Degree Compass Features Guide |
July 2013
Contents
Overview
Purpose of this document
Compatibility
System requirements
Tablet and mobile support
About Degree Compass
How Degree Compass works
Degree Compass and Banner
Student Self-Service view
Faculty Self-Service view
Updating recommendations
Degree Compass and Luminis
Copyright © 2013 by Desire2Learn Incorporated.
Desire2Learn and the molecule logo are trademarks of Desire2Learn Incorporated,
registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Degree Compass Features Guide
Overview
Important This is pre-release information for Degree Compass. The functionality,
screens, and configuration of features in this guide are subject to change before release.
Overview
Purpose of this document
These release notes for Degree Compass Features Guide are intended only as an
overview of product features included in this release.
Compatibility
Degree Compass is compatible with the following browsers:

Internet Explorer 9

Firefox 19

Chrome (version: 26.0.1410.64 m)

Safari
System requirements
Technical Requirements
 Ellucian´s Banner General v8
 Ellucian´s Banner Student v8
 Ellucian´s Banner WebTailor v8
 Ellucian´s Banner Student Self-Service v8
 Luminis Platform & Portal v4.x (optional)
 Luminis Channels for Banner (LCB)
 Ellucian´s Banner Faculty Self-Service v8
 Oracle Database 10g (11g recommended)
 We recommend allotting 10 MB of space per student (for every 10,000 students,
you require a minimum 500 GB of space)
 One or both of the following:
 Curriculum, Advising, and Program Planning (CAPP) v8.5.3
© 2013 by Desire2Learn Incorporated.
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Degree Compass Features Guide
About Degree Compass
 DegreeWorks (DW) v4.1.0
 evisions Argos Reporting Solution*
* Components required for report generation only.
Business Requirements
 Degree Audit Information coded into CAPP or DegreeWorks
 Course listings, student grades, and student registrations tracked through Banner
 At least 3 freshmen grade items entered into Banner as part of the admissions process
 At least 4 years of student grade history tracked through Banner
 Unmodified Banner database schema for all listed components
Installation and Administration Requirements
 SFTP credentials to the Oracle Database server
 Remote login into the Oracle Database or a machine with access to the Oracle
Database
 SQL*PLUS installed on the machine
 Access to Banner´s BANINST1 and BANSECR credentials
 Direct or assisted access to Banner Forms
 Argos reporting server address and credentials*
* Components required for report generation only.
Degree Compass is suitable to all organizations, even those who do not have
Desire2Learn Learning Environment implemented, as there is no dependency between
them.
Tablet and mobile support
Currently, tablet and mobile support for Degree Compass is only available through
custom development. Contact your Degree Compass account manager or system
administrator for more information.
About Degree Compass
Degree Compass uses predictive analytic techniques to determine the courses in which
students are most likely to succeed. Degree Compass suggests courses for an individual
student using criteria which includes their program of study, the best fit in the sequence
of courses for a degree program, and the school’s curriculum.
© 2013 by Desire2Learn Incorporated.
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Degree Compass Features Guide
How Degree Compass works
Degree Compass also provides reports that contain strategic information department
chairs and advisors can use to enable targeted interventions. For example, one report
allows advisors to identify students who would benefit from academic support and
mentoring prior to the start of a semester, using projected course grades.
How Degree Compass works
Degree Compass generates course recommendations by assessing two elements: a degree
audit for current students and academic histories of the school’s students, including
transcripts and test scores over the past 10 years. Using these two datasets, the
application builds the predictive engine, which requires an update at the end of each
semester, or at a minimum, at least once a year.
Degree Compass also generates course recommendations based on a student’s needed or
unmet coursework. Course recommendations display to students listed from most to least
relevant and ranked using a five-star scale within each area or group of requirements.
Depending on how Degree Compass is customized for your institution, advisors and
instructors may be able to see a Predicted Grade column that displays a predicted grade
for each course using the same five-star ranking system.
Each student’s recommended course list displays on a secure portal in a web-based
interface. This interactive interface provides useful information regarding the course
recommendations, including course requirements and co-requisites, how taking the
course affects the student’s degree program, and future course availability.
Users can access Degree Compass through two views: Banner and Luminis. Each view
displays course recommendations that contain some or all of the following information:

Rating The five-star system used to determine the necessity of a course in fulfilling a
student’s degree criteria, given their current academic standing. The rating accesses
two elements: the student’s program of study and a prediction of how well the
student would do in the course.

Projected Grade The estimated grade, based on a five star system, that the student
can expect to attain in the course.

Course The course code.

Title The course title.

Program The part of the student’s degree that Degree Compass is recommending the
course for.

Registered Indicates whether the student is currently registered for the course.
© 2013 by Desire2Learn Incorporated.
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Degree Compass Features Guide
Degree Compass and Banner
Degree Compass and Banner
Student Self-Service view
Student Self-Service is an interactive portal that allows the student to interface with the
Banner database. Degree Compass integrates into the Student Self-Service page to
provide the student with constant access to Degree Compass.
The Student Self-Service page displays the student’s name, ID, and advisor, in addition
to the list of recommendations.
Note The Student Self Service page filters out courses currently in progress. You can
toggle this option using WebTailor.
Faculty Self-Service view
Faculty Self-Service is an interactive portal similar to the Student Self-Service page, but
with extra functionality for faculty members, including the ability to access any student’s
information and calculate grade estimations outside of their current degree audit system.
Note The Faculty Self Service page does not filter out courses currently in progress. You
can toggle this option using WebTailor.
Updating recommendations
Click Update Recommendations to manually re-evaluate course recommendations. Reevaluation occurs within a minute of sending the call. Recommendations will
automatically recalculate after a program change (for example, a new major, minor, or
concentration) or if a student experiences any academic changes (for example, new
grades) since the last evaluation.
Degree Compass and Luminis
Luminis is an optional portal add-on that enables one-stop access to various systems
including Banner Self-Service. If your institution does not allow access to the Banner
Self-Service pages, users can access Degree Compass through Luminis.
© 2013 by Desire2Learn Incorporated.
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