The platform behind the curtain gets an upgrade
If a student orders a transcript they likely interact with the transcript vendor, Parchment. Most transcript orders are now processed using Parchment. If a student indicates they want the order delivered via PDF, the vendor software communicates with our SIS to match the student record and sends it directly to the recipient via email. If a student indicates they want the order delivered via mail (FedEx or USPS), Parchment processes and mails the order. These services allow the Office of the Registrar (RO) to be relatively hands off with the majority of the transcript ordering process, as the majority of orders are processed and completed behind the scenes with the help of Parchment.
In 2019 Credentials and Parchment merged, triggering a necessary upgrade from the Credentials transcript ordering platform to the Parchment platform. The RO continued to seamlessly use Credentials and made the slow transition toward the upgraded Parchment platform working closely with the vendor over the course of various months. The upgrade is now complete and the RO went live with Parchment on October 18th.
This new platform means transcript ordering and administration looks different for both the RO on the administrative side and for students as the “learners” who request transcripts. For the RO, the upgrade meant various training/calls, validation testing with the vendor, and opportunities to ask the vendor questions. In line with the RO’s core value of ensuring academic integrity and maintaining integrity of core functions, subject matter experts participated in training sessions with Parchment including the “Production Test Walkthrough” and “Upgrade Go Live Prep” and numerous additional preparations calls. This upgrade was originally scheduled, planned and prepared for February 2022 but due to an inconsistent upgrade experience and lack of support from the vendor, a no-go decision was made to postpone the upgrade. The RO continued to work with Parchment to understand functionality and changes over the course of 2022 and completed the upgrade last month.
Aside from the necessity of the upgrade to Parchment, this transition allows students to create a Parchment account when they order, making order tracking easier and allows the learner to have one Parchment account for multiple schools. Students cannot only view and track current orders, but they can also view previous orders and orders from other institutions that utilize Parchment they have attended and requested transcripts for.
In addition to UW–Madison upgrading to the Parchment platform, many other UW-System schools and WACRAO partner schools have upgraded to the new Parchment platform ultimately with success but not without challenges and bumps along the way. At the recent WACRAO conference, there was a panel discussion sharing about several schools’ experiences upgrading to Parchment; what we learned, how it went, and how we utilize Parchment transcript services that was well attended.
If you are or were a student at UW–Madison, order your transcript today and check out the new platform.