eRAM: Upgrade 5.0 Overview of Changes

Overview

The eResearch Animal Management (eRAM) system upgrade to 5.0 (framework version 9.0), effective May 22, 2021, brings a number of user interface changes and navigation improvements to the smartforms for projects including Applications/Protocols (PRO), Amendments (AME), Use Forms (USE), Controlled Substances (CSR), Action Items (ACT) and more.
Note This overview depicts Animal Application/Protocol changes in the examples, unless otherwise noted.

Contents

• Smartform Changes
  • Navigation
  • Validate (previously Hide/Show Errors)
  • Compare (previously View Differences)
  • Slide-ins
  • Document controls
  • Continue where you left off
  • Reviewer Notes
  • Redesigned Application/Protocol pages

Smartform Changes

Navigation

The Navigation Bar that previously displayed at the top and bottom of the smartform has changed.   

Old look
  

1. The Project ID now displays more prominently at the top of the smartform, e.g., "Editing: Animal Protocol - PRO00010150".
2. Navigation menu replaces the Jump To list, and it has moved to the left navigator.  It persistently displays a list of all the pages in an application. 
   • The entire left navigator can be toggled on or off, (closed left or opened right) with the double-arrow icon. 
   • The page that you are currently viewing is in bold and highlighted. 
3. check Validate replaces Hide/Show Errors, and it has moved to the left navigation menu. See Validate for more details.
4. compare Compare replaces View Differences, and it has moved to the left navigation menu. See Compare for more details.
5. left Go to Navigation shifts the focus from the smartform to the navigation menu, i.e., it opens the navigation menu if it was collapsed.​
6. comment Reviewer Notes and comment Reviewer notes legend are located at the top-right corner of the smartform.
   Note Notes only appear on animal protocol projects after reviewer notes/questions have been added. See Reviewer Notes for more details.
7. H. I. Buttons to exit Exit,  save Save, ​and Continue right arrow (or Finish) float at the bottom-right corner of the smartform. They always display, and you don't have to scroll to view them.
   Tip Use Continue to advance to the next required page in the application.

New look
 

 (not shown above) The print Print drop-down menu has two choices:

• This page opens a Printer-Friendly view of the current page in another browser tab.
• All pages opens a Printer-Friendly view of the entire smartform in another browser tab.
  Note The Print button appears on all projects except for animal protocols. Animal protocols can be printed using the Printer-Friendly Version link on the protocol workspace.

Validate (previously Hide/Show Errors)

Validate replaces Hide/Show Errors.  It is located within the Navigation menu.

Old look (displayed Error/Warning Messages in a bottom panel​)

Click check Validate to run project validation and view Error/Warning Messages. Pages/questions with green checkmarks checkmark indicate verification/completion, and red circles minue indicate incompletion and/or warnings.

New look (displays warnings within the Navigation menu)

See the Validate step-by-step procedure for more details.

Compare (previously View Differences)

scale Compare replaces View Differences, and it has a new interface. It is located within the Navigation menu. Changes between application versions and steps can be viewed at the page level once more than one version has been submitted.
 

• At the top, you can pick which version to compare from the down down arrow. 
• Pages with a pencil pencil icon indicate changes were made. 
• Click a  pencil pencil to view the change in the smartform. Differences display below the changed question, including who made change and when, what the change was, and version number).
  • You can expand expand and collapse collapse the differences to view further details.

See the Compare step-by-step procedure for more details.

Slide-ins

When entering information for some questions that have Add, Update, or Browse... buttons, the additional fields that opened as separate "pop-up" browser windows now slide in from the right side of the smartform.  For example, when adding or updating Internal Funding the "Edit Protocol Internal Funding" window slides in.
Note The window can be minimized minimize or closed close to return to the main smartform, but you must click OK to save your selection.

Slide-in example

The slide-in windows are also called Dialogs.  If you've minimized a slide-in and returned focus to the main smartform, then options to Close close and Restore restore dialogs display in a bar on the right-side of the smartform.
 Note The main smartform controls remain locked for editing until you close the slide-in dialog.

Slide-in minimized
 

Document controls

When working with certain documents, there is a new location for the buttons/controls on document stacks. Click the Browse browse ellipsis button next to the Version Number for options to:

•  download Download Copy
•  upload Upload Revision
•  history View History
• delete Delete.

 Note The options that are available may vary based on the project type, question, document-type and user role.

Document controls

Continue where you left off

The system remembers where you last were within a smartform.  A "Welcome Back! Continue where you left off" message displays, and the project opens directly to the most recent page that you had saved. 

Reviewer Notes

comment Reviewer Notes have a new interface and improved functionality. The notes that previously displayed at the top of the smartform now display in a new pop-up window. 

Old look

New look

Within the Reviewer Notes window, there are options to:

• Select Reviewer Question Type
• Enter text notes
• Edit or Delete Reviewer Questions
• Attach Files
• check/uncheck Response Required
• Reply, Resolve this thread, or Reactivate this thread

New Most pages have the option to enter notes in-line at the question level (vs. top, page level only), so you don't have to identify the specific question/species in your note (Principal Investigator, General Information, Funding, Personnel, Species,  Location Information, Procedure Summary, Adverse Consequences, Use Justification, Alternatives, PI Assurance pages).

• Note The Procedure page and the 18 procedure pop-ups will not be able to have notes at the question level at this time. The functionality works the same as prior to the upgrade, where you need to specify which question the note pertains to.

As questions/notes are added, the quote icon comment incrementally displays the number of notes in the upper-right corner of the smartform and on the pages in the Navigation menu.

  ​

Click the Reviewer notes legend at the top of the smartform for a description the different quote icons.

See the Add Review Questions step-by-step procedure for more details.

Redesigned Application/Protocol Pages

The Location Information, Procedure Summary, Adverse Consequences, and Use Justification protocol pages have been redesigned. The tabs for each species have been replaced with a list-format. Details are now added using the Update button for each species. 

The Location Information page changes are shown in the example below. It requires adding/updating details with a 2-step process for each Species and Location.

Old page design with tabs

New page design 

See the Add Location Information step-by-step procedure for more details.

New design for Procedure Summary, Adverse Consequences, and Use Justification pages

Procedure Summary page without tabs

Adverse Consequences page without tabs

Use Justification page without tabs