Unified Reporting System

Instructions

 

 

The URS Web address: http://urs.oardc.ohio-state.edu/

 

Welcome to the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and College of Education and Human Ecology Unified Reporting System (URS).  This system was created by a committee of your peers to help your college respond to an ever-increasing demand for information by our university faculty and staff, funding partners, and the general public. URS employs advanced computer technology and the Internet to provide faculty and staff with a single entry and retrieval point for information and program data.

 

What are the benefits to you?

 

In 1999, the Unified Reporting System Task Force reported that departments in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences generated in excess of 25 separate reports each year requiring duplicate entry of data and information.  According to the report, faculty and staff often expressed frustration at a system that required duplication of effort and thus, wasted time and lost productivity.  URS was designed to help you save precious time and to facilitate the reporting process by helping you organize your teaching, research, and extension activities.  In addition, URS will streamline reporting by:

 

1.            Providing a single point portal to enter and retrieve your program/project information,

2.            Providing frequently-used information about your appointment using existing personnel databases,

3.            Providing a means of copying and updating previous reports, and adding and editing program/project information throughout the year in preparation for performance review, annual department and other reports.

4.            Providing a feedback channel to improve the system.

 

How does the Unified Reporting System work?

 


URS was created to collect information from all faculty members and administrative professionals, regardless of appointment or responsibilities.  URS is a web-based accountability and information system that can be accessed 24-hours a day, seven days a week.  On the URS Web pages, you will be asked to report information about your teaching, research and extension activities.  This is the same information you have traditionally provided in your Plan of Work/Report of Results (extension), annual activity report statement (teaching and research) and in your curriculum vitae.  In fact, this report will replace your Plan of Work or annual activity report.  You will be able to save your work as you go along, add to it at a later time, and edit it when your schedule permits.  You will also be able to generate your own personal reports.  The information will reside in a database on a password protected, secure server.  Public access will be restricted.  Department reports will be generated from a "snapshot" in time of the master database. Report deadlines will be announced by department heads, and you will be able to update and maintain the most current information available.

 

Before you get started:

 

Keep this in mind.  This system was created to collect information from all faculty member and administrative professionals, regardless of appointment or responsibilities. Fill out the portions of the document that apply to you.  You will be able to save your work as you go along, add to it at a later time and edit it when your schedule permits.  When you are done, you will be able to print out a report.  Take your time and be sure to read the "Helps" for guidance and suggestions

 

For Additional Help:

 

For help with URS content questions, contact:

 

Thomas M. Archer, Leader

Program Development and Evaluation

Ohio State University Extension

Agricultural Administration Building, Room 6

2120 Fyffe Road

Columbus, OH 43210

Tel: 614.292.0179

Fax: 614.688.3807

Email: archer.3@osu.edu

 

OR

 

Debby Lewis, Program Accountability Specialist

Program Development and Evaluation

Ohio State University Extension

Agricultural Administration Building, Room 6

2120 Fyffe Road

Columbus, OH 43210

Tel: 614.292.5089

Fax: 614.688.3807

Email: lewis.205@osu.edu

 

 

 

 

For help with URS technical questions, contact:

 

D. J. “Chip” Styer, Systems Developer/Engineer

Director's Office, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center

The Ohio State University

1680 Madison Avenue


Wooster, OH 44691-4096

Tel: 330.263.3706 (5.3706)

Fax: 330.263.3688

E-mail: Styer.21@osu.edu

 

Using URS

 

Logon:

 

If you have not used the system before, you need to select "New User" on the home page. This allows you to register.  To register, you need your OSU ID number (8-digit number on your paycheck or BuckID), email address (preferably your OSU email address, e.g. smith.1@osu.edu), a self-specified user ID and a self-specified password.  If you do not have your OSU ID, contact Chip Styer (styer.21@osu.edu) 330.263.3706.

 

If you have used the system before, select "System Login" on the home page.  Logon with the user ID and password you selected.  If you have forgotten you user ID or password, there is a link to request that it be emailed to you.

 

Screen Layout:

 

When you logon, the program opens a new browser window on your desktop.  The window is divided into three frames.  The upper-left frame shows your URS menu options. On the first menu screen, you can choose the report to edit or start a report for a new reporting year.  On the subsequent menu screen, you select the component to edit.  The lower-left is a status window. The right frame is the work area. This frame is the area where you enter the information for each component.

