Student Administrative Services and Systems

Student Information System Project

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SECTION 6: STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM PROJECT

6.0

Background
The Student Information System (SIS) is at the heart of almost all administrative activity
relating to students and their courses at Queen's. The SIS deals with the various
processes that underpin the University's administration. Its remit ranges from dealing
with prospective students and admissions, through to enrolments, fees, and registration.
It also deals with exam results, graduation and statutory reports.
The present system has served the University well it is an INGRES system developed
as part of the MAC Initiative, and it was first used in the academic year 95/96. It is now
used much more extensively than its design anticipated, with over 1000 staff users and
almost all students accessing their SIS information via the Queens Online Portal.
The current SIS has been in use for quite some time, and needs to be updated in terms
of functionality and user-friendliness. The future of the INGRES database system is now
in question, so there is a need to revise the current provision. This gives us a chance to
review the University's operational activities, and gives us an opportunity to significantly
enhance support for teaching and learning.
The SIS Project was established to facilitate the smooth procurement and implementation
of a replacement system, almost certainly through the purchase of a commercial system.

6.1

Purpose of SIS Project

The key objectives of the project are to:

manage the selection and implementation of an appropriate system or systems to

meet agreed requirements, through all stages from inception to post-implementation
review;
facilitate the key business processes of the University and its colleges;
identify and enable process improvement and efficiency;
allow easy interface to, and seamless integration with, other key systems.

Three committees have been established to oversee the project: a Project Steering
Group, a Project User Group and a Project Implementation Group. The scope of the
project includes all aspects of student management, from initial inquiry right through
to when students join the alumni. It will involve all aspects of course management and
related student and course reporting as well as a staff and student portal.
Our aim is to adopt a system that :

provides a single, complete, integrated & authoritative source of information for all
stakeholders;
reflects and drives the Universitys business processes;
enables a new model of service delivery;
gives us the ability to succeed in an increasingly competitive environment.

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Student Administrative Services and Systems

Student Information System Project
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6.2

Project Plan
Project Milestones
The project has been split into three phases covering the period from September 2005 to
July 2009:
1. Set-up and Specifications of Requirements (Sept 05 July 06)
Phase One is now complete. This stage involved consultations with schools and
directorates. A Market survey provided an overview of commercial systems available.
An extensive consultation exercise analysed business processes and specified the
requirements for the new system.
2. Procurement (July 06 March 07)
We are currently at Phase Two of the project. This stage involves preparing a Vendor
Questionnaire and considering the responses. A selected set of suppliers will be sent
Operational Requirements, before the final supplier is selected.
3. Implementation (March 07 July 09)
A timetable of activities will be drawn up to ensure that each SIS component is adopted in
a timely fashion, and ensuring staff training as and when appropriate.

6.3

Processes
Analysis of Business Processes
The project team has identified 20 business processes which need to be analysed. As
each process is analysed, the resulting documentation will be made available online.
The purpose of analysing the business functions is:
(i) to form the basis of the Specification of Requirements for the new system; and
(ii) to facilitate analysis, and where appropriate re-design, of the current processes.
The 20 business processes include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.

Prospectus and enquiry management

Admissions (UCAS)
Admissions (Direct)
Postgraduate awards
Student accommodation management
Enrolment and registration (Supplementary Documentation)
Core student record maintenance
Research student management
Open Learning (extra mural)
Examinations and assessments
Progression
Graduation
Progress Files (PDP & Transcripts)
Fees and bursaries
Statutory returns (Supplementary Documentation)
Course management
Satellite systems and Nursing functionality
MIS information and reporting

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Student Administrative Services and Systems

Student Information System Project
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19. Publications (Calendar books etc.)

20. Interfaces and data transfer

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