A web based high school transcript and course catalog keying and coding system

RTI International is currently conducting a longitudinal education study. One component of the study involved collecting transcripts and course catalogs from high schools that the sample members attended. Information from the transcripts and course catalogs also needed to be keyed and coded. This presented a challenge because the transcripts and course catalogs were collected from different types of schools, including public, private, and religious schools, from across the nation and they varied widely in both content and format. The challenge called for a sophisticated system that could be used by multiple users simultaneously. RTI developed such a system possessing all the characteristics of a high-end, high-tech, multi-user, multitask, user-friendly and low maintenance cost high school transcript and course catalog keying and coding system. The system is web based and has three major functions: transcript and catalog keying and coding, transcript and catalog keying quality control (keyer-coder end), and transcript and catalog coding QC (management end). Given the complex nature of transcript and catalog keying and coding, the system was designed to be flexible and to have the ability to transport keyed and coded data throughout the system to reduce the keying time, the ability to logically guide users through all the pages that a type of activity required, the ability to display appropriate information to help keying performance, and the ability to track all the keying, coding, and QC activities. Hundreds of catalogs and thousands of transcripts were successfully keyed, coded, and verified using the system. This paper will report on the system needs and design, implementation tips, problems faced and their solutions, and lessons learned.