Improving services = enriched university experience

Heather Lynch

Imagine students accessing high-demand services through Web-based tools that offer new personalized support, or even accessing information that gives them a personalized and enriched university experience. These are just two projected outcomes of ISIS, Innovation Student Information System, a project centred on improving student services and providing an unparalleled university experience.

“This is a significant undertaking for the University community,” says François Chapleau, associate vice-president, Strategic Enrollment Management, and registrar, “one that will impact on all of us in one way or another. Our students have increasing expectations of the services offered at University, and it is our duty to ensure that we provide the proper tools to ensure a pleasant and productive university experience.”

Begun in December 2005, ISIS is a key project resulting from Vision 2010 recommendations that would simplify student information system procedures, as well as provide more user-friendly online services.

One of the first objectives of ISIS was to evaluate existing services. The evaluation found them to be outdated and inefficient systems that were largely the result of inadequate technology and internal processes. Consequently, a number of sub-projects were created in order to thoroughly examine and integrate these services. These sub-projects include:

•    Managing client relations;
•    Reviewing financial aid and bursaries processes;
•    Reviewing communications with students;
•    Reviewing the registration process; and
•    Reviewing the basic structure of the Student Information System.

Today, the evaluation phase is close to completion and the implementation phase is expected to begin in the coming months. Other developments include the purchase of the Client Relationship Management (CRM) software to assist with recruiting and retaining students, and the successful completion of a pilot project that would streamline the graduation ceremony.

Related Link:

For future developments and regular updates on the ISIS project: ISIS