms are saved in Banner and are immediately accessible, by staff, in the new Banner review screens. Forms completed online are available to students as downloadable and printable PDFs. Requirements are tracked in real-time, meaning there is no lag time when requirements are added, deleted, or satisfied. This enables students to easily follow the status of their financial aid as it is processed.
   
7. Daily report of completed applications is sent to each financial aid advisor.
   
   Every morning a report of new applications submitted online is sent via e-mail to each financial aid advisor. The reports are sorted by division code so advisors are only notified of the forms submitted by their students. Advisors then use Banner to review the student’s application and forms.
   
8. Advisor reviews the student’s application and additional forms.
   
   The advisor uses the new Banner review screens to review each student’s application and additional forms. While reviewing a student’s forms, an advisor can add, delete, or satisfy the student’s requirements or finalize the student’s financial aid. After the advisor has reviewed all of the completed requirements, they create a budget and post awards on the student’s award screen.
   
9. Financial aid awards, promissory notes, and the award letter are posted online.
   
   The advisor posts the offered awards on the student’s award screen once the budget has been completed. The student goes online to accept, change, or decline each of their awards. At the same time, the promissory notes and the award letter are available online to view, print, and sign. The financial aid process has been completed once the signed promissory note has been delivered to the office and all of the awards have been accepted.

Benefits of the online process

Benefits to the student

1. 1. Convenience
   • The new web-based system is available to students, on- or off-campus, even during non-office hours.
   • Completed forms are available as PDFs to print or download for the student’s personal records.
   • Preferred LLU lender list available when completing the application.
   
2. Ease of use
   • Forms are customized based on student’s program of study.
   • Student information populates on all forms.
   • Forms are easier to use with new standardized format.
   
3. Real-time requirement tracking.
   • Student requirements are automatically generated, in real-time, by the student’s answers on the financial aid application. In the past, an advisor would have to manually review the application before determining the student’s requirements. This might have taken a few days or more.
   • Lag time has been reduced or eliminated. There is no lag time when requirements are added, deleted, or satisfied. The information is immediately available in Banner for advisors to review and process.
   
4. Save time
   • Reduced time for requirement completion.
   • No lag time when completing all of the forms.
   • Student information automatically populates on all applicable forms.
   • Data is added to print and sign PDF forms for quicker completion.
   • All required forms are available in one location.

Benefits to the financial aid office

1. Process automation
   
• Student services strive for a healthy mix of high touch with high tech. This means student services want the student to feel informed and taken care of throughout the process.
  
• Automated e-mails are sent throughout the process to keep the student informed of the status of their requirements and when they reach specific benchmarks. These e-mails replaced the stacks of postcard notices that were mailed to students. Student services expanded the number of notices that are sent out so the student is better informed.
  
• Automated e-mail report of applications. Submitted online sent daily to advisors so the applications can be reviewed as soon as possible.
  
• Automated student authorization process provides an expanded list of the additional reasoning why they should accept electronic file transfers and retain credit balances as well as provides multiple opportunities to accept these options.
  
2. Operating efficiencies
   
• All form data is reviewed in Banner screens.
  
• Increased amount of time to process financial aid and create budgets resulting in a reduced need for overtime during peak application and awarding period.
  
• All financial aid application forms have been redesigned and standardized to increase professional appearance and usability.
  
• New online scholarship form enables more accurate distribution of need-based funds to eligible students.
  
• All promissory notes are automatically generated by Banner and available for students to print and sign. In the past, promissory notes were merged using Word files, printed, stuffed into envelopes, and mailed to students. This process would run frequently; however, there was the lag time in mailing them to the students and the expenses of postage and time to prepare the mailings.
  
• Student budget and award information is automatically generated by Banner and available for students to view and print online. Student awards are accepted or declined online as well. In the past, award letters were printed for each student, stuffed into envelopes, and mailed to students. The student had to manually accept their awards on the award letter and return it to the financial aid office. Now that this information is available online it is updated every time there is a change to the student’s award package and there is no lag time.
  
• Student services achieved their goal of creating a mostly paperless office.
  
3. Mailings
   
• A significant reduction in paper used for stocking and mailing all forms to students.
  
• Reduced processing time for mailings and incoming mail.
  
• Forecasted reductions in printing and mailing (postage and time) costs within the next three years. Currently, any cost savings are offset by training and development costs.
  
4. Office traffic
   
   • The increase in information, forms, and services available via the web enables the staff to spend more time counseling students.

Benefits to the University

1. Infrastructure for internet services.
   
• Through this project student services created an infrastructure to build additional Internet services upon.
  
2. Be a technology leader.• This infrastructure enables the financial aid office and Loma Linda University to move into the 21st Century as a technology leader instead of a technology laggard.
   
• Projects like this one represent a good public relations opportunity that is attractive to prospective and current students.
  
3. Enrollment management.
   
• Internet services can be used as a competitive advantage for increasing enrollment and keeping students satisfied.
  
4. New standard for excellence.
   
   • The financial aid office can be used as an example of how process automation and Internet services can enhance all areas within the University. Student services have set a new standard for excellence that all areas should strive to reach.

The future

1. 1. Re-engineer the federal work study process (FWS).
   
• This includes processing, administration, job placement, tracking and reporting using Banner web, e-mail notices, and automated e-mail reports on FWS earnings, warnings, and exceptions.
  
• This would include the development and implementation of an interactive job placement Internet application, for job/
  student searching.
  
2. 2. Develop an interactive scholarship service for all LLU scholarships and grants.
   
• Enable students to search for and view all scholarships, as well as determine which scholarships they qualify for and submit an application online.
  
3. 3. Instant messaging customer service application.
   
• Enable students to ask questions of live person without physically coming into the office or using the phone.
  
• Staff answer questions using drop down menus provided in the knowledge base.
  
• Create knowledge base of responses, information, and links to provide students.
  
• Direct students to all forms and information using the provided links in the knowledge base so students find anything they need very quickly.
  
4. Redesign financial aid website, or the entire student services site, to create an "eCampus" environment.
   
• Increase usability and value of the content.
  
• Add dynamic content, intuitive navigation tools, online customer service application, etc.
  
• New site would integrate the other development projects into a central, easy-to-use, web environment.
  
5. Develop debt management and budget counseling programs.
   
   • Train advisors to become financial counselors.
     
   • Revise job descriptions and titles so advisors would be financial counselors.
     
   • Offer budget development and counseling programs using biblically based principles.
     
   • Educate students on debt profile services available on
     Banner.

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