We used to pre-provision student accounts a long time ago but ceased due to the no-show problem particularly with PGs. Since then we've had a registration process which creates the account ID and sets up the services.  This used to be a stand-alone, IT Services, web based process.  The whole University registration process is now web based and the two have been united.  In fact the University process was built into ours.  The whole thing depends upon having (prospective) student data in our database prior to them registering.  We use three pieces of data to identify the student and tie them to their record.  Late entries and erroneous entries cause problems and need staff involvement but these are of the order of very low hundreds usually not much more than 200 if that, usually less than 5% of an intake cohort.  Because the process is web based and available off campus we encourage students to register before they arrive. They need to have paid first. This can also be done over the internet but unfortunately, as yet, is not integrated into the registration system but it's being worked on.

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Chris J. Heaton   Head of Systems Services
IT Services
Computer Centre Bldg.
University of Leicester               e-mail:   [log in to unmask]
University Road                       'phone:  +44 (0)116 252 2242
Leicester LE1 7RH                        fax:  +44 (0)116 252 5027
UK

-----Original Message-----
From: Support issues for windows in UK HE & FE [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jonathan Noble
Sent: 06 February 2008 10:22
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Pre-provisioning student accounts

Currently we create user accounts for students who we expect to turn up
and register at the start of the academic year (and indeed all through
the year for various PG courses) as soon as we know that they may be
coming, but that results in a lot of accounts/home folders/mailboxes
which are never used and have to be removed (which isn't always
straight-forward in terms of finding why they haven't arrived; are they
just late? have they deferred? etc.).

We're wondering whether to hold off provisioning everything until the
student arrives to trigger the final part of the process.

Can people please let me know (and I'll sumarise for the list), whether
they create user accounts for students prior to them arriving, or if you
require your students to go through some form of IT registration process
when they arrive?

Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

Jonathan Noble
Windows Infrastructure Team
ISS, Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK