New tool automates college transcript processing at UW–Madison
A new tool is helping the University of Wisconsin–Madison review and process students’ college transcripts more efficiently.
The Office of the Registrar (RO) began using the optical character recognition program Raptor in March. Raptor scans college transcripts for important information such as course codes, titles, and credit values, and then automatically inputs that data into the university’s Student Information System (SIS). Previously, staff members would have to enter this data manually, line by line, into the Student Information System so that transfer credit could be evaluated and posted to a student’s record.
The improved efficiency and accuracy Raptor brings is especially impactful as the number of transcripts the Office of the Registrar is processing continues to grow. UW–Madison has seen a rise in both new transfer students and enrolled students transferring credit from other institutions. Incoming first-year students are also earning an increasing number of course credits before they attend UW–Madison.
The combination of a growing pool of data and processing efficiencies will give the Office of the Registrar new insights into emerging course trends and allow the Credit Evaluation Services team to more strategically maintain the university’s database of transfer equivalent rules.
“Transferring credit between institutions can be challenging, so any efforts to streamline processes will ultimately support students’ academic journeys at UW–Madison,” says Scott Golueke, assistant registrar for credit evaluation services.
The Raptor rollout is the culmination of months of planning and testing from a team comprising members of the Office of the Registrar, Office of Admissions and Recruitment (OAR), and the Division of Information Technology (DoIT).