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Courses@Penn May 2 Release and June 17-20 Student System Outage

On May 2, Courses@Penn, the replacement for Courses InTouch and a new Pennant system, will launch. This note provides background information, the LSP role in the support model, and information on a planned, widespread student system outage during the weekend of June 17-20.

Background

Instructors will use the legacy system Courses InTouch to complete their management of the Spring 2022 term, following guidance from their schools and the Office of the University Registrar. They will use the new Courses@Penn to manage the Summer 2022 term and beyond. After the transition, Courses InTouch will no longer be available to manage courses. More detailed information on Courses@Penn is on the NGSS website.

LSP Role & NGSS/Pennant Hypercare Support Model

Summer instructors will need support navigating Courses@Penn during the summer sessions. The LSP scope of responsibilities is to serve as a point of contact in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 portions of the overall hypercare model.

The primary resource for instructors will be the Pennant Records page on the SRFS website, which continues to evolve as the project continues its deployment through the summer and fall. Closer to the summer grading deadlines, the Pennant Resources page will be updated with relevant workshops, how-to videos, and guides.

As a reminder, below is the overall hypercare support model with the resources that will guide your school or center staff. LSP involvement will primarily be contained to Tier 1 and Tier 2.

Pennant Hypercare Support Model - Release 2 for Pennant Accounts, Pennant Records, and Pennant Aid

 Tier 1: Self-Service

The LSP may be the initial point of contact.

  • Refer users to self-help resources designed troubleshoot issues on their own
  • Provide connections to next level of support

Resources

Tier 2: Real-Time Support

The LSP facilitates escalation.

  • Provide support after user has accessed self-help materials and is unable to perform task
    • Step 1: Direct users to submit Freshdesk tickets as first step of escalation, especially for system access/log-in issues
    • Step 2: Direct users to attend scheduled workshops and office hours
    • Step 3: Direct users to contact general support emails

Resources

Tier 3: Operational Support

The LSP may provide a nominal role.

  • Once a user has submitted a Freshdesk ticket, the NGSS team will escalate cases related to system defects, configuration and data integration issues, implementation, and testing of system updates, etc.

Summer Student System Outage

A widespread system outage will be in place during the weekend of June 17-20, to convert data from the Spring 2022 term to Pennant. Courses@Penn, Advising@Penn and Path@Penn and their legacy systems Courses InTouch, Advisor InTouch, and Penn InTouch will be unavailable.

Pennant systems will return on June 21 after the University’s observance of Juneteenth on Monday, June 20. More detailed information and a list of affected applications is available on the NGSS website. We will send a reminder closer to the June system outage.

Thank you for being part of this remarkable achievement in launching Pennant. Please email ngsscomms@isc.upenn.edu with any questions.