Throughout July, you may have noticed the Student Lifecycle
Programme (SLP) Roadshow popping up on your events calendar. The five events which
were attended by more than 350 people kicked off a long-term transformation
project, which aims to align processes, systems and ways of working, from the
moment a prospective student applies until their graduation.
Led by Programme Director, Sarah Lund, and sponsored by Deputy
Vice-Chancellor for Student Education, Professor Tom Ward, the SLP isnt just about IT
changes; it aims to make managing every part of a students time with the University better suited to them and simpler for staff to administer.
The roadshows generated more than 70 questions about the
focus of the SLP and the imminent move from Banner 8 to Banner 9, and the
answers to all of those questions have been given by the SLP team and sent
out to everyone who attended. But if youve never heard of the SLP, heres a
beginners guide:
What is the SLP and what will it cover?
The Student Lifecycle Programme is a long-term transformation
initiative to ensure end-to-end processes, systems and ways of working that
support the student education lifecycle, from prospect to graduation, are fit
for purpose and work efficiently and effectively to deliver an outstanding
experience.
The team is made up of project managers, process experts and
subject matter experts from across the University (including the Student
Education Service and IT), tasked with analysing, testing and implementing new
systems and ways of working that make the student experience smoother and
improve the way we work together.
How long will the transformation take?
Were in the very early stages now, but see the first phase
of the programme taking us to 2023. Our initial work is to secure our student
records system, Banner, onto the new Banner 9 platform by early 2019. This is business as usual, but
Banner 9 also offers additional functionality, which may be part of the longer
term transformation.
Were hoping to secure funding for the longer term
transformation towards the end of this year, which will mean 2019 to 2023 are
focused on refreshed processes, ways of working and creating a technology
platform for student records and curriculum management. This period is very
much about getting the basics right. From 2023, well then look at further
developments on a robust student information system, which could include
functionality to enhance the student experience, digital enhancements and
curriculum innovation.
Why cant we just carry on as we are?
Unfortunately not. There are a number of reasons driving
this change, starting with the fact that many of our systems including the
systems that underpin all our day-to-day activities and reporting are not fit
for purpose and, in some cases, at risk of failure. We have hundreds of local
systems that arent supported by IT and multiple ways of doing the same thing
across schools and faculties, not to mention an unknown number of processes and
databases that just arent visible.
We arent able to extract the right data to
be compliant with new reporting regulations and staff are having to create
time-consuming workarounds to hold everything together. Add to that a change in
student numbers and cohort mix in the future, our competitors taking action to
improve the student experience plus the increasingly joined-up, digital world
we live in, and we dont have any choice but to act.
Will the changes mean job losses?
One of the aims of the programme is to improve the
efficiency of how we administer students and particularly in how we perform
back office transactional activities. Its about creating systems and processes that are fit for purpose and
freeing up peoples time to focus on more high-value activities, like face-to-face interaction with students. With anticipated changes to student numbers,
cohort mixes and student needs increasing, we know that we will need further
investment in student education services in the years ahead. We anticipate roles changing and skills
changing over time to accommodate different needs and new ways of working but
no overall risk to jobs.
Can I get involved?
During the coming months and years, the SLP team will need as
much input as possible from you the people who use our systems and processes
every day to understand whats working well and whats holding you back. We
dont plan to sit in a darkened room and design processes; we want the
programme to be as collaborative as possible. Its the only way were going to
create a future that works for our students, and for you.
We are firstly looking to build a network of
champions across the University, who will represent their peers views
and concerns to the team, working with us to ensure the right people are
consulted and brought in to the project at the right time. Let us know if youd
like to be part of this.
Email
communications manager Liz Wilmshurst to find out more about how you can get involved with supporting the programme, or to be added to the SLP mailing list.