At Oxford, identity isn’t just about logging in. It underpins participation in governance, access to services, and trust in University processes. This principle is central to current efforts to modernise how Congregation membership is verified.
Attending a Congregation meeting requires members to present a University card marked 'Congregation'. This means issuing a separate card, even to staff who already hold a standard University card.
While the process may seem simple, it introduces a range of hidden challenges, including added complexity, administrative overhead, and difficulties in maintaining accurate, consistent data.
The current system
At present, Congregation membership is tracked via a manually updated spreadsheet, and dedicated cards are produced to verify membership. This process results in a notable financial cost to the University and necessitates the production of a special replacement physical card for each member of Congregation.
Beyond the financial implications, the process poses several operational challenges:
- It requires additional administrative effort from Planning and Council Secretariat (PACS) and the University Card Office.
- Discrepancies can contribute to uncertainty regarding who is formally recognised to take part in Congregation business.
What are the alternatives?
A recent options paper, developed by the Identity Improvement Programme (IIP), explored a range of more efficient ways to confirm eligibility for Congregation meetings without requiring a new card.
Potential alternatives include:
- Scanning existing University cards using barcode or RFID readers, as already in operation in Careers Services and in development by Exams Schools.
- Issuing invitations with scannable barcodes (similar to e-tickets).
- Manual checks using mail-merged invitations that include the staff member’s name, photo, or card number.
- Developing a tailored scanning application through IT Services that can securely verify data against central systems.
- Using a free or low-cost barcode scanning app.
All of these options are intended to enable fast and accurate eligibility checks — ideally within seconds — while reducing reliance on additional physical cards and helping to minimise plastic use.
Where the Identity Vault comes in
As part of its broader digital infrastructure work, IIP is developing an Identity Vault — a central repository of validated identity information for all members of the University community.
In future, this system will allow teams to confirm attributes like Congregation status in real time, without needing to manually reconcile spreadsheets or rely on duplicate records.
What’s next?
There is no need for an immediate, wholesale change. Well-contained use cases such as Congregation meetings, Opportunity Oxford, and the Department of Continuing Education offer ideal settings to trial new approaches in a controlled way.
By starting with targeted pilots, IIP can evaluate what works in practice, identify and address issues early, and build a scalable, efficient solution.
In summary
- The current approach to verifying Congregation membership is resource-intensive and increasingly difficult to maintain.
- There are viable alternatives that draw on tools and systems already in use across the University.
- Transitioning to a streamlined, data-driven process can reduce cost, ease the administrative burden, and improve data accuracy.
- Identity is a foundational element of participation in governance and access — not just a login credential.
- The identity vault will provide a more secure and reliable basis for identity management in the future.
This is digital transformation in action: simplifying processes, strengthening governance, and delivering tangible benefits across the collegiate University.
We’ll continue to post updates on the Identity Improvement Programme webpage about how the pilots went and what’s coming next.
