Findability Status Report: May 2020 – BCcampus OpenEd Resources

This monthly status report is to share progress each month for the the Findability Project and to outline plans for the coming month.

Overview

This section will be highlights from the last month. High level budget info. Can include a video snapshot of features for example.

This month we are providing the first monthly status report for the Findability project. More information about previous activity and timelines for the project can be found on the Findability Project Charter Wiki page. This status report will provide a snapshot of the latest activity and current information. As the project is using an AGILE software development approach , project timelines and deliverables fluctuate based on identified needs and testing results.

In May, the development was able to demonstrate a prototype of the new administrator interface they had been working on and have started work on improvements to the Opentext homepage.

Watch the video below for an update that highlights changes from this quarter:

The team continues to work remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions and have been managing this new way of working effectively by continuing to provide virtual updates on the project to BCcampus staff and stakeholders.

The reduction in travel has meant that the budget for this quarter is below what was projected. However, it is anticipated those funds will be used for travel or virtual activities throughout the fiscal year. The primary expenditures for the project at this time remain for project staffing.

Activity Last Month

Goals that were met, decisions made, sprint outcomes, milestones met, etc.

Three main goals were met last month by the Findability team:

Wire-framed and created several prototypes of the new textbook administrator interface.
Hosted an information session on May 5 demonstrating the prototype and work done in April.
Started architecture on possible new homepage to improve clarity and expand scope to include different types of OERs in addition to textbooks.

Selina continued to track ideas for features and improvements by way of one-on-one and group meetings with members of the open team throughout May.

Other:
Work has been underway to explore the possibility of expanding the scope of the Opentext site OER beyond a repository for open textbooks. In order to support other forms of OER, the team is considering what development would be required to create a site that supports multiple forms, or bundles of OER that can be easily matched to courses/curriculum offered in B.C.

Planned Activity

Goals for next month – what we’re looking forward to/excited about. Includes development, meetings, communication, etc.

The following activities are planned for June:

Test the latest prototype with collection administrators
Make changes to design based on feedback and begin building
Extend requirements and design to include recommended resources to support highly enrolled and transferable courses move to online delivery
Stakeholder information session and demonstration of prototype
Pivot to online support project requirement meetings
Plan and complete 2 agile development sprints

Risks and Issues

Table of risks/issues, mitigation

Risk/Issue	Level	Mitigation
Pivot to online teaching and learning introduces new requirements that will take time to consider, design for, and test.	Medium	Monitor resource allocation and increase capacity if required
Technology chosen will not support undiscovered user activities or new requirements.	Medium	Testing and stakeholder engagement at all decision points