 

Saving Data:

 

When you enter new information on a page or change existing information, YOU MUST CLICK THE SAVE BUTTON. If you do not click the save button, you will lose your work.  Unfortunately, with Web programs, there is no way to automatically remind you to save your work.  Watch the status window when you click the save button.  The status window will warn you if a problem has occurred.

1.            New entries may have one or two save buttons (top/bottom of the screen). Both buttons save data -- use either one.

2.            Screens for previously entered component data may have multiple save buttons.  Each entry for the component is contained in a "box" along with its Save and Delete buttons.  The Save button will only save the data that is in the same box as the button.

 

Help:

 


Each entry page has on-line help.  Click the "HELP" button in the upper left corner of the work frame.  This button opens a separate window with general instructions and a description of the fields for the specific component.

 

Feedback:

 

There is a feedback link in the menu frame.  You can use this link to ask questions about the system or make suggestions for future versions.  Your questions and comments are sent to members of the URS developmental committee.

 

Copy and Paste:

 

You can use any word processor to write the narrative sections of you URS report and then "copy and paste" into URS.  To copy and paste, you will need to have both your word processor and URS running at the same time.

1.            Create the narrative in a word processor document.  Use the word processor to check your spelling.

2.            Open a Web browser; logon to URS; select the component to be edited.

3.            Click on the word processor document.  Highlight the text to be copied; select "copy" in the word processor’s menu.  You can also use Ctrl-C for Word documents.

4.            Click on the URS Web page to bring it to the "top" of your desktop.  Click in the text area for the entry you wish to copy.  "Paste" the text from your word processor document.  You can use Ctrl-V to paste or select Edit/Paste from the browser menu.

5.            If you have other text to copy, repeat steps 4 and 5, copying from your word processor document and pasting to the URS report.

 

Spell Checking and Editing:

 

To check the spelling on your URS report, copy and paste the narrative that you want to spell check into a word processor. Open the spell checker and check your document. Note: If you make corrections or changes to the RTF file, those changes will NOT be made to your online URS report. You should copy and paste changes and correction to the online version (see "Copy and Paste" above).

 

Submitting Your Report:

 

If your department chair or supervisor requests a paper copy, use the My Web Report function, which is one of the purple buttons within the menu portion of the screen.  The Set Order function can be used to arrange the URS Components in your desired report order.  When you click on the Web Report button, the report is generated.  It can be printed directly from the browser OR it can be saved as a word processing document, and retrieved into the word processor for further editing or printing (Looks best in Microsoft Word) OR e-mailed as an attachment. 

 

The First Time You Logon:

 

The first time you logon to the system, you have no activity report data in the system. Accordingly, the menu gives you one selection: "New Report".  To start your activity report, click on New Report. On the next screen, build an empty report (see information on report dates below). 

 

You now have initialized a report and can begin entering data by selecting the various components from the Activity Report Menu.    If you have co-authored or been added as a team member by another URS user, you may already have information in some of the components in your “empty report”.

 

Report Dates and Activity Periods:

 

The standard yearly reporting period for departmental annual reports in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (extension, research, and teaching) is from January 1 through December 31st of each year.

 

OSU Extension Reports for each year are due January 15 of the following year.

 

Subsequent Logons:

 

When you have a least one report in the system, the initial menu gives you these options (green buttons):

3.            Create New Report

4.            Edit one of your existing reports (represented by years).

 

New Report:

 

The Create New Report button in the upper left‑hand frame allows you to generate a new report.  Either you can build an empty report, or you can copy a previous year's report.  The copy function allows you to make a copy of an old report for the new reporting year.  The advantage to making a copy is that you can then edit the new report, adding or deleting information that may have changed.  This function was added to save you work.

 

 

 

Edit Existing Reports:

 

This function allows you to edit an existing report.  Select the report year you want to edit.

