Redesigned retro credit process improves operations, data accuracy

A redesigned retroactive credit process will lead to better outcomes for University of Wisconsin–Madison students who complete advanced coursework in World Languages while helping the Office of the Registrar (RO) keep up with a consistently increasing volume of retro credits. The revamped process, which rolled out in June, eliminates a number of recurring data errors that required manual intervention to fix. A project team from the RO, in consultation with the College of Letters and Science (L&S) and Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research (DAPIR), worked to identify and implement the changes. That work involved recreating the retro credit tables that determine which courses and credits a student is eligible to receive based on their current course enrollment and the courses they completed while in high school, as well as writing new code to both ensure alignment with policy and realize improved process efficiency. The result is a more up-to-date, accurate process that makes it easier to maintain retro credits and rules in the long run. “Before this redesigned process rolled out, occasional data errors would pop up weeks or months down the road, causing headaches for students, advisors, and deans,” says Interim University Registrar Beth Warner. “Now, the campus community can have more confidence that credit is being awarded as it should be without needing further review.” Initial indicators show the improvements are already making a difference. While it used to take hours to run the process, the first run since the changes rolled out took just six minutes! Students are able to earn credit for prior non-English language coursework if they meet the requirements outlined in the UW–Madison retro credit policy, including enrolling in a course in the language prior to earning 30 credits and earning a B or better.