Cégep de Matane has implemented Oracle(r) Collaboration Suite to facilitate the management of time, resources and administrative processes and to increase collaborative efforts among students and employees. The solution was implemented by Oracle certified partner, Société de Réseau Informatique des Collèges (SRIC).

By accessing a centralised portal, students and employees at Cégep de Matane now have access to such collaborative tools as email, file sharing, content management as well as password-protected personal user spaces and shared calendars, allowing simplified and dynamic communication among all eligible users. The new portal, built on Oracle(r) Database and Application Server, will also simplify distribution of course outlines and management of schedules between teaching staff and students and employees.

Based on the success of the Matane project, SRIC will be rolling out this solution to other Quebec colleges over the next three to four years.

"Because Cégep de Matane's culture encourages the use of information technologies and innovation, students and staff have been quick to pick up on the benefits of a collaborative IT environment," said René Roy, Cégep de Matane's IT coordinator.

"This project originated from a need identified by the Success Support Committee, which is comprised of teachers, educational advisors and administrators," explained Mr. Roy. "They realize that one of the biggest challenges facing students at college is the amount of information they are expected to digest on a day-to-day basis. We wanted to make it easier for the students by allowing them to access most of what they require from one source.

"In addition, this portal provides teachers with the necessary tools to track their students' academic development to help them identify problems and provide solutions early on, before they become bigger issues."

The SRIC/Oracle solution was chosen because it provided the high level of integration needed to facilitate this amount of data sharing. Oracle Application Server allowed SRIC to smoothly integrate data from two databases - the human resources management system and the academic management system - into a single source.

The first phase of the project was completed in August 2004. The appointment calendars of teachers and educational advisers-along with laboratory schedules-can now be accessed at any time, and students can select appointment times with teachers themselves. Multiple users can now work collaboratively on the same document-which greatly facilitates teamwork. For example, teachers can easily work together to finalise course content without having to worry about scheduling multiple meetings in person. By the end of 2004, all of the college's activities were available on the portal. Personal notifications and notices concerning student life in general have been added automatically to students' calendars.

"We will be adding institutional documents, such as Board of Directors' meeting notes, program updates and changes, on an ongoing basis," said Mr. Roy. "The scalability and usability of the Oracle infrastructure software makes this an incredibly easy task and ensures that the technology will keep pace with the growth of our community."

About Cégep de Matane
Cégep de Matane is part of Québec's network of public pre-university and technical colleges. With approximately 600 students, most of its technical programs (Photography, Multimedia Integration, Information Technology, etc.) focus on the new technologies.

Cégep de Matane's educational project is founded on the three main building blocks of education: communication and language proficiency, independent thinking, and a sense of responsibility.
For more information, visit http://www.cegep-matane.qc.ca (French only).

About Oracle
Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) is the world's largest enterprise software company. For more information about Oracle, please visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com

About SRIC Inc.

Société du réseau informatique des Collèges (SRIC) Inc. is one of the leading information technology providers catering to the higher education institutions part of the Québec network of colleges. For more information www.sric.ca

Trademarks
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