 

USER PROFILE UPDATE

 

By clicking on the User Profile Update (green button), which is located on the same screen as the Activity Reports, a user can modify personal URS settings. Setting updates that can be initiated by the user include:

 

Changes that will take place immediately:         

 

                  Change User Name

                  Change User Password

                  Change User e-mail Address

 

Changes that will take place after review of proposed changes:

 

                  Change User Address Information:            Address, Building Name, Room Number, City, State, Zip, Phone

                  Change User Appointments:                       Appointment Date, Appointment Length, Appointments

 

 

SEARCHING URS

 

You can search the Unified Reporting System database by clicking on one of the purple buttons on the bottom of the opening URS menu (before you create a report or edit an existing report).  Currently you can search Extension Programs, Extension Presentations, Grant Reports, and Academic Activity Reports.  You can do a basic text search, State-wide Team or Private Key search of any of these components.  In addition, you can search Keywords used in Extension Presentations or Programs.  When searching Extension programs, you may also search by Plan of Action, Legislative District or County.  Select a year and click on the GO button to generate a report (this may take a while depending on the amount of information returned by your search).  Once the report appears on your screen, it allows you to click on the users name to generate and e-mail to contact the person of interest.  Make sure you tell them you found the information in URS!

 

 

 

 

COMPONENTS

 

The following section lists the fields for each of the URS components.  If the selection is a choice list, your options are listed.

 

PERSONAL INFO (click here):

 

This provides a drop down list of the next five components (dark blue button).

 

APPOINTMENT (must click on the PERSONAL INFO Component to see this as one of the drop down selections):

 

The appointment information is downloaded from the OSU Human Resources database.  You can visually check whether or not the information is correct.  If it is erroneous, see User Profile Update as described above.

 

DATES FOR THIS REPORT (must click on the PERSONAL INFO Component to see this as one of the drop down selections):

 

Edit the report dates, if necessary (i.e., report date, activity year, and activity period).  See the Report Dates and Activity Period section explanation for report dates.  If you started mid-year or other than January 1, you can put in your start date.

 

POSITION DESCRIPTION (must click on the PERSONAL INFO Component to see this as one of the drop down selections):

 

In this section you can place your up-to-date Position Description.  A narrative field is provided in which you could address items such as:  Why the position exists; Overview of duties; Description of essential duties; Specific short-term assignments.

 

For Extension Educators, there is a field for Educator Specialization.  The default is Not Applicable.  However, if you are a County Educator, you should have an Educator Specialization.  From the pull-down list in this field, highlight your Educator Specialization.

 

EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE (must click on the PERSONAL INFO Component to see this as one of the drop down selections):

 

Listing of institutions and dates of your degrees.

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (must click on the PERSONAL INFO Component to see this as one of the drop down selections):

 

Listing of your employment experience.

 

 

CREDIT COURSES:

 

The purpose of this section is to describe the activity of faculty involved in the delivery

of OSU Credit Courses to students, both on campus and off campus

 

1       Sequence #: (optional) If you enter a sequence number, your entries will be sorted numerically by sequence number. Numbers can be decimal or integer.

2.      Course Number: The course number assigned by a department and listed in the class schedule.

3.      Title:  Course title determined by the department and listed in the class schedule.

4.      Credit Hours: Number of credits determined by the department for this course. For variable credit courses, use the number of hours for which the majority of students are registered.

5.      Contact Hours:  Number of hours this class meets including lab time.

6.      Team taught:  Was this class team taught, if so check the box and indicate the percentage of course responsibility you carried.

7.      Quarter(s): Check all boxes that apply.

8.      Course Development and Revision Activities: Give a brief description of your work on course development and any revisions and updates to course curriculum.

9.      Significant Accomplishments and Impacts: Give a detailed description of the measurable program outcomes and/or impacts on the public as a result of this course.

10.    Synopsis of Student Evaluations: Give a brief synopsis of the feedback received on student evaluations this year.

11.    Synopsis of Peer Evaluations: If this course curriculum has been peer reviewed, give a brief overview of the feedback received.

 

 

TEACHING ACTIVITIES:

 

1       Sequence #: (optional) If you enter a sequence number, your entries will be sorted numerically by sequence number. Numbers can be decimal or integer.

2.      Activity: The pop-up box attached has activity options and the opportunity to add additional activities by selecting "other." Make your selection from the pop up list.

 

                  Activity                                Description

 

                  Critiques                             critical written review of a scholarly work

                  Guest Lecturer           any opportunity to lecture in a class othe