Grave concern was expressed that so few departments were represented at the Degree Audit Review meeting on February 11th in Conference Room 111A. Every department should be represented at each meeting.

Remember!
• The DARS system is imminent.
• Implementation of this system will affect the workload of every department.
• DARS will affect the degree check (degree audit) of every student.
• Implementation of DARS is imminent and there is no avoiding it!

ACT:Roy asked everyone on the committee to review the DARS Project web pages and to send input to him via email (rhermer@ucsd.edu). The latest DARS information can be viewed at www-act.ucsd.edu/degree/whatsnew.html. The program listings which you can review from this location are good examples of how the DARS program works. The goal is for students to use the web to determine what requirements they will need to earn their degree. The Program Listings will allow a student to view all combinations of college requirements and major requirements, along with that particular student's academic history.

Format: ACT is working toward a one page audit. The current, highly-detailed format is a good programming tool to ensure the DARS "engine" is working, but the format will be changing. Once everything has been tested, ACT will provide a 'drill-down' degree audit which will move from very basic, to medium, to extremely detailed.

Timeline: It is hoped that a version of DARS will be available for staff only (counselors, advisors, etc.) for testing by summer 1998.

Approximations: Lea Mizumoto made several announcements concerning course approximations. She reminded everyone of the important role course approximations will play in the new Degree Audit system. Departments needing instruction for entering approximations, should attend the classes and workshops offered on February 24th and 25th. For detailed course descriptions and on-line enrollment, go to Staff Education.

Lea reminded departments that if approximations are not entered when the new DARS System is implemented, the approximated data for each student will have to be input at the departmental level. Catherine Joseph, Warren College, asked for a deadline when departments promise to have their approximations done. (ACT is working on a system for all advisors to access and update exceptions for individual students.)

Both Lea (lmizumoto@ucsd.edu x44350) and Nancy Hesketh (ndhesketh@ucsd.edu xx42739)are willing to accept phone calls and email regarding questions about approximations.

Coding of Requirements: Todd Clopine is currently going through the 97/98 catelog to input requirements for each major. Because catelog entry is not consistent, Melanie Hawkins from Warren College may be contacting the departments with questions regarding their requirements.

Todd will eventually be offering training programs to departments on how to input data into the requirement tables. This training will primarily be for "maintenance" since he is inputting current requirements now. At least one person in each department will need to know how to maintain the tables. All advisors will be involved on some level for maintaining DARS data. All of the "requirement maintenance" for the majors tables will be coordinated through Todd's office.

Once the current 'core' tables are entered, previous catelog years can be input as well. Sarah Spear reminded everyone that another component of the 'program listings' referred to above (college requirements plus major requirements) is the catelog year.

Exceptions: Exceptions for individual students (course substitutions, waivers, etc.) will remain stored for each student.

Please familiarize yourself with the current status of DARS, and send questions to Roy (rhermer@ucsd.edu) or Todd (tclopine@ucsd.edu).

I'll be glad to make any corrections or additions to these minutes. Please contact Helen Gunn